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It had been six years since he left and now, he was back. But not because he wanted to. Hurt physically, mentally, and emotionally, he had no choice but to fly back in South Korea after the team management and coaches discussed his early retirement. The injuries he sustained during his last three tournaments sent him straight from the playing field to the operating room. And he was told that his life would be in serious danger if he was to continue his football career.
"Cho Seungyoun-nim?" One nurse called from the open door.
His parents rolled his wheelchair towards the door as he just idly sat there, dazed. For him, his life was basically over. Everything had turned gray and bleak. And nothing will make him happy ever again.
"You said it's almost a year since his surgery. But he's still not able to move? Is he doing any physical therapy?" the doctor asked after checking the file again.
"Yes. We have been doing what the therapist said..." his mother answered belatedly, anxiously looking at her husband.
"I think, he just don't have the will anymore," the father said after a deep breath. "My son's dream... was just starting off when this happend."
Seungyoun had been avoiding the gaze of the familiar female sitting in front of him. In the several months that he had been back, today was the worst possible day. There were a lot of physical therapists and nurses out there but his parents just had to hire her.
"I swear I didn't know you'd be my patient," she said impassively. "If you don't want me, you should tell me now so we won't waste each other's time."
She eyed him from her seat, waiting for him to speak. His parents left after Seungyoun asked them to give them some alone time. Hence, he was the only one who can answer her.
"It's alright. I believe you," he said. "I'm just surprised to meet you like this."
"I can say the same thing. But since you're now my employer, that's none of my business."
The glimmer in her eyes was different from what he remembered although she looked the same. Even the perfume she wore was the same. The faint scent of donuts still lingered around her.
"Then, I'll be in your care, Hwajin-ssi."
"Likewise."
He remained silent as Hwajin stood beside him, assessing his muscles with a massage. She began stretching his arms and legs, checking his joints in the process. The list of medicines he had to take was also taken into consideration.
"Seungyoun-ssi," Hwajin said, stopping a few steps in front of him. "Your body is trying to survive and keep you alive and working. You need to have the same determination so you can return to what you do best."
"There is nothing for me to return to," he bit back.
"I mean being a normal and capable person who is not a burden to their parents." She scowled and raised a brow at him. "Don't tell me you're planning to spend the rest of your life doing nothing."
"You won't understㅡ"
"Yes. I won't." Hwajin was right at his face in an instant. "Because someone told me before that I shouldn't be like that and that I should always look at the brighter side of things and make it work the best I could."
Seungyoun didn't retaliate and just avoided her glare. That episode in their lives was in the past. Meanwhile, Hwajin kept her eyes on him. She circled around and unlocked his wheelchair, pushing him out the house to the garden.
Late spring skies and dry air greeted them once they settled by the porch. They did not say anything to each other. Sun beamed on their skin and the noise of their surroundings settle into the background.
"Our goal is for you to be doing ten laps here by the end of six weeks." There was no hint of any uncertainty in her voice. "And then, you'd be running again by chuseok."
He scoffed and she patted his shoulder as if to reassure him.
"Hyung-nim, seriously," his cousin said over the phone. "Even I was surprised. I thought you'd at least say something to her before leaving. But no! We had to find out from uncle that you were already gone."
"Yuan-ah," he called. "Sorry."
There was a short pause from the other line before he heard his cousin sigh. "You're apologizing to the wrong person, hyung-nim. Tell that to Hwajin noona."
"That's why I'm saying it to you," Seungyoun said. "I don't think I can."
"Well, I'm not going to relay that message for you. So, add that in your 'to-do' list."
Lying down with one knee bent to his chest, Seungyoun kept his eyes to the ceiling, ignoring all the sensations he was feeling as Hwajin helped with his exercises. There were some times that she will call his attention just to bring him back to the present. Often, she'd ask him to count and he'd do it just to get over it.
"Don't worry, I'll catch you." Hwajin was standing in front of him, helping him up to the bars.
"No, I'm too heavy." Seungyoun's eyes wondered around, trying to figure out how he can get out of this training.
"I can lift twice as you weigh in the gym," she retaliated. "Here, hold on me."
She placed his arm over her shoulders and pulled him off his chair, holding him up until he reached the bar. His limbs trembled beneath his unbalanced weight. However, he refused to collapse on the female.
"Two steps." Her voice was so close that he could feel the warmth of her breath. "You just need two steps."
Seungyoun willed himself to move his left foot despite the slow reaction. It was as if he was trying to walk in water with a tonne of resistance. There were beads of sweat forming by his forehead and he barely made one step.
"Alright!" Hwajin cheered, bringing him out of his own thoughts. "Just one more, Seungyoun-ssi. Just one more."
He winced. He had gripped the bars too tightly and unclampping his fingers were a struggle in itself. His shoulder muscles were too tense and was too afraid of the pain he'd experience afterwards. So he closed his eyes and dragged his right foot to move.
"Good job. Good job." Hwajin was already under him before he realized it. "That's a big improvement! You should rest now."
Heart pounding and breathing heavily, one might mistake that he ran a marathon. But this was only the result of making two miserable steps. It wasn't even his usual long strides. The two steps were measly a foot apart.
"I hate this!" Seungyoun threw his head back, frustrated at himself. "I can do more."
"Later." Hwajin immediately shot him down. "You can knock yourself out in these two weeks while building your arm strength. But for now, you need to catch your breath."
"I'm tired of doing nothing but those stupid dumbbells."
Hwajin snorted at his comment while Seungyoun clicked his tongue.
"Since you are making bad puns now, maybe you can do four steps this time."
The check-up indicated positive results in his muscle growth and physical development. Although Seungyoun was still wheelchair bound when going out, he was now able to freely control his arms compared to the previous visits.
"Let's start with the usual," Hwajin said, finishing his warm up stretching. "Go back and forth as long as you can. I'll time you."
Seungyoun whizzed through the parallel bars and standing still exercises in a week, and had been practicing to walk on his own without Hwajin's help or the bars.
"Eighteen steps in two minutes." She wrote down the record and smiled back at the male. "It's two steps better than yesterday. Good job, Seungyoun-ssi."
"It's still not good enough."
"It's an improvement nonetheless." Hwajin sat down beside him and showed him her notebook. "Look, you started at zero steps. You could barely balance yourself three days ago. Now, you are able to walk more every day. Be easy on yourself."
The Sports Science Center facility had different areas and Hwajin somehow managed to convince Seungyoun and his parents to participate in a two-day class session of aquatic therapy and workout respectively.
"Call me right away after you're done," the older male said after helping his son down the shallow pool.
"We'll do, sir." It was Hwajin who answered. "Please enjoy your session too."
"You're sure you don't need help, Hwajin-nim?" the older female asked, worry evident on her face.
"Ey, stop worrying. She's the professional here. And didn't we talk to the instructor as well?" her husband intercepted. "Come on, we mustn't miss our class."
He pulled her arm around his and they carefully walked to the next area.
"This isn't as bad as I thought it will." Seungyoun was holding on to the side rail while comfortably easing his feet flat on the pool floor.
"Do you feel any discomfort? Pain?" Hwajin was crouching down beside the pool, looking down at him.
The male only shook his head. There was something in the water that made him balance himself better.
"Okay. I'll watch from here. Jimin-ah said he'll be here shortly."
"Jimin-ah?"
"Ah, sunbaenim!" Both Seungyoun and Hwajin turned to the voice.
Jogging towards them was a young man in a fitted black rash guard. He was smiling widely and abruptly scopped Hwajin in his arms and lifted her in an embrace.
"Yah," she hit him once and Jimin let her down. "For real, I told you to stop doing that."
"Sorry, sunbaenim. It's just been so long since I last saw you." He tilted his head and massaged his nape. "I'm so happy that you contacted me."
"Don't make it sound like I don't have a life, Jimin-ah." She then turn towards Seungyoun. "Anyway, I'm here so you can help my... patient. You remember what I told you earlier, right?"
"Yes." The younger male then followed Hwajin's gesture and beamed down at Seungyoun, holding out his hand. "Hello, I'm the Center's aquatic therapy instructor and facilitator, Heo Jimin. It's a pleasure to meet you."
Seungyon accepted the handshake but immediately dropped his arm in the water afterwards. And even though the instructor was smiling, he didn't like him one bit.
"Hyung-nim," Yohan called, sitting beside him out the porch benches.
"Don't start, Yuan-ah," Seungyoun warned before sipping his coffee.
"Why? Do you know what I'm gonna say?" he pouted.
"Yes."
"What?"
"It's about Hwajin again, isn't it?"
"Nope. We finally got our debut date."
Seungyoun quickly looked at his cousin and grinned. He ruffled the younger male's hair, making teasing noises.
"Congrats! Does anyone else know?"
Yuan shook his head. "You're the only one who knows. I don't want them to be disappointed if it doesn't push through."
"Don't think like that." Seungyoun said, putting his arm on his shoulders. "You're all good and talented kids. Just believe in yourselves and do your best. Or do you need me to be there and cheer on you guys?"
Yuan laughed at his suggestion. "Really? Then I'll ask our manager if I can give you two passes for it."
Just as Hwajin's set goal, Seungyoun was already making one to two laps per day by the end of their sixth week. For now, he was relying on a cane for balance every other step but he can stand on his own for about ten minutes.
"Starting next month, I'll only be visiting you once a week," Hwajin said, setting her notebook down on the center table. "You must continue your everyday logs and I will look at them when I come."
"Just now, you sounded like a teacher giving assignments." Seungyoun snickered, taking the notebook and flipping through it.
Hwajin did not respond while he continued to flip the empty pages of the notebook until he reached the end and closing it.
"What days will you be coming in?"
"Every Saturday. Same time."
Seungyoun looked up at her stoic face which was also gazing at him.
"Thank you, Hwajin-ssi."
"It's my job."
"No," he said. "I mean..."
He cleared his throat of the forming lump in there and faced her with a more composed stance.
"I'm sorry for suddenly leaving without saying anything. I was immature and selfish. I didn't think what you'd feelㅡ"
"Stop." Hwajin's cold voice sliced through the air between them. "Why are you bringing this up?"
"Because I know I was wrong and you deserve an apology."
She stared straight into his eyes and Seungyoun saw how her professional facade started to break. Hwajin bit her lips and her brows knitted together before she could avert her gaze. After learning to put up a great front, she was still the same softhearted person he fell in love with all those years ago.
"Hwajin-ah, I'm sorry for hurting you and thank you for helping me recover."
Wordlessly, she stood up and left without a second glance.
"Son," his father said, placing a new glass of water on the table. "Don't overwork yourself."
"Just one more then I'll rest," Seungyoun answered, not stopping the lap he was making around the garden.
The older male stood there watching his child relearning how to properly walk on his own. It was bitter-sweet. And although Seungyoun was struggling, he also knew that, currently, this was the best his son could do and he was proud of his regardless.
"This is very impressive." Hwajin had her eyes on the pages of the logs Seungyoun wrote down. "Is this real..?"
"I know, right?" the elder male chuckled. "But I was there. Made sure to watch him every time he's out there."
"I feel his motivation he have to reach the goal you set him was the same when he was training for the league." The elder woman had a smile on her face and an obvious caring gaze. "Whatever you did or say to him worked. So, thank you, Hwajin-nim."
"I'm glad I am able to get him back on his feet." Hwajin returned the gesture at the elder couple. "No pun intended. Just doing what I have to."
It took approximately thirty minutes from Seungyoun's home for Hwajin to drive to the nearest open football field.
"Why are we here?" he asked, clearly irate at the female.
But she only grabbed his arm and placed it on hers, like how she used to do to usher him somewhere. "I want to show you something. Let's go inside."
"No. I don't belong here anymore." He pulled his arm off as if he was burnt. "I'm going home."
"Okay. Suit yourself," Hwajin replied, turning her back to him and marching in the stadium. "I guess I just have to watch and be ignorant about the game."
Seungyoun flinched at the sarcasm of her tone. Not to mention that she didn't let him bring anything else but himself when they went out. He had no wallet and no phone. All he had was the clothes he was wearing. So, in the end, he had no choice but to join her.
The on-going little league was on full swing when they arrived. Sitting on the benches, they watched children not younger than ten run around in their uniforms, dribbling white and black ball across the green field. Score board was running, there were a complete set of referees and most of the front row seats were occupied by the children's family.
"Ah, so cute," Hwajin commented subconsciously.
"Right..." Seungyoun inserted. "They need more basics practice though."
"Well, hello." She eyed him from her seat beside him. "Welcome back."
"Huh?" He did not hide his confusion.
"You're commenting on this game again," she replied. "Just like how you used to before..."
Seungyoun took a deep breath and said, "Thanks. I'm glad to be back. And I'm sorry for suddenly leaving."
"I'll forgive you, but," she answered, prolonging the pause in between.
"But?"
"I have some conditions."
Seungyoun fidgeted with his cane handle for a second. However, since it was him that was asking to be forgiven, he decided he had to accept what she wanted him to do.
"Alright. What conditions?"
Hwajin smiled. Gone was her professional facade and Seungyoun was facing the same woman he knew back in their highschool days.
"First, my nephew is in the red team below," she motioned to the field. "I'd like you to give them some proper pointers later. I don't need to understand this game to know that their coach really sucks."
"I agree."
"Second, stop giving Jimin-ah the cold shoulder." She lifted two fingers.
"What? That guy's very suspicious though." He grimanced at the thought of their pool class.
"Get whatever's in your head off!" She lightly hit his shoulder. "He's married and he's your fan. Oh, and I promised to give him your autograph too."
Seungyoun scoffed but still accepted it.
"Speaking of autographs," Hwajin said. "I didn't know Yuan-ie is a trainee and debuting soon. Why didn't you tell me?"
"I wasn't really hiding it. And he didn't tell anyone about his debut date. You know how that kid is..." Seungyoun replied.
Hwajin stopped to think before nodding. "I see. Then, as the third condition, if you speak with him again, tell him that I'll be rooting for him and his group."
"I can't believe I forgot how close you two are," he chuckled. "I guess this is why he sent me two passes for their debut stage."
"He did!?" Hwajin's shrieks was as loud as the crowd in front of them.
Seungyoun nodded, laughing as the female shrink in embarrassment.
"Oh, so, you think this is funny, huh?" she retaliated. "FYI, I read what you wrote at the back of the log notebook."
He stopped. His face slightly grew brighter red and he shuffled in his seat as he began feeling uncomfortable. Why he decided to write those in the first place, he can't explain too.
"Seungyoun-ah, look at me," Hwajin said.
He did.
"My last condition is for you to make what you wrote come true."
"That's your last condition?" Seungyoun probed.
She nodded. "Will you do it?"
"Of course."
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