Frozen Memories➔ps.ff

Chapter 10

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The next day started off dreadfully for Sarang. She woke up with a sharp stomach ache and a pounding headache that made her consider skipping school. But she had reasons to go—practice, class, and most importantly, the need to talk to Sunghoon.

With that in mind, she dragged herself out of bed, her mood already ruined. She decided to skip morning practice and only attend the afternoon session. Taking her time to get ready, she tried to prepare breakfast but found herself feeling nauseous. The pain in her stomach and head was becoming unbearable, so she clutched her abdomen and sat down, hoping it would pass.

It was still early, and the house was quiet. Dohwa had already left for practice, and she didn't want to wake her parents. But as she sat there, the pain intensified, and she started to feel dizzy, almost on the verge of passing out.

Realizing she had to skip school and practice, she was about to resign herself to a day in bed when her mom suddenly entered the kitchen. Seeing Sarang's state, her mom rushed over to her. Sarang, now in a haze, could hear her mom calling her name, but she couldn't muster a response. Everything went black, and she fainted.

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When Sarang woke up, her vision was blurry. As it cleared, she found herself lying in a hospital bed. Her mom soon entered the room, smiling with relief when she saw Sarang awake. She hurried to her daughter's side, checking her temperature with the back of her hand.

"Oh my God, Sarang, darling, how are you feeling now?" her mom asked, concern lacing her voice.

Sarang managed a small smile and nodded, still trying to piece together what had happened. She realized she felt much better than she remembered, though still confused.

As if reading her mind, her mom explained, "You fainted this morning, and the doctor said your blood pressure dropped significantly."

Sarang listened quietly as her mom continued, "Are you on your first day of your period?"

Sarang nodded, and her mom went on, "The doctors think that's why you became anemic and your blood pressure fell. They also said it might be due to overworking yourself and stress. Sarang, I told you to take it slow with your practice and be careful. I know this competition is important to you, but you have to prioritize your health."

Sarang listened, feeling guilty but too exhausted to argue. She glanced at the clock on the wall; it was already 6 PM, and the sky outside was dark. She sighed, realizing she'd missed both practice and her chance to talk to Sunghoon.

The doctor soon entered the room with a warm smile. "Oh, Sarang, you're awake. How are you feeling?" she asked.

"I'm fine now," Sarang replied.

"That's great, but since you're awake, we'll need to do a few tests. Please give the necessary samples," the doctor said before leaving.

Sarang's mom thanked the doctor and then explained, "They need to run some additional tests just to make sure everything is alright." Sarang agreed though she was starting to feel a bit overwhelmed. She followed her mom to the lab to give blood and urine samples.

Back in her room, Sarang found her dad and Dohwa waiting for her. They had brought dinner, and they all ate together. After a while, her dad left, but Dohwa insisted on staying with Sarang overnight, along with their mom.

Later that night, around midnight, Sarang was jolted awake by a painful cramp in her stomach. Her mom and Dohwa were asleep on the couch, so she tried to endure the pain quietly, but it was unbearable. Tears streamed down her face as she cried silently, the pain too much to bear. Before she knew it, nurses and her mom were rushing into the room, and everything went black again.

The next morning, Sarang woke up to her mom's worried face.

After making sure Sarang was okay, her mom explained, "The results from last night's tests are back. They've diagnosed you with endometriosis. It's a condition where the tissue that normally lines the inside of your uterus grows outside of it, causing severe pain, especially during your period."

Sarang listened carefully, then asked, "Mom, will this affect my competition?"

Her mom shook her head, "No, it won't stop you from competing, but it will cause you pain every month when you have your period."

She looked at Sarang with teary eyes and pleaded, "Sarang, you need to take care of yourself. I know how important this competition is to you, but please don't overwork yourself."

Sarang, feeling emotional, nodded in agreement. Later that morning, she was discharged with a few supplements like iron and other vitamins. She decided to rest for the rest of the weekend.

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By Monday, Sarang was feeling much better. She had come to terms with her diagnosis, knowing she had always had painful cycles, and was relieved it wouldn't interfere with her skating. But to her surprise, the first person she saw when she set foot in school was Sunghoon. He was standing in the hallway, looking lost, as if waiting for someone.

When their eyes met, Sarang rolled her eyes and tried to walk past him, but he called her name.

"Sarang, wait, please," he said.

She stopped in her tracks but didn't turn to look at him. She had been desperate to talk to him last week, but now, seeing him just irritated her.

"Can we talk? Please?" Sunghoon asked, his voice pleading.

Before she could respond, the bell rang, signaling the start of the morning assembly. Sarang turned to him and said, "Let's meet after school," before walking away.

Sunghoon sighed as he watched her leave. Sarang quickly made her way to the assembly room, standing at the back. A few seconds later, someone came to stand next to her. She didn't bother to see who it was, staring straight ahead as the podium filled with students.

But the person next to her spoke, and she recognized the voice immediately.

"How are you?" Sunghoon asked.

She rolled her eyes again and whispered back, "Why do you care?"

"Look, Sarang, let's talk like mature people. I swear I'll explain everything, just listen to me," he said, keeping his voice low.

She scoffed and replied, "Explain what, Sunghoon? After all these months? I even started to think you got yourself into some kind of mess." She gave him a side-eye.

Sunghoon smiled faintly and said, "Yes you could say that. By the way, are you okay? You look pale."

Sarang hissed in annoyance, "I told you; it doesn't concern you."

The assembly began, and the conversation ended there.

After that day, they didn't meet again. Sarang had waited for him after school, but he never showed up. She didn't bother to try talking to him again, nor did he approach her.

As the days passed, Sarang focused on her upcoming competition, though she felt an emptiness that was hard to shake. Wednesday came, and the competition was just days away on Saturday.

Sarang was prepared but felt anxious and nervous. She knew she would do well, but the void inside her persisted. She missed preparing for shows and competitions with Sunghoon, discussing strategies, comforting each other, cheering each other on, and celebrating together afterward.

She missed their friendship deeply, but she was too stubborn to reach out, too proud to let go of her ego.

On the other hand, Sunghoon was struggling too. He hadn't meant to ignore Sarang, but circumstances kept getting in the way.

That day after school, he had been about to meet her when he was urgently called to the company for evaluations. He couldn't afford to be late or skip it—his teacher was strict and would punish them severely.

He had left, intending to meet Sarang another day, but he hadn't even had the chance to tell her.

His life was getting harder by the day, compounded by the pressure from his parents, disguised as support. Now, as the competition approached, both Sunghoon and Sarang were lost in their own struggles, longing to reconnect but unsure how to bridge the growing distance between them.

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