After getting off at Yeosu Station, Ina took a taxi to the hospital.

In the taxi on the way to the hospital, Ina clenched her trembling hands and urged herself to pull it together.

Mom will be fine.

So I shouldn’t keep crying like this.

She’ll regain consciousness soon and be discharged after just a few days in the hospital.

As she kept muttering like a mantra, the taxi arrived at the hospital.

Her heart pounded furiously as she entered the hospital gates with trembling nerves.

Swallowing dryly, she made her way to the emergency trauma ward that Yeongmin had told her about.

And after getting off the elevator and walking a short distance, she saw her aunt and Yeongmin standing in front of the ward.

The moment she saw them, her resolve to stay calm crumbled and tears immediately began to fall.

Yeongmin turned his head and spotted Ina, shouting “Elder sister!” as he ran towards her.

Yeongmin burst into tears as he hugged Ina tightly, and Ina sobbed as she hugged him back.

Her aunt, whose eyes were swollen from crying, also approached and embraced Ina and Yeongmin, shedding tears.

The three of them clung to each other and cried for a long time.

After crying for a while, her aunt wiped Ina’s tears and said:

“The doctor said her life isn’t in danger, so don’t worry too much, alright?”

Yeongmin added in a nasally voice:

“Yes, elder sister. Aunt hit her head hard on the ground, but fortunately there’s no sign of brain hemorrhage, so she won’t need brain surgery.”

Her aunt looked at Ina, who was nodding and crying, with sorrowful eyes.

“I had such an ominous dream last night… Was it a premonition of this happening?”

Her aunt said with a troubled expression.

This is what Yeongmin had told her about how the accident occurred:

Mom was crossing at a traffic light after finishing her business at the bank when a car that failed to slow down hit her.

People nearby called 119, and an ambulance came and took Mom to the emergency room.

Mom was brought to the hospital unconscious, received necessary emergency treatment, and was now lying in bed still in a comatose state.

“Don’t be too shocked when you see Mom, okay?”

Her aunt squeezed Ina’s right hand tightly as she spoke before entering the ward.

Yeongmin silently took Ina’s left hand.

Holding both their hands, Ina entered the ward and stopped in her tracks when she saw Mom lying on the bed.

Mom’s face and body were covered in dark bruises as she lay with her eyes closed like she was dead, and a large metal device was fixed to her left leg.

“…Sob.”

Ina burst into tears as soon as she saw Mom, and Yeongmin started crying again too.

“Didn’t I tell you not to cry? They said your mother’s life isn’t in danger.”

Even as she said this, tears were welling up in her aunt’s eyes again.

Ina approached Mom and bent over, biting her lip.

Mom’s pale white face was swollen, with blood clotted from scrapes and cuts here and there, and a dark bruise under her left eye.

Her severely swollen lips were also bruised purple with dried blood stuck to them.

“…Sob.”

Ina gently touched Mom’s face with a trembling hand.

Mom, my mom, how much pain must she be in… How much…

Ina’s tears fell onto Mom’s white face as she cried, biting her lip.

“Mom, Mom…”

Ina hugged Mom and called out to her between sobs.

Yeongmin and her aunt stood behind, looking down at Ina with tears in their eyes.

Three hours passed.

Mom was still in a coma.

As Ina sat holding Mom’s hand with a dazed expression, her aunt patted her shoulder and said to come out for a moment.

Following her aunt out of the room, her aunt handed Ina her coat and said:

“The doctor said she might regain consciousness tomorrow or the day after, so for now, you go home with Yeongmin and change into comfortable clothes. I’ll stay and watch Mom in the meantime.”

Ina shook her head.

“No, aunt. I’ll just stay here. I can change clothes tomorrow.”

“How can you sleep in such uncomfortable clothes? Just go home and change. And try to eat at least a spoonful of food even if you don’t feel like it, okay? You need strength to take care of her, you know?”

“That’s right, elder sister. Let’s go home with me, change clothes and eat a little before coming back. Okay?”

Yeongmin said, grabbing Ina’s arm.

“What if Mom regains consciousness while I’m gone?”

Ina said with an anxious expression, and her aunt tapped Ina’s arm, saying:

“Well then, I’ll call you right away. Won’t I?”

After repeated persuasion, Ina reluctantly moved her feet and got in the car.

As soon as they got home, Ina changed clothes and packed some extra clothes. When she was about to leave right away, Yeongmin sat her down and served her a bowl of hot seolleongtang.

“Elder sister, you haven’t eaten anything since you came down so quickly. They say strength is really, really important for nursing. We don’t know when aunt will wake up, so you need to keep your strength up. Even if you don’t feel like it, at least drink some of the broth. Okay?”

Ina looked at Yeongmin, who was holding her hand and speaking in an earnest voice, then sat back down in the chair.

She picked up the spoon and brought a spoonful of broth to her mouth.

As the hot broth went down her throat, tears fell once again.

Yeongmin wiped Ina’s tears and said in a nasally voice:

“Elder sister, stop crying. You know your eyes are so swollen now they look like buttonholes, right?”

Even at Yeongmin’s attempt at a joke, Ina couldn’t laugh.

Yeongmin sat down next to her, gripping her hand tightly.

“Elder sister, at least finish this broth. Then let’s go back to aunt. Okay?”

Ina nodded and struggled to bring more spoonfuls of broth to her mouth.

It was 7 o’clock by the time they drove back to the hospital.

After watching over Mom until 8 o’clock, her aunt and Yeongmin got up from their chairs.

Since they couldn’t all sleep in the cramped hospital room, her aunt and Yeongmin decided to go home and come back early in the morning.

After seeing them off at the main entrance, Ina headed back to the ward with heavy steps.

Ina stared intently at Mom, holding her hand as she remained in a coma.

“Mom, you’ll wake up tomorrow, right? Hm?”

Ina said, gently stroking Mom’s lips with scabs on them.

“Wake up soon and call my name, Mom. Okay?”

Tears fell as she touched Mom’s face, speaking in a plaintive voice.

“Mom…”

Ina held Mom’s hand tightly against her cheek.

An hour later, Ina’s eyes began to droop as she held Mom’s hand.

As her eyes kept trying to close from the extreme stress and fatigue accumulated in a short time, Ina carefully let go of Mom’s hand and stood up.

Thinking she should go buy a cup of coffee, Ina grabbed her wallet and opened the door to leave the room.

As she walked, wrapping her shoulders against the chilly night air, her mood sank lower and lower.

What if Mom doesn’t wake up tomorrow or the day after?

Surely her condition won’t suddenly get worse here, right?

Two hours ago, Ina was able to hear about Mom’s condition in detail from the doctor.

To summarize briefly, they suspected multiple fractures and kidney rupture.

At first they also suspected a skull base fracture and did tests, but fortunately the test results showed no brain damage.

They said there were signs of fractures in the pelvis and lower back, and the cruciate ligament in the left leg was completely torn, so she would need several surgeries later.

For now, they said they would need to do kidney repair surgery as soon as she regained consciousness.

As she walked towards the convenience store in the hospital, recalling the doctor’s words, tears welled up in her eyes again.

Just how many surgeries would be needed…

She worried whether Mom, who had a weak constitution, could endure major surgeries.

Above all, tears flowed at the thought of Mom not regaining consciousness right now.

Wiping away the falling tears, Ina lifted her head and suddenly stopped in her tracks.

Through her blurry, tear-filled vision, she saw an unexpected apparition.

The apparition of Juwon standing in front, looking at her…

Ina rubbed her eyes and looked again at the apparition of Juwon, who had no reason to be here.

But then Juwon started running towards Ina.

Ina’s eyes widened in surprise and she covered her mouth as Juwon ran up and hugged her tightly.

Staggering into Juwon’s broad embrace, Ina wondered if she was dreaming right now.

Juwon is supposed to be in China right now…

But soon her heart pounded at Juwon’s unique scent wafting over her.

Ah… This isn’t a dream. It’s really… really Juwon.

“Ina.”

As if confirming it wasn’t a dream, Juwon called Ina’s name.

Then he raised his large hand and gently stroked the back of Ina’s head.

“Our Ina… You must have been so shocked, right?”

At that gentle voice asking as he held her tight, tears fell from Ina’s eyes.

“Uh… sob.”

Ina wrapped her trembling hands around Juwon’s waist and began to sob.

The small sobs soon turned into loud cries, and Ina’s slender shoulders shook.

As Juwon held her close, his eyes also turned red.

After crying for a long while, Ina gradually stopped and looked up at Juwon.

Juwon looked down at Ina with bloodshot eyes.

His heart ached at the sight of Ina’s eyes, so swollen from crying that her pupils were almost buried.

Juwon reached out and wiped Ina’s tear-stained eyes.

“Our Ina… Your pretty eyes are so swollen.”

Juwon said in a choked voice.

Ina looked up at him and asked in a nasally voice:

“But how did you get here? You went on a business trip to China this morning.”

Juwon brushed back Ina’s hair and said:

“I got a call from Yeongmin not long after arriving in Shanghai.”

“Yeongmin?”

“Yes. He was wailing so much as soon as I answered the phone, I was shocked.”

“…”

Ina’s heart clenched as she imagined Yeongmin calling Juwon and crying his eyes out.

“So as soon as I heard from Yeongmin, I explained the situation to the manager and came back right away.”

“What should I do, I feel so sorry.”

“Don’t be sorry. Is work the issue right now? Your mother is injured.”

As Ina looked up at him sniffling, Juwon wiped her eyes again and asked:

“How is your mother? Is she still in a coma?”

Ina nodded in response instead of answering.

Juwon sighed deeply and held Ina’s hand tightly.

“Let’s go see your mother quickly.”

Holding Ina’s hand, Juwon went to the ward door, took a deep breath, and slowly opened it.