Underwater City of Nodelesse
Ark's steps were full of vigor.
It was thanks to a phone call he had received this morning.
"Is this Mrs. Park Somi's guardian?"
As soon as he realized it was from the hospital, he was stricken with fear.
Until now, he had no memories of hearing good news from the hospital. Since her hospitalization, he had only gotten news of sudden seizures, and after his mother stabilized a little, they would call to press him about the late hospital bill. Either way, it wasn't a welcome phone call.
His voice became automatically nervous.
"Yes, why?"
"Lately, Mrs. Park Somi's condition has improved greatly. Therefore, the doctor has said he feels it would be good to slowly begin the rehabilitation therapy."
"Sh-she's gotten better?"
"Yes, a procedure of this kind requires guardian consent. I'm calling to ask what the guardian intends to do."
"If it's necessary, we must do it."
"Then, please visit the hospital today and sign a consent form. I will walk you through the rehabilitation program and additional costs in detail when you come to the hospital."
It was the best news he'd heard in recent years.
Five years had already passed since his mother had been hospitalized. After receiving surgery on her entire body, including her brain, she was in a comatose state for the first two years. When she woke up, she hadn't been able properly use her limbs.
What was worse, there had been times when she had occasionally gotten a sudden seizure and lost consciousness for a few days. Whenever that happened, Hyun Woo would hold his mother's hand and spend the night sleeplessly.
"The cause is mental stress from excessive shock."
The doctors explained his mother's symptoms as such.
Stress. For a doctor, it was truly a convenient term, since they just had to attach it to any kind of symptoms.
"As of now, there's nothing we can do. For the time being, we can only wait for her condition to improve."
The prescription of the doctors was to wait. While simply waiting her condition to improve, he had to pay 3 to 4 million Won (~$3-4,000) in hospital bills monthly. Even so, he was able to endure it.
If his mother's conditioned suddenly worsened, the doctor babbled he might have to prepare himself for the worst. His anger would rise at the doctor who could only say those kinds of things, but there was nothing he could do.
In a hospital, a patient's family has no power.
Whenever it happened, the only thing Hyun Woo could do was to simply clasp his mother's hand and cry as he prayed again and again to a God he didn't even believe in.
He didn't know if the prayers gotten through or not. In any case, after 4 years passed, hope began to bloom. Since last year, his mother's condition started to improve.
Something like getting up from her bed was still a struggle, but she could eat on her own. In addition, she didn't have any big problems when she conversed. Since the doctor who had babbled Hyun Woo might have to give up was now supporting the rehab, it indicated a huge change in her condition.
Feeling like he could fly, Hyun Woo bought a fruit basket and went to her hospital room.
"Ah, Hyun Woo."
YOU ARE READING
Ark
FantasyKim Hyun Woo lived the life of the wealthy thanks to his parents. But one day, he received a phone call informing him of a traffic accident which involved his parents. His father had died and his mother was hospitalized in critical condition. The no...
