The hospital room was quieter now, the machines emitting soft, rhythmic beeps. Amara had fallen asleep, her pale face finally showing signs of rest. Mannon sat by her side, her hand still holding Amara’s, as though letting go might make the fragile peace shatter.
Her phone buzzed on the chair beside her. She picked it up, expecting Chan, but her heart sank when she saw Hyunjin’s name.
Hyunjin: You okay? Haven’t heard from you in days.
Mannon hesitated. Hyunjin wasn’t one to text casually; he usually called when he was worried. And worry was evident in those three words.
She typed back quickly: I’m fine. Just dealing with stuff here.
The response came almost immediately.
Hyunjin: Do you want to talk about it?
Mannon glanced at Amara’s sleeping figure and sighed. She didn’t want to burden him, but she also didn’t want to push him away.
Might call later. Thanks for checking in, she replied, placing the phone face down before her resolve could crumble.
---
The World Keeps Turning
Two days later, Amara was discharged, though under strict orders to rest. Mannon took on the role of caregiver with ease, ensuring Amara stayed off her feet and didn’t exert herself. Jordan was around more often too, proving he could be reliable when it mattered.
But as life settled into a new rhythm, Mannon couldn’t shake the feeling that her world was shifting beneath her.
One afternoon, as she folded baby clothes in the living room, Chan’s name flashed on her phone.
“Channie,” she said, her voice soft but tired.
“You sound exhausted,” Chan said immediately, concern lacing his tone.
“I’m fine,” she replied automatically.
Chan wasn’t convinced. “Mannie, you’re always ‘fine.’ But you’ve been gone for weeks now, and I’m worried about you. We all are.”
Mannon paused, the lump in her throat rising unexpectedly. “It’s been… hard,” she admitted. “But Amara needs me.”
“We need you too,” Chan said quietly. “But I understand. Take the time you need. Just don’t forget you have a home here too.”
Her chest ached at his words. She missed them—her family, her comfort zone—but she couldn’t abandon Amara. Not yet.
---
An Unexpected Visitor
Later that evening, as Mannon prepped dinner, the doorbell rang. Jordan, who had been watching TV, stood to answer it, but Mannon waved him off.
“I got it,” she said, wiping her hands on a dish towel.
She opened the door and froze.
“Hyunjin?”
He stood there, a duffel bag slung over his shoulder, his expression somewhere between anxious and determined.
“Surprise?” he said weakly, offering a lopsided smile.
“What are you doing here?” Mannon asked, stepping outside and closing the door behind her.
“You weren’t answering my calls,” Hyunjin said, his voice tinged with worry. “I asked Chan for your address. I couldn’t just sit back and wait for you to come back when you’re clearly going through something.”
Mannon’s heart twisted at the sincerity in his eyes. “You didn’t have to come all the way here.”
“I know,” he said simply. “But I wanted to.”
---
The Cracks Begin to Show
That night, Hyunjin stayed in the guest room, despite Mannon’s protests that he should go to a hotel. Jordan was suspicious of him, but Amara seemed thrilled to meet one of Mannon’s “Korean brothers.”
Hyunjin fit into their little routine almost seamlessly, helping out with chores and even making Amara laugh with his charm. But Mannon couldn’t shake the discomfort of his presence.
One night, as they sat on the back porch, Hyunjin finally addressed the tension.
“You’re mad at me for coming, aren’t you?” he asked, breaking the silence.
Mannon sighed, leaning back in her chair. “I’m not mad, Hyun. I’m just… overwhelmed.”
“I can see that,” he said, his gaze softening. “But you don’t have to do this alone, you know. You’ve been carrying the weight of everyone else’s problems for so long that you’ve forgotten to take care of yourself.”
His words hit a nerve. Mannon’s eyes filled with tears, but she blinked them away, refusing to let them fall.
“I don’t have a choice,” she said quietly. “Amara needs me.”
“And we need you too,” Hyunjin said, echoing Chan’s earlier sentiment. “You don’t have to choose, Mannie. You can have both.”
---
The Tipping Point
The next day, Mannon received a call from her agent.
“There’s an opportunity with Versace to redeem yourself,” the agent said briskly. “They’re willing to overlook the last-minute cancellation if you can commit to a new campaign starting next week.”
Mannon’s chest tightened. This was her chance to repair her career, but it came at a cost. She couldn’t leave Amara again so soon.
“What do I do?” she whispered to Hyunjin later that night, her voice trembling with uncertainty.
Hyunjin reached out, brushing a strand of hair from her face. “What does your heart say?”
“It says I want to stay here,” Mannon admitted. “But my career… I’ve worked so hard for it.”
Hyunjin’s hand lingered near her cheek. “Then find a way to do both. You’re Mannon Bhang. You’re unstoppable.”
---
A New Plan
With Hyunjin’s encouragement, Mannon called her agent back the next day.
“I’ll do it,” she said firmly. “But under one condition—I’ll need time between shoots to travel back to Australia. My best friend is pregnant, and I won’t leave her stranded.”
The agent hesitated but eventually agreed.
As Mannon hung up, she turned to Hyunjin, her heart lighter than it had been in weeks. “Thank you,” she said, her voice full of gratitude.
“For what?” he asked, tilting his head.
“For reminding me I can have both.”
Hyunjin smiled, his gaze lingering on her a moment too long. “That’s what I’m here for.”
YOU ARE READING
Her Song, His Heart
RomansMannon is more than just Bang Chan's sister. With her radiant light-brown skin, striking blue eyes, luscious coily brown curls, full rosy lips, and an hourglass figure that turns heads everywhere, she's a force to be reckoned with. But Mannon is far...
