No one was certain if calling Ki-Junâs surgery a success was right, as he was yet to regain consciousness hours after his surgery was concluded.
Although the doctors had said the surgery was successful, there was yet to be some response from him, thus bringing everyoneâs fear of him slipping into a coma a reality.
âHe should be awake by now. So, whatâs happening?â Sena worriedly demanded for the upteenth time. Itâs been ten hours since he was wheeled out of the operating room, and it was way past the estimated time for him to regain consciousness.
âWhy isnât he waking up!â She impatiently demanded, finally being unable to keep still anymore. She anxiously stared at the doctors who were examining him and her gaze became pressing when she saw the wary look registered on their faces.
She felt an ominous feeling about it, and her worries werenât unfounded as the doctors declared Ki-Jun might have slipped into a coma.
An eery silence coursed through the room as everyone tried to assimilate what the doctor had just said.
Senaâs gaze bored at the face of the lead doctor, who surprisingly wasnât Doctor Tan. âIâm sorry, Mrs.Kim, but the chairman seems to have slipped into a coma. This isnât far above our expectation, as we aforementioned the risk of him slipping into a coma, but despite our effort, we couldnât sav-â
.....
âWhat are you saying?â Mi-Cha sharply interjected. The doctor glanced at her, and ruly repeated his words.
âThat the Chairman might not be waking up immediately.â He told her, and another round of silence reigned in the room as everyone seemed dumbfounded by the news.
Mi-Cha stilled as she incredulously stared at him, while Sena violently shook her head in denial. âThis canât be! Thatâs not true!â She declared. She refuse to accept such news, neither would she believe it.
She marched towards the doctor and firmly gripped him by the coat, taking the doctor and everyone else by surprise. âYouâre lying to me, arenât you?â She demanded, while the doctor helplessly looked at her. These were the moments that made his profession extremely hard.
âIâm sorry,â He remorsefully apologized, and the other doctors behind also tendered their apologies.
Her eyes darted across them with incredulity.
âSorry? But you said heâll be fine. You said-â
âIâm sorry, we tried our best.â The doctor once again apologized, but Sena went hysterical as she hit him on the chest repeatedly.
âMom,â Mi-Cha tearfully called as she pulled her mother away from the doctor and held her to herself.
âMi-Cha, your father-â She cried.
âItâs okay, heâll be fine.â She confidently told her even though she lacked the conviction herself. Her mind was almost blank and she didnât know what to say or do, except to hold her mother.
âSo whatâs going to happen to him now?â Dan-Han, who had been awfully quiet asked.
âWeâll have to wait. Thereâs neurological activity in his brain. So thereâs a chance he might wake up.â
âMight?â Eun-sun asked with a frown. She didnât like the uncertainty. She had been keeping quiet for too long and she couldnât do it anymore.
The doctor glanced at her and nodded. âWeâre still not certain about the degree of his situation, and only time can tell.â
âHow much time are we talking about? Two days? One week?â Eun-sun asked. She didnât think time was something they had. Even if they did, she didnât think it should be wasted on matters like this. Sheâd prefer if she had it to leisurely spend with the family she had just been given, and not use it to anxiously wait in peril.
All eyes darted to the doctor as they awaited his response. âWe canât be certain in situations like this. All we can do is wait.â The doctor replied, and Eun-sunâs heart sank into her stomach.
âIsnât there a way to actually wake him? Like some machine. Something to atleast tell us that heâd indeed wake up? Perhaps elicit a response?â Dan-Han thoughtfully asked, and all eyes shifted to him, before darting towards the doctor who seemed to be in thought.
âThere is indeed a way to tell us that.â The doctor replied.
âReally?â Eun-sun asked with surprise as she subconsciously took a step forward. Mi-Cha also loosened her grip on her mother when Sena looked at him with surprise and relief.
âBut Iâm not certain it might work. The BIS is mostly used to measure a patientâs response to sedation, and their level of consciousness. And if we indeed try it, it might have some effect on him. Forcefully waking him might not be good for him.â
Eun-sunâs brows furrowed. âHow so?â She asked.
âForcefully waking up a comatose patient might have a backlash effect on their health and recovery, especially if theyâve slipped into a healing coma. But the BIS is mostly used for cases where the coma is as a result of the anesthesia used during surgery. Which isnât so in this case.â The doctor explained.
âBut will it atleast tell us if heâs going to regain consciousness if he isnât in too much of a critical case?â Dan-Han inquired.
âI believe so.â The doctor replied.
âThen letâs do it.â He said.
âDan-Han!â Eun-sun sharply called with anger flaring in her eyes. Didnât he hear the part where the man had said, there were risk involved. Why was he so keen on taking too much risk with everything, including her father?
Understanding her tone and the look he was receiving, Dan-Han sighed. âIt would be better we know just how serious the situation is right this moment. That way we can get better help. I donât advice we delay at this point. If he wakes up even if itâs just for a second, then thatâs good. If he doesnât, then we decide what to do from there.â He told them.
Eun-sun still wasnât pleased with this idea. She wasnât sold to it at all. Dan-Han had a knack for doing dangerous things with no care of the consequences whatsoever. She had been blindly trust in him, believing him to do what was right for them and their families, but he was getting out of hand.
âI say no!â She vehemently told him, and Dan-Han silently looked at her.
âBabe-â
âNo!â She declared. She wasnât going to do anything risky anymore. He promised her everything would be just fine, but look at where his promise had brought them.
Dan-Han sighed as she kept staring at him in a challenging manner. Observing the tension in the room, the doctors excused them so they could make up their minds on what to do.
He looked to Mi-Cha and Sena who were staring at them, most especially Sena who seemed surprised by Eun-sunâs sudden involvement in deciding what should happen to her husband.
She dismissed as a show of concern and worry, and she felt grateful that Eun-sun was being concerned for them.
âItâs okay, my dear, you donât have to fight with him because of this.â She said between sniffs, while Eun-sun tried not to look at her. She could barely hold herself from wanting to hold her and cry with her.
Mi-Cha looked at Dan-Han with a deep frown. âIâm with her on this. This isnât a good idea to me either. The doctor just said it could be dangerous and can impede on his health.â
âBut it can atleast tell us what to expect and what to do.â Dan-Han argued.
âLee Dan-Han, let the doctors do more test.â Eun-sun drawled. She wasnât going to support him on this.
âAunty, what do you say?â Dan-Han turned and asked Sena who was yet to say something about it. âYou heard the doctor. It could be of help, and it could also harm him. But weâll know exactly what to expect, and know how to tackle it before if gets too late. We can call for more professional help if he needs it.â Dan-Han said as all eyes turned towards Sena, as she had the final say.
Eun-sun anxiously looked at her.
âWhat do you say, mum?â Mi-Cha asked, while the woman hesitated as she pondered on it.
Sena glanced at her husband for a while. âKi-Jun would want to do everything for me if I was in his place right now.â She said.
She sighed and peered at Mi-Cha and then at Dan-Han and Eun-sun. âMaybe we should try it. If God is on our side, then heâll wake up. But if not, then we can do our best to bring the best help for him so they can bring him back to us.â She said, agreeing with Dan-Hanâs idea.
But the moment she did, Eun-sun frowned. She stared at Sena before storming out of the room and Dan-Han followed.
âBabe,â He called after her, as he tried to reach for her arm, but Eun-sun turned around and he met her livid eyes.
âDan-Han, Iâll ask you one last time. Is there something going on that youâre not telling me?â She questioned.
âSomething like what?â Dan-Han innocently asked.
âLike all this is a joke! That you have a hand in my father being like that?! That this coma and this waking him up is all part of the plot in your head you always seem to drum your fingers over! Tell me this is a part of your plan!â She angrily demanded.
âEun-sun-â
âDan-Han, I just got him back. I just got my mother and father back after twenty-five years, I donât want to lose them. Donât make me lose them! Because if I really lose him, Iâll never forgive you, you hear me? Never!â She drawled as angrily held his gaze. Her fiery eyed telling him she meant everything she had just said, and Dan-Han knew she wasnât joking.
He cautiously tried to reach for her when a Senaâs voice came from behind him, âWhatâs going on here?â She softly asked.