Dr Se-ha did his best to start off delivering his bad news in a way that wouldn't alarm his patients mother, but there is never a tone that is good to deliver the kind of news he was about to deliver.
At the words bad news Shin Yi's mother's poor heart nearly gave out, the look of terror on her wrinkled and worn out face worsened.
"What news doctor!" The woman cried in alarm.
Dr Se-ha took another breathe before speaking. This was part of his job, though unpleasant.
"We will be taking your son to theatre now, he is bleeding into his brain and if we don't stop it might kill him," the doctor spoke as gently as he could to reduce the impact of his words on his patient.
Dr Se-ha is one of the best surgeons in the hospital, and a kind soul. Most of his patients love him because of his caring personality.
Shin Yi's mother could read the doctor's compassion in his kind dark brown eyes and that helped reduced her fear at the word surgery.
"Will he be alright?" She asked bravely, doing her utmost best not to succumb to her grief and terror.
Dr Se-ha features softened. "Yes, he will be. We caught it early, and I will be doing the operation."
Shin Yi's mum didn't understand the significance of his words, but it sounded like a good thing.
One of the junior doctors approached Dr Se-ha to let him know that theatre was ready for him. He bowed slightly to Shin Yi's mother and excused himself politely.
When he got to theatre his patient was already on the table waiting for him.
Dr Se-ha and his assistant quickly scrubbed in. Brain surgery is a very delicate and complicated surgery, one needs to be very careful that you don't leave the patient more damaged than he came in, though in some situation that can't be helped.
While the doctors worked on his head, Shin Yi's subconscious battled with several images that are partly his own and partly that of the owner of the body he now inhabits.
The surgery lasted for four hours but it was successful. After he got out of his surgery uniform Dr Se-ha made a beeline for Shin Yi's mother who was patiently waiting for news about her son.
This time when he approached he wasn't wearing a grave look, but an optimistic expression was on his face.
"How did it go doctor?" Shin Yi's mother anxiously jumped down his throat.
"It went well," Dr Se-ha flashed her a soft smile.
"Thank God!" Shin Yi's mother exhaled in great relief, tears running down her face.
"Thank you so much Dr," she bowed severally to the doctor, embarrassing him.
Dr Se-ha felt self conscious over the woman's enthusiastic gratefulness, he was merely doing his job.
"Please madam stop," he reached out with a shy look to stop Shin Yi's mother, his face slightly flushed.
Shin Yi's mum stopped bowing and raised her face to the doctor's her eyes still wet with tears.
"When can I see him?"
"When they transfer him to the ward." Dr Se-ha bowed his head to her politely and took his leave.
An hour and half later, a nurse came to get Shin Yi's mother to go see her son.
When she walked into his room, she crumbled at the sight of her unconscious son and began to weep again. He was lying on the bed looking lifeless, a huge white bandage on his head, and several wires connected to him.
The police told her that her son tried to commit suicide and she can't help but blame herself for not taking care of him well.
"I am so sorry," she wept over his lifeless hand on the bed.
Shin Yi slowly started to regain consciousness and gradually became aware of his surroundings. The first thing he picked up was the sound of someone crying. The sound was so pathetic that it made his heart go out to whoever was weeping their soul out.
Slowly his eyes opened. The room still looked strange to him, but it was different from the first one. It was larger.
"Where am I?" He mumbled out weakly.
The sound of him speaking startled his mother and she flew off her seat and threw herself over his body.
"You are awake!" She cried hugging him tightly.
Shin Yi have no idea who the stranger trying to kill him. He wanted to push her off so he could breath, but his weak limbs wouldn't cooperate.
Finally someone lifted the sobbing woman off his body and he breathed in relief.
"Looks like our patient has rejoined the living," Dr Se-ha joked smiling down at Shin Yi.
His face was recognisable to Shin Yi, and few of the other faces in the room. His eyes slowly tracked each and everyone of them. They were the ones that gave him the drug in his buttocks that knocked him out.
He assessed himself if he could fight. No he is too weak. What he needs to do is to find out where he is and more about his enemies and when he has gotten enough strength make his escape and go back to his kingdom. He was going to get his revenge on the King and his traitorous lover. His brown eyes grew hard as he recalled Ji-hye's face.
The change that appeared in his eyes didn't escape Dr Se-ha's notice who wondered at his patient's fury. He got tibbits of what happened by the paramedics that brought the young man in. He wondered at the pain he must be in that lead him to try to take his own life. He had sent in a referral to the psychiatry department. They will be coming around to see him once he has improved.
"Do you know where you are young man?"
Though the words of the stranger in the weird apparel sounded different, it was similar enough to his language that he could understand him.
Shin Yi shook his head.
"You are in the hospital."
The word didn't ring a bell in Shin Yi's memory. He wanted to ask what the word meant, but he was too weak to speak and his throat feels dry. The pain in his head though it has reduced still hurts.
"Can you remember what happened?"
The image of the fat boy falling off the roof flashed through Shin Yi's mind. He nodded.
Dr Se-ha ticked something in the file on his hand. He moved closer to the patient.
"Can you see my finger?"
Shin Yi nodded.
"How many?"
Shin Yi raised one finger.
"Good."
Dr Se-ha carried out more examinations and was satisfied that there was no residual deficit left behind by the surgery or the bleeding in his brain. He instructed that a scan be taken so he will be sure that there is no more bleeding and he left mother and son alone.
Shin Yi's sighed inwardly when the woman began to weep again. Why is she crying? Does she know that her son is dead?
Shin Yi is yet to grasp the full extent of what is going on, but he recognises the woman from the memories of the boy he saw when he was unconscious. She is his mother.
"Please don't cry."
He could hear the intense sadness in her tears and made his heart hurt.
"I am sorry," his mother cried pitifully, clutching his hand tightly in her severed calloused hands.
Shin Yi wondered what she is sorry for, but that didn't matter now, what matters is stopping this woman from shedding more tears. He hates the sight of anyone in pain.
"Is alright Mother, I am alright, please stop crying."
His words finally penetrated his mother's grief and she stopped, but still held on to his hand.
Shin Yi doesn't know why he called her mother, but the word fell out easily from his mouth. He continued to hold the woman's hand in comfort until sleep claimed him.