On the path to the hospital, Geo has to go past a commercial district.
From restaurants to hotels to entertainment places, the commercial district encompasses everything three year olds to fifty year olds would go to patronize.
Walking on the road, he spotted his mother's favorite shop that specializes in making savory and uniquely-flavored soup noodles. His mother had only brought him to this place a few times, but he could never forget this place because his mother always had a really happy smile on her face whenever she ate the noodles there. Her smiles carried a trace of reminiscence and nostalgia.
Geo smiled as he thought back to the happy past. Back then, same as now, he had been fatherless and of poor background, but at least he was not bullied. He could smile as he faced each day.
Yet ever since he entered high school, his life took a turn for the worse.
Even the slightest smile had to be forced out.
Geo smiled bitterly.
Shaking his head, Geo calculated the money he had on himself and decisively walked into the noodle shop.
Coming out, Geo had an extra plastic bag in his hand.
With a contented smile and a spring in his steps, Geo again headed towards the hospital.
"Hm~ Hm~" Geo hummed.
The lively people and colorful lights around him brightened up his mood under the evening sky.
The rustling of the plastic bag was like a melody to his ears. Thinking about how surprised and happy his mother will be seeing what he brought her made Geo happy.
"Oh, look who it is~ Isn't this our Geo?"
That unpleasant, familiar voice sounded in Geo's ears causing him to pause and look towards the source of the sound.
A trace of disgust and hate flashed across his eyes. His midnight blues deepened with his intense emotions.
It was Manl and his cohort. Their tough faces were full of evil smiles and wicked laughters.
Manl extinguished the cigarette he was holding on the metal bicycle parking rack, and then he walked forward with a smirk.
Reaching Geo's side, Manl patted Geo on the shoulder in a familiar manner and led Geo to walk towards his group of bad friends.
Geo kept silent as he played along with them, planning to see what they are going to do.
One of Manl's friends snatched the plastic bag from Geo's hand. Geo glared at him. The person who snatched the bag smiled, not taking Geo seriously, and said in a teasing voice, "Look here, our pauper Geo can actually afford to buy this bowl of soup noodles from the famous [Golden Broth]. Wow! Did he get rich or what?"
They snickered.
"He must have gotten some pocket money from his young master Ian."
"What a licking dog."
"Hey, I can understand him. Who wouldn't want money falling from the sky? Am I right?"
"Hahaha!"
Geo watched all this calmly.
Tch. Manl tsked and frowned when he saw how unaffected Geo was by their words.
Suddenly, he thought of an idea. He gestured at his friends inconspicuously and they nodded and smiled with understanding after they received his instructions.
One of them stepped out first. It was the boxing delinquent, Henry, one of the unfortunate ones whose arms and legs were broken by Ian. He had his casts recently removed and now he was full of energy to make trouble.
"Geo. I heard that your mother is hospitalized."
Geo sharply turned his head in Henry's direction. His fists clenched.
'Why can't they ever leave me alone? Why do they have to target and bring out my mother?'
Seeing how stirred up Geo is, Manl finally smiled, satisfied. He nodded to his cohort to continue.
They knew that Geo's mother was his weakness.
"I heard hospital foods are real appetizing. We wish your mother a long stay, that way, she'll have her fill rather than eating steamed buns everyday because you're penniless."
"Exactly! They have two dishes, rice, and soup for every meal. What a luxury it is for people like you!"
"They even provide clothes and wash your clothes for you, saving you money. Actually, do you still wash your clothes with your hands? I guess even the simplest washing machine is out of your reach."
"Poor guy. His mother must be so upset to have given birth to such a useless thing like you."
Words of insidious ridicule poured out of their mouth like a never ending flood, destroying everything and leaving ruins in its wake.
Geo wanted to laugh, not out of joy.
That laugh bubbled up and curved his lips into a sneer.
"You're all pathetic." Geo said in a calm voice.
Silence fell.
"...What…" Manl narrowed his eyes. "...did you say?"
"I said you're all pathetic." Geo repeated word for word without a trace of fear.
"How dare you?!" Manl roared as he habitually swung his fist at Geo.
Geo stared, unflinching at the incoming blow.
Remember what you promised me…or else, I'll help you keep your promise.
Inexplicable words he had no impression of and spoken by a voice so gentle, so familiar that he would recognize it even if he turned into ashes woke Manl up from his rage.
Manl paused. His body suddenly uncontrollably trembled. If he was holding something, he would have dropped it.
It was the voice of that purple-haired nightmare.
Manl looked at Geo and back at himself.
Finally, he cursed and spat on the ground in frustration and annoyance.
He waved his hand at his boys and left without a word after a death glare at Geo.
In the end, he didn't dare to break his promise to Ian. The consequences of his parents were the best warning.
Geo had seen the fear in Manl's eyes when the latter halted his actions. And he knew with full certainty that that fear was not created by him or in any way related to him. What does he have for Manl to fear him?
In that case, it must be the influence of Ian.
Once again Ian had saved him.
And once again, Geo felt his own powerlessness deeply.
If only there is an opportunity, a chance for him to turn over. He would grab it no matter what it takes.
His dimmed midnight blue eyes burst out with lights of determination.
With steady and firm steps, Geo continued on his way to the hospital.
***
Hospital A is one of the best hospitals in the city. Numerous patients come in and out of here on the regular.
The patients gathered here come from all sorts of family backgrounds from the richest to the poorest seeing medical treatment.
Likewise, they are separated according to their financial capability.
Geo's mother is currently being hospitalized in one of the low-end wings of the ward department.
With familiarity, Geo stepped into the hospital and walked towards his mother's ward.
!!
"I'm sorry." Geo immediately apologized sincerely after bumping shoulders with someone.
"..."
"Sir?" Geo looked at the silent man curiously.
The mysterious man who stood staring at Geo snapped out of his daze at his call.
"It's no problem." The middle-aged man said and smiled in a friendly way at Geo. He turned and walked away, seemingly as if he had put the incident behind him.
Seeing that there was no problem, Geo shrugged and continued on his way as well.
Not long after Geo's back became distant, not knowing when, the middle-aged man Geo had bumped into had stopped and turned around and stared with a weird look in his eyes at Geo.
"Familiar, so familiar. I've never seen him before but he feels strangely familiar to me…" The man fell into deep thought.
He stood in place for quite a white before his eyes widened and he hurriedly took out the woman's pendant he always carried with him.
The round locket was made of pure silver. The tiny chains running around it were crafted from the same material.
Flipping to the backside, one would see a running cursive script: For my beloved wife.
Snap. With a flick of the thumb, the pendant that is a locket opened to reveal a slightly faded, but well taken care of, photograph.
In the photograph, smiling warmly at each other was a family of three. The father and mother looked lovingly at each other, both feeling happy and grateful for the new life in the mother's arms. The newborn giggled, as though he could feel the love his family has for him.
It was a warm scene.
Sadly, that scene inevitably remained only in a photograph.
The middle-aged man, who looked like the exact replica of the man in the photograph except more mature in appearance, stared with heated eyes at the lovely woman within the photograph. He compared the two's appearance: Geo and the woman.
He found them surprisingly similar in appearance. Then he turned to observe the man's appearance and compared them. He once again found similarities in their appearances.
"Ha…" The man laughed, a little disbelieving. His heart pounded, in unknown excitement or fear.
He was excited that he might have found his lost son.
He was scared that he might be mistaken.
His face became ugly thinking that it might only be his delusion from excessive longing.
Click. Closing up the locket and putting it back carefully into his pocket, the man stared in the direction of Geo's departure.
"...Whether it's my delusion or not, I'll have to test it to find out."
The man took out his cell phone and called someone.
Di. The call was immediately picked up by the opposite side.
"Yes, boss?"
"Have someone come to Hospital A. I have something I want them to do."
"Yes, boss. I'll arrange for someone right now."
"Good."
The call hung up.
Giving one last look in a certain direction, the man reluctantly walked away from the area. His dark aqua hair swayed gently but firmly with every step.
Wife, son, I will find you. Even if I have to turn the world upside down to do so.
The empty hall echoed loudly with his footsteps, as loud as his inner conviction.
In another part of the hospital, someone was holding a locket much similar in style and content to the one the middle-aged man possesses.