Josephine Swan never imagined that her stay in South Korea would lead her into K-Pop's glittering and challenging world. Each day, she encounters new hurdles and adventures that fate has in store for her and her four team members. Between gruelling...
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Attention!
This chapter contains mentions regarding hospitals and sick children, as well as thoughts about death.
With quick steps, I dodged the oncoming students who, like me were on their way to their respective classes. My bag hung over my shoulder while my gaze kept switching back and forth between the rooms and my note. Finally, I spotted the classroom I was looking for at the other end of the corridor and reached it in time before the bell rang for class. Besides me, there were only seven other students present, who looked up curiously as soon as I entered the classroom. I smiled awkwardly at the others and quickly found a suitable seat for the last lesson of the day. I felt their stares on the back of my neck and inwardly hoped that the classmates' curiosity would subside in no time. As soon as I was seated, a young Korean woman entered the room and placed her things on the teacher's desk. She then clapped her hands twice, calling the class to order. Next to me, the desks shook. Her dark eyes swept through the small crowd of students and finally lingered on me.
"I am pleased to welcome you to your new school year. Many of you already know me from your last year...others, however...have just joined us this year," she explained quietly, casting a glance in my direction before reaching for notes and skimming them briefly. Her gaze wavered between her papers and the students as her lips moved to their names silently.
"Miss Josephine Swan?" she asked, my hand rising. With a nod, she acknowledged it.
"Welcome to the class, Miss Swan.".
She set the list aside and switched on the overhead projector, before walking around the class and placing a printed sheet of paper in front of each of us. Arriving at my seat, she smiled kindly at me.
"I have translated the details of our future project into two languages for you, Korean and English. If you have any problems following the lessons, don't hesitate to ask your classmates or me for help," she said, placing the paper on my desk. I nodded immediately and turned to the paper. Although I had been living in South Korea for a month and learning vocabulary, pronunciation and writing every day, Grade 12 school assignments proved challenging. At best, I could only translate a few words or at least guess in which direction I needed to steer my solutions. Like the word Byeong-weon.
Hospital.
Meanwhile, on the white wall, a picture of a multi-storey large hospital shone.
"I would like to introduce you to my six-month project this year. Severance Children's Hospital belongs to a group of the oldest and largest university hospitals in South Korea. Of course, the paediatric wards extend over several floors into different departments. We will focus on paediatric oncology," she explained slowly and I skimmed the English translation on the sheet. Murmurs sounded around me and curiously I looked at my classmates. Quite a few had a troubled expression on their faces at the words children and oncology. My heart also twitched slightly at the thought of dying children and their family members. The black-haired teacher noticed the class getting restless around her and interrupted her lecture. With a deep sigh, she put her notes aside and turned to the class.
"I know this project will not be easy for any of you! Just having to deal with the thought of death is a challenge for many. It can be scary...not knowing what the afterlife may look like. Believe me when I tell you that I too often lie awake at night and inwardly wonder what my death will be like. Will I know? What will I see?" she explained slowly, for which I was grateful. Her dark eyes darted to each of us before she pointed her finger at the hospital.
"Death is omnipresent in a hospital. It affects everyone in this world. From the day of conception to old age. It happens in the human world, as well as in the animal and plant world." she said, running the presentation. Pictures of premature babies and babies in intensive care units were shown. Tubes and equipment surrounded the children, trying their best to keep them alive.
"It takes courage to be able to deal with dying and sick children and also to have to, in the case of hospital staff. Seeing them sick, in pain, suffering and also dying is a challenge and a burden. Staff on children's wards around the world struggle with this every day, some more...some less. They create armour around themselves that allows them to create a certain distance despite their hard and emotional work. This distance is necessary for them to continue with their work," Mrs Jeon explained, pointing to a picture of a nurse taking a child's vital signs.
♛
"A project at Severance Hospital?" asked Jihe curiously, adjusting her glasses. I nodded and waved the hot steam aside with the tea towel. A vegetable lasagne emerged, filling the room with its heavenly aroma.
"What do you have to do?" asked Ahri, placing the trivets on the narrow surface as she set the bread and salad aside. The heat from the lasagne warmed my face, which I moved to remove from the oven and place on the trivets. I grabbed the oven mitts to the side and brushed some of my white strands of hair out of my face.
"It's quite interesting. It's about a kind of...sponsorship and fostering a psychosocial environment for the children. Many children cannot leave the hospital for a long time because of their illnesses or their constitutions. Their daily routine is quite monotonous and is mostly characterised by examinations, blood tests and medication. According to our teacher, our job will be to support the children, cheer them up or play with them. Anything to make them think less about a hospital or their illness," I explained slowly, carefully chopping the lasagne.
"That's a nice ulterior motive. How long will the project last?" asked Ahri.
"She was talking about a six-month project..." I mumbled, reaching for my napkin before placing it across my lap. I looked up and met Jihe's worried expression.
"Are you sure you want to do this, Josie?" she pecked carefully. Her brow furrowed.
"What do you mean?" I asked, surprised. Jihe bit her lip.
"I mean...we're talking about seriously ill children on an oncology ward. And even if the project lasts for half a school year...you're going to spend some time with the kids...and honestly...I'm worried about the extent to which you'll let the kids into your heart." she said quietly and silence fell between us. My head lowered and looked at the food in front of me. The pleasant smell of lasagne was rapidly fading.
"I know you love children, Josie! And they will love you too! And I do not doubt that this project is great. Just...please...don't get too carried away with this, because in the end..." she didn't finish the sentence and neither of us dared to finish it.
