Ani woke up early the next day. She was revising a subject when her eyes fell on her dad at the door. "Good morning dad," mumbled Ani, walking towards him and then tightly hugged him.
"Morning my girl," Sungi said Sungi with a smile. "I've some work in Daegu so I'm thinking of taking you with me," asserted Sungi. Ani raised her head to look at her father. "Then I will meet my Soo oppa," Ani said with a broad smile on her lips.
"Yes. We're staying there for two days. Pack your stuff quickly," said her father.
"Okay dad," said Ani. Sungi left the room while Ani started packing her luggage. Ani called Cho to tell her about this.
"Cho, I will be absent for 2 days. Don't miss me," texted Ani to Cho.
"Where are you going?" typed Cho.
"To Daegu," replied Ani.
"Ani, come downstairs," called Sungi in a loud voice.
"Bye Cho, I'm going," typed Ani and went out of her room with her suitcase. Sungi told her to sit in the car and they left for Daegu. In the afternoon they reached there. After meeting with her uncle and aunt she went towards her room. Sungi told her that he has to go to the office so he will see her in the evening.
Ani was watching TV in her room when Kang Soo came inside the room. Seeing him Ani jumped in happiness and hugged him tightly. "Oppa, I missed you a lot," said Ani, pulling him into a hug. Soo smiled and caressed her head lovingly. After a while Ani released the hug and said, "Oppa, I'm hungry. Could you please make some food for me? I've missed your handmade food too."
Soo nodded and told her to wait for him. She smiled and they walked towards the kitchen. In the kitchen, Ani was observing her brother who was making kimbap for them.
"Oppa, you are really good at cooking," Ani complimented him. Soo passed a smile to her and after half an hour he was done with cooking. He served her and told her to eat quickly. Ani was delighted to eat the food and said, "Oppa, please teach me too. I want to learn this."
"I will teach you. First finish this all," Soo said. Ani hummed and continued eating.
After finishing their lunch, Ani and Soo watched the running man show. Ani was laughing really hard while Soo was happy seeing Ani delighted. When Ani fell asleep, Soo quietly walked out of her room.
Ani's sleep broke when she heard some noises. She rubbed her eyes and got up from the bed. "Dad has come I think," murmured Ani and came down the bed. She wore the slippers and went out of her room. She was walking lethargically when she saw her aunt was crying and there were some other women too.
Ani got scared seeing this and she ran towards Her aunt, Huwa. "What happened? Why are you crying?" asked Ani. She was scared seeing her aunt's condition.
By then Kang Soo came there. He looked at Ani. "Oppa, what happened?" Ani questioned from Soo. His eyes were swollen and it seemed he had cried a lot. Ani was getting scared because of their silence.
"Uncle was coming to home when-" Soo stopped saying further. Ani looked at her brother whose eyes turned teary. She did not want to hear the words after that. "Your father, Ani, he is no more," Huwa completed the words of Soo and started crying. The women with her were also crying.
Ani got numb at her place hearing this. She felt like the floor had slipped beneath her. She shouted at them and said, "How dare you to say such a thing? Appa has told me to wait for me. He will come in a while. He never once lied to me." Her voice trembled saying this.
Soo came forward and hugged her tightly. "Ani, he will never come back." Ani held her brother's shirt tightly and started crying. "Appa was here a few hours ago. He told me he will see me in the evening. How could he lie to me?"
She raised her head to look at Soo. "Oppa, you are a doctor. Let's go. You can make him alive. I heard that doctors can make people alive. Let's go, Oppa." Ani said while sobbing.
"Ani, sorry. I cannot do anything. I'm really sorry," said Soo and held his tears back. Fate again played with Ani. First her mother died and now her father. Thinking about this Ani started crying profusely.
"Oppa, where's father?" asked Ani, wiping off her tears after sometime.
"He's in the hospital. Dad is there too," answered Soo. Huwa hugged Ani tightly and told her that they should go there and after sometime they have to attend his burial ceremony too.
Ani again started crying hearing this. She had never thought that such a day would ever come in her life. "I want my dad's burial ceremony to be in Seoul. Mom is also there so I want them to lay side by side," Ani said while weeping. Huwa caressed her head. "Yes, brother Sungi will be buried beside your mother."
~~~~~~~~~
The next morning they reached Seoul and went towards the burial grounds. Ani was not speaking a single word while Soo was holding her tightly.
Jun and his family were also present there. Many people from Sangma came there and everyone was mourning for the death of Park Sungi. As the casket passed through Jun, the tears fell from his eyes. He looked at Ani who wasn't even blinking. It felt like she was a lifeless body standing there.
He wasn't able to hold himself back and rushed towards her. Soo looked at him and then at Ani who didn't even respond seeing Jun there.
Jun didn't even wait for a second and tightly hugged Ani. "I'm sorry." The only words Jun could say at that time. Hearing Jun's trembled voice, Ani started crying.
"Jun, he told me that he will come there. He told me that he will see me in the evening," Ani said in a trembling voice. She was crying profusely and seeing her cries the people there started crying more. Dowan stumbled in his steps seeing this when Jae and Seori held him.
"My friend. Why?" murmured Dowan with tears on his face. Jun caressed Ani's head and then pulled away to wipe the tears off her cheeks. "Stop crying. It is hurting," said Jun in a quavering voice.
Ani looked into his eyes and started weeping again. Kang Soo came to her and took her in his embrace. He patted at her back which made her stop crying for sometime. Jun wiped the tears off his eyes from the back of his palm and caressed Ani's head who was in Kang Soo's embrace.
When the ceremony ended, Jun told his father that they should take back Ani with them to which replied him. "I talked with her uncle about this but he told me that she needs them more in this hard time. I'll go there once she will be good," assured Dowan.
Tae came there and grabbed Jun's shoulder. He patted on his back and asked him about Ani. "She's with her family," answered Jun. "I'm going there to meet her," said Tae. Jun gave a nod and looked at the grave of Park Sungi and his wife. His eyes fell on Ani who was sobbing. Tears rolled down his eyes again when Dowan patted his shoulder.
"Dad, this was unexpected," said Jun in a meek voice while keep staring at the grave.
In the late noon Ani was ready to leave for Daegu with her uncle, aunt and brother. Tae told her to take care of herself. Jun again hugged her and whispered in her ear, "I will wait for you." Ani who was in shock did not pay heed to this. Jun pulled away and looked at her face. Huwa came there and took away Ani from there to the car.