Josephine Swan never thought she would be drawn into the world of K-Pop during her stay in South Korea. Every day she faces challenges that fate has in store for her and her four members.
"𝙇𝙚𝙩'𝙨 𝙬𝙧𝙞𝙩𝙚 𝙝𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙮 𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙣𝙤𝙬...
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Attention!
This chapter contains mentions regarding hospitals and sick children, as well as thoughts about death.
"Her name is Lee Su Bin. She is suspected of having ALL, a form of blood cancer and one of the most common cancers in children," Mrs Jeon told me outside the hospital room. My grey eyes ran anxiously over the little girl, who by now had focused all her attention on the colouring book in front of her. Her dark straight hair fell in her face as she was filling in the blank white spaces with her crayons. Externally, the girl seemed to want for nothing. No signs suggested that she seemed to be suffering from a potentially fatal disease. Mrs Jeon noticed my glance at the girl and smiled painedly.
"There is no screening of any kind for leukaemia. The disease is asymptomatic. They only appear in the advanced stages, unfortunately." she explained quietly.
"What will happen to her now?" I asked cautiously and Mrs Jeon gave a soft sigh.
"Unfortunately, the blood samples will not be enough to diagnose leukaemia properly. It will be necessary to take tissue from the bone marrow because leukaemia cells rarely do not leave the bone marrow."
"In other words...more tests?!" I clarified and Mrs Jeon nodded.
"I'm afraid...yes," she said, stepping closer to the glass.
"I have been watching you, Miss Swan. Your approach to the girl was very impressive. Not many people have the patience and skills to act properly in such situations, especially with children. A hospital can scare children. It can also scare adults. It's just that the parties deal with these events differently. Children usually do not understand what is happening around them. The doctors and nursing staff usually entertain and educate the parents instead of the children. The strange environment, with the strange smells, strange people is unfamiliar to them. Even as an adult, you sometimes feel defenceless at the mercy of strangers. Strangers you have to trust," she said, turning her gaze to me.
"You have given her that trust. You have shown her that she need not be afraid.".
I turned my gaze back to the girl. By now her mother was sitting on the bed next to her daughter, helping her colour in the picture. Her father was standing not far from the two of them, busying himself with his phone, his gaze travelling to his little family now and then.
"Originally you were meant to be the other child in this room, but I spoke to the parents. They gave their consent for the project, which allows you to engage with their daughter. You are allowed to play with her, entertain her and accompany her to check-ups. For other activities, you need to get permission from the parents," Mrs Jeon explained to me and I nodded silently. I turned my head from Lee Su Bin to the girl opposite. Similar to Su Bin, this girl also possessed black straight hair and dark brown eyes. She appeared to be only a few years older than her roommate. Her mother sat at her side while the girl silently brushed her doll's hair. My grey eyes passed over the two girls in turn.
"Would it be possible...to take care of both girls?" I asked cautiously, still looking at the girls. Surprised, Mrs Jeon spun around. I finally managed to remove my gaze from the two sick children and turned my body to face my teacher. A small smile finally crept onto her lips.
"I just think...both girls are equally sick. Probably also, like many other children in this ward. They're both going to spend a huge amount of time in this hospital. And if I can make that time a little more pleasant for them, I will do so happily," I tried to explain.
"You never cease to surprise me, Miss Swan," she said and smiled.
♛
"All right...what colour should the dresses be?" I asked the two girls as we sat together at a small table near their two beds. Crayons of all colours were spread all over the table as the girls both tried to colour in their respective princess pictures. I had joined them and was relaxed drawing a picture of "Cinderella".
"Look, Unnie," said Su Bin, proudly holding up a picture of Elsa. It made me smile. Elsa's dress shimmered in all shades of blue, often going over the edge of the lines.
"Beautiful, Su Bin-ah," I said, and her smile widened so that I could see her baby teeth. She put her picture back on the table and reached for the nearest crayons near her.
"Have you ever met a princess, Unnie?" asked Sun-Hi beside me curiously and I paused in my movement with the crayon for a second before continuing slowly.
"Not directly...no. But my mother met a princess just before I was born. I was named after her at times." I explained, getting quieter and quieter as I finished.
"Her name was Jo...sepi...ne?" chopped Su Bin, faltering again and again at the pronunciation of my name. After all the parents and children involved agreed to let me take care of both children, we spent ten minutes alone pronouncing our names correctly. Due to their young age, they struggled but kept trying steadily. I shook my head and my thoughts drifted for the moment to a blonde-haired young woman who, even after a long time, was still firmly entrenched in the depths of people's hearts.
Even 17 years after her death.
"No...no...her name wasn't Josephine." I just mumbled in response and stood up from the small plastic chair. My gaze met the outside of the windows and my eyes widened as I discovered the dark blue sky. Entering the hospital, it was early afternoon. My eyes searched the room and lingered on my dark handbag. With one last look at the children, I crossed the room and searched my handbag for my phone. When I got hold of it, my eyes widened.
✆ Phone
Ahri
10 missed calls
✆ Phone
Jihe
9 missed calls
My mouth opened and closed silently as my fingers wiped at the display restlessly, slightly panicked. I caught Jihe's number and held the phone to my ear, my gaze slipping to the two children at the window. They continued to draw on their pictures undisturbed.
