WARM HUGS [SOOLIA]

Chapter 022

[This photo is not mine; credits to the owner🥺]

>>>Taboo<<<

"Choi Jisu!" Jisu's eyes fluttered open as she heard Yuna call out her full name in a desperate tone. Jisu looked at the younger groggily, turning to the clock which showed 2 am, explaining why it was still so dark.

"Yuna, it's 2 am for god's sake, go to bed." Jisu groaned before pulling the covers over her head, refusing to get out of bed. Yuna furrowed her eyebrows as she began to pull on the covers again.

"Aunt Cam is having trouble breathing!" Yuna grunted as she continued to tug the covers with as much force as she could. Her eyes widened in surprise having lost her balance when Jisu suddenly got up, shocked to hear what Yuna just said.

Jisu looked at Yuna for clarification, who was busily trying to regain her balance as she mumbled incoherent words under her breath. They locked eyes, Yuna nodding her head rather hesitantly before Jisu swung her legs to the side.

She got out of bed quickly, the tiredness fading away as her eyes were filled with worry and desperation, running to her mother's room which was at the end of the hallway, Yuna following after her.

Jisu burst through the door, panting heavily as her eyes roamed around the room before landing on her mother. Yuna had turned on the lights and her mother's pasty skin paired with the yellowish hue of the lights sickened her.

Jisu rushed to her mother's bed, falling to her knees before grabbing her mother's hand gently. She stroked it soothingly, pleading with her mother to wake up from her slumber but to no avail.

Jisu pressed her fingers gently against the side of her mother's neck, on the verge of tears. Feeling the weak pulse, she felt as if the world was crashing down. She let her hand fall limply to her side before staring at her mother blankly.

"Yuna, call the ambulance," Jisu whispered as she curled herself in a ball, staring at her mother with a scared look. Yuna obediently nodded quickly before taking out her phone and walking out of the room to make the call.

When Yuna walked back into the room, she froze in her place seeing Jisu holding her mother's hands, tears running down her face as she whimpered under her breath, hoping that her mother would be okay.

Yuna rushed to Jisu's side after recovering from the shock, squeezing her arms as she held onto her firmly, trying her best to assure her. Jisu let go of her mother's hand before letting it wrap around Yuna's arm, crying harder and harder by the minute.

"It's okay, Aunt Cam is going to be okay," Yuna whispered sweet nothings in an attempt to calm her down further, but it only resulted in Jisu crying harder than before. Yuna could only stay by her side and listen to her woeful cries.

>>>

"She's going to be okay, right?" Jisu asked the doctor worriedly after tearing her eyes away from the sight of Yuna staying by her unconscious mother. The doctor offered a sympathetic smile before turning to his clipboard.

"The medicines were keeping her healthy, but I think she also developed an autoimmune disorder, where her immune system attacks herself. She got an infection because of that."

Jisu's eyes fluttered closed in an attempt to calm herself down. She covered her face as she let out a deep sigh, the doctor patting her shoulder in an attempt to lessen the blow he just dealt her.

"All I can say is, try and treasure the moments you have together." The doctor smiled sadly before taking his departure, leaving Jisu on the verge of breaking down.

Successfully gathering herself together, she walked into the hospital room where her mother and Yuna were with a weak smile that she had managed to muster. Yuna had seen through it and had stood up to hear the bad news.

Jisu shook her head quietly, patting Yuna's back before sitting on the sofa, next to Yuna's spot. Yuna scrutinized Jisu as she just looked at her mother silently, wrapped in her own thoughts.

Deciding to leave her be, Yuna sat back down as she continued to watch the sad mother-daughter interaction. One unconscious and the other slowly shutting down.

Yuna quietly wrapped an arm around Jisu's shoulder, letting the silence speak for itself. Jisu sat hunched in Yuna's arms as she continued to stare at her mother blankly.

>>>

"Don't do this to yourself, Jisu." Min Jeong spoke up in a gentle yet firm tone as she placed a hand delicately on Jisu's which was busy penning down what she deemed useful information in her English textbook.

Yuna had called Min Jeong at 5 in the morning, explaining the situation and asking for help in keeping a watch out for Jisu. Min Jeong was glad she did, seeing as Jisu's grip on the pen tightened and she was basically pressing her pen down onto the paper.

Jisu looked at Min Jeong's hand before letting out a shaky sigh, lowering her head shamefully. Min Jeong pursed her lips as she looked at her best friend all depressed. She knew a smile wouldn't work this time, so she had to change strategies.

Min Jeong wrapped her hands around her best friend gingerly, not used to this affection that was common among best friends. Jisu was touched by the gesture and therefore started to let out her pent-up emotions.

As Min Jeong assured her it was okay, her eyes trailed to the door sensing that someone had entered the cafe. Recognizing the person, she mouthed for him to go away, tightening her grip on Jisu.

Soobin tilted his head, confused as to why Jisu was being hugged by Min Jeong and why she was insisting he leave. He stubbornly approached them and Min Jeong had to hold her tongue from screaming at him.

"Is everything alright?" Soobin asked in concern as he looked at Jisu. They pulled away, Min Jeong rolling her eyes as she resisted the urge to hit the idiotic boy.

Jisu flinched slightly before averting her eyes fearfully, to which he looked at her in confusion. Thinking it was another prank but yet again still a little convinced that the sad expression on her face wasn't all acting, he kept on pestering her for answers.

"Soobin." Soobin gulped slightly, shivers sent down his spine the moment the voice dripping with ice had entered his ears. He turned to Min Jeong slowly to see her glaring at him, shaking her head.

Jisu slung her bag over her shoulder before she quickly took her departure without bidding goodbye. Soobin wanted to chase after her to comfort her but was stopped by the firm grip of Min Jeong.

"Soobin, Jisu really needs some space this time." Soobin searched for the glint in most people's eyes when they were playing a prank, but Min Jeong's only clouded with seriousness.

"What happened then?" Soobin insisted, looking at Min Jeong desperately for an answer. Min Jeong sighed roughly before gazing out the window, thinking about it hard. Deciding to tell him, she started with a heavy sigh.

"Jisu's mother got terribly ill last night, and I think she's thinking you're taboo for now because...you visited last night." Min Jeong looked at Soobin with probably the timidest look she's had in a very long time.

Soobin's eyes widened slightly, but he remained silent as he let those words sink in.

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~Viky
🌸☕🎶