Mirror Mirror

˗ˏˋ 𝐘𝐢𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐘𝐚𝐧𝐠'ˎ˗

Mr. Hyeon (Joo Sang-Wook) wiped the sweat off his forehead, ignoring the rest of his dripping face. He was drenched from head to toe, and people seemed to keep their distance from him, due to the strong stench. 

He couldn't care lesser.

He stared ahead, seeing nothing, as his face remained contorted; stressed. He strained his ears to hear a positive sign, absolutely anything, even a sigh of relief or a sharp exhale signaling the end.

He finally heard the cries of children, and he rushed to the door, knocking furiously on it. His legs shook, for he had been sitting in one position for so long, but he didn't care. He only focused on one thing--seeing the faces of the children he had brought into the world. The doctors came out in a huddle, and took both the crying children away, as Mr. Hyeon begged them to show the faces of his children. One of the doctors, who wore a kind, warm look on her face, looked at him and said, "We need to take them to the incubator. Both of them are horribly weak. Your wife is okay. Please check on her,"

"Thank you, Doctor Gyeong (Michelle Yeoh),"

The woman simply nodded, and chased after the doctors, her flat shoes tapping the floor. Mr. Hyeon tip-toed silently into the room, where her wife had just been in labor. He finally seemed to be aware of the rest of his face and wiped the fresh sweat from his wrinkled face.

He saw Mrs. Hyeon (Liu Yan) lying on the hospital bed, breathing heavily. A doctor was tending to her. He saw Mr. Hyeon and walked out, respecting the couple's privacy.

Mr. Hyeon sat down on a chair next to the bed and held Mrs. Hyeon's hand encouragingly. 

"It's girls!" she gasped.

"You did well," was all Mr. Hyeon said. Mrs. Hyeon smiled, bringing two little lives into the big world was no little feat.

They had a moment to themselves in complete silence, and said nothing. They just closed their eyes and took in everything that happened. The night when it all started, the nine months of struggle, and finally the little Hyeons were here, healthy and happy. 

Just as Mrs. Hyeon opened her mouth to say something, Dr. Gyeong came in, softly walking. Mr. Hyeon got up and held her hands gratefully. "Thank you Doctor Gyeong. Thank you so much," His voice cracked.

Dr. Gyeong hesitated, and then took Mr. Hyeon silently to the incubator, leaving Mrs. Hyeon face contracted with visible confusion.

Mr. Hyeon saw the two little children in the incubator, fast asleep. Doctors ran to and fro, tending to them.

"I'm afraid," Dr. Gyeong began, as Mr. Hyeon turned to look at her, "The twins have what we refer to as ITS, that is, Irreconcilable Twin Syndrome. We may also refer to it as Yin and Yang Syndrome." Mr. Hyeon gave her a questioning look, so she further continued, "This is a very rare case that is seen in twins. As a matter of fact, this is the second case we have seen in the history of this hospital. Let's go to my cabin, we'll discuss matters there."

Mr. Hyeon quietly followed Dr. Gyeong into her cabin. Both settled down and Dr. Gyeong began again, "In this syndrome, twins often have contrasting personalities. At the beginning of life, twins share similar tastes and personalities, which may change after time. However, we have noticed hostile relations between the twins. One of them is rather pushy and loud, while the other is silent and quiet all the time. We consider this the beginning symptoms,"

"Is this - syndrome, incurable?" Mr. Hyeon asked.

"Unfortunately, yes. There are no medicines in this world that can make the behavioral patterns of two people similar. This may grow out with age, or worsen. As parents you must learn to live with it. However, it may be dangerous if you don't find out who is the one with symptoms that stand out. For she might be the one with psychopathic tendencies,"

"Do mean to say one of my twins is a psychopath?" he said angrily, as Dr. Gyeong shook her head.

"Of course not. All I mean to say is that it may be a possible symptom of worse cases of the Yin-Yang syndrome."

Mr. Hyeon, who seemed to have more questions closed his mouth, feeling dejected. When Mrs. Hyeon was given her twins after a few hours, she sobbed happily, looking at the little faces of the mini-Hyeons. Seeing her joyful face, Mr. Hyeon couldn't get himself to tell his wife the horrible news. He kept quiet for the next three years, burying the fact under the happiness and joy of his children and wife. Until, his sudden demise left his little family shook.

Mrs. Hyeon raised the twins the best a single mother could do - working her breath away and taking care of her children at the same time, but she would never know the horrible fact that Mr. Hyeon had hidden from her until the very end.