Hour Before Dawn

Chapter 18

"Is she still sleeping?" Mr. Son asked quietly as he approached his daughter who was lying in bed with her eyes closed.

"She fell asleep again, Sir. She went back to bed after breakfast earlier. She said she wanted to rest for a little bit," Bin answered.

Mr. Son bent down and kissed his daughter's forehead, making Ye-jin slowly open her eyes. She saw her dad looking down at her while stroking her hair, returning the smile that he had on his face. She was already thirty-eight years old but that gesture made her feel like her dad's little girl again.

"Hi, Dad," she said quietly.

"How are you feeling today, sweetheart?" Her dad asked while taking a seat beside the bed.

"I'm okay," she answered without moving.

"Tired?"

"A little bit," Ye-jin said with a weak smile before turning her head to look at Bin on the other side of her bed. He gave her a sweet smile, his hand reaching for hers and giving it a gentle squeeze.

Her father and her fiancé sat on either side of her while she dozed off again.

Later that morning, Bin left to freshen up at home, leaving her father with her. As he helped her get settled back in bed after using the bathroom, Mr. Son caught his daughter watching him closely.

"Are you okay? Is there something wrong, Ye-jin?" He asked with a questioning look written on his face.

Ye-jin smiled and shook her head. "Nothing, Dad. I just thought of how you're taking care of me now like how you used to took care of mom when she was sick. I can still remember you doing all of this for her."

Mr. Son did not expect to hear that from his daughter, stopping him in his tracks as he swallowed the lump in his throat. Those were beautiful, yet painful memories he keeps sheltered in his heart. He tried to mask his emotions with a smile while he fixed the blanket over his daughter's lap. He was glad to be able to take care of his daughter, but he prayed really hard that history would not repeat itself.

"I'm sorry you're going through it all over again, Dad," she said quietly, making her father look at her again.

"Ye-jinah, it's not your fault," Mr. Son replied softly. "I'm glad that I'm here with you through this, that I can help you in the small things like getting in and out of bed, and I would do all of this in a heartbeat, but I need you to make it through this, okay? Dad needs you to bounce back from this."

Ye-jin gave her father a soft smile before nodding. "I will, Dad."

"Good," he said with a smile. "How's your back? Are you having any pain?"

"I'm okay, Dad," she answered with a reassuring smile.

"Do you want your head up a little higher?" He asked, getting a nod from Ye-jin before he sat her up in bed.

"Thank you, Dad," she said softly, making him smile. "And, I'm sorry."

His smile was wiped off as quickly as it appeared on his face and was replaced with a frown. "Ye-jinah, what are you saying sorry for?"

"For resenting you, Dad," she replied quietly. "For not recognizing your efforts and for being distant."

"Ye-jinah," Mr. Son called softly, his eyebrows meeting together as he sat beside her on the bed. He held her hand before looking into her eyes.

"I understand now, Dad," she said without taking her eyes off of her father. "I understand the pain and the fear you went through now. I can see it in Bin's eyes, I can hear it in his voice. I understand how you felt then."