Chapter 104: The Patient, Young-Jae

It was dinner time. As Ashma didn't eat properly the whole day and had a light snack in the evening she was feeling hungry. But she was busy with her work. She kept drawing and erasing and colouring and shading and made many dresses. All her mind could think was about colours and designs and patterns. She wanted pin drop silence.

But every half an hour she would hear Young-Jar scream at In-Ho. His gruff and rasping voice would echo all over the house.

"Get out! Take this away from me! I don't want to eat! I don't want soup! Eat it yourself! Take away this bitter medicine!"

It was around 10.30 pm when the dam of her patience broke. It was when she again heard the clashing and smashing of chinawares. It meant it was the second time he threw away his food. He was acting like a stubborn spoilt child.

She had had enough. She pushed her chair behind her and stood up in anger. She closed her eyes and clenched her jaw. She moved towards his room.

The moment she was about to knock on the door, the door flung open and In-Ho ran away from the room. A bowl came flying at Ashma's face. She ducked at the last minute and avoided being hit with the bowl. The next moment Iseul came running out of the room. This time a cup of hot tea came flying at Iseul. Ashma immediately pulled Iseul away and dragged her behind the wall.

Smash! The cup landed on the floor and broke into million pieces. The tea, the soup, the bread, everything was floating in each other on the floor.

"What the hell?" shouted Ashma.

"He has lost his mind," said Iseul, crying.

"Does he have anything else to throw?" asked Ashma.

"No, I don't think so," sniffled Iseul.

Ashma peeped inside, the saucer of the cup came flying at her. She caught it immediately and looked at Iseul.

"You don't think so?" Ashma raised her eyebrows.

"Sorry!" Iseul stuck her tongue out.

Again Ashma peeped inside, nothing came flying this time, only his voice echoed, "get out! Leave me alone."

Ashma opened her bun and tightened it. She cracked her knuckles and neck simultaneously and charged inside.

"Have you lost your mind?" yelled Ashma at Young-Jae.

"Shut up, get out!" shouted Young-Jae.

"You shut up, old man!" screamed Ashma.

"How dare you?" gruffed Young-Jae.

"How dare me? How dare you? You are insulting your people, you are mistreating me, you are insulting food. People are dying of hunger and you are wasting food," yelled Ashma.

"I don't need a lecture from you," scolded Young-Jae.

"I don't care what you need, you will listen to me, eat your damn food and say sorry to In-Ho and Iseul," reprimanded Ashma.

"You dare talk like to me," shouted Young-Jae.

"Shut up! Shut up, old man!" yelled Ashma in all of her anger. "I have been listening to your tantrums for the past, I don't know how many hours. You have wasted your money by spilling food, by breaking chinawares. Try to control your anger else you will get another heart attack. Not that I care but your family is far away, I don't them to regret leaving you behind."

Young-Jae kept staring at her, listening to her every word. Her nostrils were flaring with anger. She was gritting her teeth and squinting her eyes. It looked as if she was ready to throw her hands at him.

"If you want attention just say that, you don't need to act like a jerk. I know that's what you are, but you are a jerk to me, so be a jerk to me not another person. I know you hate me, so hate me, not other people. They have been trying to take care of you since morning and this is what they get. Why? Just because they are your servants? Are servants not people? Don't they deserve respect? Don't they deserve to be treated like human beings?"

Young-Jae lowered his head.

She continued, "You are being an arrogant spoilt brat and you know that. Grow up! Eat your food and rest and let them rest too. Do you have any idea how long they have been standing on their foot just to take care of you? Have you asked whether they ate the whole day or are you so self-centred, so narcissistic, that you only care about yourself?"

"I…" started Young-Jae.

But Ashma stopped him in mid-way. "I don't want your excuse, In-Ho, bring him his soup," ordered Ashma.

In-Ho ran to the Kitchen and brought another bowl of soup. Ashma sat beside him and gestured for him to open his mouth.

Young-Jae said nothing, he was speechless. He could say anything. He just stared at her with widened eyes.

"Open your mouth or I will drop this hot soup on your lap," chided Ashma.

"What?" Young-Jae was shocked.

"Open… your… mouth…" Ashma gritted her teeth.

Young-Jae opened his mouth, automatically. Ashma blew on the hot spoon and dumped the soup in Young-Jae's mouth. Spoon by spoon she kept feeding him the soup. He just kept looking at her and kept drinking the soup.

"Have he eaten anything else?" asked Ashma to In-Ho.

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"No," said In-Ho.

"Get me some food," ordered Ashma.

In-Ho ran to the kitchen and brought the dinner he prepared. The steamy smell of rice filled the air. The aromatic smell of vegetables was making her mouth water.

"I don't want…" said Young-Jae.

"Hmm…" groaned Ashma.

"I can eat on my…" Young-Jae again tried speaking.

"Do you want another scolding?" shouted Ashma.

Young-Jae shook his head in no. Ashma again spoon-fed him. Rice and vegetables and then stock and then rice and vegetables and stock, the cycle continued. Even though Young-Jae was full he had no courage to say no to Ashma. He was scared of her. He didn't want to shout at him again.

In-Ho stood there and looked at the grandaughter and grandfather with a hidden smile. He dare not smile in front of Young-Jae but he knew that only Ashma could control him and he was right. Iseul was standing outside the room looking at all the drama being unfold. She could smile openly. She always saw Young-Jae as the head of the family but right now, he looked like the child of the family. The granddaughter was acting like a parent and the grandfather was acting like a child.

"His medicine?" ordered Ashma. She looked at In-Ho.

He ran to the cabinet and said, "Yes, here it is."

In-Ho brought his medicine box. There were pills after pills inside the box. In-Ho took out the medicine he was supposed to eat. He handed them over to Ashma. Ashma opened the packet of each medicine and fed him with tea.

"Now, sit in thunderbolt pose," ordered Ashma to Young-Jae.

"What is that?" asked Young-Jae.

"It's a yoga pose. You sit like this," said Ashma. She showed him how to sit in the pose. She knelt and sat on the back of her legs to ease the weight off the knees.

"This improves digestion. It ensures better absorption of nutrients by your body. Try it," said Ashma.

"Okay," Young-Jae nodded. In-hO was shocked to see that he said yes just like that, without even protesting. He was listening to Ashma and obeying her. He was following her more than Bong-Cha. It was something new for In-Ho and Iseul.

After a few minutes, they stopped with their yoga. Ashma made him lay on the bed and tucked him in. She started the humidifier and ordered, "go to sleep."

She was about to leave when she halted in her path. She turned and said, "say sorry to them."

"Excuse me!" said Young-Jae.

"They served you all their life, they don't deserve your wrath," pointed out Ashma.

"You are right. I am sorry," said Young-Jae.

"Not to me, them," said Ashma pointing at In-Ho and Iseul.

"In-Ho, Iseul! Get in," commanded Young-Jae. They entered his room. "I am sorry both of you. Please forgive me."

Both of their mouths fell open. They stood astonished inside the room. Ashma smiled as she exited the room.

All three after Young-Jae's apology went to the kitchen to have dinner. Ashma sat with them and had her dinner. They protested but she didn't hear a word. She ate while sitting at their table.

"Thank you for what you did today," said In-Ho.

"Come on, I did nothing," said Ashma gobbling the food fast as she was hungry. Her anger made her hungrier.

"You controlled him," said Iseul and took a bite of rice.

"Yong-Sun told him that he needed to be spoon-fed when he fells ill," remembered Ashma with a smile. She was not sure why she was smiling just after thinking about Yong-Sun.

"He was not wrong," said In-Ho while eating his vegetables.

"So, that's all I did," said Ashma with her mouth full of food.

"No, you calmed him down. When he gets ill he becomes a stubborn child," In-Ho rolled his eyes.

"Some are very cranky patients, he is one of them, you just have to handle them with a firm hand," gulped Ashma.

After her dinner, she went back to Young-Jae's room. He was sleeping peacefully. As his nose was blocked he was snoring loudly. She observed in the darkness that his laptop was lit. It was placed on his study table and a presentation was running over and over again.

She reached for the laptop and looked at the presentation. It was still incomplete. He had to give the presentation day after tomorrow but it was still half-done. She was amazed as being the CEO of a big company he himself was making the presentation, what happened to his managers and interns?

She knew that in his health he would not be able to complete the presentation nor will be able to meet the client and present the presentation. An idea popped into her mind but was not sure whether she should do that.

How will Young-Jae react? Definitely, he will get angry but she had to do that.. That was the only way.

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