Healing Love

Chapter 10

Dr Ri Jin Hee is busy in his study room. He is the chief cardiothoracic surgeon at Seoul Specialist Hospital and the hospital chairman, owned by their family. He usually will be busy studying a case or a new surgery method or about the hospital business operation but not today. He is looking at an old photo album of his second son. There are photos of him from the day he is born until the recent pictures of him. There are also many paper cuttings of his son's achievements that he collect as a safe keep. Today is his son's birthday, and like every year, he will spend few hours inside there to look at the old pictures and reminiscing the good old time he had with him. His relationship with his second son is very, very distant now, and he doesn't think it can go back to how they used to be before. He knew that his son has been disappointed in him for few things that he had done, which he isn't proud of. Nevertheless, he is missing him badly, especially on his birthday.

While he is browsing the photos, he came across the latest picture of his son. The photo was taken by his 'informer'. In the photo, Jung Hyuk is captured with a pretty young woman. They were walking together in a mall. It's not seeing him with a woman that surprised him, but his son is smiling in the photo, and he hasn't seen him smiling for years ever since he lost his girlfriend. If finally, he has found someone who can make him smile again, Dr Ri Jin Hee is relieved. At least his son is happy. Based on his investigation, the young woman currently staying with his son in Busan. He helped her from committing suicide a few months back and took her in. He still couldn't figure out their relationship, but they share a special relationship according to what is reported to him.

The knocking sound of the door interrupted his silent moment. He quickly hid the photo of Jung Hyuk and the girl inside the drawer.

"Come in," the door of his studies opened, and his wife came in with a tray in her hand.

His wife smiling at him as she walked in, "I know it. You must be here. Why don't you had your breakfast first, yeobo?" Kim Sung Ryung asked her husband as she came inside the room. She knows him well, he will spend time in his study room on this day. Their second son's birthday.

"You were still asleep when I woke up. I don't want to disturb your beauty sleep just to ask you to make breakfast for me. That's why I came here instead," Ri Jin Hee smiled, looking at the dish his wife prepared. It's japchae, his favourite and also Jung Hyuk's. She always cooks that for them, especially if they are celebrating any special days. There is seaweed soup too. She never forgets to make it on each of their family members' birthday even if the one celebrating is not with them.

He reached for his wife's hands and kiss at the back of it, "Gomawo, jagiya."

Kim Sung Ryung looking at her husband weird, "For what? Making breakfast for you?"

Dr Ri chuckled at her witty remarks, "For giving birth to our son, 31 years ago. He's here today thanks to you who carried him for 9 months and brought him to this world. Gomawo," he kissed the back of her hand again.

"You played a part too. I won't be able to experience that if not because of you. You are his father, after all," her eyes then travelled to the opened photo album. Her husband though he looks very cold on the outside, he is a soft man inside. He will collect all the photos of their kids and arrange them nicely in photo albums. Being the organized and meticulous person he is, each child has their own respective photo albums. She flipped through the albums and came to the first page of it. There are all photos on the day Jung Hyuk was born. He looks so tiny as a baby. "Out of the four of our children, giving birth to him was the easiest. Do you remember that day? We arrived at the hospital just in time. I was straight away taken to the labour room as we entered the hospital."

"How can I forget it? You almost made me help you to deliver the baby by the roadside. Luckily I didn't stop the car and continue driving to the hospital," both of them laughed as they remembered that day. They are still clumsy young parents at those times.