The Other Woman (HAESOO)[18+]

Can Someone Mend The Broken?

Desperate to cleanse the alcohol from her system, Jisoo chugged water and pushed herself to work out, hoping to sweat out the remnants. She had already screened her breast milk three times, but each test revealed that there was still alcohol present. The weight of her actions hung heavily in the air, and with each passing moment, her heart ached for Minseok, who was suffering because of her mistakes.

"I don't know what else to do! I just... I don't feel good at all. I feel exhausted and dizzy!" Jisoo exclaimed, gripping the arm of the sofa as if it were her only anchor. Haein regarded her with a mix of concern and disbelief.

"Please, just sit down," he urged, his tone softening. "You're already putting your body under so much stress trying to flush out the alcohol. Just get some rest... maybe that will help." He motioned for her to take a break, aware that pushing herself further would only make things worse.

"I'll keep trying to get him to drink the formula! He's hungry, so he'll have to give in eventually," Haein said, determination lacing his voice. Jisoo nodded faintly and slowly eased herself onto the sofa. As her eyes fluttered closed, she surrendered to sleep almost instantly. In that moment, Minseok's cries faded into the background, overshadowed by her exhaustion.

As she sank deeper into slumber, a strange sensation washed over her—like her heartbeat had stilled and her spirit was rising above her body. It felt as if she had surrendered to her dreams, lost in a realm where no one could reach her. These were perilous sleeps, the kind that could trap a person in a darkness from which they might never emerge.

"Abeoji! Abeoji, I'm facing my greatest fears right now! I... I don't want to confront them! I don't want to... I'm too ashamed... I'm too weak... and I'm so lost without you!" Jisoo cried out in her sleep, her voice trembling with anguish.

"Jisoo??!! Hey... wake up!!!!!!" Haein called out, his voice rising in urgency as he gently tapped her cheeks. Concern washed over him when he realized that even his touch wasn't enough to rouse her from this deep slumber. Panic crept into his chest as he grappled with the unsettling thought that something might be terribly wrong.

"Jisoo??... no... no... no... Jisoo! Come back... hey... come on, please!" Haein urged, his voice laced with worry as he shook her gently by the arms. Relief flooded through him when he saw her eyes flutter open slowly, and he let out a deep sigh, cupping her cheeks with his hands.

"What is going on with you today? I almost lost it again! I... I thought... you... ugh... never mind!" he exclaimed, frustration and concern mingling in his tone. Jisoo frowned slightly, her gaze drifting around the house as she tried to gather her thoughts, the remnants of her troubling dreams still lingering in her mind.

"And Min... Minseok??" Jisoo asked, her voice shaky as she glanced around and noticed the absence of their baby. Haein slowly rose from his seat and took a step back.

"I managed to get him to drink a bottle of formula. He fell asleep right after," he replied, trying to reassure her. Jisoo stood up unsteadily from the sofa and made her way toward the kitchen. Haein watched her closely, noting her determined steps as she reached for the manual pump resting on the countertop.

She attached it to her left breast and began to squeeze the handle, extracting a small amount of milk. As she let three drops fall onto the milk patch screener, a wave of relief washed over her when she saw the screen indicating that her milk was free from alcohol.

"Is it okay now?" Haein asked, his voice filled with a mix of hope and concern. Jisoo turned her gaze toward him and gave a small nod.

"Yes! I'll pump some milk for him now!" she replied, determination in her voice as she hurried to the bedroom to grab her automatic bra-pump, which could extract two bottles of milk at once.