Broken Growing And Not Dead 2
8. A Heart that Cannot Accept

“Pannnng!!!” The steel pot hit Chanyoel's head. “Aaakh .. the man tried to get up while holding his head that was ringing. Chanyoel shook his head trying to be conscious. But his gaze was slowly blurry. The world seems to spin to make his body staggered and “Bruk ..." Chanyoel fell unconscious.

“Haaapph!” Hana covered her own mouth with widened eyes. He was surprised after clearly seeing the man who was wrestling with Baek Hyun.

“Chanyoel?! Isn't he Chanyoel!!” Hana called that name in disbelief. The steel pot was instantly released from his hand. Baek Hyun could only look at her in wonder, smell and amazement. She had tried to signal Hana, but the pregnant woman was overcome with emotion by seeing her husband helpless under someone's tantrums.

"How is this?” He asked while squatting to check on Chanyoel. "What if he has a concussion or lost his memory. I ... I really hit him as hard as I could,” he panicked.

“I can see it,” Baek Hyun replied in amazement as he got up to Chanyoel.

“You were also hurt by him. Why did he hit you so long,”, Hana said, observing Baek Hyun's wounds.

“This is nothing compared to the wound he got because of that steel pot. We better take him inside first,” said Baek Hyun as he pulled the hands of his best friend and carried the body on his back.

“Please wait here. I'll go to the doctor to check on him.”

“Let me just! What if he's conscious? It would be a problem too if someone else saw your wound.”

Baek Hyun was silent for a moment. Hana has a point. Residents will ask why his face hurt like that. It could be that this is a problem for him.

“Alright .. be careful,” said Baek Hyun.

***

“I've put medicine on his head. The swelling will soon disappear,” the healer told Hana. 

“Thank you” said Hana.

The middle-aged woman looked at Hana with an unusual look. It was as if there was something inside the woman who was pregnant. Hana felt that it was not a gaze as a pressure for her actions. There is another meaning to that look. Hana was observing herself.  He did not find anything strange

"What's wrong? Is there something wrong with me?" Ask curiously.

The middle-aged woman looked into Hana's eyes, turned to her stomach, then looked back into Hana's eyes again.

"You should take good care of your body. Your son will bring something big to this hamlet."

"really?" Hana's eyes widened in astonishment. He massaged his own chest to calm his feelings that began to be unreasonable. It was the confident gaze of the middle-aged woman that suppressed her feelings.

The woman just nodded. “Not this man one of the people who came from that city ?" Ask to divert the conversation.

"Yes" replied Hana bowed. "I thought he was a thief, so I didn't realize I was hitting him. I became terrified myself after seeing him pass out. Please don't let anyone else know this.  I really accidentally hit him. It was ... it was because he looked foreign and his behavior was suspicious. So ... so I spontaneously did that.”

“Then where is your husband?  I haven't seen him since?”

"He hasn't come home yet."

“Oh ..” The physician nodded. If he is conscious, remind him to apply his wound before going to bed. It'll be fine the next day."

“All right, I'll tell you."

"Have you checked your uterus to the doctor?"

Hana nodded while stroking her stomach. "Next month I'll check it back there."

"May you and your baby always be healthy, and remember my message. You have to take good care of her." said the healer as she stroked Hana's hand. “If there is anything, you can also come to me at any time. At the very least, maybe I can give you first aid."

"Eum, I'll come to you if I'm uncomfortable."

"Well Hana, I have to come back soon."

"Ah .. This is for the cure," Hana gave some money.

"Why did you do that. The money in my house isn't even enough to pay you as a teacher for my children. Just save it for your labor preparation later."

Hana nodded. The woman also woke up to take the healer to the yard of his house.

*

Upon returning to the room, Chanyoel was already sitting in his place. Actually, he was conscious. He just refused to open his eyes.

Hana who saw him rushed up to him then knelt before the man.

"I'm sorry .. If you're angry you can give it back to me" Hana said, lowering her head as if surrendering to the man's beating.

Chanyoel snorted while throwing his face away, unwilling to look at Hana who was kneeling beside him. His head is numb now. He didn't feel any pain. Maybe now his head has swelled as big as a basketball. His skull must have been cracked, or maybe his nerves were damaged so he couldn't feel anything right now. He wanted to touch his head. But Hana's presence kept her from doing that.

"Hana, stand up ..." Baek Hyun suddenly walked in and brought the woman up.

Hana looked at Baek Hyun's face. Then with trembling hands Hana took the medicine in Baek Hyun's grasp. He pulled the man to sit on the floor and smeared the medicine on the injured part.

"I thought you'd laugh at me."

"How could I laugh seeing you hurt like this" Hana said with tears in her eyes.

Baek Hyun wiped it with the tip of his thumb. "I'm okay compared to Chanyoel you fainted with.

Chanyoel snorted again while smiling wryly. Baek Hyun turned his gaze to Chanyoel and looked at his best friend. "You okay?"

"I don't feel anything now! Do you think I'm okay!?"

"Good, that means the medicine has reacted well."

Again Chanyoel snorted in annoyance. His hand reflexively touching his head confirmed Baek Hyun's words earlier. Justright. His head is fine. Not that he was numb, but his head was really fine to the point of not feeling any pain at all. Even if it was numb, he would not feel the touch of his own hand right now. The cure is really effective.

Chanyoel who was still angry rushed up. Hana and Baek Hyun he just passed by.

"Tu .. wait a minute. It's your medicine, you have to put it on again before you go to bed.

Chanyoel doesn't care about Hana. The tall man just kept walking with a feeling of anger, and disappointment. Hana was reluctant to pursue because she felt guilty about her own actions.

"It's okay" Baek Hyun tried to calm Hana's feelings.

"Are we going to be okay, too. What if he tells the others where we are?"

“It won't happen. But perhaps he would not hold back from not telling Suho and the others."

“What if it happens?”

“I don't know what their reaction will be like. If they come here, then we welcome them. If they just know enough and don't care, that's not a problem either.”

“If they know, and don't care, is that really not a problem for you? You gonna be okay? I don't think so!” Hana answered her own question.

“Will my heart be fine or not. The truth is I can't do anything either, can I? We just need to get through the destiny we chose.”

Hana can't say anything anymore. She could feel what her husband was feeling. He can do nothing to prevent his feelings from getting hurt. For now and in the future. Hana could only try to reduce the pain.

“What are you thinking? I'm doing fine. You can't be stressed or have a lot of thoughts. Remember our baby. You have to take good care of him, don't you. I heard what the healer said about our baby.”

“You heard it too?”

“Iya, he said our baby will change something big for this Hamlet.”

***

That twilight Baek Hyun trained the hamlets in a place not so far from his home. Hana also came there while carrying fried cassava snacks that she made herself at her home. Seeing the presence of the woman, Baek Hyun immediately rested them, and the children ran to greet Hana's presence.

“No .. no,”Hana raised the snack container as high as possible. “You should wash your hands first” he said with a smile.

“Good aunt,” answered the children while running to the river not far from there.

“Hei .. please fill this bucket to wash your hands later!” Shouts again.

One of the children took back the empty bucket that Hana had brought. Then he ran after his friends. Hana put the container in the field overgrown with grass. While crouching, her hair bun came back loose.

“Yaiiish ..” umpatnya while supporting her hair again. But again his bun slipped back after he removed his hand from there. The woman looked ugly. Baek Hyun smiled, then pulled and broke the vines that were around the place. He approached Hana who was still trying to shake her hair and wrapped the vines earlier in Hana's hair bun. Hana lowers her hand and lets Baek Hyun finish his work with her hair. 

“Already,” said Baek Hyun while staring at the results of his work and staring at Hana. The woman looked beautiful with a tie of vines with small leaves that Baek Hyun accidentally did not remove from the stalk.

“Auntie is very beautiful,” said the children earlier while staring at Hana.

"Really?” hana said with a big smile.

“Beauty uncle, and beautiful aunt,” said the other one.

“It was enough with his compliments. Now is the time to eat,” said Baek Hyun while embracing the children earlier. They sat around the container. One by one the children took the hot fried cassava and enjoyed it with joy. While eating, the children were constantly joking, making Baek Hyun and Hana who sat side by side not stop laughing.

They seem so happy.

Chanyoel's tears flowed back while looking at the camera screen that recorded real activity in front of him. Despite many years together, he almost never saw Baek Hyun laugh after and be so happy. Maybe that's what makes the man reluctant to tell their whereabouts. Maybe Baek Hyun was deliberately trying to get away from them and did not want them to frown back on the happiness he had so hard to get here. He has found his own happiness. And the place was not with them, but with Hana and the children of the Hamlet.

Jealousy infiltrated Chanyoel's heart. Years of living under the same roof and space. He realized, during that time they did not really have a deep bond as a friend as he felt. Baek Hyun prefers to enjoy his happiness with Hana and the Hamlet children, then easily forget those who are struggling to rise from the sadness of loss.

Winning, if remembered again, what Baek Hyun experienced was very heavy. Very heavy. Maybe he himself will not be able to bear it. If you think about it, Baek Hyun is happy like that. But Chanyoel's conscience still could not accept Baek Hyun's decision not to tell his own friends.