Chapter 49
Memories and a Souvenir
Sam has been happy that Nhan Nghia's proposal has failed at the reunion ceremony, but he has not forgotten his responsibility to Hanna. Dangers surround her every day, and he is not able to stay with her constantly because his younger brother is helping their mother care for their older brother. But if he is careless, incidents like today's could happen again.
The immediate threat has been temporarily addressed, but he worries that if he continues to protect his sister-in-law, his eldest sister and her daughter might be traumatized. The red thread still entangles them with deep fated love, making Sam want to go insane.
Huge watches Sam, who is lost in thought yet hesitant. As Hanna passes by, the father leans toward his son's ear and whispers:
"Tsk, it's not that the statue and the flower haven't met. The flower doesn't understand the statue's heart yet, while the statue senses the flower's heart belongs to someone else. They still act normally around each other. Moreover, everyone will face this ironic fate sooner or later. Why torment yourself with such twisted thoughts? Solve it thoroughly, because if you continue hesitating, your future sister-in-law will get hurt, and you won't have time to regret it!"
Lately, Sam has been consumed by this tumultuous love story, forgetting his usual nature of doing whatever he pleases without thinking. He pats his head, scolding himself for being overly sentimental. No longer hesitating, he rushes forward and shyly asks Hanna for a photo together. She smiles warmly and agrees.
Sam laughs, then suddenly turns serious. Hanna frowns at his unusual behavior. Determined to act at all costs, Sam hesitates for a moment before speaking:
- Sis, I'm posting this photo on my personal homepage and announcing to the world that you are my future sister-in-law!
Hanna's smile fades, and her budding joy vanishes beneath the fear of Internet gossip, as the virtual crowd is nothing compared to the "social" monsters of real life. Publicly revealing herself would overturn her personal life, with controversy and gossip rioting through the family in her heart. Even her best friend's private life is now scrutinized.
The shackles of "reputation" once again turn her into a puppet, and the family of "happy people" locks her in the cage of "face." Those who value honor above all tie her down, strangle her emotions, and deprive her of everything to preserve the family's dignity. No matter how fiercely the 'sad person' fights for her, the family remains heartless and cold toward their own relatives, while protecting the honor of The Sun Kingdom's people.
She has to keep living the life of the one who made her a puppet.
Hanna fears becoming a mere shadow of another for the rest of her life. This fear tightens the shackles binding her emotions, plunging her into panic and locking her mind in a bewildered cage.
Flowers no longer emit fragrance because of "someone." The girl, once appearing in perfect dreams, is now a nightmare for the people she loves. Hanna falls directly from heaven to hell, murmuring like a madwoman:
- No, don't… please… don't… do that…
She snatches the phone from Sam and immediately deletes the photo they just took. Sam and his father are stunned, unable to comprehend her extreme reaction. In stark contrast to her usual gentle demeanor, she flares with resentment, her face flushed with anger and then pale with fear, as if she had been imprisoned in darkness for a long time.
Sam gently holds her hand, speaking warmly. She startles and pushes him away. He can hardly believe she is so fierce toward him, as if he is the one caging her. Unsure how to respond, Sam hesitates, while Huge observes Hanna avoiding the dim light, clutching her chest and breathing rapidly as if suffocating. Alarmed, the father rushes to stop that fear for her.
Countless images loom in her dark fantasies, relentlessly disturbing her mind. Each is a fragment of a painful memory: the strict family judging every word. Her parents forced her—from gait to posture—to conform.
Whether minor or major matters, common rules or solemn etiquette, from infancy to adulthood, she was bound by them to everything deemed the standard of oriental women. They didn't care whether she was happy or sad. Her parents forced her to keep living the life predetermined by the family.
She has had to make puppets, just like her parents have been pulled by the strings of her grandparents. The puppet father and puppet mother have not complained, performing the "noble" dance day and night. Sadly, they have not satisfied those obsessed with perfection.
That kind of sadness has poured all obsessions onto the pure flower. The flower has had to be perfect to make up for the time when the parents have lost their youth and self. The flower has had to be beautifully spotless to cover up the shortcomings of the one who has given birth to her.
The suppression has reached its climax when she has made a mistake, and her family has immediately turned cruel, sarcastic, and harshly critical. Countless drops of water have caused the glass to overflow. She has struggled against the lifestyle of living to please the world, and has been immediately placed under house arrest.
The punishers have all been members of the family—those who have lived for etiquette and died for honor—cruelly leaving her in a dark and damp room. Except for the flickering streaks of the short-circuit lights, she has been left with only darkness and rats for company.
Each fragment of memory has cut into her heart, which has been in wrenching pain. The flashing light of the high-voltage lamp has continuously poured panic into Hanna's subconscious.
Everything is blurry in her tearful eyes. Two fragments of light and darkness hide between the illusions. Countless images from the past overlap, causing her body to shrink in fear. She stares blankly, confused, at a towering figure blocking out the chaos.
Without words or gentle comfort, the shadow stands still, yet quietly halts the torture of fear invading her spirit. The shadow unobtrusively pours all his emotions into her. That sorrowful countenance, that bitter gaze—this is the love a father holds for his daughter. She has never felt such emotions from her biological father.
The pure flower has no longer wanted to restrain its fragrance. She needs to feel how peaceful she is in the father's heart; she needs to fully enjoy that affection. The daughter hugs the father who did not give birth to her, crying like a baby. The warmth of fatherly love shatters the memories in her sorrowful sobs; bitterness turns sweet in the gentle embrace of the great father.
Huge is stunned by this sudden surge of emotion and cannot fully grasp Hanna's state of mind. The father is not good at understanding emotional psychology. He smiles sadly and gently strokes her hair—the flower no longer comes from dreams; from now on, she is the offspring of his family.
Sam keeps calling out, but his sister-in-law doesn't respond. He panics, shakes her body, and pats her cheek:
- Sister, calm down. Don't scare me. My father and I will protect you. No one will dare to harm you anymore!
Sam is so frightened that he trembles and repeats the words over and over. That sentence reminds her of a beloved voice.
At that moment, that person has also been afraid and has helped her calm down just like Sam. That person has been her spiritual support, allowing her to stay strong until now. Today, thanks to the care and protection of her dearness, she is getting rid of the dark past and moving toward a bright future.
Even if the world collapses, she still has a family.
She is not alone; that roof shields and protects her.
The flower shyly leaves her father's arms. She wipes her tears and smiles at Sam:
- Let's take another photo!
Sam is confused, not understanding. His sister-in-law is mentally unstable just moments ago, as if suffering from depression, but now she is smiling brighter than a flower in spring. Her smile is peaceful and no longer troubled. Within just a few minutes, it feels like two different people. Sam is ambiguous, staring at her without blinking, then turning to look at his father. His father smiles softly at him, as if wanting to say:
- The most important thing is that your sister-in-law has calmed down. Why are you suspicious, son? Let's figure everything out later.
Sam looks at the old man as if to say:
- Sister-in-law is really calm, but why is she so strange?
The old father shrugs his shoulders, surrendering to a question he also wants to know the answer to. Sam is disoriented by the way his father responds with a "God knows what" expression, but his relatives don't want to reveal anything yet. Trying to find out now is useless.
This matter has been just like his mother hiding his brother's shocking secret. He has to be patient and wait for his sister-in-law to open up.
The important thing is that his sister-in-law is stable; now he has to do what he wants to do. Everything will be decided later. Sam then takes a photo with Hanna and posts it on his personal page with the caption:
"Sam and sister-in-law!"
Hanna blushes shyly and bows her head to say goodbye to the father and son. Sam and his father laugh as she awkwardly walks toward the dormitory. Hanna arrives safely at the apartment, and the two return to the hospital.
Hanna rushes into the room to check on her best friend. She touches her forehead and feels heat; her skin is red, she's sweating, and her breathing hums as she looks at Hanna. Hanna quickly removes all the patient's clothes, dries her body, changes her pants and shirt, and helps her best friend cool down by applying cold towels.
- Did you eat anything?
Her bestie nods lazily:
- I ate a bowl of rice and took a shower. I had a cold and was bedridden. I hadn't taken any medicine yet!
Hanna goes to the kitchen to cook egg, green onion, and purple perilla. She takes the plate with the porridge bowl and blows on it to cool it down. She helps her friend sit up and lean against a pile of blankets and pillows. Her friend frowns and says her mouth tastes bitter. Hanna insists she eat all the porridge, then takes medicine from the medical cabinet. Her friend takes the medicine and rests. The situation is temporarily stable. Hanna looks around the room but doesn't see the souvenir.
Hanna freezes, blaming herself for being distracted. The souvenir is the only thing that connects her spirit to the "sad person." She has never been far away from it. With it by her side, she feels safe—just like when she is protected by Sam and his father. Now, that memento is no longer with her to confide her secret feelings.
She always confides in the "sad person" and the souvenir that carries the souls of her relatives in her hometown. The flowers reel in the storm, peacefully bringing her a sense of home—not long ago reaching out for dreams and hopes, but now nightmares surround her.
Hanna lowers her head and cries, blaming herself once again for not being able to be completely happy, for being the one who lost her "faith." The flowers speak to themselves, and the tears of shame for the "sad people" tighten into a bitter voice:
- I'm sorry, I'm sorry!
For the first time, her strong friend cries out in grief. Rose Tu Le—the intimate sister—frowns and rubs her eyes, wondering if she's misunderstood. After making sure she isn't dazzled enough to imagine the flowers turning into a storm, the friend smacks her lips, clicks her tongue, exhales, and pulls out the necklace from under the pillow, handing it to Hanna.
Hanna is happy, as if "someone" has just awakened. She hurriedly watches a photo of a short and small boy and a chubby little girl joking happily. Turning to the other side, she sees the two children grown up, their arms around each other's shoulders.
The boy is tall and strong enough to carry her on his back without fear of falling. His shoulders are broad enough for her to lean on whenever she feels sad and cries silently. His arms are sturdy enough to protect her from all dangers. His fiery temper and unyielding will are enough to be her spiritual support. Hanna kisses the pendant gently, tenderly admiring her "faith."
Rose tilts her head, watching her best friend tenderly caress the souvenir, her eyes wet with tears and her smile radiant. The indescribable joy makes Rose feel that Hanna is reuniting with that person in flesh and blood—not just hugging a photo.
Rose raises her lips at this overly dramatic attitude, wrinkles her chin, and blinks at her bestie, as if she wants to say "cheesy like CairoJess" once again. She exhales and speaks aimlessly in a teasing voice:
- Tsk, you've been sleepless again these past few days. Pity you so much, ah. I mix sleeping pills into your drink to help you rest and recuperate, so you can continue being your husband's shadow. I even hide the necklace just to tease you for fun! Who knew you'd be so worried about someone that you'd lose all sense of the souvenir no longer on your neck!
Hanna blushes at the words "shadow beside husband" and distracts her friend by knocking on her head:
- I'm sulking. From now on, best friend takes care of her own body!
Rose stays matter-of-fact, her sleepy eyes blinking as she yawns with her hand covering her mouth:
- You must be sulking! Your face looks more swollen than a chopping board—so annoying! Just be your husband's shadow forever. Why are you still here with this sick, coughing, asthmatic girl!?
Hanna blushes but can't help laughing at the way the girl waves her hands playfully in a "you may withdraw" gesture, just like a few queens in a historical movie. Hanna keeps hitting her friend with a pillow:
- This girl has a habit of doing weird things. I'm going to beat you until you vomit porridge and medicine!
Rose is exhausted but still pretends to beg for help, opening and closing her mouth, then closing it again, then opening it again—without making a sound:
- Is there anyone? Come here quickly! Help me! Someone is abusing the patient!
Hanna bursts out laughing at her best friend's persistent teasing, throws a pillow at her face, and stands up to clear the dishes. She returns to the bed and sees Rose sleeping soundly, the mischievous girl snoring and occasionally snorting like she wants to sneeze. Normally, she's like many people, but whenever she's sick, she reveals her ugly and uncharming side.
Hanna shakes her head, smiles slightly, and covers her bestie with a blanket. She wears the souvenir, gently strokes the pendant, and says to the lad in the photo:
- I miss you.
Hanna closes the lid and tucks it inside her sweater. She takes a book from the bookshelf and places it next to her laptop. She makes a cup of strong tea, stays up late to review for the exam, and takes care of her sick friend until dawn.
Hanna doesn't know when she falls asleep at the study desk. She's startled by noisy laughter coming from outside the room. The dormitory campus resounds with clamor, echoing straight into the apartment. She and Rose wake up at the same time. Rose lets out a long sleepy yawn:
- What's going on? I'm sleeping soundly!