iris . vkook

fifty three

오십 삼

Jeongguk's PoV;

"Visitors for Mrs. Jeon?" The doctor called, standing in the waiting room as she held her clipboard in gloved hands.

Jeong-ja sniffled, brushing miniscule particles of dust off of her pencil skirt after standing up, eye-to-eye height with me in her stupidly high heels.

She'd dressed up to see mother, where as I'd simply tugged on a pair of skinny jeans and a sweatshirt (one that smelt of Taehyung's floral scent), allowing Taehyung to comb my hair and style it so I looked 'smart'.

Unlike Jeong-ja, I had picked up on the reluctant tone in the doctor's voice, so when she made her way into the room, I stopped the doctor.

I pulled her to one side, staring directly into her eyes with a hard glare.

"I want the truth, don't sugarcoat it. How is she?" I asked, referring to mother.

"As you requested, I'll be honest. Things aren't looking too good." She sighed, adjusting her glasses with her knuckle, "I doubt she's even got three days. She'll be lucky if she survives the night."

I nodded, humming as she read from her notes.

"Her heart has pretty much stopped working. It's essentially useless at this point. One lung has failed completely, the other on its way. Her only working organ is her liver, which isn't going to keep her alive." The doctor said, obviously simplifying her words from what was scrawled onto the paper (not as if I could read it, the words were too advanced), "there isn't enough blood to her brain, she's at a huge risk of a fatal stroke."

"Is there nothing you can do?" I asked, gnawing on my fingernail as I heard Jeong-ja's distant voice, the feminine words barely audible to my ears.

"Unfortunately, no. We're doing everything to just keep her stable, never mind alive." She said, "I would recommend that you prepare for the worst, you and your sister."

"How long do you think she has, for definite?"

"I can confidently say six hours. But past that, she's on her way."

I nodded, appreciating the way the nurse told me everything, without cutting me any slack.

"Thank you."

"It's no issue, I'll leave you to go in. If anything happens or she acts strange, hit the panic button and we'll be right down."

With that, she bowed her head slightly before rushing to another room, her white coat flailing out from behind her like a superhero.

Inhaling and exhaling deeply, I pushed open the door.

I saw Jeong-ja sat beside the bed, her hand clasping mother's.

Mother's condition had clearly worsened from the last time I'd seen her.

Her skin appeared bleak and void of healthy colour, she looked almost grey. The whites of her eyes were slightly pink, seemingly bloodshot as her irises lightened. Her hands shook slightly, the frail fingerbones thinning by the second. 

Whenever she replied to Jeong-ja, her voice would be croaky and it was hard to distinguish what she was saying from her hums.

Despite the lack of a mother-son relationship, it still hurt to see her in this way.

She was my mother, after all. And despite all of our troubles and hardships, this woman did once love and cherish me, so the least I could do was to support the daughter, the one she loved, that she had.

I wasn't totally heartless, despite mother's adamant insisting.

"Hey, mother." I said softly, knowing I wouldn't get such an equally nice response.

"What are you doing here?" She croaked, eyes narrowed and made harder to see (the oxygen mask didn't help much).

"I came to see you." I replied, sitting on the chair beside Jeong-ja, rubbing her knee in comfort before bringing my hands (which was when I wished that I wrapped my knuckles, considering that the sight of bruised and extremely cut knuckles wasn't the best sight, especially not for Jeong-ja in this moment) to rest on the metal railing of the bed.

"Why?"

"To see how you were doing."

"I'm fine. I don't need your concern."

Well, the doctor seems to say otherwise. And considering the fact that you're literally dying, I would have to say that you're not fine.

"Of course." I replied, choosing this response rather than the sarky one in my head.

Jeong-ja broke the awkward silence that was left after my response.

"So, mother, did you know that Jeongguk was ranked 9th dan in his Taekwondo?" Jeong-ja asked, "isn't he talented?"

I regretted telling Jeong-ja that I had upped my rank in Taekwondo, as she had told literally everyone she knew.

Even poor Yoongi had to sit through her rambling, and he'd only come to my house to ask for the USB stick that had his demo on (I'd listened to it for him).

"Am I supposed to be impressed?" She scoffed.

"Well... yeah?" Jeong-ja replied, dumbfounded.

What a surprise.

Mother isn't impressed by anything I do.

I could find a cure for the world's deadliest, most infectious disease and she'd still sit and be more impressed at Jung-hyun for receiving a letter from the headteacher.

Whatever.

As Jeong-ja and mother delved into a conversation about her work, I (unnoticed) slipped out of the room, making my way to the smoke shelter outside.

After lighting up my cigarette, I sucked in a drag as I unlocked my phone, dialling Taehyung's number.

"Hi!" Taehyung chimed through the phone, his voice excited.

"Hey petal." I replied, happy to hear his cheerful voice: the low-pitched, honey-like sound that had the ability to either make my heart pound or make my heartbeat slow, make my head whir and my stomach tie in knots.

"What's up? Are you okay?" He asked.

"It's just my mother, I'm fine. I just need a break, you know?"

"Mhm. You definitely need a break. You're too stressed." He said, "and as much as I love you randomly picking me up and throwing me on the sofa or pushing me up against walls, biting and kissing all over my neck, it isn't good for you."

"You enjoy it."

"Ye- that's not the point." 

I could almost hear his childish frown through the phone.

"I know, I know." I sighed, "are you still up to go to China?"

"Oh my god, yes!" He yelled through the phone.

"Okay, okay. I didn't need to hear you orgasm." I murmured, ignoring the glances from the weirded-out guy who sat opposite me.

"I didn't. I swear." He whined.

"That makes it sound as though you did."

"I di- ouch!" He said, "you fucker!"

"You good?" I asked, laughing at his yelp.

"Yeontan just bit my ankle." He groaned, "what the fuck?"

"Don't swear at my baby!"

"Well, it seems your baby bit the one who should be your baby!"

"You are my baby."

"What about Yeontan?"

"Both of you are my babies."

"I refuse to have the same rank as a dog."

"You're my petal." I replied, "delicate, ethereal and you bring colour into my life."

"Jeongguk, that's so sweet." He cooed, his voice breaking, "I'm gonna cry."

"Aww, petal." I laughed at him, his cute sniffles sounding through the phone, "I love you."

"I-I love you t-too." He attempted to say, hiccupping slightly as he spoke.