True to her word, Dal Rae did go to the laboratory a few days after in hopes of getting the results earlier. She purposely visited during their break since confidential information like this are not to be disclosed to anybody. But since she knew how much this meant to Eun Young, she would risk this much. She was fortunate enough that her friend agreed to help her out. All she had to do now was to be careful so that she wouldn't get caught.
After checking if the coast was clear, Dal Rae knocked on the door. Ji Hee, her friend from the Genetics Department, would be the one who would open the door for her from the inside. Dal Rae waited for a few seconds thinking that Ji Hee might not have heard her. A minute had already passed yet there was still no response. Dal Rae began to worry.
"Ji Hee? Are you there?" She asked in a low but audible voice. "Ji Hee, it's me, Dal Rae." She said while relentlessly knocking at the door.
A little while later, the door finally opened. A woman came out and for a while, Dal Rae's heart skipped a beat as she thought she would be busted. When the lady pulled down her face mask, relief instantly washed over Dal Rae as she recognized her friend. "Geez, you scared me." She mumbled.
Ji Hee gave her a small smile before putting her face mask on. "You know what to do. Wear your [1] PPE before we head to see the samples." She reminded.
Having worked before as a medical technologist, Dal Rae was already familiar with the laboratory rules. But now that she's in a department she wasn't specializing in, she had to cautiously follow Ji Hee's lead. The laboratory was neat and clean. There were three aisles, all of which are divided by the counters and work areas. Some of the small and commonly used machines sat on top of the counters while the bigger ones rested by the walls. At the back of the room, about six tall freezers stood. Usually these serve as storage for the genetic materials.
Ji Hee suddenly clapped her hands that were clothed with surgical gloves. Consequently, Dal Rae was a bit startled. "Alright, we have no time to waste. They'll be back soon so I hope we'd be able to find what you're looking for right away." Ji Hee said through her face mask.
Dal Rae nodded in agreement. "It's the result of a paternity test. It was taken a few days ago." She explained. She provided the necessary details that she knew such as the name of the persons involved and the approximate time the samples were taken.
Ji Hee paused to think for a while. A few seconds later, she snapped. "I think I know where it is."
She led Dal Rae through the third aisle. There were a few documents here and there. There were also microscopes, swabs even vials of labeled blood samples. Near the end of the counter, there was a clipboard that sat there along with other tools and instrumentations. The materials still had a few beads of water in them as if they had just been recently washed.
Ji Hee leaned and scanned through the papers attached on the clipboard. "Sunbae-nim was working here earlier. Based on her schedule, I believe she was the specialist who accommodated them last time. Lucky for you, I heard her mention earlier that she just finished some the tests just now." She noted.
For some reason, Dal Rae began to grow anxious. It was partly because someone might catch her there but mostly, it was because she'll be the first to know the results. Hopefully it's negative. Otherwise, she wouldn't know how she would report this to Eun Young.
A few seconds later, Ji Hee stopped at a page. "Ms. Choi Na Rae and Mr. Lee Min Jae. I think this is it Dal Rae." She announced. She lifted some of the pages before inviting Dal Rae to come and have a closer look.
Letting out a big sigh, Dal Rae squeezed her hands into fists inside her lab gown. She then neared the counter and skimmed through the document that stated the specialist's findings. By the bottom part of the page, there it was: the final conclusion on the performed pre-natal paternity test.
---
"We'll be fine mom. You don't have to worry. I'm honestly still surprised that little Jung Hyun and baby Hye Soo quickly agreed to go on a vacation." Eun Young said through the phone.
They booked the earliest flight to Hawaii the next day since the kids suggested that they spend Christmas there too. That's why right now, Eun Young had to fix and pack the things they would need for the next week. She had already arranged for the accommodations so everything was already set. The kids were very excited and in return, she felt glad that they have some time away too.
"Yes mom, I'll make sure that I enjoy myself too. It's been long since I last visited Hawaii with you guys that's why I'm really looking forward to going back there again now that I have my own children." She said with a small smile.
She remembered going there with her family during summer break. They would eat near the sea, play games and simply enjoy each other's company. It wasn't until Tae Hyung began working that he gradually became busy to go with them. Soon after, Eun Young had a family of her own too. They never got to go there again since.
"Yeah, we'll definitely do that." Eun Young agreed after hearing some of her mother's suggestions.
"Mommy!! There's a problem." Little Hye Soo blurted out when she suddenly barged in Eun Young's bedroom. She ran towards her mother and began tugging her shirt to get her attention. "Mommy!!"
"Hold on mom, somebody's protesting over here. I'll call you later." Eun Young bid before ending the call. Setting aside her phone, she then turned to listen to her daughter. "What is it?" She gently asked.
Looking up from her gorgeous brown eyes, the little toddler softly spoke. "We ran out of sunblock."