Under the sky in room 553 I discovered you and I

Part 10

Jimin, come on in."

"Good afternoon, auntie. Oh, uncle Kim. You're here too." Jimin politely bowed, taking off her shoes and putting them on the shelf by the door.

One afternoon, as she was about to exit her classes, she received a text from Minjeong's parents. They had invited her to come over to their home, telling her there were some things they wanted to discuss. Of course Jimin agreed.

Naturally, they have been fond of her ever since she was little. Practically growing up together, Minjeong's family felt just like her second family.

Therefore, she had no reason to feel such dread and anxiety from just visiting Minjeong's parents. Yet, why did the knot in her gut signal her that whatever she was about to hear, it wasn't good news?

"Come sit, Jimin." Said Minjeong's dad, gesturing at the living room couch across from where he and his wife were seated upon. Jimin could only offer a small smile as she made her way there, putting her backpack down by her feet.

"How are you?" Asked Mrs. Kim, her expression adorned with the nurturing smile Jimin had grown to like.

"I'm well, auntie. I was just about to go visit Minjeong at the hospital."

At the mention, she noticed simultaneously how both their faces dropped. Herheart sank. There was silence that hung heavier than it should, before Mr. Kim took it upon himself to break it.

The next things he said broke more than just the silence, however. "About that..." He started, looking up at Jimin with hesitancy that he'd never seen before." We have decided, after much thought, to finally put Minjeong down."

It was as if you could hear a pin drop, the silence breaking down the last wall of strength she had. Jimin had felt her exterior cracked. If her entire life ever since dhe lost Minjeong was a dream, she would very much like to wake up now.

"I'm sorry?" She choked out and turned to Mrs.Kim, who was sitting next to her husband. The warm smile moments earlier was now completely gone, replaced with a frown as she hung her head low to avoid his eyes.

This, Jimin realised, wasn't a dream. Rather, it was beginning to look like a horrible nightmare.

"But how can you decide to do that? She's your daugther, uncle! She's going to wake up soon. Trust me. S-she's getting better." She blurted, tone growing less confident as she went on. She wasn't even sure if she herself believed that last bit. Alas, she persisted. "We can't give up on her!"

"Jimin," calmly called out Mr. Kim, face crestfallen. Jimin watched as he reached for his wife's hand and squeezed it. "It's precisely because she's our daugther that we made this decision."

Jimin just couldn't understand the logic of adults. How could they be so cruel over their own flesh and blood, when she herself struggled to come to terms with it every day? Did they suddenly turn heartless?

The anger bubbling up in her chest must have shown on her face, because Mrs. Kim's expression shifted. "But—"

"Jimin, please. It's our decision. We're her parents. She's—" she spoke, having to pause just so she could breathe. "She's our only child. If it's been hard for you, it's been... Much harder for us."

Maybe it was because she was right, but Jimin couldn't conjure a coherent response. After what felt like hours, she found her voice again. "Surely there's something we can do? Something I can do to help? Please, anything—"

"It's been three years." This time, it was Mr. Kim that spoke, his voice firm but cracked. His jaws were tightened now, face dark. He was growing impatient at Jimin's lack of understanding.