We Were Only Seven

Chapter 23

YOONGI'S POV

I stood outside the stall, waiting for her to change. Questioning myself all over again, why was I doing this?

The door finally clicked open after approximately ten minutes. I thought girls took longer. Whatever.

My lips parted slightly as I looked at her all dolled up. She wore a skirt and a loosely fitted top, a brown coloured wig that contrasted her icy blue eyes. Her eyes fluttered and I was awestruck.

Come on Yoongi! She is a kid!

I composed myself, recoiled my dropping jaw and and slightly gulped. What a benefit of disguise, she can't actually look at my expressions.

She came towards me and I don't know why my heart was beating nervously. She was undoubtedly beautiful. She smiled warmly and then added, "we can go now Hyung."

"Don't call me Hyung. At least when you're not faking yourself!" I grunted with a fake annoyance.

"Okay. Sorry. We may go ahead," she added. Wasn't she supposed to say oppa instead of Hyung?

We took a cab to the hospital and I mutely followed her, watching what she was doing. I was bored to an extent that now I even know that she has twenty six freckles on the back of her right hand and that she had a mole right at the start of her jawline.

When she stood out of the ward, her facial expressions were all still. Pressed lips, scared eyes, red ears. She took a deep breath, a very deep one and opened the door and almost instantly, her expressions changed.

She was smiling broadly and her eyes lit up like a thousand stars. I followed her yet again. A little girl, maybe in her mid school, lied on the bed leaning against the bedpost.

She resembled Soo. Very much. She broadly smiled and I felt the warmth in the room. A familial warmth.

Soo went ahead to embrace the child.

"Unnie stop if you're gonna be all cringe," the younger passed but with a decieveing smile.

"You like it though," Soo countered.

"I hate it!"

"Oh then it's an obligation," she responded embracing her in her arms and the younger pouted but hugged her anyway.

"What happened to your foot?" She questioned.

"You must have cursed me, I fell down the stairs."

She shook her head, "how much more will you fall for me unnie. I cannot accept your love!" She passed dramatically. She was way too cheerful for a cancer patient.

"Who's this?" She pointed at me and I don't know why I was nervous.

"He is just my colleague," she responded, not even sparing me a glance.

"Oh Annyeohghaseyo oppa, nice to meet you!" she grinned, bowing down a little and I just mutely responded with a bow, not wanting my identity to be revealed in any way.

"Doctor said, you should sleep Areum. Your procedure has ended just hours before. Don't overwork yourself."

"I want to but I can't. I have just woken up after the effects of tranquilizers faded and now I cannot sleep again. But I decided something, when I grow up to be a scientist, I'll research on radiotherapy more and make it more cost effective," she said, her eyes glistening with determination while Soo just watched her with admiration.

"Okay. Whatever. But sleep now," she added.

"Sing for me?"

"What?"

"Sing... Because of your night shift and my school, I cannot really spend time with you. This is the least you can do."

"Least? Ungrateful kid!" She cursed but the youngest just pouted and whined.

"Okay. Just this time. Now lay down."

Now I even have to hear a beatboxer sing!

"Which one?"

"The one mom used to sing," she demanded and the elder nodded.

"The Milky Way upon the heavens," she started in a dolorous but mellifluous voice.

"Is twinkling just for you.
And Mr. Moon he came by,
To say goodnight to you." Just one sentence and I knew by the way her vocals fall together, she was a marvelous artist. She wove in the music a sense of such calm that made the lullaby even more meaningful.

"I'll sing for you I'll sing for mother
We're praying for the world
And for the people everywhere
Gonna show them all we care." By this time Areum was almost dozing off. I could tell by her eyes that she was exhausted.

"Oh my sleeping child," Soo caressed her forehead, "the world's so wild,
But you've built your own paradise
That's one reason why I'll cover you sleeping child..." she stopped and I almost wished she hadn't. Even when I hate her, I accept that she was not just a beatboxer or a singer, she was a magnificent artist and had the potential to soar heights, higher than me. But what an idiot, wasting such talent with layers of ignorance and imbecility.

As the child was already asleep, she kissed her forehead and closed her eyes once as if trying to sink in the situation. She turned to look at me and I immediately looked away. Why was my heart beating so loud and irregular?

She stood up from the seat and took her crutches. "Please give me some time, I need to talk to the doctor," she requested and I nodded. Before she could leave, a man in his lab coat entered which I assume to be the doctor himself.

"Good afternoon sir," She bowed.

"Good afternoon Ari. How's your foot?" The man questioned. Ari? So that's her real name.

"It's fine doctor. I was coming to you for the statistics..."

"That, she is doing pretty well. She is enduring good, so far we have found no side effects to any drug. But, her white blood cell count that should come back to normalcy after a certain period of time is taking longer to recover."

"Is it something very serious? What do we have to do? Do we have to do any procedure?"

"No. I think it'll be fine in some time. Rest is fine. But, you know that the success rate-"

"I know. Thanks doctor," she said and hurried out of the ward while I followed her.

"I think he wanted to say something more..." I said.

"Same things, different times," she sighed.

"But your sister looked cheerful."

"I don't know," she bit her lower lip in apprehension.

"What you don't know? She was smiling-"

"She was smiling cause she was hurting. I know her so well, I just don't want to accept that I can do nothing," a tear rained down her face which she instantly wiped off.

She was strong indeed. Stronger than anyone I had ever known.

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