Hour Before Dawn

Epilogue

He would be lying to himself if he said that he didn't lose hope, because he was beginning to, but he held on to every bit of it that he had left. He wasn't going to give his daughter up just like that. He already lost his wife, he wasn't going to lose his daughter too. He stood by her side with Bin and they waited together, pulling each other up when things got rough. They knew that she was a fighter, and she was a damn good fighter who pulled through after weeks of being in a state of comatose.

It was the beginning of a new life for Ye-jin, and the chance to renew their relationship ended decades worth of being distant from each other. After so many years, they finally became permanent figures in each other's lives, allowing them to start new traditions as a family, such celebrating the life of his late wife together.

"Are you okay, Dad?" Ye-jin asked when he caught her father watching them with a smile on his face.

"I'm great, Ye-jinah," Mr. Son replied with a content smile.

Later that night, they went home after having dinner together. They were to meet again the next day for their flight to Korea. While his daughter and son-in-law were raising their kids in the Western culture, Ye-jin wanted the twins to be familiar with their family and their Korean heritage. It was something she didn't have growing up, by chance and by choice, and so she wanted her kids to have the opportunity to do so, both by chance and by choice.

"Daddy, why are you awake already?" Ye-jin asked while lying in bed with her eyes closed.

Even without looking at the time, she knew that it was way too early for them to be awake. She could feel her husband's stares even with her eyes closed.

Bin smiled and continued to rub her side with his thumb, his arm draped across her abdomen. He was looking intently at his wife, like he always did whether she was asleep or not. Every now and then, he would take the time to just savour the feeling of holding her in his arms, of feeling her warmth, of hearing her breathe and seeing her chest rise up and down. It was a habit that started when she woke up from her coma, a habit that tells him she's alive and well in his arms.

"Don't mind me, get some more sleep," he whispered without moving.

"Mhm," Ye-jin hummed without opening her eyes. She knew about that habit of his and she completely understood why. Sometimes, she, herself, would have her moments like that.

Bin tightened his embrace on his wife as Ye-jin snuggled closer to him, turning her head towards him. He felt her breathe on his neck, her warmth radiating through their bodies. He closed his eyes as he felt her arms wrap around him just as tight.

"I love you, Beanie," he heard her whisper in the crook of his neck.

He took a deep breath and left a long, loving kiss on her forehead. "I love you too, Yejie," he whispered back.

Bin was taken back to the time she regained consciousness and the first time she uttered the words, 'I love you, Beanie' after days of being in a minimally conscious state after waking up. He couldn't help but cry then. They were warned about cognitive and behavioural changes resulting from the possible brain damage from the lack of oxygen when her heart stopped, so he didn't know what to expect when she woke up. In addition to that, from the moment she opened her eyes, it took days before she was taken off the ventilator, prolonging their anticipation of her status. It wasn't until several days after that she finally spoke again, and the first words out of her mouth was an expression of her love for him.

It wasn't an easy feat. Ye-jin thought that therapy after her crash was going to be the hardest thing she was going to go through, but it was only a fraction of what was to come.