3:37pm
"Merry Christmas!" Mark smiles at the young children brightly.
The children run to Mark and hug him. Numerous shouts of 'hyung' and 'oppa' mix in the air.
Mark hugs the bundle of children. Their little arms wrap around his slim body.
"How have y'all been?" Mark asks the children.
"Good!" They shout in unison.
"Do you know what can make you all even better?" Mark stands from his crouched position and he gestures for me to come over.
Hesitantly, I walk over to the children. There must be about forty of them.
I'm not too good with kids, but Mark insisted that I should come with him. So, here I am standing in front of these children with big, wonderous eyes staring up at me.
Mark nudges my shoulder. He smiles to reassure me. I can do it...
I lift the hefty brown sack I've been holding for the duration of Mark and I's visit and I smile.
"Presents!" I cheer with as much enthusiasm I can muster.
Soon, I'm tackled by all forty children. They scream and cheer as they hug me tightly. I hear Mark laughing above the heap of bodies.
"Are you Santa Claus?" A little girl smiles down at me.
"N-no." I answer shyly.
"He's not Santa." Mark bends down to us. "He's just a really nice man."
"Yay!" The kids hug both me and Mark. Their small squeezes expresses their joy.
Once they open the gifts that I've spent over 3 million won on, the look of joy on their faces warms my heart.
For some, it's their first gift. For some, it's something that they can finally treasure. For some, it's the feeling of being important and loved.
A little boy cries as he holds a red fire truck in his hands. Another little girl sobs as she hugs a fluffy, teddy bear.
"I miss mommy." She cries.
The other kids hug the crying girl and boy. Then, they play with the two until their smiles and laughter return.
"Look how happy they are." Mark smiles gently as he stares at the kids.
Indeed they are. The children dressed in uniform black outfits play happily with their toys.
A small girl, maybe six-years old, walks over to me with a baby doll in her arms. A large scar runs down her small, petite face.
"Thank you." Her big brown eyes make me weak.
"You're very welcome." I smile.
She smiles in return and runs back to the other kids.
"Her parents used to abuse her." Mark speaks. He snakes his arm around my shoulders.
I bite my lip.
"They're somewhat like you."
I turn to Mark. He smiles.
"I always try to make their lives happier." He looks at me and grabs my hand.
"Can you continue giving them this happiness?" Mark stares at me gently and his smile is light. But his words are heavy.
I know what he means.
It's as if Mark knows exactly when his time will come. It's eerie. Unsettling.
Scary.
"Yes." I squeeze his pale hand.
"Thank you." He pats my head.
"I wanna do that!" I little boy smacks my head.
"Ow!" I look down at him as he laughs uncontrollably.
"Hyung! Watch out!" A ball comes flying towards Mark's face but he catches it before it hits him.
"You almost got me!" Mark runs after the kids and the entire house turns into mayhem.
I play with the little children. One little girl is fascinated with my stubbly mustache and beard.
"It's so prickly!" She pats my face, aggressively. Maybe I should've shaved before coming.
For the next two hours, Mark and I play with the adoption center's youngest children.
After that, we give out gifts to the adoption center's teenagers. They thank Mark and I graciously. Their tears and joy warm my heart.
"Bye everyone!" Mark waves to them as we leave.
"Bye oppa!" The girls wave.
"Bye Mark hyung!" The boys wave.
"Bye mister Jackson!" Both the boys and the girls wave goodbye to me.
I wave to them as well. Never have I ever had so many eyes ecstatic with my presence. They want me to come again; it's a first.
Mark and I head to our car. He begins to cough violently once he reaches for the door handle.
I rush to him immediately and rub his back.
In the white snow, drops of blood fall and seep into the ice.
"Mark..." I hug Mark as he clenches his bleeding nose.
"I-I'm... fine." Mark's legs give out and he falls into the snow. I catch him before his head can hit the ground.
He spits blood onto the ground.
He pushed himself too much today.
"Can I take you to Dr. Choi?" I ask quietly as I hold his weak body in my arms.
Mark nods his head and then he vomits onto the snow. Crimson blood coats the once white snow.
It hurts.
After grabbing napkins from the glove department, I wipe his face and rid it of the red blood. I pick up his dangerously light body and lay him onto the backseats.
He's breathing, thank God, but he's still not doing too good.
I drive carefully through the snowy night until I reach the hospital that carries dark memories and bright futures.
As soon as I enter the hospital with Mark's limp body in my arms, the receptionist instantly calls for the doctors.
Nurses instruct me to lay Mark on the gurney they bring.
I sit in the lobby as doom enters my mind.
"He managed to make it to Christmas." Dr. Choi sits beside me in the empty lobby room.
"He can make it further." I look at him determinedly. I'm not giving up on Mark.
"Maybe he can. He has you after all." Dr. Choi pats my back.
"His stomach has completely failed." Dr. Choi speaks. My heart drops.
"Fruit and vegetable smoothies. That's all he can eat. Nothing more, nothing less. No dairy. No nothing. Fruits, vegetables and water. That's all his stomach can handle."
"Why?" I sound defeated.
"I don't know, Jackson. His stomach acid is basically gone. He literally has nothing to digest food. It's just muscle and blood down there."
My foot and leg shake as my anxiety begins to devour me. Dr. Choi rests his hand on my knee to calm me. I needed that.
"Protect him for a bit longer." Dr. Choi squeezes my knee and leaves me to myself.
I will. I'll protect him with all my strength and heart.
I'll protect you Mark.
