After the meeting, Hanyu strutted into the hospital room like a superstar, nearly knocking over someone in the process.
"Nana, do you want to hear some good news?" Hanyu said, flashing his brightest, most dazzling smile.
Jina, lying in her hospital bed, raised an eyebrow. "Third Brother, if it's about your new haircut, I already saw it. No need to announce it again."
Hanyu gasped. "How dare you? This is much bigger than my ne— Wait, what's wrong with my hair?" He quickly pulled out his phone to check his reflection.
Nana giggled. "Nothing! I'm just joking. what's the good news?"
Hanyu smirked, striking a dramatic pose. "I've just signed a deal to be the face of a brand!" He lifted his chin proudly, waiting for applause.
Jina clapped enthusiastically. "Wow, second brother, you're so cool, so handsome!" She made sure to add an extra dose of exaggerated admiration.
Hanyu immediately pounced on Nana's hospital bed, fake sobbing. "You truly understand me, unlike certain people who don't appreciate my success!" At that moment, he shot a look at his younger brother, Hansu, who was sitting in the corner, completely uninterested, playing a game on his phone.
Hansu didn't even blink. He just kept tapping away.
Hanyu tsked loudly, dramatically shaking his head. "Unbelievable. I share this happy moment, and all I get is disrespect!"
Hansu finally sighed and looked up. "Congrats." Then he immediately went back to his game.
Hanyu gasped. "Look! Look at him! so emotionless! So cold! Do I even exist in your world? Or am I just a ghost wandering around, unseen and unheard?!"
Hansu, still focused on his phone, muttered, "If you were a ghost, at least you'd be quiet."
Nana burst into laughter.
As the two brothers continued their bickering, the door suddenly opened.
"Keep your voices down! I could hear you from outside," Mama Su scolded as she entered the room.
Hanyu stopped and pouted.
Ignoring his antics, Mama Su walked over to Nana's bedside and gently said, "Nana, you'll be discharged the day after tomorrow. Make sure to rest well so you can recover quickly."
Jina nodded.
Mama Su checked the IV drip, then turned to her two sons and said, "You two will take turns looking after Nana. I have a patient coming in, so I'll be busy."
The two brothers nodded, watching their mother leave the room.
As soon as the door closed, jina and her two older brothers stared at each other in awkward silence.
Jina broke the silence and said, "I'm going to sleep."
"Alright, I'll go get us some dinner," Hanyu said, heading toward the door. "I'll be back soon."
.....
After having a light meal, jina started feeling sleepy again.
Hanyu tucked her into bed and said, "Get some rest. Dad will pick you up once you're discharged."
Jina nodded and closed her eyes.
Hanyu glanced at his younger brother and said, "Go home. I'll be the one looking after Nana today."
Hansu, still typing on his laptop, replied, "No need, I can take care of her. You go home."
Hanyu squinted at him. "Wait a second... where did that laptop even come from? I didn't see it earlier! Do you have some kind of magic pouch like Doraemon?"
Hansu side-eyed him, looking utterly unimpressed. "Go home. I need to finish my school project here."
Hanyu crossed his arms. "School project? Do you even attend classes? I never see you leave the house, let alone go to school."
Hansu simply stared at him, expressionless.
"Alright, alright, do whatever you want," Hanyu muttered, quickly making his way to the door like someone escaping a dangerous situation.
Once he left, the room fell silent again, with only the soft sound of Jina's breathing and the rhythmic tapping of Hansu's keyboard filling the air.
.....
Outside in the hallway, Jina stood in silence as people and patients moved in and out. The afternoon was bustling with activity, yet to her, it all felt like an illusion.
Suddenly, a series of rapid gunshots echoed through the air, followed by piercing screams.
"Ahhh! Someone's been shot!" a voice cried out, sending the crowd into a frenzy. People ran in all directions, desperate to escape.
Panic gripped Jina as she rushed toward the commotion. Her breath hitched when she saw bodies on the ground, blood seeping into the tiled floor.
Frantically, she run through the chaos, searching for someone—anyone—until more gunshots rang out.
Then she saw it.
Her mother.
Standing in front of a terrified young boy, shielding him with her own body as bullets tore through her.
Jina's breath caught in her throat, her entire body frozen in horror.
Her mother whispered something to the boy, her voice too faint to hear. Without hesitation, the child turned and ran, blood trickling down his legs as he disappeared into the panicked crowd.
Jina wanted to scream, to move, to do something but her body refused to listen.
Her mother, slumped and bleeding, turned her fading gaze to Nana. With a weak, trembling voice.
"I'm sorry, Nana… I'm so sorry."