𝚔𝚘𝚒 𝚗𝚘 𝚢𝚘𝚔𝚊𝚗 恋の予感. | Nishimura Riki

Hospital part 2

"Hello (Annyeong- informal)" Hyejin said. The doctors talking to Uncle Heechul raised their heads and quickly excused themselves and left the ward. The door clicked shut and Hyejin winced. She was sure to get a shouting from Uncle for saying hello informally. Although he was maybe her favourite person, he was still stricter than she ever remembered her parents being. She remembered the way he had lost his mind when she had suggested graduating early and going for a gap year. She prepared herself for a shouting which never came.

"Hyejin, come here," Uncle Heechul said instead. Cautiously, she stepped closer to his hospital bed. Hyejin clasped her hands together and bowed. "Hello, Uncle" she tried again, formally this time. Hyejin stood right next to his hospital bed now. Uncle could slap her now if he wanted to. His neutral tone and expressionless face gave no hint whether he was in a good mood or not.

It was so silent in that hospital ward you could hear a pin drop. Hyejin kept her head down, not daring to look at Uncle's face. She was scared that all she would see was disapproval. For a few more minutes, none of the two said anything. Hyejin couldn't stand the silence anymore. She'd rather have him be disappointed in her than give her a cold shoulder. She gathered her courage and looked up at Uncle's face. He was crying?

Hyejin's eyes widened. Uncle rarely cried. She'd only ever seen him cry at her high school and college graduations and never like this. Uncle pulled Hyejin into his arms and hugged her.
"I missed you, daughter." He whispered in Hyejin's ear.
Hyejin's eyes burned with tears. She bit her lip trying to hold her tears in. "I missed you too, Uncle." She breathed.

The two hugged in silence for a few moments. Uncle broke the hug. Hyejin wiped her tears on her sleeve.

"What happened?" Hyejin asked.
"I don't really know. I was walking and I slipped and some edge hit my back. I don't remember anything after that." Uncle scratched the back of his head. He tried his best to avoid Hyejin's eyes. He didn't want her to worry about him. She was still a child at 19 even if she had just become a legal adult.

"Did you strain your old injury again? Where did you get hurt? How long will it take you to recover?" Hyejin frantically questioned Uncle. He was reckless sometimes. Especially with his health. She would have shouted at him for not taking care of himself if he wasn't her uncle.

"One year" Uncle mumbled, hanging his head like a child being screamed at.
"I'm sorry, what?"
"One year, it'll take me one year to recover," Uncle said a little louder.
"WHAT?" Hyejin whisper-screams. "One year? Why one year?" Her eyes almost bugged out of her head. One year is a lot of time. So much could happen in one year. She'd be going back to university in one year. Her younger brother, Kyungsoo would be 13 in a year. Oh lord, he'll be a teenager soon, she realized. Ahhh not the time to think about that. 

"They said I injured my spine or something so it'll take long for treatment and longer for physiotherapy so I can get back to normal," Uncle replied. "The company is paying for everything though. Don't worry about that. The only problem is who'll replace me at work."

"You're thinking about WORK right now? WORK?! Uncle, you just told me you're going to be stuck here for a YEAR." Uncle flinched a bit. Hyejin was scary when she was mad. And she was really mad right now. There might as well have been flames coming out from her nose.

"Well actually, I'm thinking of arranging it so I can be hospitalised in Korea." He tried to say.

Hyejin cut him off. "I'm calling Mom right now."

"Your mom? No, not your mom please don't call her!" Uncle begged his adopted daughter not to call his wife. If Hyejin was scary when she was mad, her aunt/mother was the devil. She was the last person you'd want to be enemies with. Even Kim Heechul, her husband and Hyejin's uncle feared her.