*Distorted voice* "There's been an accident at Suwan intersection, just right after intersection C, a Black Audi just skidded and tumbled, the car is presently upside down, send help"
*20 MINUTES LATER*
Crash! Hyun Lee Ahn stormed into Suwan University Hospital, "Bora! Bora! Hyun Bora," she screamed, breathing heavily while she waited for the receptionist to give her directions.
For the first time, Hyun Jeong Mi stepped outside of his comfort zone and it wasn't something business-oriented. Jeong Mi was a man of principle and he always prioritized himself and his family first, even over his wealth, "where's my daughter for Christ's sake!" Jeong Mi blasted, "Nae ttal-eun eodi iss-eo (where's my daughter)!?"
"Ward B, third floor on your right, she's in room 303," the receptionist said, her voice laced with fear. On hearing the receptionist, Lee Ahn and Jeong Mi put aside their social status and ran like mad patients to the ward of their injured daughter.
"Uli ttal, uli ttal, uli ttal (our daughter, our daughter, our daughter)," Lee Ahn repeated continually as she and her husband made haste towards the third floor. They were about to approach room 303 when they saw nurses in their blue uniforms and the doctor with his white robe wheel Bora into the operation room.
Jeong Mi ran with all his might after the doctor and nurses, "ya (hey)! Geumanae (stop)," he bellowed. The doctor turned back and looked at him, "Uh? Hyun Jeong Mi-ssi?" The surprised doctor thought, "Annyeong Hyun Jeong Mi-ssi (hello Mr Hyun Jeong Mi), what's wrong?" The confused doctor asked.
"Ne, n-ne ttal (my, m-my daughter), is she okay?" Jeong Mi replied.
The doctor caught on quickly that the patient was Hyun Bora, "no wonder she looked familiar, I knew her face was familiar," he muttered, "well..." He dipped his hands into the pockets of his lab coat and sighed, "We'd need to conduct surgery on your daughter, she suffered severe damage to the head as a result of the forward thrust from the impact of the vehicle, a metal also penetrated through her stomach grazing her Left kidney, leaving residuals of tiny metal scraps inside her. Luckily, the pressure on her kidney wasn't much and we just need to clean up her wounds and check for any other internal damages if any."
As soon as Lee Ahn heard the words of Doctor Lim Oh, she fell to her knees and burst out in a wild rage of tears, "I'm a bad mother, I shouldn't have given her too much leverage, see what that has led to." Her husband Jeong Mi on the other hand just stood there dazed with confusion, "h-h-how did it happen?"
"Her car skidded off the road and took turns tumbling in the air, she was lucky that the ambulance came early, if they were just a minute late, her situation would have been worse. Regardless, she's lucky to still be alive at this point."
Jeong Mi held the doctor's cloth, "then tell me one thing, would she make it?"
The doctor adjusted his glasses, "Jeong Mi-ssi (my Jeong Mi), I can't say anything right now, her situation is quite bad, but I'd try my best. Yagsoghae (you have my word)," the doctor said and went into the operation room.
Jeong Mi and Lee Ahn sat outside restlessly waiting for the doctor to come out. The news had spread quickly, and all of Jeong Mi and Lee Ahn's close-knitted friends, Su Ki's mom had rushed down the moment she heard about Bora's predicament, Yeong Seok, On Dam's mother was also there to keep her best friend company during these uncertain times.
*MEANWHILE*
On Dam and Ri Ta were returning to campus and decided to stop at a nearby restaurant to grab lunch. Ri Ta's driver who was seated at a table adjacent to theirs was so lost in the thrill of his meal that he didn't notice the girls heading back to the car.
"He seems tired, we should allow him to eat," Ri Ta suggested. She and On Dam rested on the bonnet of the car and chatted for a while, and then On Dam's phone rang.
"Shibal (gosh), what is it this time?" On Dam said groggily.
"On Dam, gwaenchana (are you alright)," Ri Ta inquired.
"Ne, ne (yes, yes), it's just my Mom calling," On Dam replied and picked up her mother's call reluctantly, "Eoma geuge mwoya (what is it, mom)?..... Eoma (mom...) are you crying? Gwaenchana (what's going on)?... B-bora!....sa-sago (accident)!? I'm on my way,"
"Ya, ya, ya (hey, hey, hey), Cha On Dam, what's going on?" Ri Ta asked In a concerned tone.
"It's Bora, my mom just told me she had an accident," On Dam replied, tears swelling up in her eyes.
"Huh?" Ri Ta moaned, "Get in the car now, what hospital are they?" She said opening the door ferociously.
"My mom just texted me the address now, it's Suwan University Hospital," On Dam said sobbing. Without waiting for her driver, Han Ri Ta hit her foot on the gas and drove as fast as she could toward Suwan University Hospital.
Just packed outside was Bang Su Ki's driver, "Su Ki must have heard too," Ri Ta said inwardly. Ri Ta and On Dam came down from the car and as they ran towards the entrance, Ri Ta felt a surge of nostalgia over her, her memories went three years back.
Ri Ta was wary of hospitals, the last two times she came to anyone, one of her friends died, and each event affected her psychologically. She hated the smell of drugs and antiseptics, to her, the hospital is nothing other than a place of death, "it's just like a cemetery, you get to see a lot of dead people there," she always said.
But now, regardless of her fear of hospitals, Ri Ta was running into Suwan University Hospital. "Hyun Bora, where is she?" Ri Ta inquired, her hand shaking from the bustling environment of the hospital. Seeing people in wheelchairs, with crutches brought back all the memories she had of hospitals, but she kept her calm.
"She has been taken to the operation room on the third floor, just right aft..." the duo didn't let the receptionist finish her reply before they sprang to their feet towards the nearest elevator.
"Gidalida (wait)!" On Dam screamed at the closing elevator. The person in the elevator put his leg in between the closing elevator just in time before the space became too small. On Dam's heart was thanking whoever that was already, fortunately for her, it was Su Ki. "Oh, Bang Su Ki," she said surprisingly as she and Ri Ta entered the elevator trying to catch their breath.
Su Ki looked at both of them, their faces were all sweaty and their countenance was worn out, "you're here too Ri Ta?" Su Ki questioned.
Ri Ta sighed slightly and looked at Su Ki with annoyance, "Do we really need to have this conversation? I'm here because, because....hmm," she sighed, "I'm here because I haven't hated Bora enough, I can't just watch her die like that."
On Dam on her other hand was just biting on her fingers, and repeatedly tapping her lap, "when would this stupid elevator reach the third floor for Christ's sake," Ri Ta sparked.
Ding! Finally, the elevator door opened and the three ran in the direction of the operation room. Chattering and sobbing could be heard from a distance, the three students came to a halt when they saw the countenance of the people present.
Su Ki's mom Ban In-Ah was there, with the assistance of On Dam's mom - Yeong Seok,
She was trying to calm down Lee Ahn who was gradually being mentally downcast. Jeong Mi on the other hand just sat down, back rested on the wall.
"Mom, I got here as fast as I could," Su Ki cut the silence.
On Dam quickly ran to Lee Ahn and hugged her tightly, "It'd be eomoni (mother),"
"Gamsahabnida (thank you) On Dam-a," Lee Ahn replied, her voice tired from continuous crying.
As she set her eyes on the crowd, ht heart sank, the beeping of the nearby heart monitor was slowly rising, it was as if the world paused. The doctor in the order room was bellowing at the nurse to increase the electrical discharge of the defibrillator.
Ri Ta looks at Bora's mother and felt even more pained, the whole feeling was relatable, she felt this same way when Sonya died and she felt worse when Min Su died.
Before Ri Ta could control it, her eyes had started filling up with tears, her nose running her eyes swollen like someone indebted to sleep for three days. She closed her eyes as she stood aloof, alone from the rest of the crowd in a battle of thoughts.
*Operation Room*
"Scalpel!" The doctor - Lim Oh said, the nurse quickly trotted back, picked it up and handed it to the doctor. "Incision," the doctor's voice shot out again as he tore the left-hand side of Bora's body open. With his operating scissors he carefully started taking the residues of the metal scraps inside Bora's body, "Jun, update," Lim Oh asked one of his assistants.
"pulse rate - 90, Tempo - 36.6, body oxygen level (Sp02) - 95, RR (respiration rate) - 13.4, systolic blood pressure (SYST) - 99, diastolic blood pressure (DIAS) -71," Jun said.
"She's doing alright, just a few more scraps and we'd be patching her up," Lim Oh muttered beneath his nose mask.
The scraps taken out of Bora's body were nine altogether, luckily none of them were rested iron, so the operation was an easy success. Finally, Lim Oh stitched Bora's body back and let out a sigh of relief, huff!...., "let's all have dinner together today," he said to his assistants and a light smile played across his lips as he dragged down his nose mask.
The door to the operation theater opened and Lim Oh came out in a blue doctor's uniform stained with blood, his head net placed crackly on his head, "Mr Hyun," he called out. Hyun Jeong Mi who was already lost in thought suddenly came back, "Uisa (doctor), what's the update, how's Bora?" Suddenly everyone there started getting anxious and nervous. Ri Ta who was aloof stood up from where she sat, from her teary eyes she hoped for the best outcome.
The doctor took a deep breath, "your daughter is out of danger, all she needs now is to rest," Lim Oh said and a smile stretched across his face.
Suddenly, the whole tense air started to die down gradually, everyone was sharing a hug.
Ri Ta heard the news and smiled, "thank God," she muttered and sniffled, wiping tears off her face. She looked at the joy on the faces of every person as they congratulated and hugged each other, the joy that filled the air, the suddenly bright faces, the smile, it was something she didn't have again, something she had lost, so naturally, she felt left out. The two people she loved to that extent were both dead now, and the only people she felt knew her - Eun Min Su and Hong Son-ya, with her dropped countenance she turned around and left the scene, "This is bringing back too many memories," she muttered.