Chapter Text
***
Joo Seokhoon stopped crying after his sister's hand that continued to hug and rub his back made him better than before. Taking a deep breath, he let go of her hug. And while wiping away the remaining tears on his cheeks, he took the milk that was beside him.
"It's been a while since I drank this." He stared at the milk box in his hand before placing the straw in the hole above it. He smiled bitterly, his memory flashing back to a year ago when he was still mourning Rona's 'death'. This milk always accompanies him lamenting his regret.
He sipped his drink very slowly, tasting every drop of it. His sister's hand was still on his back but she didn't make any sound as if letting him mourn his fate. Their silence was very comfortable although it was in the midst of the noisy atmosphere surrounding them. He looked up to find all the noise he heard around them. Several times the sound of ambulance sirens were heard, the sound of children running. His eyes stopped at the source of the cries that came from some people who may have lost their precious person in this hospital. Their cries portrayed the feeling they felt and it was the feeling he didn't want to happen to him. He wanted someone precious to him to survive. Rona, his beloved girl, will definitely survive. And he needed to keep being optimistic about that.
"We'd better go back." He looked at his sister. His sister's eyes were still shrouded in worry which he knew was aimed at him.
"Have you calmed down?"
"Hm" He nodded weakly.
"Are you sure? If you still want to be here I can accompany you a little longer."
He shook his head in response to his sister's words. "No need."
"If that's what you want." His sister patted him on the back once more before she stood up.
He stood up too, looked up at the sky and breathed in the summer breeze. His hand was on his cheek, ready to wipe away the trace of tears. Looking at his sister and giving her a little smile, he started to walk towards the entrance. Each step felt heavy knowing he would again face the fact that the girl he loved the most was still struggling on the operating table. But just as Seokkyung told him, Rona is a strong girl. There are still many wishes and dreams she has not fulfilled yet. Especially the dream to become the best soprano singer, the dream she had promised to her late mother. She will definitely try to live to make her dream come true.
He spent his way to the operating room repeatedly praying for his girl to successfully go through it. Every now and then a tear fell from his eye when he remembered his mistake. His sister walked beside him also in silence, neither disturbing him nor comforting him. As if she gave him the space and time to deal with this in his own way. The operating room door was in his sight as were the people waiting in front of it. Hesitantly he walked towards it.
"Ha Eunbyeol?" He turned to look at his sister who said the name of a friend he had not seen for a while. He followed his sister's eyes until he finally found the girl who had become his half-sister because of his father's marriage to her mother. Ha Eunbyeol who stared at the operating room looked panicked when Seokkyung called her name and turned away but his sister didn't let her go like that and walked quickly after her before taking her hand.
"Finally you came down. Just realized that you still have a father?"
"Let me go, Joo Seokkyung!"
"Wow, your mother really is something, huh? How can she not be seriously injured after the chandelier fell on her stomach while the other two were still in the operating room?"
"I said let me go!" Ha Eunbyeol managed to release her hand from his Seokkyung's grip.
"And your mother mistook Rona for you. Is that too much? How could she act as if she forgot everything?" Ha Eunbyeol's face changed after hearing Seokkyung's words.
"That's none of your business. I'm not here to deal with your nonsense."
"If you're worried about your father. He was already transferred to the ICU about ten minutes ago. Only Rona inside now." A male voice cut off the conversation of his sister and their former high school friend. Along with his sister and Eunbyeol, Seokhoon looked in the direction where the voice came from. Logan Lee approached them with his mother.
"I see…" Eunbyeol lowered her head before the operating room door opened and two people in medical uniforms were seen exiting. One of them ran past him after speaking to her colleague who was standing in front of the door. Seeing that, his mother followed by the people in front of the operating room, ran to the one standing at the door, including him.
"What's the matter? What happened to Rona?" His mother prevented the person from entering the operating room.
"Ms Bae is in need of blood. The blood supply we have already used on Mr Ha and unfortunately, we didn't have another stock. But don't worry, we're trying to get it as soon as possible." The medical staff answered his mother's questions.
"What's her blood type? Who knows if any of us have the same blood type as her." Now Jeni's mother asked the person.
"You can use my blood." Before that person could answer Jeni's mother's question, Eunbyeol's voice was heard. They all looked back as Eunbyeol walked towards them.
"I have the same blood type as my father. You said earlier that you have used the existing blood for my father. Doesn't that mean that my father and Rona have the same blood type?"
"That's right."
"Then do it … use my blood."
"It's good that you have the same blood type as your father because it happens that Ms Bae and Mr Ha's blood types are very similar. A similarity that is a common thing for people who are related by blood." The nurse who was almost the same height as Eunbyeol explained to them.
"My father and Rona are indeed related by blood."
"Ah, so you are family?" The weak nod given by Eunbyeol made the nurse ask her into the operating room.
It all happened so fast, the talk that happened on the doorstep of the operating room happened too fast. So they didn't grasp what was really going on. Eunbyeol's missing shadow from the door of the operating room and the silence that occurred afterwards resuscitated them all. Likewise with him who has mixed feelings. Feeling concern for Rona turned into shock after hearing what Eunbyeol said. Dr Ha, Eunbyeol and Rona are related by blood? Family?
"What did she mean by Dr Ha and Rona are related by blood?" And it turns out he was not the only one who felt the confusion. Jeni's mother asked, showing her confusion.
"Don't tell me… Rona can't be Dr Ha's biological child, can she?" Jeni also asked.
"Suryeon-ssi, did you know this?" At the same time Jeni's mother asked the question, he looked at his mother and waited for the answer.
"I don't know." His mother then looked at the man beside her.
"Logan … you knew, right? I saw you talking to Dr Ha and heard him asking you to take care of Rona in a subtle way." His mother's interrogation of his former teacher made the man sigh before looking over at all of them.
"That's right. Dr Ha is Rona's biological father. Yoonhee told me."
Gasps were heard from almost everyone here. Except for him though that didn't lessen his surprise. He glanced straight at the operating room door before turning to his former teacher to show his concern for the girl that was still struggling in the operating room.
"Does Rona know?" He asked Logan but the man only answered his question by shaking his head.
"I don't know."
"Could it be that Rona already knows? Don't you remember when Oh Yoonhee's funeral, Rona screamed hysterically to chase Dr Ha away?" Jeni's mother's answer made them all fall silent and reminded them of what happened on the day of Rona's mother's funeral. He remembered how panicked he was to hear Rona's scream so he ran quickly towards the room. That time he saw Rona sat down in tears, as did Dr Ha who he heard faintly say sorry repeatedly. At that time he didn't ask Rona what had happened but he thought that it might be because of Dr Ha's betrayal to her mother to cover up the mistake made by Eunbyeol for pushing Rona.
"My poor friend … why does it always happen to her?" Jeni's cries were heard breaking the silence.
He glanced back at the operating room door. His beloved girl who was betting her life in that room really had a bitter fate. Without realizing it, a single tear dripped down his cheek as if he felt her pain.
Rona-ya …
***
Joo Seokkyung was still standing in front of the operating room. She deliberately stood away from everyone. Her brother was standing while staring at the door, from his back she could tell that fear was still weighing on his shoulders. Her mother sat with Jeni's mother and Jeni. Logan was seen leaning back while looking at the floor and Minhyuk was seen standing next to Jeni while holding her shoulder as if it was his attempt to strengthen the girl.
The operating room door opened after a few minutes, showing Ha Eunbyeol from behind the door, slowly walking out. Her appearance made everyone who was waiting instantly come to her, including her. Because after all the information that Ha Eunbyeol released before going behind the door was not information that was easily forgotten.
"Ha Eunbyeol are you alright?" The worrying question that came out of her mother's mouth caused the astonishment of everyone. Seokkyung saw Eunbyeol looking at her mother for a moment before silently nodding.
"Rona?" Her brother was heard asking.
"I don't know."
"Now isn't it time for you to tell us? Explain how you were related to Rona." Jeni's mother looked impatient and straight to the point. Seokkyung saw Eunbyeol sigh before her former high school friend's eyes turned to all of them.
"Isn't what I said clear enough? Should I say to you all that Rona and I are related because we have the same father?"
"Since when did you know?" Logan who was standing beside her mother asked the girl who actually looked still pale. Eunbyeol didn't answer his question right away, making everyone lose their temper, especially Jeni and Jeni's mother.
"You better answer Ha Eunbyeol, because I won't let you go until you tell us." Jeni -a person who used to be afraid to fight against her and Eunbyeol and accepted the bullying from them- stood in front of Eunbyeol as if she's challenging her former bullies. But even so, Eunbyeol still ignored her and started walking before Jeni caught her hand and pulled her until Eunbyeol almost fell. Jeni's actions took everyone by surprise.
"Jeni-ya!" Ms Kang looked at her daughter in surprise.
"I said I wouldn't let you go until you answered." Not only was Ms Kang surprised by her daughter's behaviour, but Eunbyeol was also surprised by Jeni's courage to challenge her. This could be seen from Eunbyeol's eyes which show her nervousness.
"So what would you do after you know when I found out?"
"I told you to answer me, not asking me back."
"Because it doesn't matter."
"Of course it matters if you know everything before the audition or at the time of Ms Oh's accident." Eunbyeol's silence made Jeni even more impatient, but before Jeni got angrier, her mother who only watched them came and interrupted their conversation.
"Your father told you?" She saw Eunbyeol look at her mother for a while before finally shaking her head.
"No. It's when Yoonhee ahjumma saved me from Ms Jin I knew it by myself. And dad confirmed it."
"So you didn't take the medicine Ms Jin gave you to forget everything?" Her mother's question managed to make Eunbyeol look terrified.
"How-?" Ha Eunbyeol asked with a pale face.
"Rona, she asked me to check the drug Ms Jin gave you and she thinks that's what made you forget about Yoonhee's death." Everything her mother talked about with Eunbyeol shocked her and maybe others too to the point that no one dared to make a sound. Meanwhile, Eunbyeol lowered her head.
"Yes, I didn't take the drug and remember everything. I gave it all to my mother. Therefore-" Before Eunbyeol could explain further, Jeni pulled Eunbyeol's hand.
"Wait, so you knew Rona was your sister before the audition? No! You even already knew at the night Rona's mother died!" Eunbyeol's answer made Jeni even angrier. And Eunbyeol's silence seemed to justify it.
"You're so cruel, Ha Eunbyeol. Evil!" Without realizing it, she was angry with what Eunbyeol had done and showed her resentment in front of her face.
"Tch, you are not the one who has the right to judge me by calling me an evil person, Joo Seokkyung. You are not a saint." She saw Eunbyeol challenge her while glaring at her.
"Of course I'm not a saint. But at least I'm better than you."
"Really? Didn't you get kicked out from Cheong A for your evil deeds? Why are you acting as you care about Rona now? You hate her and did something terrible as much as I do." Eunbyeol's reply added to her resentment. She pushed her high school friend angrily against the wall.
"Seokkyung-ah!" She heard people around her shout to stop her from releasing her anger and causing a scene. But she didn't care about their concern.
"You don't know anything about me, Ha Eunbyeol! You are very different from me. You are eviler than me, you know why? When I found out that I indirectly caused Rona's mother to die because I told Ms Jin about your presence at Rona's house. I truly feel guilty. But you? You pretended to forget. And you know when I found out that I was my mother's biological child and Min Seola's sister, I felt so low for hurting my sister. Feeling guilty and I wanted to turn back time so I could apologize to her. But you? Tch! You're still hurting Rona even when you know that she's your sister." She tightened her grip on Ha Eunbyeol's shoulders even more and chuckled. Eunbyeol stared at her in fright.
"So yes, you are worse than me for continuing to hurt Rona who is your own sister even though she was trying to help you from Ms Jin." Eunbyeol still stared at her before pushing her away.
"That's why now I give my blood to her. Isn't that enough?!? What else do you really want from me? I've been kicked out of my house, my mother forgot about me. Isn't this already a punishment for me?"
"You-" Before she could continue, her mother touched her shoulder and shook her head, asking her to stop.
"Eunbyeol-ah, your mother just-"
"And you ahjumma. My mother completely forgot everything because I was the one who gave the medicine to her. So please, stop bothering my mother." Tears came out of Eunbyeol's eyes with a pleading face. Seokkyung watched her mother shocked and had no had time to reply to Eunbyeol as the girl had already walked away from them.
"She turned out to be just as evil as her mother." She heard Jeni's mother make a comment after Eunbyeol disappeared from their sight.
"What do you think, Logan? Has Cheon Seojin truly lost her memory?" Her mother was heard asking Logan. Her eyes followed her mother, her mother and Logan were seen talking together but she couldn't hear what they were talking about. She looked around again, looking for her brother who didn't make a sound amid the commotion that had just occurred. And there he was, standing leaning against the wall beside the operating door. He leaned his head back and his eyes closed. She walked to her brother and stood beside him.
"Today's really something huh? To think in a matter of minutes I heard information that I never thought of before." Minhyuk's statement made everyone except her mother and Logan -who was still talking alone- look at him.
"Ha Eunbyeol is Rona's sister and Seokkyung is not Seokhoon's twin but Min Seola. Wow, could it be that I am your twin, Jeni-ya?" Seokkyung wanted to hit Minhyuk's mouth who spoke without thinking at a time like this, but Jeni already represented her by hitting his shoulder.
"Now is not the time to joke around Lee Minhyuk!"
"Sorry… I just still can't grab everything that I've just heard." Minhyuk answered while looking at her. She responded by rolling her eyes. The atmosphere fell silent again before the sound of the operating room door opening. And that sound made them all turn their eyes towards the door. The team of doctors who operated on Rona came out. Her brother was the first to be in front of the group.
"How is Rona?" Her brother asked them straight away. The person in the front, which was probably the doctor in charge, looked at him and then shifted his eyes to people waiting before answering.
"The impact Ms Bae had on her head was severe and affected her brain. And the brain injury she just suffered last year made the situation even worse. All we can do now is monitor her for the next 24 hours to see if her brain is still working as well as before or worse."
"Is Rona likely to be brain dead?" Logan's question made the doctor shake his head.
"For now, her brain still seems to be reacting but it's not enough because it's too weak. That's why we can only wait."
"Then what happens after 24 hours?" Her brother asked anxiously.
"If her brain reaction gets weaker or worse the chances of it going in that direction are very high and we have to accept Ms Bae as a brain-dead patient. I'm sorry." The doctor's statement shocked everyone, a sob could be heard from Jeni's mouth.
"But there's still hope, right?" Jeni's mother asked with hope. The doctor looked at her with a smile.
"Of course! There is still hope. The possibility of Ms Bae not becoming a brain dead patient is higher." The statement that was heard from the answer from the doctor who operated on Rona, although it's kind of good news, was not quite satisfactory. But for now, maybe all they could do was accept the doctor's words, which is to wait.
"If there are no more questions, I will take my leave."
"Thanks, doc." Her mother told the doctor before he and his team left them.
"Ms Bae will be transferred to the ICU. For the time being for 24 hours, you can only wait in front of her room. After that, wait for further orders." A nurse informed them before re-entering the operating room. The sound of the door closing was only the sound that could be heard between them. The information they had just received still left them in shock. Her eyes went straight to her brother and saw him leaning against the wall but this time his position was facing the wall. At a glance, his brother just stood leaning against the wall and yet on closer look, he slightly banged his head while closing his eyes.
"Seokhoon-ah..." Before she could approach him, their mother was seen walking towards her brother and hugging him.
"Omma..." Her brother hugged their mother tightly. Even without hearing his voice, she knew that he was crying on their mother's shoulder.
"Don't worry, Rona will be alright." Their mother's attempt to comfort her brother warmed her heart. They might not be related by blood but she knew what her brother needed the most was a mother hug.
She looked at them before looking at others. She watched Jeni being hugged by Ms Kang while being patted on the back by Minhyuk. Logan seems to be calling someone. She knew everyone here loves Rona very much …
That's why …
Like her brother, she uttered the same prayer.
Hold on a little longer, Rona-ya
Because it would be unfair for Rona to just leave them without her knowing that everyone loves her so much. Without knowing that Joo Seokkyung wanted to apologize to her.
***