Jamais Vu

Chapter 37

Sunhee reached the waiting area of the emergency room, carrying Nam Juri, Choi Yong's 3-year-old daughter. Sunhee crouched as she put Juri down. Juri was holding Sunhee's hand and her teddy bear tightly. Sunhee went with the ambulance as they brought Choi Yong in as she didn't have a child seat to drive Juri there. The medical team had already taken Choi Yong in and the only thing to do now was to wait.

"Where did they take eomma?" asked Juri.

Sunhee looked at Juri's face. The girl was terrified and she got some of the blood on her.

"She's inside the room behind this door. The doctors are going to take care of her. Your eomma will be okay," comforted Sunhee.

Sunhee looked at the innocent cherubic face in front of her. Juri's face was stained with tears and her pigtails were out of place.

"Can I tie your hair and clean you up, Juri-ya?" asked Sunhee. "Your eomma would be happy to see you like that."

Juri nodded and buried her face at her stuffed toy. "Juri doesn't want eomma to die," said the girl.

Sunhee's throat constricted. "No, she won't. The doctor will help her," said Sunhee. She then heard Juri's stomach grumbled. "Let's clean up and then we will go to the café for food," suggested Sunhee.

"Juri want to wait here."

"You have to eat. If you don't eat, you will get sick and your eomma would be sad too," reasoned Sunhee. "Juri doesn't want eomma to be sad, right?"

Juri shook her head.

"Then let's clean up and eat something really quick. Promise." Sunhee raised her pinky to Juri.

The little girl looked at it, not knowing what to do.

"When someone put their finger like this, it means whatever that someone said is a promise. Do you know what's that, Juri-ya?"

"Eomma said, a promise means what people say will come true."

"Smart girl," praised Sunhee. "So, when someone put their pinky up, you take your pinky finger and lock it, like this," Sunhee demonstrated it to Juri. "Then, we shake on it."

Juri looked at it with her round eyes.

"Come on, let's go and be back for your eomma," said Sunhee.

Sunhee brought Juri to the restroom and cleaned the little girl up. The convenience store was where they went after, and she bought the food the little girl wanted. Sunhee slipped in a lollipop for Juri as she paid for the food. Sunhee looked at Juri as Juri ate her kimbap as they sat in the waiting area.

It all started when Sunhee visited Choi Yong's house at noon.

Yesterday, Choi Yong called in sick. This morning she called Sunhee and informed her that she would like to use her personal leave. Sunhee didn't think much about what did happen. She was just concerned about Choi Yong. Sunhee thought Choi Yong was down with a bad case of flu that she would require an extra day off. She just wanted to drop by and send Choi Yong a breadbasket.

Usually, an absence of a baker would cause the team to be really busy. Since they were starting the preparation of the temporary closure for the bakery to make way for the renovation, they were able to cope with the demand. They already cut down the orders and the daily bake. Packing work was in progress.

Choi Yong lived in the housing area on the outskirt of Yongsan. The area was not that busy since most were already out for work and school. Sunhee rang the doorbell of Choi Yong's house, but no one was answering it. The intercom was silent too. Sunhee tried again, and yet no one answered the door. She figured no one was at home but she thought she heard the sound of someone crying from inside the house.