Chapter 168 - 27 YEARS AGO - Inside the House

"He... Hello!" Nam Joo looked around, noticing the environment, which somewhat matched her expectations, but seemed abandoned and dusty. Her gaze fixed on the woman, also pregnant, in front of her.

In addition to her exotic appearance, the first thing Nam Joo could see in the pale eyes was apprehension and fear. The house owner seemed haggard and starving, though.

"Sorry, but are you... okay?"

"Yes," that was the plain answer.

Myung Hee, by her side, saw in contrast of herself all the stamina and vital energy of the human woman, her broad and sincere smile, full of hope and will for living. The visitor exuded charisma.

"Can I... help you?"

"Oh, sorry, what a rude person I am. I'm really sorry to knock on your door like that, and keep straight gazing at you even more… It's that you... You're so beautiful!"

This drew a sad smile from Myung Hee, who did not feel beautiful anymore, especially in front of this woman with such exuberant energy. The fairy sat down, motioning for the visitor to do the same. She really did not feel well today, from all days.

"Your eyes must be deceiving you, ma'am. I'm not pretty. I do not even look pretty at all."

Nam Joo shook her head in disagreement, but didn't insist on this matter. She introduced herself, grinning:

"What a coincidence, don't you think?! We are both expecting babies. I'm Park Nam Joo. I live down there in the town."

"Coincidences are part of the magic of life," said the fairy with a faint smile. The visitor was pleasant. But she still didn't understand what "coincidences" that led this Mrs. Park Nam Joo to her door were.

"I am Myung Hee. How many months?"

"Oh, my Gosh, eight months. It seems an eternity! Doesn't it?" the visitor laughed.

"Yes, it seems, indeed." Myung Hee smiled again, but for different reasons she thought it seemed like an eternity. "A novelty like the visit of a neighbor is always refreshing. What can I do for you, Mrs. Park?" Myung Hee tried to hide the discomfort that was beginning to take over her body; a constant pain that moments before was diffuse, began to become pungent.

"Ah yes! I'm even a little ashamed to speak, but, before doing that! Forgive me, but you look pale, are you all right? Do not tell me you spend your time alone here in this state? How long have you been waiting now?"

"Still seven months, I believe."

Nam Joo tried in turn, tried to conceal the feeling of pity for this poor beautiful woman in this strange situation. 'What is happening?' She seemed to need help, but she also did not seem like telling a stranger anything about what was happening.

"I came for the pomegranates. I mean…" Nam Joo laughed at herself. "I came because I cannot sleep or do anything except crave for pomegranates. They say these cravings are things that happens only in the beginning of pregnancy, but you know ... I feel that way for many months from the beginning on. It's not about persimmons, it's not blackberries, I want pomegranates. What can I do? It's the little girl here, that sweet tooth punk, who wants lots of pomegranates!" the human woman caressed her belly tenderly.

"So you know it's a girl?"

"Yes! And yours? I could not guess, your belly is small."

The question asked so naturally shocked Myung Hee. She only vaguely thought "the baby," until then. As if to prove her existence within her, a sharp pain was felt in her w.o.m.b. Myung Hee took a deep breath through her teeth, resting her hand on her belly, concentrating on being inside her.

This little communion woke up things dormant deep within, numbed by Myung Hee's sorrow and fear. Her eyes filled with tears suddenly:

"It's a girl. A little girl!"

"Aigoo, good! I hope our daughters can be friends!" a little embarrassed, but sincerely moved, Nam Joo watched the strange woman's reactions carefully. She seemed very sensitive at the moment, so the visitor decided to talk only about good things, like she used to do anyway.

"Just picture this: the two of them going to school together! It's so good to have a friend of the same age! Well, at least once a day, I wonder what my daughter's life will be like! I keep myself hoping that everything will work out well for her! Anyway, me and my Jeong Geun, we are poor. He works in Central Auto Repair, you know where it is? Anyway, I'm grateful to have a husband like him, though. He compensates in other ways, being a good man. But even being poor, he managed to save something before we marry, so we have a house that is really ours, with a backyard! you know? I want to put a swing porch out there, so we can see the stars together in the summer, see my baby grow up from there, she her to play around the backyard... Sometimes I rest my head and dream about her... I mean, I hope she's as beautiful as she is in my dreams," this time Nam Joo's eyes also got teary, just by remembering her daydreams. "I dream of this little girl with a wide grin, bright eyes... In my dream she is full of energy, and a little funny too…"

The voice of the human woman speaking off her dreams, plans and hopes, got to have its own pleasant cadence that calmed down Myung Hee and even made her forget the uncomfortable pain. But the visitor could not stop talking:

"But the girls grow up fast, do not they? We know that life is not a sea of ​​roses…"

"Yes, indeed."

"But what can I wish for my daughter besides the best? May she be beautiful, and intelligent, and capable, and find someone who loves her and who has success and money. All this is what a mother wants, I am no exception. What I most want is for her to have a great destiny, aigoo!"

"A great destiny has big responsibilities, maybe too big for a little girl."

The somewhat pessimistic comment from her host made Nam Joo pause for a moment.

"Yeah, you're right. One cannot have everything. But a mother can dream, right?"

"Yes, a mother may wish everything for her daughter. If the right star listens, a mother's wishes can come true," then Myung Hee added, not to reveal herself or to sound crazy: "That's what I heard when I was little."

"Hehe, yes! I also heard things like that. Make a wish for a star," despite her smile, Nam Joo was bewildered by the surrounding scenario. It did not seem right. Things seemed to tell a sad story, the scattered photos of the man, the amount of lit candles, and the dusty table set for two... She also noticed that the mistress of the house barely seemed to listen to her. She hardly seemed to have the strength to do anything for someone or for herself, for what matter.

The kettle's whistle made itself heard, interrupting the conversation.

The annoying noise hissed for a few seconds. Without no mention from the house's owner to do anything about it,  Nam Joo got chafed. When she was about to get up on her own and take care of the situation, Myung Hee looked up and said:

"Can you please, help me? ...The water in the kettle…"

"I can do this, of course! You look like you don't eat or drink for a while, unnie. Let me take care of you. That's what are the neighbors for, right? Isn't it good that a friend is here?"

Despite feeling nosy to be acting like this in less than 10 minutes of making acquaintance with Mrs. Myung Hee, Nam Joo rather wished to believe that in an emergency case, when these little things like etiquette rules should be ignored. She was really sure that this wan woman, Myung Hee, could faint from starvation at any moment.

Nam Joo went into the kitchen, took the kettle off the stove, and searched for tea in the cupboards. She was horrified to see that the pantry was almost empty except for a few items. She found a handful of rice and some canned sardines, and little more than that. She could only make one cup of tea with the rest of the tea can.

'What's going on here?!' she questioned herself in agony. 'Why so many candles? Why these closed curtains? All this neglect in and out the house? And why does this beautiful poor woman live like this?'

Nam Joo handed the cup to Myung Hee, who did not seem to care much about etiquette, and simply sipped the liquid as it was given to her. Her face seemed a little upset. The visitor took courage to mention her doubts aloud, completely taken by concern and curiosity.

"I'm sorry, but did your husband leave you, unnie? Did he die, by any chance?"

Nam Joo said that in a hurry, and stood up, ready to be scolded by her impertinent questioning, and to fight for her truth. She just knew she had to know, she had to be sure why this woman was living in that abandoned, lonely and depressing way.

A tear trickling down the livid face of the strange woman was what Nam Joo got as reply.

"Oh! My God, my God, I didn't want to hurt you, unnie!" Nam Joo came closer, touched. Now, at least partially, she understood the scenario she had stumbled upon with. Coincidence or fate, she simply couldn't allow this pregnant woman to remain there, in that state, on the brink of death! 'No, it would be at least irresponsible.' The details of how it was going to work out, she was going to figure out later, but definitely, she was taking this lady Myung Hee out of that unhealthy environment. She hugged the frail woman, trying to calm her down.

"Unnie, please don't cry, okay? Don't cry, for your baby! It's not good for your baby! Don't cry unnie! Your baby needs smiles, and love, all right? Gather some strength, unnie. Your baby needs you to recover."

The pretty woman with light eyes felt welcomed and bewildered at the same time with this noisy human who had crossed the garden of death to speak those gentle words to her and bring this much energy and hope with her arrival 'I wished this had happened earlier, when I had the strength.' But now Myung Hee was aware that her mistake could be repaired, if only partially.

"Help me, I want my baby to live!"

"Oh, yes, unnie, let's do it; you have to come with me."

"I can't, but…"

"How come, you cannot ?? There is nothing preventing you to, Unnie!" the human woman stared wide-eyed at the fairy, realizing that it was a request with more nuances and implications than she could grasp at first. Only one of them was obvious at this moment, when she noticed her host's dress smeared with liquid on the bottom part:

"Are you... having your baby right now?"

Myung Hee just nodded, with a frightened face.