About You: Love & Sacrifice

The Secret That Is Starting to Reveal

Mirae's brain thinks three times harder than usual when dealing with cases of liver cancer patients. His forehead continued to wrinkle as he squeezed the end of the paper from the medical examination record which was now lying in front of his desk with a blank look. Dealing with patients with serious illness is not a hindrance because Mirae is a doctor in that field, but seeing who the patients she has to deal with makes her speechless.

Mirae let out a long sigh before finally grabbing the piece of paper towards a patient bed that was only limited to curtains in the IGD room.

"How's the condition?" Ask a paramedic.

"His blood pressure and pulse are normal, Doc."

Mirae nodded. "You can go, I'll continue."

"Good."

The two paramedics stopped after tidying up some of the equipment. Mirae looked at the female patient who was just looking straight ahead— with a pale face full of sadness. However, the woman's face even commented a smile back to look at Mirae who seemed to want to slap her face like she had done to Younha. Damn accepting the fact that he should have a patient like Hyejin, his hands felt dirty.

"Why is your face not calm Doctor Mirae?" Hyejin started to make a sound. "I wonder how I'm doing."

Mirae squeaked a little, taking a seat in her chair near Hyejin's bed. He hesitated to say what the contents of the examination were, too ambiguous to say not to worry.

"Do you know if you have a serious illness?" Mirae said softly even though her tone was a little upset.

"Ah, am I going to die?"

"I've always wished you dead so that no one would hurt Younha like you. But don't you think that there'd be someone else who would be sick if you were like this?" Mirae squeezed the note in her hand. "When did you use drugs?"

Hearing Mirae's words intimidating her, Hyejin was not afraid at all. The woman stared at Mirae's iris as if channeling her heart that; right, I'm the happiest woman that a clueless person would never have guessed if I used medicine as my friend. You never know, I'm the loneliest one here.

"Why do you care?" Hyejin replied casually without fear. "I'll die after this, so you won't have to bother taking care of me Doctor Mirae."

"Did Jihoon know?"

Hyejin.

"I'll call Jihoon." Mirae takes the phone in the pocket of her medical robe but is immediately choked by Hyejin.

"I don't want him to know." Hyejin laughed a little. "Nothing serious, is it?"

"Initial stage liver cancer." Mirae and Hyejin's whispers spontaneously turned to her with a quivering bead. "It starts from advanced dehydration and it creeps up on blood pressure that continues to drop until Orthostatic Hypotension. Your body lacks a lot of fluid while your brain never stops working. Your organs are exhausted and you keep fighting it with drugs. Hyejin, are you unconscious?"

His eyelids were tired of blinking to stem the tears. Hyejin let out a long sigh, the condition five years ago came again, now more frightening. He needs Jihoon at the moment, but seeing the man ignore him for the last two weeks—Hyejin realizes that he has lost and has no hope. So, isn't dying the right choice? Hyejin lives for Jihoon, if the man already does not love her then what is her useless life for?

"I was quite aware of what I was doing until Jihoon sacrificed for his own marriage. It wasn't Younha who suffered the most, it wasn't me who suffered the most, either" One tear-brow slid from Hyejin's squinty. "but Jihoon, he saved my life five years ago. He said he would take care of me and make me happy to death, and now maybe his job will be done. Because I'm going to die, so Jihoon can feel real happiness. Younha—"

"Can't." Mirae cuts. "Jihoon won't go back to Younha."

"Is it because of Woojin's sister?"

Mirae was silent for a long time. He's a doctor, can't bring personal business until the patient's down.

"Rest me, I'll wait for your decision to take further care." Mirae said she woke up after giving the medical record "85% cure for early-stage cancer. I hope you're conscious and don't keep getting caught up in the madness."

Both of Mirae's hands were wrapped in each pocket of her medical robe. After making sure the infusion drips according to the dose, the woman stepped away—stopped for a moment to hear Hyejin whisper.

"Don't let Jihoon know. I'll follow the medical procedure as long as he doesn't know."

Mirae turned around for a moment. "How can you get through this alone?"

"I can." Lirih Hyejin's. "I believe you."

With a forced nod, Mirae stepped out with a long sigh. He had to tell Jinan about the matter.

...*****...

Jinan supported her waist while holding the bathroom door leaf, seeing his wife sitting on the edge of the bed with an agitated look. Since returning home from the hospital, Mirae kept daydreaming or thinking about something very serious even if Jinan asked—no longer answer than that is okay.

"Do you want to take a shower?" Jinan's question was tucked into a teasing tone, but Mirae did not respond shyly as usual. "Why? Is something bothering you? Is there a difficult operation you have to go through?"

Jinan went to sit beside Mirae, clasped the fingers of the twig and continued to ask what was going on. Mirae who never kept a secret became panicked and anxious. What if Jinan doesn't support her decision about Hyejin?

No. gabe. Mirae could not think for herself, she needed the advice of a trusted person for this kind of affair. After sighing deeply, Mirae looked at Jinan's bead that was still waiting with worry.

"There's something I want to tell you." Mirae said gagu, Jinan nodded and was still waiting. "Please promise me you'll help me."

Jinan rubbed the back of his wife's hand. "of course. Don't be afraid and say, baby."

Jinan blinked, his hand grip loosened slowly.

"I'll tell you the whole thing and you'll have to tell Jihoon directly." Further. "Their relationship—"

"I already know."

"Do you know?" Mirae glared, Jinan was even that calm facing an unbelievable reality. "You knew from the beginning about their relationship but let Younha suffer?"

Jinan shakes. "There's nothing I can do for her, Younha also won't believe what I'm saying. But Jihoon, he doesn't even deserve to be forgiven but one might pity him after knowing what's behind Lee Jihoon's cowardice."

Mirae tries to hold back her emotions, not knowing whether to blame or turn her heart on the bastard.

"Did Hyejin get sick?"

"He almost died." Jinan was silent for a moment. "In the meantime, you said that too?"

Mirae nodded quickly. "He's my patient now. Early stage liver cancer."

"Cancer liver?"

"He's even a drug addict." Tell Mirae to be mixed with pity. "Has he been unhappy all this time and had such deep mental pressure? And according to my examination results, the substance of the illegal drug has settled for about the last two years. Did he not use it?"

Jinan shook his head, it was true that Hyejin did not use the drug. Jihoon's family was close to Hyejin's and the beginning of her illness was when she found out Jihoon was married to Younha. Hyejin inched sick and did not recover, in a semi-conscious state the woman continued to say the name Jihoon.

Hyejin's parents were almost desperate and Jihoon couldn't do anything about it. Until the initial plan where Jihoon was just as the spirit of Hyejin's life ended as now.

"I didn't really mean to strain Jihoon and Hyejin's relationship, but he was seriously ill and Jihoon's support meant a lot." Mirae grabs her husband's hand. "Hyejin wants to keep this a secret from Jihoon but I can't, we have to tell the truth. If Hyejin loves Jihoon so much, isn't she the best medicine for Hyejin's life spirit?"

Jinan was silent, looking long thought. "I'll talk to Jihoon slowly."

"Thank you, Jinan."

...*****...

"Is Om Woojin home yet?"

With a mouthful of boiled dumplings, Yeonjun chewed on his food while wryly looking for the figure that accompanied him to sleep thirty minutes ago. The boy approached Younha at the kitchen counter while he was putting shopping earlier this afternoon into the refrigerator and claimed to be hungry because of a dream pursued by T-rex.

"Om Woojin's going to work tomorrow." Younha wiped the dumpling crumbs at the corner of the son's mouth.

Yeonjun pouted. "But you want to play with Oom Woojin again."

"Absolutely like Woojin?"

His son nodded. "Om Woojin is good, just like Dad."

Hearing Dad's words made Younha lower her smile slowly, she stroked Yeonjun's hair slowly. The older brother might not understand but seeing Younha suddenly moody, the five-year-old felt strange.

"So don't want to ask Daddy—does Dad still love Mama, brother, and Seojun? If not, it's okay." Yeonjun grasped one hand of the Mama with his small palm. "It's okay if you don't love Mama, brother, and Seojun anymore. Many will love us. Om Jinan, Mirae's aunt, even Woojin. I also love Mama."

Younha no longer knew what to say other than to hug Yeonjun, hugging his baby. Evil if Younha considers not loved by anyone, whereas Yeonjun and Seojun are always by her side—they love her just as much as she loves them. Younha should feel enough with her children.

"Oh yeah, brother forgot." Yeonjun took off his embrace. "Yesterday brother played the race run equally adek and accidentally hit the buffet Mama, the flowers up there rolled and the water spilled. Yeonjun wants to clean up but not until."

Younha gave a small laugh then pinched the cheek of her son. Pingpong Yeonjun was about to cry for fear that his mother would be disappointed, so the child said while putting on a cute face.

"What's wrong, Mama will clean up. The flowers are withered anyway, Mama's gonna throw them away." Younha's soft voice successfully made Yeonjun smile again. "If the meal is over, brother goes into the room and sleeps yes, then Mama will follow."

Yeonjun nodded happily, left his soup bowl with a little puddle of broth then ran to the room.

While Younha approached a plastic vase that had been rolled over with white tulips withered and blackened. While wiping away the remaining water, he recalled the moment this flower came along with a letter. Immediately he looked for the letter behind a pile of books on the buffet.

Younha grew curious, sitting back on the dining table chair fluttering a letter that was now almost completely covered in dust. He thinks it contains money or checks because it's a little thick. The contents are slowly drawn and a white sheet of paper appears full of handwriting.

Monolid Younha blinked when he just saw the writing, no stranger to the writing language he was very familiar with.

Unknowingly her tears were dripping with trembling hands. For God's sake, what's going on?

...*****...