Moving On With You, Jinjoo

39: I Have You

In the serene afternoon glow, Yujin found peace amid the architectural chaos scatted around her workstation—the school's workshop. The smell of timber mixed with the faint aroma of paint and glue created an atmosphere that brought calmness to her day.

She was engrossed in her assignment, as usual, meticulously moulding and shaping her ideas into tangible models that danced between innovation and tradition.

The workshop once reminded her of the endless, dreadful hours but now it seemed to remind her of Minju.

Minju doesn't remind her of everything, but everything reminds her of Minju.

As she delicately adjusted a miniature structure, her phone buzzed, a familiar, new name, flashing on the screen. She grinned when Minso appeared in a tiny rectangle, her beaming face filling the screen.

"Yujin!" Minso's voice chimed through the call, her eyes bright with excitement. "Look at this." She showed Yujin a page of the colouring book the girl made.

The older girl cooed softly, chuckling. "You do it better than me."

With an impish grin, Minso leaned closer to the camera. "I learned it from you," she said, giving Yujin a playful wink. "Can you make more for me? Like a princess edition. Rapunzel's my favourite."

Yujin chuckled softly, nodding in agreement. "I'll have to watch more Disney shows then," she said. "I'll include the princesses in the next one."

Minso's eyes sparkled with anticipation as she continued listing her favourites. The taller girl listened intently, sketching mental images of the whimsical additions to the upcoming colouring book.

"Where's my sister? I miss her. I thought I'd see her with you," Minso inquired, her voice tinged with curiosity when she expected the older girl to be with her.

Yujin paused, a wistful smile gracing her lips. "She's not here at the moment but I miss her too."

The little girl's expression softened, holding the phone close to her face, understanding the glint in Yujin's eyes.

—

After four hours in the operating room, Minju's legs have become used to standing for long hours. She watched the lead doctor, Dr Lee, focusing intently, his hands moving with practised precision.

"Minju," he called calmly, eyes leaving the patient for a second. "Do you think you can close him up?" He made sure he earned a confident nod before handing the patient over to the girl.

Minju took over, putting her days and months of practising on silicone into use. She completed the final delicate stitch, closing up the patient with utmost care.

"Cut, please," she requested politely, her gaze not leaving the task at hand. The nurse assisted with the cut, nodding when she was done.

Dr Lee checked the stitch. "Thank you, everyone. Good job," he announced, acknowledging the team that had assisted him throughout the surgery.

Minju, along with Gyuri, began to file out of the operating room after having their scrubs removed by the nurses. They both paused by the sinks, meticulously sanitising their hands, arms and faces to ensure that every surface was free from any remnants of the procedure.

Once done, they made their way down the sterile corridors towards the locker rooms. Each step felt like a release from the intense focus of the surgery. Minju swiftly changed into fresh clothes, her movements methodical and efficient.

Gyuri noticed her securing a thin, metallic chained bracelet around her wrist. "You've been wearing that very often recently. I thought you weren't a fan of bracelets." She grabbed her coat from the locker. "What made you wear this one?"