Count To Three

.count three.

        [ liú jiāháo - 刘家豪 ]

She wanted to help people. She tried to laugh with kids, smile with adults, and chat with the elderly. Either mentally, emotionally or physically injured, Hong-Fei was there for everyone.

I can volunteer at the hospital every day of the week to help out but Hong-Fei, she was one of the successful and well-respected workers.

That meant that people wouldn't compare me to my sis anymore. That said, people wouldn't speak ill of me. And I felt sick to the stomach since it felt like she wasn't there anymore.

"她还没走。她的笔记本就在这里。"

My heart was beating fast.

I heard a thud and immediately woke up by falling out of a chair. There, I landed on the floor, terribly confused by the noise.

I remember visiting Hong-Fei's office which was modified to look like any other patient's room. Although that happened, her things were still here. Her desk, her chair, and her notebook in which I wrote on. But besides that, it was immeasurably quiet.

I turned to look. There was a patient in this room, Xiang Yuhan, that had been sleeping for what seemed like more than half of a year. Not thanks to a coma but the fact that he didn't have any visitors to chat with as he was recovering. Nobody came to see him, and there was nothing else to do besides sleeping to pass the wait.

It seemed like the only way for him to get better was to talk or write out what he wanted to say on paper and it was a good thing I always had Hong-Fei's notebook with me too. But-

" 我不会让御韩这样做的。"

I met Yuhan a while ago on the day I first decided to visit Hong-Fei's room filled with despair. The flowers in the room died as there wasn't any sunlight seeping through the windows. It was stuffy and dark, so I decided to clean it up. But who knows that it'd become such a daily routine.

After helping around the hospital, I'd come into the room and pull the blinds way up high and water the plants. I'd file the papers and dust the place. And as I'd finish, I would sit in the office chair and take a nap. And, I know I should've been more talkative, but the thing about Yuhan was that he couldn't talk.

All I could do was let him borrow my books, and keep him company. Overall, he never fought nor did anything absurd. We just liked each other's quiet company.

Now though, Yuhan was wide-awake as this was the only day he decided to act unlike himself.

Yuhan immediately tried to get out of the bed before I stopped him. He looked frail, scared of all sorts. Besides that, he couldn't make a noise. He couldn't scream out to get rid of his frustration. He couldn't talk with anyone to lighten his shoulders. That was because of a bandage that covered more than half of his face.

The reason? A shot to the mouth, or so I've heard.

The cord that was attached to his hand a second ago came off as he tried to push me away-

"Yuhan! Shh. *Ge-Ge's here. It's all right!"

Three seconds was all it took before Yuhan broke down. And as for me, my chest ached as I wondered why I accidentally called this man by an embarrassing nickname.

Moreover- Why did I keep this guy company for so long?

Nothing else besides that happened the day after. I wondered on and on without an answer at the end of each day. Then again, I must've been stupid. If I wanted an answer, I needed to ask him straight ahead. But-

"你真的想跟我说话吗？"

A week passed with the same silent treatment. That said, I ran out of books to lend to Yuhan, so I started sharing things about myself. I liked talking- sharing anything weird or funny that has happened, and Yuhan seemed like the type to willingly listen.

Although that happened, it felt awkward. As I'd talk, I could never bear to meet Yuhan's eyes. He reminded me of Hong-Fei too much. I missed her since the memories of her started to fade away.

Yuhan was quiet and frail. He loved to listen to stories and loved to study. And he didn't look like the type that'd hurt themselves. He must've just been unlucky then.

" 还有什么可以了解御韩的？"

translator notes: gē-gē or gē (哥哥) older brother.

used by siblings or with close friends.