First Love

Chapter 41

It had been a week since Jae quit her job at the store and she found that she could focus more on her songwriting than she was able to before. The offers kept coming and she had to really select on the ones she could commit to.

On Monday, she received a call from a very prominent game developer in Japan she had worked with before about the song she pitched in for one of the upcoming projects they were having. It was a game about vampires during Renaissance period and they loved her piece. It was good news but there was a catch.

Due to the size of the project, she needed to work there for a period of time. It could be for 6 months and it could be more. That could definitely be her chance at being one of the biggest name in the game industry.
She remembered applying for the Certificate of Eligibility from the Japanese Embassy 2 months ago on the suggestion of the game developer if there's the need arose for her to come and be involved with the song making process. Once she got the certificate, she could just apply for a work visa easily and go to Japan.

Jae needed to consider. Japan is just across the sea but there's Chin Hwa. Granted, he was in the safe hands of the medical staff at the hospital, but she was not going to move and leave him because of that opportunity. She's fine with just going there for a short amount of time but 6 months was a long stretch.

On Tuesday Jae received a call from the hospital regarding Chin Hwa. She rushed to the hospital as quickly as she could. The attending specialist told her that Chin Hwa's oxygen saturation level was inconsistent but it is still within the normal range. They were going to keep on monitoring him closely for any changes and will inform her as soon as the condition changes.

On Wednesday, the hospital called again, notifying her that Chin Hwa's condition worsened. He had to be supplied with high concentrated oxygen and had to be put on the ventilation aid. Late Thursday, she was a nervous wreck as she saw the familiar number came up on her phone. This time, the doctor requested for an immediate meeting the day after.

So there she was at the hospital, on Friday morning. She was an hour early from her meeting with the doctor. She went to see Chin Hwa first. She was devastated to see him laced with tubes and wires more than what he was attached to before. He was fine days ago.

What went wrong?

Jae met up with Dr Seo, one of the specialists who were attending Chin Hwa. He was a respectable doctor in his forties whom Jae usually discussed with regarding to her brother. He has the aura of the best uncle who always spoil his favorite niece or nephew. He normally greeted her with a smile, but on that day, he was frowning. Jae could tell that she was not going to like what he was going to say that day and she was right.

The situation was bad.

Jae couldn't understand all the medical jargon that the he used. What she understood was, Chin Hwa's body was shutting off and he needed to be on support at all times. Despite the high concentration of oxygen that they supplied to him, his condition worsened.

The doctor looked at her with a heavy heart. "Looking at your brother's condition now, the percentage of him waking up is very small and despite the aid that he was receiving, he is not getting any better. He is dying."

Jae was stunned. She didn't expect that. "The ventilator is helping him, right?"

"It is helping him but it doesn't improve his condition. It is helping him to live for the time being but there is nothing else that we could do to help him recover," explained the doctor as gentle as he could.

"What are you trying to tell me doctor? You told me after the accident that there is a chance for him to wake up and now are you telling me that he is not?" Jae was getting anxious and angry. She couldn't believe what she was hearing, "It has been nearly a year and he was just in a coma."

"That was when he was able to function on his own," said Dr Seo. "Now his condition is getting worse and he has to depend on the machines to live," the doctor took a deep breath and Jae couldn't sit still. "Without it, it would be difficult."

"What are you recommending me to do now, Dr Seo?" asked Jae, grasping for straws. She dreaded for what was to come next.

"I know you really care about him and never once we, on the medical team doubt that. This is very difficult for me to break, but as the sole guardian to your brother, I have to ask you to make a decision."

"What is it doctor?" asked Jae.

"Are you aware that your brother signed up as an organ donor?" asked Dr Seo.

"I do. We both signed up at the same day," replied Jae.

"Miss Ahn, it has been nearly a year and he is not showing any signs of improvement," said Dr Seo with compassion. "His health is now regressing. Due to his condition, it would be more humane to withdraw the life support and proceed for organ donation as he wished."

Jae was stunned. "You mean I have to make the decision to kill him off?"

"I understand how that look from that point of view. We are not seeking for your decision now. You can think about it and give us an answer when you are ready."

"I'm not going to kill my brother. That's answer enough!" Jae stormed out of the doctor's office, angry. She didn't realized where she was walking to. She only know she needed to go far away from the hospital.

Her feet brought her to a park where she broke down and cried her heart out. Bystanders looked at her curiously as she crouched on the ground, sobbing. It was then when reality hit her that Chin Hwa was really dying and she had to make the decision on his life. It was too heavy and she didn't know where to turn to.

She looked at her phone. BTS was in Hong Kong for Mnet Music Award. It was going to start later that day and Yoongi would be busy. Chan Ri and Ki Tae? They already did so much for her.

Jae couldn't think.

She was truly lost.

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Author's note:

A shoutout to ashley_ruth yet again!! Thank you for spending your time answering my questions ❤️❤️❤️