🌱
Walking into of the big buildings, the interior got me looking around, it was well decorated and just like the outside - it gave that comfort vibe, the interior was even more comforting and homey.
Aunt Celine led us to her brother's office which thankfully was at the ground floor, even with my renewed energy, my cancer was still very much active so my little bouncing around has made me tired and hungry.
For the first time in a while, I am craving food. Oh my goodness.
"A little intro before we meet my brother," Aunt Celine's voice cuts through the silence air, making my dad and I stop in our tracks, "His name is Remy, he looks very intimidating in size and his facial expression but he isn't. I guess he just likes looking grumpy so don't think of it as anything when you expect him to smile and he doesn't. It's just who he is." She explains, then gestured with her hand for us to keep moving.
"His office is at the end of this hallway, sorry." She says directly to me, noticing my tired expression.
I shoot her a smile and say, "It's alright. Little exercise."
"I can carry you if you want." My dad suggests, looking at me as we slowly move our feets to the office we are heading.
"Thanks dad. I'll be fine." I answered him.
"Remy is that golden child. A genius and a blessing to mankind even though he doesn't want to be praised as that but that's exactly who he is." Aunt Celine says fondly, a smile on her lips, "He was into tech, specifically Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning before he transitioned to medicine, thinking of creating more solutions that aren't tech related. He's so amazing for that." She speaks more of her brother, and the twinkle in her eyes tells how much she is proud of her brother.
"My parents are proud of us both, they did so well balancing that love when in the real sense, he's that great child every parents seeks for and adore. They supported us both in chasing our dreams to the fullest." She smiled, her smile made me smile too. She was that beautiful light-skinned woman, petite in size and a bit busty in shape. She continued, "When he started this project for curing anything blood cancer, my parents invested a lot as well as him but nothing bypasses the government so they have a hand in it, they just agreed to the terms of my brother to not make this a public thing yet until everything is super clear and stable. He doesn't want to implant hope in people only for it to fail. Self doubt, I'll say," She shrugged her shoulders, "-because he has never had a fail case over the last two years he privately launched this therapy process." She finishes as we are now standing before the door to his office which had a small golden plate with his name on it.
She sighs, but that of relief.
"I'm just happy he's doing this and grateful that he's going to be able to help my precious goddaughter." She pulls me to her side, patted my shoulder before knocking on the door.
We heard a thick voice telling us to come in with which we obliged as Aunt Celine led us in.
"Hey sister." Uncle Remy said in a bored tone with a very bored expression as he raised his left hand to wave at her from his sitting position.
"Don't I deserve a hug?" Aunt Celine stood before his table while my dad and I watched the scene from behind her, "When last have you seen me, Remy?" She questions, resting both hands on her waist as she sends glares to her brother's direction who only nods and got up, walked around the table and pulled her into a hug.
"I actually did miss you but if you keep talking liking this, I may begin to regret that feeling." He says to her, patting her back.
He towered her figure. He was really big in size and tall in height. His face however looked younger than what I assume his age to be. Aunt Celine didn't clarify if she was the older one or he was. He was also very good looking, which is a must as beauty runs in their family judging from Aunt Celine's beautiful features and pictures of her parents I've seen before.
"You dare not." She smacked his biceps, they looked built like someone who constantly exercises.
"Meet Duri, my best friend's husband." Aunt Celine turned around, gesturing to my father who immediately extended his right hand for an handshake.
After they greeted each other with simple words of pleasantries, my godmother pointed to me, "That's their daughter, Ione, my goddaughter." She introduced me with a smile.
Instead of taking his outstretched hand, I bowed in greeting him, the Korean habit still a part of me. My action made my dad chuckle, "Don't confuse him, Agi." He teased making me blush.
"Sorry, it's an habit." I say with a small smile. "It's alright, I'm sure I've seen that greeting style somewhere." He waved off, "Please, take your seats." He says quickly as he walked back to his chair and sat down.
We each took our seat with Aunt Celine having to drag a couch from a corner of the office closer to his table as there was only two visitor's chair available.
"My sister told me you have leukemia and that it is very bad. But that's all I know, can you tell me more about it and what treatment you've taken so far, literally anything you can remember until date?" Uncle Remy speaks after we all settled.
I nodded. Putting my thoughts together, burying my nerves and rearranging my memories to filter out the only ones I want to remember and explain to Uncle Remy. I didn't want to remember them, yet. Because I know those bittersweet memories will eventually swamp my mind but I'm doing my best at the moment to put a barrier against them to they don't seep into my heart.
"It started as flu-like symptoms so I was only treating it as flu until one particular morning when I woke up with a burning fever and nausea..." I continued to narrate that whole morning to him, I told him it was about three days later I got the result that I had Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. I explained what Doctor Geum told me, the type of chemotherapy it is and how long it took me before getting discharged. I did well at omitting them out of the picture. I explained further to Uncle Remy with my father and Aunt Celine listening attentively, how I began to feel weird again, how I fainted, felt weaker and weaker, the eruption of rashes, the dizzy spells, I told them how my last meeting with Doctor Geum went.
"...he said I needed to hop into other available therapies besides chemotherapy as the cancer was fastly progressing to my Central Nervous System. He said if I don't take that step quickly, there won't be any hope of saving." I finished, trying not to backtrack into my negative thoughts.
Those thoughts that strongly make me believe hope is dead.
"He shouldn't have discharged you when he did, just because you were getting better doesn't mean you weren't still in danger and another factor to have considered is that you're still in your twenties. Leukemia is one of the sneakiest cancer, it hides and will make one think it is going well only to find out it was still fully there. That's a mistake some doctors make which can cause relapse but we aren't here to talk about the past. Let's focus on the future." He says, his tone sharp and concise.
I nodded at him, my father grabbed my hand and held it tight. The gesture made me feel calm from all the racing nerves from retelling my cancer story while also trying to avoid mentioning them.
"We are going to run new tests on you, we can't rely on your old test results. But we have machines that process the test faster so we'll get all the results back today." He says to me while glancing at both Aunt Celine and my dad.
"You should be on bed rest because you're very weak at the moment, it's telling from your face alone." He picks up his phone and called someone I'm guessing is a nurse to prepare a room for me.
"Okay, now that that's settled. Let's discuss the therapy I will be treating you with after your results are out - it's called targeted therapy." He informs us. I was familiar to it due to my studies.
"How is that different from chemo?" My father asked.
"Targeted therapy is the use of medicines to attack specific parts of cancer cells. This means they can damage cancer cells without affecting most normal, healthy cells. They are different from standard chemotherapy drugs. They sometimes work when chemo doesn't, and they often have different side effects. But with my own development, patients get little side effects which isn't even as worse as chemo side effects. Although the weakness will still be there especially as your immune system is still at risk. When the time comes, I'll explain more about the whole process to you all." He explained, his tone sounded confident making that flower of hope bloom even more within me.
"Ok, thank you. Do you think she will get better?" My dad questioned, trying not to stutter from the slight fear visible in his eyes, "I mean, will she be all good again after the therapy?" He rephrased.
"I will do my very best for her to get better. Let's stay positive throughout this whole process, it always weighs down one's spirit but with a positive mindset, a good state of mental health, everything will be fine." Uncle Remy answered sweetly and softly.
That was the softest to his voice so far.
"Okay, we will do just that." My father answered, then turned to me for affirmation.
I quirk my brows, not understanding what he wants to hear from me, exactly.
"Promise me you will you think positively onwards?" He says to me, "Yes, dad. I will." I answered in a small voice.
I have to survive. I have to live. I have to...I have to...avenge my wrecked heart and broken soul. I have to win.
"I'm sorry you're going through all of this, let's keep up the hope. And I will do my very best to get you to betterment, it's why your room will be in this building so I can monitor you closely especially now that you've had a seizure. We have one nurse assigned to each patient because we want to give you the utmost care and attention. And patients come together for some healthy exercises to keep up the good spirits. I want you to feel almost at home. Hmmmn?" He looked at me, waiting for my response.
"Yes, I will." I nodded slightly. Ready for it all to begin.
"Let's go get the test done right away so you can eat and rest, something tells me you're famished?" And at his words, my stomach grumbled which made me blushed. I looked up at him and give a shy smile as I pat my belly and say,
"I guess you're right."
🌱
"Chérie?"
"Mmn." I answer with my mouth full of food. The test didn't take too long and one of the cooks came to ask me what I wanted to eat and I told him what I was craving.
My favourite comfort french food - Boeuf Bourguignon, a luscious, classic French beef stew made with red wine, pearl onions, mushrooms and bacons. And French Coconut Pie for dessert which I was currently devouring like it's my last meal on planet earth. The pie consists of crackly, sugary crust filled with gooey vanilla and coconut, it's sinfully good, it's ought to be illegal if I may say.
"Wanna tell me what happened in Korea?" She asked. I stopped eating as the memories I have been able to keep at bay all afternoon long now rush into my mind, causing a slight shiver to go down my spine.
Was I ready to share? To talk about the thing that broke me into pieces? Was I?
"I'm not sure." I mumbled, focused back on my pie to continue eating it. Savoring its deliciousness was the only thing I wanted to be on my mind.
"You know you can trust me with anything right?" She questions and I nodded, continuing to eat, "I can see that sadness in your eyes and I know it definitely came from an heartbreak. But you have to talk about it, let it out, free yourself from the bondage of pain so you can receive this treatment with a light heart. Remember, your mental health matters." She speaks softly, a warm smile on her face.
"Thank you. It's just that I want to forget but if I talk about it, it hurts even more and I don't want to be back in the state I was when you met me at the airport." I answer her even has the hurtful memories have started dangling in my mind.
I could see Taehyung kissing that bitch.
I could see all of them acting like nothing was wrong at one of the last breakfasts with them.
I could see them making excuses to slip out of being the one to take care of me.
I could see the memories of the past one month, swimming around my head, making me feel nauseous - I had to drop my spoon and stop eating.
"Chérie, calm down. You're shaking." I feel my godmother's hand wrap around my wrist, making me jolt back into reality.
I was already traveling down the lane of hurt and wreckage.
"I can see what you mean so I will just tell you one thing; whatever happened with this person shouldn't determine the rest of your live. You're more than that, my darling. You are bigger than this person, worth more than all of this pain. You deserve better." She says in a gentle tone, holding my gaze with hers.
"It's people. Not person." I tell her.
"People are shit, were you being bullied where you were? Is that part of what happened? I knew you were schooling and those Asian kids can be annoying sometimes." She rushed.
"No, I wasn't bullied. I barely interacted with people. But I wasn't dating one man, Aunt Celine. I was dating seven and they abandoned me in the lowest time of my life. They were E-VE-RY-THING to me. Everything, yet I was dropped the moment this whole cancer shit started. They broke me more than imagination." I swallowed my cry, which made my chest to begin to hurt.
"Oh my God, Chérie." She gasped, "Seven men did that to you?" She queried. Probably finding it unbelievable.
"Yeah." My voice broke, betraying me.
"That's so horrible, come here." She pulls me to her side, "If you want to cry, let it out. Don't feel embarrassed." She whispers above my head.
I wipe the tears that has escaped my tears duct, sniffling, "It's okay. I don't want to break down. I promised myself not to cry because of them again. I have to start from this little step." I say to her, pulling away from her and continued eating my sweet pie.
"Awww, see my strong and amazing goddaughter." She smiles at me making me smile back.
"One question though, how did you get into a relationship with seven men? How does that work, how did it come about because I'm sure seven is overwhelming?" She queries. Sometimes, I wondered how I thought I could really handle seven men.
What came over me?
Oh, stupid fucking love .
"It's BTS, Aunt Celine. I fell in love with all seven members and see where it led me." I sigh, feeling so stupid that I believed seven men could truly care for me.
Maybe one or two of them did but not all can truly love me. But that didn't stop them from using me, playing with me, toying with my feelings.
They made my mother's words become true.
They were with me because of convenience and infatuation. Nothing more. Nothing less.
"And I told you, didn't I?" My mother's voice made me snap my head up to look at the doorway of my new room. And there she was, standing in her ready-to-scold glory.
I didn't like that she was right. Not a tiny bit because she's going to make sure I deeply regret ever making that decision to be their girlfriend - which I already do.
But the need to make me feel wrong, stupid, foolish and senseless will overpower her rational thought of comforting her daughter who was ill and broken.
"Mom."
"Eva!" I and Aunt Celine spoke at the same time, "When did you arrive?" Aunt Celine asked.
"Minutes ago." She answered but her expression was still hard as she walked into the room, her gaze on my figure, scrutinizing me for any damage.
The actual truth of it all is that - my mother is overprotective. So going against her will to stay South Korea and date seven men was something she didn't expect from me.
She called it an act of rebellion. Making me feel like the Prodigal son in this moment. The son who demanded his portion of wealth from his father and went on to lavishly spend it all, returned home after becoming penniless. After he has lost it all.
Just like me; I've almost lost it all.
"I told you Ione, I told you they were bad for you. I told you that decision was the worst one you'll ever make in your life, now that you're in this situation, where are they?" She quizzed, now standing before me.
"Hey, Eva. Stop that, she doesn't need this right now." My godmother intercepted, trying to calm her angry friend. She knows my mother just like I do. She knows she wouldn't calm down until she's said all that is on her chest.
"No, Celine. Let me talk. Because why in the freaking world would my own daughter not tell me she has cancer?!" She raised her voice, looking at Aunt Celine before shifting her gaze back to me, "Because of those stupid men, my one and only daughter decided to keep something this terrible away from me. No matter how much we disagree on things, do you think I will not be there for you?" She queries, her voice hard and chastising.
"You think I will not take care of you, huh? What kind of mother do you think I am? Tell me, Ione, tell me why you had to make me feel like a terrible mother?" She questions and now I could see the tears streaming down her face.
She was hurt and mad at me.
"People would look at you and wonder, does she not have parents? Whereas your father and I are here and you know, you know Ione that we will never neglect you, we will never abandon, you know that. But you decided to not say anything and kept lying to your father that all is well and because of what? Because of those jerks that I could strangle if I ever meet them. They better be preparing for the lawsuits coming their way." She spoke angrily.
I felt so guilty. Extremely guilty for keeping both my father and mother in the dark.
I was just so scared. Too much of a coward to make that decision. Especially when I thought with them by my side, I'd overcome this cancer without worrying my parents.
But here I am. Here I am.
"Come here, you knucklehead." She cries, climbing my bed and pulls me up into a kneeling position as she bear hugs me. Crying as she kept mumbling more scolding words that were now making me laughing and crying with her.
Even as I disappointed her, she still loves me. She didn't let that come between the love she has for me.
She wasn't like them. Abandoning me in times of trouble. They weren't like my own family - My father, my mother and Aunt Celine. They weren't like my loved ones.
They never truly cared.
Some minutes passed, our tears dried up and we three women were now sat, my mother not leaving my side for one second.
"Never do that again." She tells me seriously. "Never ever keep things from us. Never do that." She says sternly.
"Yes, mummy." I answer.
"The way my heart plunged when your father called, I almost went mad." She sniffled, trying not to cry, "But I strongly believe your godmother here is Godsent. What if she wasn't back to Paris? What if she was still somewhere in Asia, working? How would we be here?" She mused sadly.
"No more 'what ifs' Eva, drop it and let's all remain positive onwards and don't dare scold my daughter again." My godmother scolded my mother, "She's gone through a lot, what she needs now is a lot of pamper and assurance. We have to be here for her, to keep her on her ten toes, to stay strong even if she's already my strong girl." Aunt Celine finishes, as she smiled, facing me.
"Okay. But I'm suing those jerks." She says with spite.
"Mum, don't do that." I shake my head.
"I shouldn't do what? I shouldn't sue the men who did this to my daughter? If i don't do this, then I'll just go beat them up myself, they need to understand that no one messes with my daughter and go scot-free." She persisted sternly.
"Mum, I'm serious. Don't, it will only cause more trouble for me. I signed an NDA and telling you, dad and Aunt Celine was me breaching that agreement." I explained.
"So...?" My mother shrugged, "Breaching of an agreement sounds so little compared to abandonment. I'm not letting it go." She argued.
"They didn't physically hurt me, it was all emotional so don't worry about suing especially when it will require me having to appear in court or deal with lawyers and all, I don't want to go through that, so mum, let's drop it and focus solely on my treatment." I say to her, hoping she understands that the last thing I needed right now is being attached to those seven.
I just want to be better first. Be healthy.
"Only because you made good point. But after all of this, I will rethink this." She grumbled.
"I love that you want to protect me and fight for me but right now, all I need is you, dad and my godmother." I says softly making her smile, "Oh yes! My best friend too." I suddenly remembered my wonderful Prisha. I've been swamped with this reunion with my family that I forgot I was supposed to have called her.
"You have a best friend?" Aunt Celine questioned, knowing I wasn't the 'friend' person for a long time now.
"Yes." I nodded enthusiastically, "Her name is Prisha and she's the sweetest. I need Dad to call her for me and I also need a new SIM card for my phone, I already broke my old one to avoid whatever." I explained.
"Can't believe our baby finally got a bestie," Aunt Celine squealed delightfully, high-fiving my mum, "Tell us about her." She demanded after their little cheer.
I chuckled. Then proceeded to tell them everything about my superwoman. How we met, how sweet she is, how tender and supportive she is, how funny and cute she is, how beautiful she is, internally and externally. Told them a lot I know and they couldn't help but fawn over and over again. They always wished I found a friendship like theirs. And I did.
I found my Prisha.
She was the calm to the storm of my life.
My touchstone.
After I told them about Prisha, they both left so I could get some rest. I slept for about three hours, I knew that thanks to the fancy wall clock in my room. Waking up, my sight was met with my father, he immediately shoots me a smile that instantly warmed my heart.
"Dad." I mumbled, adjusting myself to a sitting position.
"Yes, Agi. Did you sleep well?" He asked me.
"Yes, Dad. I feel refreshed." I smiled. "That's good to hear." He gave me a new phone package, "I just bought that, I've done everything to set it up with a new number. I figured you'd have to format the one you have to continue using it but I know how bittersweet memories can be, you want them gone and at the same time, you want to still keep them." He says in soft tone.
I was grateful for his thoughtfulness because he was actually right.
"Thanks dad, you're the absolute best." I leaned to peck his cheek.
"I also called your friend, I told her you arrived safely. She said you should give her a call once you wake up. She said she missed you already, she's so fun to talk with, I see why you like her." My dad chuckles.
"She's an amazing woman. Thanks to her that I'm still here." I say to my father with a sentimental tone, opening the phone package, it was the latest iPhone.
"Dad, you didn't have to." I whined, switching on the phone.
"Please, let me spoil you. It's been awhile." He winked at me. "Thank you, it's feels very expensive even though it is actually expensive." I laughed.
We continued our chitchat, catching up and just enjoying each other's company. After he left, I gave Prisha a video call. She was so excited to see my face, and even delighted that I looked so alive. We talked about random things as well, I explained the whole thing Uncle Remy explained to me. She was amazed and grateful for how things turned out.
We joked. Teased. Chatted.
My heart and body felt so refreshed, like something dead brought back to life. I breathed clearly, I laughed so much, I ate so well, I slept so good. Hope was shinning brighter within in me than ever regardless of my battle with the memories of them.
This therapy was yet to start but I already feel like a new person. It wasn't just the idea of a working solution, no, it wasn't. It was the fact that I was surrounded by the ones I love and the one who loves me.
That love did the magic.
The healing therapy of my mind.
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[Word Count: 4496]
A/N: We finally met Ione's mother? What do you think of her outburst?
And Uncle Remy with the solution. 💃🏾💃🏾
I saw on Google "Remy" means oarsman but also a curer which suited him.
The next chapter is the begining of what we've been wanting to see since Ione's Goodbye message. The amazing thing is that, I have finally made a solid decision to solely focus on this book till completion.
Overall, how did you like the chapter?
Don't forget to Vote ★ and I'll see you in the next chapter.
Dura truly cares 💞
The food pics:


hel__sv I need a good recipe from you. Let me try a French food or I'm teleporting to you. The pictures I saw online made me drool. 🤤🤤🤤