4th chapter is up! Do enjoy!
Hana's lips parted in amazement. She held her finger out and smiled sweetly. A small chubby hand gripped her finger and the toddler in her arms made a tiny, happy whine. Hana chuckled softly and slowly rocked the baby while humming a somewhat familiar lullaby that her mother might've sang to her when she was the same age. She looked up for a few moments to see the baby's mother talking to Yoon Seok Jung. Hana's thoughts had drifted to Ji Hoo when she heard that harabeoji shared his family name with her crush. She gave one more swift glance to the two people talking before her view was obstructed.
"Noonaaaaaaaa! Annyonghaseyo!" a high pitched voice yelled her way and a small boy appeared before her.
"Annyong, Ji Seung-ah." she cheerily replied and ruffled his hair. The boy pulled back with a scowl on his face and stuck his tongue out. Hana just chuckled and gently patted a spot next to her while one hand supported the weight of the baby. "Come on Ji Seung-ah, sit with me."
"Okay!" he agreed and hopped on the bench, next to her. He smiled shyly up at Hana and curiously looked at the infant she was holding. "Is my brother asleep?"
"Ne. He just fell asleep so we have to be quiet. Can you do that for me Ji Seung-ah?" Hana asked in a whisper with a big smile on her face. At his nod she nodded back. "My hero." She ruffled his hair again before asking where his mother was.
Just then the boys' mother finished talking to the doctor and slowly made her way to Hana and her sons. "Thank you very much for watching them Kim-ah."
"It was no problem. They are such sweet boys, both of them." Hana assured her and passed the baby over to his mother. Ji Seung hugged Hana's waist, that being the highest he could reach and ran after his mother. Hana accompanied them to the door and politely said goodbye. She returned inside feeling very happy for no apparent reason.
A few small children in the corner stopped their playing to look at her with awe. Once her eyes set on them they smiled and resumed the game. She smiled back and went to join them. In the hours she spent assisting doctor Yoon she found that watching the children left her no time to ponder her sad relationship status. She was glad for the distraction these kids provided. As much as she loved Ji Hoo thinking about him too much proved to be harmful for her well-being. 'Enough is enough; after all one can only take so much. If only you'd see me there, Ji Hoo-sunbae.'
Today she was supposed to get the lab results back. Hana hoped that it was nothing too serious. Being hospitalized wasn't exactly one of her top priorities at the moment. Not to mention it would distress her parents a great deal, and she'd end up having to explain over and over again that she was okay, in truth. Besides Yu Han still needed his big sister; for some time now her baby brother had been acting strange. 'He does go to Shin Hwa so it's no wonder. I wonder if he's being bullied.' Only the thought made Hana's face flush in anger. Nobody had the right to bully her brother.
The chiming bells made a sharp sound, signalling the arrival of new patients. Hana put a smile on her face and greeted them.
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Ga Eul looked at Mi Young very seriously as she put a hand on her friend's shoulder. Mi Young took a deep breath and smiled sadly at Ga Eul. "I'm ready, let's go."
"Let's." Ga Eul replied and adjusted the bouquet of flowers she was holding while Mi Young cuddled the fluffy bear in her arms. The two entered the hospital doors and headed straight to the reception. The young woman behind the desk greeted them with a smile and a polite inquiry about how she may assist them. Mi Young asked for the number of a patient's room and the receptionist wasted no time in finding it for them.
"You are her sister, aren't you?" the receptionist asked while giving the two girls information about how to reach the room.
"Yes. How did you know?" Mi Young questioned completely perplexed at the situation.
"She talks about you all day long. You are exactly as she said you would be." the receptionist answered with a crooked smile before Ga Eul and Mi Young left.
The two girls walked down the isle and searched for the number of the room they were supposed to reach. After a minute or so they made it. Mi Young stared at the door and her free hand tremblingly reached for the knob. Slowly she turned it and the door creaked open.
"Unnie!" The excited cry was heard as soon as the door opened."You came. And you brought Ga Eul-ah with you!" a small girl squealed at the two teens.
"Si Young-ah!" Mi Young rushed over to her sister and hugged her, almost forgetting about the huge teddy bear in her arms. "Look what we brought you sis." the older girl said while placing the plush toy on the bed next to her little sister as Ga Eul put the flowers in a vase.
"Everything is so pretty." the tiny child exclaimed and giggled happily when Mi Young kissed her cheek and playfully patted the top of her head, ruffling her short black hair.
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"The results have arrived." the old keeper of the clinic said as the last of their patients exited. "Let's look over them together." The suggestion was more of an order spoken in a gruff, yet gentle voice. When Hana didn't move at all the man continued, "Well girl what are you waiting for?"
"Nothing, I'm coming." Hana jumped at the question and hurried after him. She was led to a room just perfect for viewing radiographies. As it turned out her ulcers was not very developed, if fact it could be cured with tablets. That's what Yoon Seok Jung said while leading her out of the room and to the medicine cabinet. He took out a small box of antibiotics and another one that looked like Gabapentin, pills for pain. He handed the boxes to her and wrote a prescription which he also gave to her.
"Don't take the Gabapentin unless you are in pain. It is quite strong and can be addictive if it isn't taken prudently." The doctor warned her. "Thank you for helping me out today little lady." he added after a short lived silence.
"It was no problem. I actually discovered that I rather like working with children. If you ever need help with something like this I'm more than willing to assist." Hana earnestly replied as she pulled her jacket over her shoulders. "I should be going soon harabeoji. Are you staying any longer?"
"Actually my nephew is coming to pick me up. Why don't you come with us? I'm sure he could drop you off where you live." Yoon Seok Jung offered while zipping his own jacket up and wrapping a scarf around his neck.
"Oh no, I wouldn't want to intrude. Besides I live a bit far from here." Hana said, pulling her thin, fingerless gloves over her hands. "You've already done very much for me."
"Nonsense little lady. What gentleman would I be if I let you go home on your own?" The man was about to say more when the honking of a car interrupted. "That's my nephew. Let's go." Without allowing Hana to protest he dragged her after him.
Once they were outside the cold air hit them. Hana took a deep breath enjoying the way the chilly wind felt against her face. She looked ahead of her a saw a silver car, an expensive one by the looks of it. Seok Jung was locking the doors so Hana took small steps towards the car. She tried to see the driver but the car's windows were painted dark and the light outside was waning. She looked back and saw Seok Jung coming in the car's direction. The man made a gesture with which he told her to get in the backseat and he moved towards the passenger's seat up front.
Hana rubbed her hands together and then pulled on the knob of the door. It opened and warmth enveloped her as she climbed in. She pulled the door, closing it. Now that she was inside it became clear to her that the driver was talking on the phone. His voice seemed familiar so she looked closely at him hoping to recognise him. Once her eyes landed on him she gave an inaudible gasp. It was Ji Hoo. 'Harabeoji's nephew is Ji Hoo!'
Ji Hoo hadn't noticed her yet as he continued his conversation. Seok Jung was making himself comfortable while pulling on the safety belt. "Ji Hoo-ah I would like to introduce you to someone." the older man said after they exchanged greetings while Hana stayed in her seat quietly just waiting for Ji Hoo to notice her. At his grandfather's words he turned around and his eyes landed on Hana. She smiled and raised her hand and Ji Hoo shook his head while smiling back. "You too already know each other?" the elder asked and the two nodded their heads, yet neither noticed the plotting look that formed on Seok Jung face. "Good, very good." he whispered to himself. "So little miss, where should we drop you off?"
"Well, the nearest bus station I suppose." Hana propositioned.
"Actually I think I'll take you straight home." Ji Hoo spoke while taking a turn. Hana made to protest but the looks she got from the two men told her she wasn't getting out of it.
A peculiar silence settled over them, until Seok Jung started a conversation, successfully saving the mood. The whole ride to Hana's house, which it turned out, was quite close to Ji Hoo's, only a couple of blocks distance, was lively. 'But now he knows where I live. Not that an impromptu visit is Ji Hoo's style but it could happen. And then my mom would totally jump to the conclusion that he loves me. Moms!…Who gets them?' Not wanting to ruin the mood Hana focused on the ongoing conversation only to realise they were very close to her house. "You can stop here, thank you very much."
"Well little lady, should I expect to see you at the clinic again?" Seok Jung asked while Hana was getting out. "Of course." the girl answered before taking her leave and waving goodbye to them.
After the car disappeared from view Hana made her way to the front door and knocked, waiting patiently for someone to open it. Her mother pulled the door open and ushered Hana in. Looking at the older woman the girl could see that she had been crying. Her eyes were red-rimmed and puffy, and Hana knew her mother well enough to know that this was the only sign she would get. "Hana were have you been until now?"
"Working." Hana replied shortly, as she disrobed of the jacket. "Where are dad and Yu Han?" the girl inquired looking around for her father and brother. Her mother helped her out of the jacket before answering. "They went out. Something about spending quality time together. So how about we have a girl's night in? Just the two of us."
"I thought the term was 'girl's night out'." Hana mock corrected and walked to the living room with her mother. "So what did you have in mind?"
"We could watch a movie or I could teach you how to make that pie you like so much. Remember? You kept asking me how I made it. How about it?" her mother suggested happily and Hana refrained from telling her that the question was a few years old.
"Okay mom. How about we make the pie and eat it during a movie? We'll pay those boys back for abandoning us!" The daughter laughed and followed her mother to the kitchen, where they started looking for the necessary ingredients.
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Ga Eul groaned at the beaming sun. With the weekend over it was back to school and after every Sunday came a Monday. And Ga Eul hated, really hated Mondays with a burning passion. Mondays the council held meetings and got assignments. And now they had to talk about that excursion. Begrudgingly she went to the classroom where, just like she expected, the other council members were sited in a circle. Between Si Won and Jae Joong there was a gap, enough for her to sit too. She was greeted warmly as she sat down, and she greeted back with zest.
The next fifteen minutes they talked about various problems and possible solutions. The meeting was cut short when Si Won announced it was time for class to begin. They all made their way to the assigned room, and got in just before the professor, thankfully.
Next up is chapter no. 5...hope you're still interested. :)