Paper Cranes

Part 2

The familiar clink of the can rolling down the vending machine jolts Chaeyoung awake again. The Mango juice is ice cold and revitalizes her senses as she gulps a mouthful down. She makes her way back to the children’s room, thinking about what to bring next week to keep them preoccupied and happy. The paper cranes were still exciting to them, but it was always good to plan ahead for future activities.

She stops at Sleepy Noona’s door at the sound of a familiar song.

'Cause you are the piece of me
I wish I didn't need
Chasing relentlessly,
still fight and I don't know why
If our love is tragedy,
why are you my remedy?
If our love's insanity,
why are you my clarity?

It is then that she realizes that Sleepy Noona was the same one who sang ‘Yuki No Hana’ two weeks ago.

Now she really wonders if the songs Sleepy Noona were singing reflected the innermost parts of her heart, because clearly, she was not the type of person Chaeyoung had imagined her to be. For some reason, she expected some fragile girl behind those walls, heartbroken about love and life. Instead, she was a snarky and haughty woman.

At least, that was her first impression of Sleepy Noona. She wasn’t really counting on seeing the other woman again after extending her invitation only for it to be crushed so casually.

-/-/-/-

A week thumbs by slowly as a certain somber voice lingers in Chaeyoung’s head. Perhaps that particular voice and tune is popping up because it’s Tuesday again.

“Why Tuesdays?”

Chaeyoung stops nibbling on the styrofoam cup to look up at Lisa’s eyes.

“I don’t know.”

It’s break time again at the office which mean Lisa’s time to hassle Chaeyoung for fun.

“There’s got to be a reason why you picked Tuesdays of all days to visit the hospital.”

“Can’t I just pick a random day to visit?”

“No!” Lisa’s quick to jump onto suspicion. “There’s got to be an ulterior motive!”

“You have way too much free time on your hands if you’re worrying about trivial things like that.”

“Fair enough.” Just as she’s fast enough to jump on, she’s even quicker to jump off.

Her personality always brings a smile to Chaeyoung’s face during a mundane week.

“How’d you end up there again?”

“You forgot already?” Lisa just nods as Chaeyoung continues, “Mango juice.”

“What?”

“I pass by the hospital on my way home every day. On one particular day after work, I was craving some Mango juice. Then I remembered that when I visited my grandma as a kid, she’d  always give me money for some juice from the vending machines. Next thing I know, I was already making my way towards the vending machine in the corridor. I don’t know what overcame me, but I even lied about visiting a patient when the nurses asked me. Then on my way back, I looked into one of the rooms, the door being left ajar, and I saw the kids there. They looked so sad that I just decided to visit them on the whim. And now, this is where we are.”

Lisa just nods slowly, “Who knew Mango juice could bring people together like that?”

Chaeyoung just laughs, “Indeed.”

-/-/-/-

Cupping her hands around her mouth, Chaeyoung speaks, “Everyone, gather around. It’s story time.”