Serendipity ( Kim Taehyung)

Chapter 34

"I cleared my schedule for the rest of the month"

Haru's mother, Seo Dasom, looks up from her tea, meeting the eyes of her husband. Her obvious tired eyes flutters at her own words, lips pursed as she traces the mouth of her tea cup with her finger. Her husband, Seo Jaeha, gives a soft knowing look before looking down at the thick storybook in hand, a smile appearing on his handsome face.

"Dasom, you have never cleared your schedule for so many years—10 years I think"

She lets out another heavy sigh, leaning into the wooden cushion chair as she smiles bitterly to herself. "I miss our daughters"

"I know you do"

"What did we do wrong? Why do I feel like I have never done anything right for the girls?"

Dasom lets out a little sob as she stares into her half-empty cup of tea, mind full of nothing but the thought of her dearest girls. She has been too engaged with her job to the extend it really felt like she has forgotten about them. But what heaves her heart the most is of course, Haru. The many times she had seen her in the house over the months, she hated herself for not sparing a few minutes to check on her.

She remembers about 3 or 4 years ago when Haru had innocently knocked on her home office door, wanting to tell her something but she was too busy and asked her to leave. Or that one afternoon Haru came home looking pale and weak—obviously down with fever—she did not even ask anything about her. All she thought about was her work and nothing else.

She admits it is her entirely her fault for not giving herself a break to check on Haru.

"Dasom", Jaeha calls her softly, making her look up. "You did enough for them, please do not blame yourself"

"I am worried about Haru", she sits upright, face twisted in agony. "We know nothing about her now. We did not pay any attention to her while she was busy growing up. She grew up all by herself and—oh god, I completely abandoned her.... what kind of mother am I?"

"Dasom, you did enough", his voice sounds firm this time.

"What did I do? What did I do for Areum? For Haneul? Haru?"

"You did a lot of things—those you are capable of. You sent Areum abroad because you knew it had been her dream to live and study abroad. You supported her from a far, provided everything she needed to live comfortably when she is far from us. You called countless hospitals to search for the best specialist to treat Haneul. You did your research and checked the status of the hospital she is in right now. You made sure she is getting the best treatment—you did that"

"What about Haru...?", her voice trembles, eyes teary. "I did nothing...."

Jaeha sees the look of regret and hopelessness in his wife's eyes. They have been through this conversation a few times before, and it always ended up with them talking about Haru. Dasom is never the one to cry but then lately, whenever she talks about Haru, tears seem to just stream down her face. The pain in her voice aches his heart, making him feel heavy with the guilt he has buried deep in his heart.

"Jaeha....", she wipes the tears on her face. "I am tired of keeping this secret"

His eyes widened at the mention of the word, flinching slightly as he shifts on his chair. "What do you mean?"

"We hurt her once when she found of Areum was adopted", she swallows hardly, gathering her words together. "We are going to hurt again with this secret—I cannot do this anymore"