Kingdom Come

Chapter Twenty One

(Not Edited)

A series of light tapping on the door alerted Chaeyoung of visitors. Quietly excusing herself from the two children, she nearly bolted to the door, only stopping herself to not seem too suspicious to the children. Peeking through the peep hole she sighed as she watched Lisa and Yeri laugh at something the other said.

Opening the door, the two looked toward her with warm smiles. "Hey, Chaeng, you called-"

Chaeyoung grabbed both of their arms. "Inside. Now." she yanked them towards her quickly shutting the door, and locking it.

"Woah... is everything alright?"

Grabbing Lisa by the shoulders, she whispered, "Hana is here."

Lisa's eyes widened, "she's... what?"

"Jennie knows them personally. Her dad gave her Hana while he's away doing whatever he may be doing. Hana recognized me and she told Liam about the two of us."

Yeri looked between the two of them, decidedly lost to the conversation. "So you're saying that you have the daughter of our kidnapper."

"You have what?!" Yeri understood then, albeit her reaction was a bit loud.

Chaeyoung took the time to cover her mouth, leaning in. "I also found out why he wants the book. He's trying to save his daughter."

"Save her from what?"

"Hana has Pulmonary Fibrosis."

Yeri gasped. "How old is she?"

"Seven."

"Patients with Pulmonary Fibrosis usually only survive three to five years. At Hana's age, she's in a critical condition."

Lisa looked between them, both the nurse and the med student worrying their bottom lips. "What's Pulmonary Fibrosis?"

"It's a condition in the lungs where it gets damaged and scarred. Because the lung tissue gets thicker, it's harder for them to operate," Yeri explained. "It can be treated via lung transfer, though it's difficult to find donors for a seven year old."

"I'm sure her dad became desperate..."

"Wait!" Lisa exclaimed, latching on to Chaeyoung's arm. "Why don't you heal her instead? If she's healed, he'll stop going after the book, right?"

Chaeyoung smiled at her sadly. "I'd love to, Lisa, but when our magic is used on humans there's always some kind of price. Rewards or punishments are one thing, but for me to heal Hana as a mere request would cause something else to happen that it just as bad as the situation I fixed."

"So, what you're saying, is that to save a life, it would cost a life."

"Yes. That is correct."

They go silent, tossing around the chances and possibilities in their head. "Lisa, do you still have the book?"

"Hm?" She looked up, almost as if she were coming out of a daze. "Oh, no, I gave it to Ten."

"You met up with my brother?"

Lisa blushed. "We've been... talking." She cleared her throat. "Anyway, that's not the point. I gave it to him because I realized it had some sort of importance to.... well, to you guys and clearly that guy wanted get it, so I had to give it up."

"Hm, okay, at least we know it's in safe hands." Chaeyoung rubbed her temple, leading Lisa and Yeri to sit with her in the living room.

Hana and Liam decided to make themselves known to them at that moment, prancing towards them in a fit of giggles. They both stopped, however, when they saw the two other figures in the room. Hana's doe eyes widened at Lisa, "Hey! You're here too!"

Lisa smiled. "Hello, Hana."

She nudged the boy beside her with her elbow. "Liam, this is the other one! Lisa."

Liam nodded, once again shy in the presence of strangers. "How have you been, Hana?" Lisa asked.

"Oh, I've been okay. My dad's away on a business trip, so I've been staying with Liam and his older sister. Oh! Recently, I went to see my doctor. I don't really know what happened, but my dad was really sad when we left."

"Oh... is that so?" The little girl nodded, somehow still bright.

Lisa stared at her, her heart welling and breaking at the same time. Hana has so much more to offer to the world and it's hardly fair that she shouldn't get to experience any of it. Queitly, she stood, grabbing Chaeyoung by the wrist and pulling her away somewhere private.

Chaeyoung hardly resisted, following her to a bedroom. "Lisa?"

"Chae... I... umm." Lisa took a shuddering deep breathe before looking up at the goddess, eyes glossy. "You know, I've always been told I have a big heart. That I have too much love to give. It's part of the reason I'm a psychiatrist, it's so I can help people when they need it most."

Chaeyoung merely listened, dreading what was coming. She just knew what she was going to do. What she was going to ask her to do.

"When I thought about Hana and her situation, I just couldn't help but think that I can do something about it. Her dad wouldn't have to hunt you guys down anymore and I can save someone else by making sure that... that I'm the one who gets the consequence of... healing her."

"Lisa, I can't-"

"Chaeyoung," she interrupted, "A life for a life, right?"

"Lisa, you shouldn't do this."

"If I suddenly contract Pulmonary Fibrosis, I have a higher chance of getting a lung transplant. She's seven, Chae! She has her entire life ahead of her."

"There's no guarantee that you'll just end up with her illness. Something worse can happen, Lisa," Chaeyoung hissed.

Lisa let a tear escape her eyes that were steeled stubbornly. Determined, she took the goddess' hands. "I'm willing to take that risk."

Chaeyoung looked at her hesitantly. "Please, Chaeyoung. Please."

She nodded with a sniffle. Begrudgingly, she pulls Lisa into a hug, squeezing her softly as more tears run down her eyes. "I'm sorry."

Lisa pats her back in a comforting manner, smilling into her hair. "Don't be. I want this."

A light glow enveloped them and the world felt frozen, the strings of fate happily strumming around them as Lisa gives herself up so that fate wouldn't take Hana as early as it wanted to.