The day went by as usual.
In class that morning, he learned how to make origami flowers out of paper. Although it was difficult at first, he persisted.
At home, he planned to make a few more and make a bouquet. He used a lot of colorful paper.
Since it was late at night and he hadn't finished it, he hid it in his desk drawer so his mother wouldn't see it.
The next day after school, he continued making his origami flowers.
One by one, he glued the beautiful flowers together to form a beautiful bouquet. He was so happy to have finished it.
He looked at it over and over again, imagining the moment he would give it to his mother.
Just as he was about to stand up from his chair, he suddenly felt dizzy. His vision became unfocused, and his body felt weak.
He slowly fell to the floor.
His body felt hot yet cold. He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. He slowly closed his eyes. After a few minutes, he opened them.
His body still felt weak, but at least he was able to move a little. The boy felt a little scared, but he tried to stay calm, thinking it was probably just exhaustion. He decided to go to sleep.
The next morning, the boy woke up. He felt better, heaved a sigh of relief, and got ready to go to school.
In the middle of the lesson, his head felt dizzy again, and his face turned pale.
The teacher, seeing him, approached him.
"Are you sick?" The teacher directly touched the boy's forehead.
"Oh my, you're so hot. Do you want to go home early?" The teacher asked.
The boy shook his head.
"Or should I call your mother first?"
The boy was shocked. If the teacher called his mother, he would interrupt her work. The boy shook his head again.
"N-no need, sir." The boy said.
"Is your mother home?"
"No, sir..."
"Then, let's take you to the infirmary first. You can rest there for a while, okay?"
The boy nodded.
"Okay, let's i take you." The teacher escorted the boy to the infirmary.
"Thank you, sir." The boy said.
"Go to sleep first, I'll wake you later."
Since there was no teacher on duty, the boy lay alone on the mattress in the relatively quiet infirmary. He began to close his eyes.
The school bell had already rung. Just as the teacher opened the door, the boy opened his eyes as well.
"Are you awake? How are you feeling?"
Although he felt better than before, the boy still felt a little weak.
"I'm better, sir." The boy replied.
"Here, drink this first." The teacher handed him a glass of water.
Although the boy tried to appear better, he noticed his face still looked pale.
"Looks like you're still not feeling well enough, huh? Do you want me to take you to the hospital?" The teacher asked worriedly.
The boy was a little surprised. Even though he was still a child, he knew that hospitalization wasn't cheap. He didn't want to bother anyone.
"No need, sir. I'll just go home."
"Is anyone home?"
"My mother will be home soon, so I won't wait alone for too long."
"Is that so?"
Although the teacher was a little hesitant and worried, he couldn't force his proposal on the boy.
"Okay then. I'll take you."
"No need to bother, sir. My house is quite close."
"Even though it's quite close, for a sick person, everything becomes far away." The teacher said, patting the boy's head.
"Okay. Thank you, sir."
Riding the teacher's motorcycle, the boy clung tightly to his jacket. Since it was quite a short distance, they had already reached the boy's house.
After getting the boy off the motorcycle, the teacher looked at the house. It seemed quite deserted.
"Are you sure you don't need me to stay with you until your mother gets home?" The teacher asked worriedly.
"Yes, sir. My mother will be home soon."
Although the teacher was still worried, he couldn't force his will on the boy.
"Then, come in and rest. I'll be leaving."
"Thank you for escorting me, sir." The boy bowed politely.
After seeing him enter the house, the teacher left.
As soon as he entered the house, the boy immediately fell. His body went limp and powerless. He tried to get up, but couldn't.
He tried to control his breathing and calm himself. But slowly, his consciousness began to fade.
He closed his eyes.
When he opened them, he found an unfamiliar ceiling.
His body lay motionless. He slowly glanced left and right.
The unfamiliar scent of the room filled his mind.
An IV line was attached to the back of his right hand. His nose was also plugged with an oxygen tube.
In the all-white room, there was no one there. The boy tried to open his mouth, but he couldn't.
His body felt completely weak, completely devoid of energy.
Tears slowly began to fall from his eyes. He was afraid.
Very afraid.
In his silent cries, only one thought crossed his mind.
"Mom..." He kept calling that name in his heart.
Moments later, someone opened the door and entered the room. The child's eyes lit up.
His previously stiff lips suddenly formed a smile.
With tears still flowing, the child didn't take his eyes off the figure.
His mother.
The face that usually looked cold and indifferent showed a hint of surprise at the sight of the child. Her eyes opened wide, not hatred, not indifference, but only worry.
His mother immediately walked over to him.
Slowly, she knelt beside the hospital bed.
Looking at the small face that looked at her with a smile. His mother began to cry.
The slightly rough but warm hand slowly stroked his head.
Slowly... Very slowly.
The small hand that had been powerless before slowly reached the face in front of him.
With what little strength remained, he wiped away his mother's tears.
With a smile... a very sweet smile on his tear-drenched face.
His mother gently held the hand that touched her.
In the room where only the sounds of hospital equipment could be heard.
A sentence began to be spoken.
"Sorry..." The voice sounded so soft and low.
"Sorry..." Came from the hand gently stroking his head.
"Sorry..." With sobs accompanying it.
Hearing that, he boy tried to maintain his smile, but he couldn't.
In a room that smelled of medicine.
A room where only two people were there.
The room was quite spacious but felt suffocating.
Only crying could be heard there.