Serendipity ( Kim Taehyung)

Chapter 45

With a promise that she will give him a call that night no matter how late she comes back from the hospital.

The entire Monday felt too long and dreadful, having to juggle between work and her endless worries about Haneul. She had to reject the invitation for a drink with her officemates and explained she had something going on at the hospital. Thank god everyone understood and none of them really pestered her to explain more than she is able to.

"Are you going to stand there till the door opens itself?"

Dr Kim's voice made her turn to the left, seeing him slow walking towards her with a tired face.

"Dr Kim, how are you?"

"I am very good. How about you?", he flashed an earnest smile, his question holding much more weight for her. "How are you coping?"

Realizing the knowing look in Dr Kim's eyes, she knows he had been worried about her since the night she disappeared. But Taehyung did say he has informed everyone about her whereabouts thus, it makes sense if Dr Kim is curious on her well-being.

"I am good, Dr Kim. It's going to take some time to process everything but...I need to make do of the time I have right now, don't I ?"

He walks closer to her, gently patting her shoulder as he smiles. "You have me, okay?"

"I know I do"

"Your mother has been inside since last night. Areum left this morning with your father. I think...it's good time to talk to her, don't you think?"

Nodding softly to his suggestion, Dr Kim gave her a quick side hug before turning around, leaving her alone again in front of the door. Gathering all her guts, pushing all her doubts for now, she finally slides the door open without bothering to knock first. Instantly she is met with her mother's big surprise eyes. She stood up immediately, throwing her phone to the side and head straight to her.

Haru wasn't even halfway into the room when her mother suddenly hugged her so tightly, and suddenly everything stopped.

When was the last time she felt a motherly hug from her own mother? Has it been that long that this strange closeness triggered something within her?

Haru froze on her feet, too stunned at the sudden gesture. She works on something to say, anything, but nothing could come out. Her entire focus was on the way her mother is softly embracing her in her arms, the gentle smell of her usual freesia scented perfume lingering around her. She recognizes this soft scent. Her mother had always smelt like freesia. In fact, the whole house smells like freesia because that's her mother's favourite scent.

She might have unconsciously registered that in her brain, but she knows this smell too well. The living room of her big house has two air purifiers with freesia aroma water constantly being refilled, the kitchen has freesia flowers in a crystal-clear vase on the main dining table and in fact, freesia flowers are everywhere in the house.

The sweet strawberry-like scent triggers so much memories in her head, making her shudder slightly in her mother grasp. She feels her mother pulls back, soft pleading eyes searching for her.

"Haru, I have something to tell you", she looks at Haru with a weak defeated smile. "H-Haneul....she won't make it...she....she won't survive..."

As if the world just shook around her, every bit of her strength was shaken to it's limit and everything just crashed. She understands her mom's words but for some reason, a part of her wants to forget them and pretend she heard nothing. Her body tenses, her mind swirled into a numbing stillness and then everything just stopped. Everything around her seems to be warped into a blurry vision and her focus is all on the rush of emotions building inside her, travelling all the way up to her heart, exploding up to her head before it burst through her eyes.