Withered - Chapter 50: Chapter 50

Jihyo's aunt, Miss Elly sigh as she positioned herself more comfortably on the chair "Maybe" She says with a wan expression. Since they already in the talk, she decides to tell Mina everything than postpone it.
"Mina, do you know how worse is your condition right now?" The said girl look up and subtly shakes her head "You develop severe anaemia, having Bradycardia which is low heart rate results in the inefficient supply of blood to your organs, especially brain. Aside from that, heavy bleeding in the second trimester caused by Placental abruption that endangers both you and the baby. You could suffer failure kidneys or other organs resulting from significant blood loss, while it could lead to premature birth and severe disabilities to the baby. I'm shocked that you didn't miscarriage and survives this" Miss Elly continues while Mina only quietly listening without making interruption.
"What I'm afraid of is the excessive bleeding, Postpartum haemorrhaging during a vaginal delivery that could lead to maternal death (death of either a pregnant woman or death of a woman within 42 days of delivery)" Hearing that Mina hang her head as she fidgets her fingers. Miss Elly glances over Mina's bump and holds the girl's hand, again she's half-smiling.
"This can be avoided if you have immediate C-section (Cesarean birth). But, brain damage and health problem can occured to the baby"
Mina's brows wrinkle upon registering the meaning of her situation. That someone will hurt either by normal delivery or surgery.
"How about taking the Cesarean a consideration since the chance for your child to develop a health problem is fifty percent while vaginal delivery have a higher risk for you not to survive. So, we can prepares when the time comes" She suggests.
Mina bites her lips, a smile graced her features as she closes her eyes. An image of a kid laughing as she runs around the backyard crossed her mind. "I'm not just a woman Unnie, but a mother. Now, I truly understand the saying that said the love of a mother to her child is unconditional." She mutters in a barely audible voice.
"I don't want my daughter to live her life in agony. Let me take the risk, whatever happened during the labour, I'll accept that as fate." Her eyes shift to her bump again and it became glazed with a glassy layer of tears. As she blinks, they drip from her eyelids and slides down her cheeks. No, she isn't sad or afraid because of the possibility that she might pass away during the labour. But, she's sad to the fact that there is a possibility that she can't even get to see her daughter and hold her in her arms, afraid to leave Chaeyoung alone.
Miss Elly put her hand softly on the shoulder of the girl as a token of her sympathy, her heart sink in the deepest ocean as she watches Mina "Your parents and Chaeyoung, they need to know"
"Keep it a secret for me, please. I'll do the talk." Mina glance at the doctor and smile assuringly.
Miss Elly nods and digs a folded yellow paper from her coat and a black pen. "Since you are still under 34 weeks and only a small part of the placenta has broken away from the womb you will be monitored closely, We will do specialized treatment strategies, a few more checkup later and you'll need a blood transfusion," She noted while reading what is written on the page. "Anyway, this is a nonsense question, but do you take drugs?"
Mina glances upward, her mouth pursed but slightly open and loose. Her eyes wandering before she vigorously shakes her head. Miss Elly narrows her eyes before she brings it back to the paper then to Mina. "Then, how come there's Cocaines in your urine test?" She asks while Mina leaves dumbfounded.
"That Cocaine bring life-threatening to the baby and you yourself. Might be the reason for you to have a Placental abruption." She sighs when Mina shows no sign that she knows about the drug usage or even aware of its existence "I'll provide you with a nutritionist, and she'll guide you on matters of food. Please tell her about everything you consumed including your medication. Maybe the cocaine come from what you eat or your medicine or sabotage?" She ends the words unsurely and stares at Mina, they make eye contact and as if she could read the latter's mind, the younger is exhausted. She smiles and taps Mina's hands "Well, we'll talk about it later, you must be hung----" Her sentence are cut off when someone breaks through the door, making both the girl flinch from the loud noise.
They both stare at the guy who's bathing in his own sweat, breathing rapidly as he rests an arm on the door panel. Tersely, his eyes flicker to Mina, examine the girl as he gathers his courage and walks closer. Miss Elly take a step backwards and said, "I'll take my leave" She escapes the awkward and tense aura. Glaring at the guy when they path crossed, "Better explain yourself" She whispers then leaves.
Chaeyoung swallows stone feeling the hard surface tracing his throat. He sits on the chair, sighing when Mina refuses to look at him as if he doesn't exist. "Why--" he starts, breaking the suffocating atmosphere "Why didn't you tell me?" He holds himself as the heaviness in his chest build up and the sadness in his brain registered.
Mina presses a button on the control bad, letting herself lying comfortably as she brings the blanket to her chest. She shut her eyes, completely ignoring the guy as she decides to sleep the leftover pain, fatigue, and dizziness. "I did." She mutters with closed eyes when the guy keeps pestering her. "I'm tired, Chaeyoungie" Her weak voice hint half plead, half madness while Chaeyoung left hanging in the air as he watches her slowly drifting to sleep.
Chaeyoung sigh while he scoots closer, reaching for her frailty hands. He intertwined their hands and softly rubs the back of her palm to his cheeks while staring at her face; how it resembles white sheet, the crack on her lips, the worried line on her forehead, it looks as if she's not even at ease in her sleep. It's that time Chaeyoung realizes how vulnerable she is and how much of a toll the sickness has taken. And how much of a failure he is.
Chaeyoung rings Mina's parents and alarms them about the latter's condition, knowing fully well that he'll definitely receive a harsh scold or better a punch. He just hoped that they still give him a second chance or maybe not, maybe for Mina's sake, she better lives with her parents and the guy has no problem with it if it's for the girl's safety. He turns his head and faces the door when he heard footsteps, soon revealing a group of nurses.
Some of the nurses work on putting an oxygen mask on Mina and hook her up to a cardiac monitor, and stare at the wavy green line while jotting something down on their paper. The other replaces the IV fluid with bags of blood plasma. Chaeyoung who has only little medical education just stare at them while distancing himself so they could do the work. The sight of the huge needle piercing through Mina's arms mirroring how he feels like his guts are being shredded with a sharp blade. Though he had seen it million times, the image of Mina fell sick and pain visible written on her face, it never failed the guy to feel the same as she did, hoping that it would have been better if the pain is on him rather than to watch doing nothing.
"I-Is she going to be fine?" He asks, stopping one of the nurses as they exit the room. Eyes redden as he can no longer bear seeing Mina lying on the bed, equipped with lots of machines. His heart almost burst with anxieties until his fears take over.
The nurse who has a file in her arm, scan the guy before raising a brow "Are you her guardian?"
"Y-yeah I'm her..." He awkwardly glances at Mina then to the nurse, scratching invisible itchy on his nape as he ends his sentence "..husband" It's the first time, he ever declare himself as a married person and a husband to Mina. Though there are still not officially married and they might be separated as soon as the baby arrives, their relationship at the moment is confusing. For now, he thought that it might be easier by confirming their relationships as husband and wife.
"Oh, Mr Son then?"
"Y-yes"
The nurse opens her file while Chaeyoung moves to her side, wishing that there aren't serious complications or severe disease befallen his wife. "Mrs Son suffered Bradycardia and......" She lifts her head and meets with concerned orbs. The nurse quickly closes her file as she recalls Miss Elly's words---Don't tell anyone about her condition without my presence. It's the patient's will to keep it untold---She clears her throat and planted her gaze somewhere else but the bewildered guy in front of her. "I'm sorry but you need to meet the doctor assigned personally" With a last bow and guilty smile, the nurse leaves the room just as fast as flash.
Chaeyoung heaves a sigh when the door completely closed with a small thud, waking him up as he blinks in confusion. He wants to chase after the nurse and find the doctor, but he doesn't have the heart to leave Mina alone in the big empty room. He started toward her and heavily sits down. He never knows he can be this weak when it comes to the girl, crying just because he's too worried, too afraid. He hides his face as he weeps into the bedsheet, soaking it.
"It's not that painful as it looks you know"
Chaeyoung raises his head when he feels a gentle touch ruffles his hair. He catches those fingers as he draws closer. "I-I'm sorry, it's my fault. I shouldn't have left" He sobs, avoiding her eyes as he let his walls break and fall apart. Mina wears a faint smile through the mask, bringing her hands to his cheeks as she slowly wipes those leaking water with her thumb.
"Are you really a man? You shouldn't cry easily"
Ignoring her question, Chaeyoung let himself fall as he hunches and buries his face in the crook of her neck. "Mina" the brunette hums as she closes her eyes.
"Minari" He calls softly.
"Yeah?"
"You promised me. That, you'll never leave me. Please, don't break it" He murmurs under his breath. He hates the absurd thought lingering inside his mind, his worst fears. He waits and waits for an answer, starting to doubt the girl after a minute passed but then he heard her light chuckle and her monotone reply.
"Silly. I won't"
*  *  *  *
Jeongyeon strolls through the pure black of the night, seeking comfort and a peaceful mind. The never-ending blackness consumed everything. Except the wraith-silver disc hanging in the lonely, starless sky---the moon. He is no stranger to the eerie darkness, the only witness of his struggles and the blanket that draped around him shielding him from any harm. Within its safety, he can sees the old him, the wracked and pitiful young boy.
As a trembling gush of wind brushes against him, his hair fluttering to the back. He's in his formal outfit, black suit as he just visits the cemetery. His mother death anniversary.
"You must be reaalllly old right now, with those ugly wrinkles on your face" He monologue, looking up to the sky "I wish I can see you and laugh about it" A chuckles escape his lips which then turns into a grin. He proceeds walking while sipping his coffee cup once in a while but his mood flips over when he heard a cried followed by a constant curse coming from an alley in front of him. Not bothering to interfere, he tries to ignore the sound but when he learns to know it's a group of teenager bullying a weak student, his feet automatically glued to the ground. He looks around and the street is empty, leaving him alone. Police? It does cross his mind but he never believes in them.
He watches the scene from afar. How the skinny and small kid is being pushed and kicked against the wall, surrounded by those who is thrice his weight and height. Blood trickles from the kid's nose as he crumbles on the ground. Jeongyeon arc an eyebrow as he sips his coffee, putting the cup on the ground before he walks towards them.
"Isn't that enough already." He speaks while fishing out his black and golden fountain pen. It's a specialized pen which he made by himself. The bully turns their attention at him then laughs while Jeongyeon joins the laughter. One of the teenagers boldly stand facing Jeongyeon while his other teammate scoff and continue harassing the small kid.
"Just mind your own business, old man"
Jeongyeon smiles and stares at his pen. He slowly rotates the end of it which the nib soon appear across the pen. Unlike usual pen, the nib are sharper and longer "If I were you, I will leave quietly," He says in his most gentle voice while he brings his eyes to the young clueless boy in front of him. The teenage shivers under Jeongyeon's darken face but he chooses to fight since he got his teammates behind his back. He swings an arm but Jeongyeon quicker. With one swift move, Jeongyeon stabs him in the throat hard then pulls it up to his chin, it's deep enough for the boy to stop breathing and wheeze as the force knocked him backwards then fall into the ground. He coughing up blood as the bright red liquid leaking from his neck.
His friends turn around and their eyes widen upon seeing their member struggling to breathe. They run after the black-suited guy who isn't affected by their madness and scream. Jeongyeon turns his heel and crouch as he takes his still hot coffee. Spilt it to the group of bullies while he stands and takes the chance to attack their eyes. Merciful as he is, he doesn't completely blind them but gives them the opportunity to see the world from now on with only an eye.
Jeongyeon step over their bodies who are yelling their lungs out for help. He started towards the small kid who's stiffened in fear, hugging his knees. The guy looks down to the kid and sees himself in his position. It awakens unwanted memories, echos of those long-ago midnight colds jarred his mind.
"Why you let them do whatever they want." He crouches in front of the kid, his face softens when he examines the young boy's outfit and his figure. "Why don't you fight," He asks in curiosity.
The kid look at him, quivering after the horrific scene he just sees, but he knows that the guy in front of him is his saviour. "I-I don't want to be like them, hurting others. It's evil doing"
Jeongyeon nods and grin as he ruffles the kid's hair "That's true. But it's not an evil-doing to fight back, it is an act of defence against the evil." He stares at his pen where the blood on the barrel slowly sucked inside the chamber and becomes a red thick ink, leaving no traces of fingerprints nor leftover blood. "In a fight, brutality and gut are the most important. If you have it on you, strength is nothing" Jeongyeon lift the kid's chin and stare at those pure innocent orbs "You have to fight to survive. Only the weak who don't stand for himself ends up in the pit of a hole." He hands the boy his fountain pen, thinking that it will be the last time he ever uses it "A gift" He smiles and walks away, disappeared in the shadow.
"To kill a monster, you must become one"
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|Flashback|
The young boy's cried and pleaded filled the house as the man in front of him, the man he called father thrust his head and body with a wooden sword. The boy knew it will happen the moment his mother left the house, he will face the monster hiding in a modest mask.
A hard fist was thrown to his stomach and he couldn't breathe. He hunched over totally vulnerable. It felt like he wanted to puke but was on empty stomach. He was fighting for air while hoarse coughing.
When he tried to regain himself. There was a big force pulling his hair dragging him into somewhere. He felt that he was going to be bald, struggling to release his father grip by kicking on the air, moving around, slapping and punching his father's arms..............then the young boy realized how weak and helpless he was even when his father threw punches he wouldn't dare to fight back nor say a word in defence.
"Your existence is a shame!"
Those words, his father always shouted at him. It made the young boy wonder, every day in his life, thinking to himself whether he was the reason his parents always bickering, the reason for her mother's silent tears as she hugged him.
"Is being born a sin?" A question he always asked himself.
============
Jeongyeon grit his teeth when those memories played like a broken tape. He cracks his neck in annoyance as he calms his ragging mind. He digs out his phone and dials a number when he's reminded by the memories of something he needs to do.
[Oh, Hyung]
"Are you done?"
[I need a few more weeks. Maybe a month, it was hard to bribe the director]
"Everyone has a weakness, the director must have one. If money doesn't work on her, finds her mistakes and use it. Make sure her family members are not affected by this. Hurry, I need the guy to leave Korea as soon as possible" Jeongyeon ends the call after he heard a reply. He sighs and buys a coffee can before he goes home.