We entered the waiting room and met up with mom, dad, Jinhee, Seunghae, and Hyung, who apparently arrived first because his university is closer to the hospital.
We greeted everyone, and Seunghae was super excited; she threw herself into hugging both Seonhwa and me. If the last three years have been easier for her, it doesn't change the fact that she suffered the most from the accident of her parents; she was more dependent on them than Seonhwa, and she is only 11 years old now.
"So, what have the doctors said? Can we go in? Do we all go in, or just Seonhwa and Seunghae?" I asked because I'm not aware of the situation. First, I want to know if we can already go in and then if it is better to let the sisters see their mom first or if they want us to go in together.
"The doctor said it's better if we all go in. They have not informed her that she has been in a coma for several years, and the news might be too strong if given by them. The doctor said it is better to do it through loved ones, and seeing her daughters who are well might help her cope better with everything. But if Seonhwa and Seunghae wish to go in first alone, we have no objections," said mom.
"No, auntie, we are all family; we will all go in. I know you are as eager to see mom as we are," said Seonhwa, and Seunghae nodded several times furiously, looking like a pecking chick, so adorable that I pinched her nose.
"Oppa, don't pinch my nose; I'm not a little girl anymore, now I'm a big girl," she said trying to look mature, but with such an adorable pose that I can only say it was an absolute failure and counterproductive instead. We all laughed, and the atmosphere became very emotional.
"So, what are we waiting for?" said Hyung.
Mom and dad just made a gesture to clarify that we are waiting for nothing and walked to the front towards the room where auntie is. The rest of us followed them; with each step, everyone's enthusiasm increased, and if it were not because it's a hospital, we would have run. But we restrained ourselves.
We arrived at the door, and a very familiar nurse was outside waiting for us; she knows us well, has worked for the hospital and has taken care of auntie for the last four years, and she is already like a friend of the family. The most gossipy among us suspect and gossip that Hyung and she have a secret affair.
But they are so discreet that it is hard to know if it's true or not, at least for the others. I on the other hand, could not stand the intrigue and as such, used my [Nine Eyes] when the family gossip started and discovered the truth. Hyung is incredible at keeping his relationship just as a suspicion to mom, dad, and Seonhwa for more than two years, even I could not see through his facade without using the [Nine Eyes].
As everyone else entered, Hyung was the penultimate to enter; it was noticeable that he wanted to be the last to exchange a few words with Hyo-ri, that's her name. But since he saw that I was behind him, he could not, and they only sent each other almost imperceptible visual signals. After he entered, I followed suit.
As I was about to pass the door frame and walked past her however, I could not help but softly say just for her to hear, "Hello Noona, thank you for taking care of auntie and Hyung as always."
I saw her shake a little, and her ears turned red. It was funny, but I could not delay any longer, so I quickly entered the room.
Inside, everyone is gathered around aunt Seonmi's bed. She is lying in her bed, awake, and looks confused to see us, which is understandable, as she is witnessing our appearances that have changed over these passed five years.
For a moment, both she and us were caught in a sort of staring contest where no one knew what to say to break the ice, and the discomfort of the situation only continued to grow. Seonhwa and Seunghae seemed like they wanted to say something, but every time they opened their mouths as if they were going to speak, it was as if they had a tic and closed them again.
Seeing that this was getting nowhere and at this rate, we would remain trapped and sinking further into an endless pit, I had to take the initiative and relieve the tension that only continued to grow.
"Hyo-ri Noona and Hyung have been dating for over 2 years!" I practically shouted it and clearly heard a muffled scream from Hyung.
"**I knew it!**" shouted mom, dad, and Seonhwa at the same time as if they had found enlightenment, and Hyung looked like his world was ending. Sorry, Hyung, but I swear your sacrifice was not in vain.
With the timed reaction of my parents and Seonhwa, auntie finally came out of her freeze and laughed softly while covering her mouth with her hand. This clarified to me that fortunately, her muscles and motor coordination had not degraded much over these years. Normally, she would be worse off in that aspect; not using muscles for long periods of time creates muscle atrophy, and someone in her situation would normally need months or years of rehabilitation and physiotherapy to move their hands and coordinate them.
But that was avoided because we come several times a week to visit her, and I took those opportunities to use my mana to maintain the condition of both uncle and aunt as best as possible. Although I could not heal them, it does not change the fact that I was able to keep functional what was not damaged.
Her legs though are another story; the damn crowbar that hurt her during the accident damaged her spine, and that is why she will be disabled from the waist down. I don't know if she has realized it yet or if the doctors have told her or have not told her anything at all.
"Can you tell me what happened? Why am I in the hospital? My memories are a bit jumbled. I remember that Jung and I talked with little Jihu this morning before going to work, and then we stopped at the drive-through as usual to buy coffee, but after that, I don't remember anything," said aunt Seonmi, trying to understand what's going on. It seems she also wants to ask about the visible changes in us, but fear dominated her, hence she could not.
"Seonmi, listen dear, be strong. You had an accident, a very serious one, and it was not this morning. you have been in a coma for a long time," said mom as she sat on the bed and took aunt's hands.
"How long, Jinna? How much?" She said as she turned her gaze to Seonhwa, Seunghae, Jinhee, and me. She is noticing the changes in our physiques and relating them to what mom told her. It was as if a gear suddenly moved in her mind, and her anxiety seems to grow by her expression.
Seonhwa took Seunghae, and both sat on the bed and hugged auntie; mom stood up and gave them more space.
"It has been 5 years mom," said Seonhwa, trying to keep her emotions in check so as not to destabilize aunt's emotions any further. Seunghae just told her that she missed her very much while maintaining her hug.
Aunt Seonmi's eyes turned red, and some tears began to fall, but she didn't sob; she held back and returned the hug to her daughters, apologizing over and over again.
"But look how big and beautiful my babies have grown, I'm sure Seonhwa already has a boyfriend," she said while throwing me some glances to try to get a reaction, but aside from my smile that I've been maintaining since I betrayed Hyung, I have not changed my expression for a moment. As she saw no reaction from me, she turned to look at Seonhwa, but she didn't react either, and aunt clearly looked disappointed and continued saying, "And look at my little baby, surely she goes to school and no longer wets the bed," this time she did get the reaction she was looking for.
Seunghae immediately turned red and shouted, "Mom, don't embarrass me in front of Oppa! I'm a big girl now, and I stopped wetting the bed two years ago."
"Oh, my baby is no longer mommy's little girl. Now she's Oppa's big girl, I feel sad, I lost my baby," said auntie, trying not to laugh and look sad.
Then we all laughed, and finally, the atmosphere became happier and calmer.
We talked for a long time, only interrupted once in a while by the doctor who came to do regular check-ups on auntie. Since her physical wounds healed years ago, there is no problem with her staying awake and having visitors, and although she looked a bit mentally exhausted by the whole situation, she refused to rest, saying she had already rested and slept more than enough.