Daffodil's Sunshine

Chapter 3 - A Few Sacrifices

When Areum got home, all that she could think of was her father. She wondered if her mom and sister had even bothered to visit him at all, but knowing them, they likely hadn't. She understood why they wouldn't be, but it...still kind of hurt.

She slid her guitar out of its case and turned on her phone.

Contacts - Dad - Video Chat

She clicked, restlessly waiting as the phone rang.

A nurse popped up on the screen.

"Good evening, Nurse Park. Is my father awake?"

"Good evening. Yes, he's right here. He's had all his meals and has been waiting for your call. I'll hand you to him."

"Thank you very much."

After a bit of shuffling, Areum faced her father. His grey hair was whisked back. His red shirt hung on his bony shoulders. His eyes were sunken and seemed more dull than usual, but there was a small smile on his face when he noticed Areum on the screen. That gave her hope.

"Hello Papa! How have you been doing? Did you eat well?"

There was a quiet pause before he answered. "Yes, I did eat well."

"Do you remember what you had today?"

Another pause. "I don't...think so?"

"That's ok. At least you ate well right?" Areum responded, picking up her guitar. She plucked the strings, playing a simple melody.

"Do you remember my name?"

"Of course...Areum. Areum..."

"Areum, Areum, the girl who caught a fish with her own two hands. Areum, Areum, who will one day have many fans," Areum sang, accompanied by simple chords on her guitar. "Do you remember that song? We came up with it together."

Her father hummed along with the melody.

"I'm guessing you do. I've improved my singing a lot since I was a kid. Remember how you used to sing me lullabies whenever I had a hard time sleeping? Or how about the lullabies I wrote and made you sing with me from time to time?" Areum laughed.

Her father only chuckled.

"I'll sing a song for you right now. The one that I wrote when I was seven," she said softly. She picked up her guitar again.

I'll be with you the whole way through

When the sky is grey and when the sky is blue

I'll never let go of your hand, or your heart

I'll be with you even when we're apart

Together we will stand, together we will fall

Together we will be, even in the rainfall

Through the cold and through the desert

I'll make sure you'll never be hurt

I'll be with you the whole way through

When the sky is grey and when the sky is blue

Her father still hummed along with her song. A little slower than last time, but he still did. That was more than good enough for her.

"Are you crying?" her father asked coarsely.

"What? No, of course I'm not crying," she croaked. She wiped her tears off with her sleeve and forced a smile. "You'll be ok over there right? I will be back home soon, so we can spend plenty of time together!"

Her father smiled weakly. "Areum...I may be forgetting your name...but I won't forget that I love you."

"I know, Papa, I know." She blinked away her tears. "I'll always be thinking of you too. I'll be back home soon. I love you."

She waved goodbye, and the call ended. A single tear escaped from her eye, but that was as far as she would go with crying. She slid her guitar back into its case and slid under her covers.

Tomorrow was a new day. She repeated that until she eventually fell asleep.

...

Irene was sick of waiting. Waiting to know what exactly had happened that cursed night. Waiting to know if her father would ever get justice or not. But she wasn't a hero that could go on an adventure to avenge her father's death. No, all that she could do now was learn. 

As she was about to start on her own, Casper entered her room.

"Do you want blueberry pancakes or pancakes with a chocolate swirl?"

"Blueberry pancakes, of course," Irene replied. "We can eat them together as we look over these files again."

Casper sighed. "Alright, but you better not get maple syrup all over your laptop again."

"I won't, promise."

A couple minutes later, Casper returned with some blueberry pancakes and two glasses of milk.

"I haven't seen much so far..." Irene whispered, staring at the bright computer screen, switching back and forth between random school notes and the police report.

"It's for the best," Casper began. "Your psychologist told me not to dump everything at once for the sake of your safety, so I won't." He awkwardly took a bite out of his pancakes.

"Eating sweet things helps..." he added.

"Yeah, I know," Irene responded. "But, about what you said last time...you know most about what exactly happened, but not much about who actually did it, right?"

Casper's eyes shone as he stared into the computer screen. "There were two people..."

"Huh?"

Casper took the mouse from Irene's hands and booted up an image of a much too familiar scene. "You see how there are two different sets of footprints there?" he said, pointing at the muddy tracks. "Neither of them could've been yours. So...there were two people at the scene. You...only managed to see one of them."

Cold sweat ran down Irene's back. "I see...so, if I had been more attentive, then maybe-"

"Don't say that," Casper interrupted. "None of this was your fault." A shuddering silence followed.

He continued. "I know you insisted on learning more about this when you turned 16, but...if it's too much, you tell me, alright? Don't push yourself. That's the last thing you should do."

Irene gulped. "I'll...be going to sleep now. It's too much right now."

"I understand. Don't think about this too much, alright?" He took the empty plates and walked away, looking back at Irene's distraught face only once.

I'm starting to think this was a mistake...Casper thought.

Irene lay on her bed as the rain began to tap on her window in a rhythm. She hugged Panda tightly, caressing its ears, soothing herself as best as she could. And when that didn't help, she did what she was always taught to do.

Feel your heartbeat, Casper had told her. And remember that you exist. That you are here. That you are enough in this world.

She patted her chest softly, breathing in and out slowly, and as soon as she began, she was fast asleep.