Summer Child

Harsh Winter. Part 2.

Seri listened intently as the Head Doctor of her father's medical team briefed her and her father on her father's progress; her brother, Se Joon was joining via conference call. She was glad that the doctor was willing to spend time for this (for obvious reason, such as, her father half-owned the hospital), because otherwise she worried her father would lose heart.

His progress had been rather slow with the physical therapy; he could only manage to stand on his own for several moments, before he had to grab the walker to steady himself. However, the doctor said other motors and speech recovery seemed to be on track. Her father now could talk almost as well as before, and he didn't need any help to eat and use the bathroom anymore. Seri squeezed her father's hand to give him encouragement, and he smiled lightly to her.

After the brief, her father asked for a stroll around the hospital garden. Seri gladly obliged and asked caregiver Moon to help her with the wheelchair. Any reason for her to have the handsome male nurse inside her father room.

The hospital had one of the most beautiful flower gardens that she had ever seen in a hospital. It was located at the back part of the hospital, lined with beautiful peach blossom tree. Of course, the trees were now bare due to winter time, but now it provided a beautiful background with snow piled on top of them. Making the space looked like a winter wonderland.

Seri bundled her father with enough coat and scarves that the handsome caregiver laughed lightly seeing her father protested. But she was glad she did so, because it was cold in the garden, despite it was almost early February. She pushed the wheelchair slowly as they moved towards a paved path, enjoying time with each other.

"Seri-ah, your birthday is in another week" her father said, his words were still choppy since he was still recovering, "What do you want for your birthday present, my pooh?"

Seri smiled hearing the cute pet name from her father. Ever since she was little, her father always called her 'Little Seri Pooh', for reason she couldn't understand, though she loved it very much. It made her feel special, because even though she was not, legally, in her father's family card, but she never heard him called her brothers any pet name.

"It's okay, Appa. It's not like I'm turning 10. I will be 31 this year" she said with a chuckle, then added, "And I really don't need anything else."

Her father was silent for a while, but then he asked her to stop near a bench and asked her to sit there. Seri raised her eyebrows but followed his request anyway and sat on the bench, so they were on eye level.

"Among three of my children, you are the one who almost never ask for anything from me, yet you're here sacrificing your work for me, your old man" he said in weak voice, his eyes were uncharacteristically misty. "Please ask for anything, Seri-ah. I want to see you happy"

Seri was quiet for a little while, and this was where she finally understood where her father was coming from. He was born to one of the wealthiest families in the South, had been raised with enormous luxuries around him and had managed to enlarge the empire he was inherited with. For him, wealth and materialistic things were all he knew and therefore associated with happiness.

Her, however, though inherited a tiny bit of that luxury and lived very comfortably at one of the most advanced country in the world, she had experienced other things in life that brought happiness and not necessarily be luxury things. Like throwing yourself to the lake during summer, surrounded by your friends who cheered you up. Or having your dog waited for you impatiently after work and jumped to you the moment you opened the door, as if she had been waiting to do so the whole day.