"I seem to have loved you in numberless forms, numberless times... In life after life, in age after age, forever."
- Rabindranath Tagore
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Three whole days has passed, and Sumi basically lived in the hospital, taking care of Donghyuck. She used the bathrooms to wash herself, bought food from vending machines, or ate what Mrs. Lee brought her; chatted with the old woman whenever she came over, and read books aloud, including Donghyuck's favorite book that his grandmother gave. Time passed painfully slowly, but Sumi had a glimmer of hope every day that Donghyuck would finally open his eyesㅡ return to the world of the living.
Sitting in a quiet hospital room, Sumi read aloud the boy's crime novel while Mrs. Lee sat in her usual wooden seat, knitting. Due to her foggy mind, Sumi couldn't focus clearly on what she was reading, and allowed her eyes to wander between the lines, her mouth to spit out words that did not reach her. Every time Sumi helped Mrs. Lee wash the boy, fear gripped her throat, thinking there was a chance he would never wake up.
What if it was meant to be? What if this was their fate? Like Romeo and Juliet separated by a terrible fate.
Sumi did not want to go home at all costs knowing what would happen if her foot landed there. She was fed up with frequent quarrels, and complaints about her that led nowhere. The possibility that Dohee was probably currently spending time with her mother turned her stomach upside down. So while the two women enjoyed each other's presenceㅡ comforting without words, a third person graced them with her presence.
Standing in the doorway was none other than Mrs. Hong with the gloomiest expression Sumi had ever seen in her life. Without looking at her daughter, Mrs. Hong approached Mrs. Lee, extending her hand.
"You must be the boy's grandmother. Nice to meet you, I am Sumi's mother."
The old woman smiled weakly, shaking the other woman's hand kindly. "Yes. Nice to meet you too."
The woman turned to her daughter, nodding for her to join her in the hall. Sighing heavily, Sumi got out of bed, trudging towards the exit without a word.
"Before you say anything to her, I am very grateful for what your daughter did for me, and my grandson." Mrs. Lee began, looking at Sumi's mother expectantly.
"She is a person with a big heart, and I feel like I have another granddaughter. From now on, she is part of our little family, so she can visit me, and my boy whenever her heart desires. I can see in her eyes how worried she is about his condition. I would not want to separate these two for anything."
Mrs. Hong looked with surprise at the sincerity in the old woman's eyes, then followed her daughter outside.
"Why did you come here?" Sumi asked, not hiding the reluctance in her voice.
