𝐄𝐘𝐄 𝐂𝐀𝐍𝐃𝐘

74 | false hope

Location: Severance Hospital
Time: 9:00

The Severance Hospital of the Yonsei University Health System is the one of the biggest and oldest university hospitals in South Korea. It's located around the Sinchon-dong neighborhood in the Seodaemun District. This particular area is known for its nightlife since it has numerous bars, restaurants and pubs that suit both the western style and the traditional Korean hofs. The activities are mostly focusing on satisfying the student population and it must be a pretty nice place to go out with friends and enjoy a drink. I've never gotten the chance to hang around here considering I've only been visiting the hospital for the past ten years whenever exams were over.

My cab leaves me right outside the hospital and when I pay the driver, I exit the vehicle. Back in New York I always gave tips to the drivers, but Korea is a non tip country so I shove the change in my pocket. I fasten the strap of my bagpack over my shoulder and walk towards the entrance. I cower at the sight of the expansive building. It truly is massive and it's the oldest Western style hospital in the entire country.

Despite being intuitive when I was younger, I had absolutely no sense of direction and I would always lose my way in the hospital, so I asked for help from one of the doctors. Now I can find my way without any issues since I've been visiting in this very hospital for almost a decade.

Ten whole years. Time flies.

Yet she still hasn't woken up.

I blink away the tears that well in my eyes and enter the hospital. I'm headed towards the Intensive Care Unit and I need to talk to the manager first. The line consists of two young couples. The first couple is in their early twenties while the second one is probably stepping into late thirties. A little girl in a cherry red dress is holding her mother's hand and she's munching on some candy. Nostalgia and greif paints the parent' faces and the girl is looking at them concerned. She's probably to young to understand that the reason why they are here is because the person they are visiting was in an accident where they almost lost their life.

Then again, I wouldn't call being in a comatose state for years living either. Being paralyzed on a hospital bed, unable move a finger or open your own eyes isn't living. Or having other nurses move your own body in order to prevent bed sores and receiving physical therapy to hinder muscle damage. Having a strangers hands wash and disinfect your body because you are unable to even get up and use the fucking bathroom. Also in the early stages the doctors need to ensure that the patient isn't in immediate danger so they have to place a tube on the windpipe through the mouth hooking them up to a ventilator. And when the patient has any serious or life threatening injuries on their body, they need to be dealt with immediately otherwise they will die.

It's terrifying being in the state of complete powerlessness.

"Excuse me," the lady behind the counter suddenly says in Korean, interrupting my trail of thoughts. "You're next sir."

"Hello," I say politely. "I'm here to visit my mother."

"Please give me the patients name and your own sir." The lady says while typing something on her computer.

"My name is Jeon Jungkook and I want to visit Kim Nari." I hand her my ID card just in case and she reads the information.

"Alright," she mutters. "You may go see her in just one moment. "Visiting hours start at nine so please take a seat and wait."