The Stray Cat

Chapter 9: Accident

It was the cold summer evening of the last day of August, the thirty-first of the month.

A day had gone by since Sakura was finally admitted to the hospital to prepare for her delivery. For the past month and a half, there were a couple of times where she almost delivered early which gave her and Chaeyeon quite the scare. Now, she was only less than a few hours away from giving birth. She could feel a mix of two emotions. Both nervousness and excitement were whirling into a pool in her mind and it's rather... uncomfortable. She was pretty sure, however, that the excitement is much greater than the nervousness she's feeling.

She had wondered if she was going to go through the same thing she's seen on the dramas or read on comics when a character is about to give birth yet it turns out that reality was more boring and bland. Still, it was reassuring. She doesn't need to wait for a normal labor contraction to happen and be sent to the hospital just in time to (dramatically) deliver the baby. As she had a personal doctor (Minjoo) who was constantly checking up on her, it was a rather peaceful pregnancy for her and she can only be thankful for that.

She had to admit. The first trimester was hellish considering that she was all alone with no one to depend on. Sakura was just grateful to the gods that she met someone like Chaeyeon... no... she was thankful that she met Chaeyeon herself, not just someone like her. The girl is a real-life angel, someone too selfless and extremely kind and divine and sacred and perfect and... she doesn't know what to add more because words are not enough to describe the girl she fell in love with. Simply put it, she deeply loves and adores the younger girl; she's whipped.

"Hey there, Sakura-unnie." Minjoo barged in the private labor room reserved for her important patient.

"You're here." Sakura chuckled.

"I knocked on the door but you didn't answer so I just entered. Sorry."

"No, it's okay. I was just daydreaming about something."

"Daydreaming about Chaeyeon-unnie, I presume?"

"W-wha—"

"Oh. No, unnie. I can't exactly read your mind."

Sakura frowned. "I haven't even finished talking yet."

"In these past months that I have spent knowing you, I think you've become easier to read. Your facial expressions and body language, that is. Pretty much like a book, unlike Chaewon and Chaeyeon-unnie." The young doctor snickered.

"Chaeyeon? You're telling me that I'm more transparent than Chaeyeon? She wears her emotions on her sleeve though." The older girl scoffed in disapproval from Minjoo's statement.

The doctor giggled. "That's not the case for us, unnie. She's always smiling, yes, but why do you think she's the president of South Korea's biggest corporation whom other companies are scared of? Sakura-unnie, not to burst your bubble but they fear her kind demeanor and smile."

"...that doesn't make sense."

"..."

"..."

"Then try to think of this. Who do you think is the scariest when angry? The person who rarely shows emotions, the person who openly shows emotions or the person who hides her emotions with a smile? As simple as that."

"...okay, now that makes sense. But she really shows a lot of emotion when we all gather together. Does that mean Chaeyeon only shows her real emotions in front of me and her close friends?"

"No, unnie. Back then, she actually barely shows what she truly feels even to us except Chaewon. But, you were able to crack her smiling mask open instantly." Minjoo sighed. "I've known her for more than five years but she only shows me her kind smiles. She doesn't let us know her problems nor anything negative. To be completely honest, it scares me at times thinking that her smiling face is but a Noh mask."