In the spacious and comfortable lounge of Yulhan Medical Center, Suzy and her father sat at one of the couches as they observed Sujin standing from a distance, curiously looking at the surroundings. His tiny figure situated in a place wherein he has no idea that every single thing he sees is indirectly his.
While the two adults were sitting and drinking coffee, a few Yulhan staff would walk across the space every now and then but would politely take a pause in front of the father-and-daughter executives for a bow and greeting.
As the time was ticking for this momentary encounter, Dr. Bae Seok-kyu broke the comfortable silence. "I heard Joohyuk went back to your home last week."
Suzy was a little stunned for the sudden involvement of her ex-husband in the conversation.
"Appa, 'went back' seems a little misleading," she countered her father.
The elder chuckled at her defensiveness. "Oh maja. 'Came over' seems more appropriate." He retorted.
"Ne. He did." His daughter shortly replied with a nod, the state of discomfort for talking about her past lover unhidden in her response.
Seok-kyu sensed it, but he would rather probe more about the current situation. After all, he needs to know how they are doing lately without a family man. "Is Sujin not asking why his father wouldn't come home everyday?" he typically asked.
Such questions were something Suzy had already anticipated, yet she seemed to be running out of answers even so.
She let out a subtle sigh as she admitted, "He would. But I can still manage to make some excuses."
Their conversation was halted when the adorable young man fled back towards them.
"Wae? Is there something wrong?" Suzy asked the four-year-old boy as she cupped his cheeks.
Her son shook his head as he murmured"Eopseo" in response, then held onto her shoulders for support and guided himself to sit on her lap.
"My baby is suddenly clingy." She playfully spoke as she held him tighter and cherished the feeling of her precious one so close to her.
Bae Seok-kyu smiled at the sight of his daughter and grandson. Suzy has definitely grown and became a good mother herself. With the delightful vision, he gently called Sujin's name.
"Harabeoji," his grandson quickly responded with a smile.
"Would you like to come to harabeoji and halmeoni's house this weekend?" Seok-kyu asked, met with the little boy's eager nod as he excitedly yelled,"Ne!"
As Suzy relished in watching the fun yet heartfelt exchange between the two, Sujin turned to face her and asked — an innocent question that lingered in the air.
"Can appa come with us eomma?" he told with the glimmer in his eyes accompanied by hope and curiosity. The spark in his gaze mirrored Joohyuk's almost perfectly, reminding Suzy of an image that she could only try hard to bury deep within the abyss of her mind.
She honestly didn't know what to say, not that it was unanswerable, she couldn't just say something that would let her son down. Thankfully, just as Suzy was struggling for words, her phone vibrated in her pocket. It was like an escape route from the stillness of the moment. "Sujin-ah, eomma will just take this call," she said urgently to excuse herself.
Suzy picked up the call from Dr. Kim Go Eun, her close friend and senior since graduate school. The sound of the voice on the other end of the line brought a sense of relief amidst all the turmoil inside Suzy's mind.
"Suj, the pediatric suite is vacant now," Go Eun informed. "The last patient just went out."
"Arasso, gomawo unnie," Suzy replied briefly and hung up before turning back to face her son and her father.
"Kaja," she gently said to Sujin as she signaled him to stand up from her lap. "Appa, we'll go now." Suzy bid her father a farewell with a smile before treading towards their next port of call.
- - -
As the mother and son stood in front of the entrance, they knocked first before finally pushing open the door. They were greeted by a smiling Dr. Kim.
"Sujin-ah," Suzy whispered, leaning down to his level. "Remember what eomma taught you?" She gave him a hint.
Without further ado, he straightened his posture and bowed to Go Eun. "Annyeonghaseyo, Dr. Kim," he said with his small voice emitting a confidently polite tone.
Suzy's heart swelled with pride as she watched her son do the deed. He was learning just right when to address other people formally and informally—a skill that would serve him well in life due to the critical importance of manners and respect.
Dr. Kim chuckled warmly at Sujin's greeting and ruffled his hair affectionately. "Annyeonghaseyo, Sujin-ah! It's good to see you again." She said energetically, her natural friendly demeanor definitely helping in interacting with pediatric patients.
Suzy stepped forward, returning Dr. Kim's smile with gratitude evident in her eyes. "Thank you for seeing us on such short notice unnie," she said sincerely.
Dr. Kim waved off her thanks dismissively. "Don't mention it. You're speaking as if we don't see each other around in the hospital daily," she told with a chuckle. "It feels good to see this cutie again," she added as she lightly pat Sujin's head with fondness.
With the end of small talk and warm greetings came the get-go of this visit's real intent. Go Eun gestured Suzy and Sujin to follow her as she took steps forward to another room inside the suite.
Upon entering and taking a few more steps further, Suzy lowered herself beside Sujin and pointed at the huge apparatus customized with an outer space theme design to make it look more child-friendly.
"You see that? Just imagine that this would only be a trip to outer space when you lie there." She told her son, trying to mask things with a creative metaphor so as not to scare Sujin. The little boy nodded understandingly.
Suzy looked at him deeply then asked, "Gwenchana? Are you nervous?"
"Gwenchana eomma," Sujin muttered confidently.
"Daebak!" Suzy complimented with a huge smile that hid her worries, then gave him a soft pat on the back before they walked closer to the MRI machine.
With that, Go Eun called Sujin's name and signaled to the little boy. He obediently walked towards her. Suzy trailed behind her son so she could assist them. Finally, they started the physical preparation on Sujin before going through the process.
Suzy changed her son's clothes and helped in administering contrast medium to distinguish structures more clearly. Once done with those tasks, Go Eun positioned Sujin comfortably on the patient table, lying on his back headfirst. She then placed a ball-like device in his hand.
"Sujin-ah, you can squeeze this ball if you want to call us. Your eomma and Dr. Kim will just be behind that wall." Go Eun said as she pointed to the glass partition where the monitoring area and the intercom is connected.
Sujin nodded appreciatively. Before his mom placed headphones on his ears to protect him from the loud phases, Suzy smiled at him and reassuringly held his hand gently for a moment as she left an important reminder. "Sujin-ah, don't move your body until we get back here, arachi?"
After completing the preparation, he was moved into the MRI scanner. The machine emitted a low hum as it came to life, surrounding him with its cold metal embrace. As the examination finally began, Go Eun proceeded to the control room with Suzy.
They monitored him from there and checked on the images produced to see if they were clear and interpretable. As they watched Sujin's small figure lying still inside the machine, an unsettling feeling crept over them both.
"He's so young," Suzy whispered quietly, her eyes fixed on her son's image on the screen.
"Maja. I totally understand why you were so frustrated with what happened months ago," Go Eun replied softly, her voice tinged with concern as she hinted at the root cause of all the worries Suzy has regarding her son's health.
Each passing second seemed agonizingly slow as they waited for any indication of what hid beneath Sujin's innocent exterior.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Go Eun announced that they had gathered enough data. They hurried back into the room where Sujin lied motionless under the watchful gaze of medical equipment.
Once they approached him, relief washed over Suzy when she saw her son stir slightly in response to their presence. She carefully removed his headphones and helped him sit up.
As Sujin sat up, his eyes blinked rapidly as he adjusted to the bright lights of the room. Suzy couldn't help but notice the slight grogginess in his expression, a reminder of the sedation he had received for the MRI examination. She held him close, feeling a mixture of relief and anxiety coursing through her veins.
Before the mother and son were set to leave the pediatric suite, the two friends spoke with each other for a while as the little boy went to the play area for the mean time.
Dr. Kim began, her face etched with concern, "Don't worry too much, Suj. I will have this analyzed thoroughly and will send you the official report as soon as possible," she reassured.
"Gomawo unnie," Suzy stated gratefully as she leaned in to her friend who reached out her arms in an attempt to offer a comforting hug.
Go Eun's gaze shifted towards Sujin who was standing at the play area while eyeing a spaceship. "By the looks of it, he seemed to have recovered really well," she pointed out optimistically.
A flicker of relief washed over Suzy's face at Go Eun's observation. The external wounds may have healed since that fateful day four months ago but deep inside her heart still lingered an unshakeable fear for her son's well-being.
"I really hope so," Suzy admitted softly, her voice tinged with worry. "The traces may be gone, but there's always that remaining doubt."
Go Eun nodded empathetically. She understood all too well how trauma can seep into every aspect of one's life — leaving no stone unturned in its wake.
"How about you, are you okay? How's single life?" Dr. Kim probed as she felt equal parts concern and curiosity.
Suzy hesitated for a moment, her gaze shifting away from Go Eun's piercing eyes. She took a deep breath, trying to gather the strength to keep up her carefully constructed facade.
"Things are still good even without him," Suzy replied as she attempted to sound confident and nonchalant.
Go Eun's eyes narrowed as she studied Suzy intently, sensing the underlying affliction in her friend's words. "The look on your face says otherwise," she retorted, refusing to let Suzy hide behind false bravado.
As they stood at the doorway, they heard a familiar sound lightly seeping through the closed walls, subtle yet enough to steal their attentions — what they could tell as a loud ring echoing through the corridor outside the suite. Both women stepped out to get a glimpse of what's happening, and their sight was met by two nurses that rushed past them with hurried footsteps.
"What happened?" Go Eun called out.
One nurse glanced back briefly before disappearing around a corner. "Emergency situation in the ER," she shouted over her shoulder.