Hospital Visit (1)
After finishing all the editor interviews, no one had left a particularly strong impression by the end. "They must've already picked someone... They seem pretty indifferent." It was a shame, but OpenWitch had done such a good job with the editing and pacing that it couldn't be helped.
"Nngh... Haaah, it's over... Thanks for your hard work... Both of you, thank you." I said, stretching my arms out wide. On the other end of the call, I could hear the two of them trying not to laugh.
[Ehehe... Jireongi...]
"...Haram? Wh-what do you mean, Jireongi...? Why are you talking like my viewers?"
[Huh!? You heard that?]
Haram asked in surprise. Her voice had been so loud that I frowned slightly before answering with an awkward laugh.
"Yeah... I heard it..."
[Sorry... By the way, Unnie, did you buy an ASMR mic? The one that looks like an ear?]
"Huh...? Oh, yeah, I did... I'll show you. I think I got the right one...?"
I sent Haram a screenshot of the ASMR mic I'd purchased so she could confirm. She replied that it was the correct one.
[That's the one. You picked well.]
"Hehe..."
[Suhyun, what kind of ASMR content are you planning to do?]
Yeon-a asked, her voice slightly uneasy. I tilted my head and picked up the Cutter Knife Teacher, rolling it back and forth.
-Rattle!
-Rattle...
-Rattle!
-Rattle...
The moment they heard the sound, both of them asked in alarm if I was actually planning to use the cutter knife.
[Unnie... You're not going to do the cutter knife, right?]
[Suhyun? You're not, are you?]
Honestly, I had been considering it. The sound wasn't bad, after all.
"...It helps calm my mind... Or, maybe not?"
[No, it doesn't......]
Yeon-a said. Feeling a bit sulky, I told them I wouldn't do it and set the cutter knife aside. Both Yeon-a and Haram praised me for making the right choice.
"...Then should I just do ear licking or something? A lot of people do that... and it's popular."
[Isn't that a bit too explicit? You shouldn't do stuff like that, Suhyun. It'll cause big trouble if you do.]
[I've tried it before, you know? The chat went absolutely wild... It was more exhausting than I expected.]
[Maman... Don't encourage her like that.]
The mention of the chat going wild made me flinch. '...Might be worth trying?' Honestly, how many people would even lust after my body? Everyone already knew it was covered in scars. Even my virtual avatar was all scarred and gloomy, so it probably wouldn't be that bad.
"I-it doesn't sound so bad......"
The chat firepower alone seemed worth going for.
[...I'm getting a bad feeling about this.]
[What does it matter, Kits? You did it too. It was so intense it was basically moaning.]
[B-be quiet, Maman! I was drunk and smoking at the time...! It was because I was drunk!]
[No, Suhyun Unnie, listen, two months ago Kits turned on her stream and—]
[Aaaah!! I don't know, I don't know!]
Yeon-a shouted and left the Discord call. It seemed like she had a pretty powerful embarrassing memory, so I waited for Haram to continue, but she didn't.
[Ah... She really doesn't want it getting out. She'd get mad if I told you, so I'll save this story for another time.]
"Oh......"
Haram said it would be too mean to talk about it without Yeon-a around, so I didn't get to hear more.
[If you're really curious, you can look it up yourself, Unnie. It'll come up right away. It might be good reference.]
"R-really?"
[Yeah. It's not bad.]
I said I'd check it out later, then ended the Discord call and shut down my computer. The screen went dark.
"Haaah......"
I stared blankly at it for a while before chuckling and limping toward the kitchen to make lunch.
"My leg... I really need to get it fixed someday."
Honestly, my leg wasn't the only problem. My stomach often burned for no reason, I got sleepy easily, and I had no strength. I dozed off without realizing it all the time. There were still places on my body that didn't move well or had dulled sensation.
"It's dangerous... I wonder if there's something seriously wrong with me."
Muttering to myself, I drank some orange juice for vitamins and filled a pot with tap water.
"I should eat ramen."
Since even half a portion filled me up, I put in about half the usual amount of everything and started boiling it.
"I'll save the rest for later... Just this for now......"
I muttered as the red ramen quickly cooked. Smiling at it, I swallowed my saliva. About three minutes later, the ramen was almost done. I sipped my orange juice while poking at it with chopsticks. The noodles swayed limply. Satisfied, I lifted the pot.
"...Looks delicious."
Ramen was the best food no matter when you ate it. I had to carefully carry this precious, top-tier meal all the way to my computer desk. Lately my legs had been especially weak, but I could do it.
'I can do this... I have to get this sacred ramen safely into my mouth.'
With that resolve, I took slow steps forward.
Limp. Limp.
Because my legs were unsteady, the ramen broth inside the pot began to slosh dangerously. Cold sweat ran down my cheeks. The distance to the desk still felt far. My left leg, already lacking strength and sensation, was starting to tremble. Still, driven by hunger, I took another step.
"Uwah...!?"
I lost my balance and nearly fell. My precious half-portion of ramen lunch ended up in the mouth of the friend who lived on our floor.
"Nooo...!"
It was a relief that the hot ramen hadn't splashed onto me, but spilling it was definitely not a relief. I plopped down on the floor and made a decision.
"...I'm getting a health checkup... I'm getting my leg treated......"
I had to fix this leg no matter what. To do that, I picked up my phone to call my mom.
-Ring ring ring
-Ring ring ring ring
"Hello......"
[Unnie! Why'd you call?]
"...I want to go to the hospital with Mom."
I told Jiwoo with a heavy heart.
* * *
The usually quiet gukbap restaurant. Sujin sat there blankly, staring at the flies buzzing around the empty shop. Her heart felt hollow these days.
"Should I call them first...? But wouldn't that be too shameless?"
She had found out how her children were doing and had been given a chance to make amends, but she lacked the courage to call first. She wanted so badly to reach out and hold them, but the only number she had was Jiwoo's. And Jiwoo still called her "ajumma" and treated her with hostility.
"What should I do......"
Sujin could only suffer because of it. Calling again and hearing her beloved daughter coldly call her "ajumma" wasn't easy.
"I wonder when the owner will get here."
Since she wanted to see her children, she had to switch shifts with the owner. She was sitting there blankly waiting when—
-You have a call! Pick up the phone!
"Hic!?"
A call came through on Sujin's phone.
[Second Daughter Jiwoo]
"...!!"
It was none other than her lovely second daughter, Jiwoo. Though slightly nervous, Sujin quickly answered.
"...H-hello?"
Her voice trembled slightly, but it was also filled with hope as it traveled through the phone. Then she heard her beautiful second daughter's voice.
[Hello... M-Mom.]
"...!!"
[I'll call you Mom for now, since you are my mom. Is that okay?]
"O-of course, I'd be happy if you called me that...!"
Sujin answered quickly before Jiwoo's heart could change. Jiwoo replied with an indifferent "Ah, okay" and asked,
[Where are you right now?]
"Mom...? Mom's at the gukbap restaurant, working."
[Ah... When do you finish?]
"Soon... Probably in about thirty minutes..."
Sujin answered hesitantly. Jiwoo said she understood and offered to come pick her up.
[I'll come pick you up, Mom. Unnie wants to see you a lot, so we'll go to the hospital and eat together too.]
"R-really...? Is it okay if Mom eats with you girls?"
[If you don't want to, then don't. We're fine either way.]
Jiwoo answered as if it were a bother. Startled, Sujin quickly said she would eat.
"I'll eat... Minwoo isn't coming?"
[He's busy drinking with friends.]
"I-I see... Okay. I'll get ready."
[You should mentally prepare yourself... Unnie's in a lot of pain, and this is her first time going to the hospital.]
"...I see."
Sujin's chest tightened at Jiwoo's words. Hearing that her daughter had gotten sick while she was gone made her feel like the world was collapsing.
"Still, what can I do? I have to endure it."
It was the life she had chosen, after all. All she could do was endure. A little while later, Sujin arrived at the department store entrance and spotted Jiwoo and Suhyun standing in the distance.
"Mom...!!"
The moment Suhyun saw her, she came running as fast as her limp would allow. Sujin's heart felt like it was being torn apart, but she held it in and spread her arms wide.
"Sweetheart, Mom missed you so much. Are we going to the hospital?"
"Yeah... I-I think I can go now......"
Sujin smiled gently at Suhyun's answer. Looking at her mother, Suhyun thought,
'Mom... I'm glad. Hold me tight.'
She had to hold on tight so her mother could never run away again.