Danger Zone

It has been days since Daime wakes up from the hospital and now is the day he will go home with Primo's aunt. He has been wondering as to why Primo never said that he has a living aunt. 

It turns out that she is the only family that exist in their family. After her husband died, she never re-married anyone that offers her the world. Since her world has already been broken down to pieces. 

He looks at her while talking about her dead husband as if he is just a passerby in a busy street in Vladivostok. The place is in the far eastern border of Russia where the other ethnic Koreans reside.

She talks about him while peeling some oranges that she bought from the nearby store. She also wants to buy a lot of other fruits but she is a little short of money so she ends up just buying three pieces of apples and two small oranges.

"One more paper work and we can finally go home."

Daime nods at her, unable to let his mouth runs through or he will get busted by the old lady. It has been days that his conscience is eating him. It has been days since he lied about his true identity and chooses to pretend as Primo for the old lady.

It has been days that he is studying the language that they are speaking. It turns out that the people who uses the language are called Koryo saram. Most of the new generation just calls the language that they are using is Korsian. 

A language that combines both the Korean language and the Russian language. He even asks the old lady about the history of the language, making sure that he takes note of everything that revolves around the language.

After the old lady signs the last paper work, one of the doctors asks the both of them to enter his office. The doctor did not state what the problem is but Daime can feel that it is something serious.

He is also sure that it is something about him. He just can't pin point what. 

They enter the doctor's office with worried plaster on their faces. The doctor tries to reassure them that everything will be okay but there is something the old lady needs to know about her "grandson".

[Is there something wrong, Doctor?]

The doctor looks at Daime seriously before removing his gaze away from him and stares at the old lady.

[Madam, I want you to understand that these are just the initial procedure and we need more confirmation about his condition but the doctors in this hospital thinks that your grandson has some kind of autoimmune disease.]

The old lady looks at the doctor curiously. She can't understand what is an autoimmune disease is but she knows that it is something serious. 

She looks at Daime and holds his hand, caressing them slowly. Making sure that he is okay and everything will be alright for the both of them.

[There must've been a big mistake, Doctor. Aster is in a really good condition.]

The doctor fails to notice that Daime pulls his broken phone out and immediately goes to a translating app that he downloaded before flying to Russia.

He presses listens as the application translates what the doctor has been saying in Dutch.

[We are still not sure about what kind of an autoimmune disease that your grandson has but we are trying our best to find out what it is.]

The old lady can only sigh at what the doctor just said. While Daime's mind goes blank upon seeing the words "autoimmune disease".

I have what now? An autoimmune disease?

He tries to think if one of his family has an autoimmune disease but nothing comes up to his mind. He takes note of this autoimmune disease and will make sure that he will search about this even more.

Because there is no way I have such a disease.

They thank the doctor for the information that he shared and goes on their way. The old lady tells Daime to wait outside while she goes back to the doctor and asks for something else other than his condition. 

Thirty seconds has only just passed and Daime got curious of what the old lady asks and goes back to the doctor's office. He leans forward and listens carefully. 

But since he can't understand anything from the language they are speaking, he slips his phone underneath the door and waits for the translation to finish. 

After that, he takes the phone from the ground and reads the translated words. 

It has been years since the first time you walked into my office, Mrs. Novinchi. Have you been drinking your medicine regularly? Have you been feeling some severe symptoms these past few days? Should I prescribed you a higher dose?

Daime re-reads everything, making sure that he reads the right thing so he can concludes that Primo's aunt is indeed sick. 

He got curious about her condition and wants to know more but before he can even do that, the door already opens. Revealing a smiling old lady. 

The smile that she shows to Daime is making the young man's heart hurt without knowing the reason why. But her smile is also making Daime thinks. 

If Primo is here, will he do what Daime does to his aunt? Because knowing after knowing that his aunt has a condition that can be life-threatening, Daime will make sure that she will be okay.

If Primo is in Daime's position right now, will he do what Daime will do? The answer will be no. Because knowing Primo, he won't do anything that doesn't involved Aiden. 

Daime can only sigh quietly as the both of them walks out of the hospital. 

The young man carrying the other plastic bags and a luggage that contains his belongings that he brought from Switzerland, including his passport and other identification and some cash that are already converted in the Russia's currency. 

They wait for a taxi to come on but the old lady grabs Daime's arm away from the taxi's passing by.

"What is wrong, Auntie?"

The old lady looks at him, her face flushes in red. Daime looks at her carefully, observing what she will be doing as he thinks why her face looks like that.

"Is everything okay? Are you hurt?"

The old lady gasps at how concerned Daime's voice is. Knowing the old Primo, he won't even care if she is hurt. 

She did a lot of bad things to their family but now she is changing especially after Primo's father died looking for his son that he sold to a rich family in Switzerland. 

She knows that it is too late to turn things around but she is willing to do anything to make things right before she dies. 

She stares at Daime and smiles at him. Even if she is embarrassed to admit that she no longer have money to take the trip back to her hut, she still did.

Daime smiles at her and walks towards the taxi and asks for the fare to Vladivostok.

"That is quite far and expensive. Are you sure that you want to travel there, young man?"

Daime nods at the taxi driver and opens the door and calls out his aunt. 

"Auntie, let's go. I will pay for the fare. Let's go home."

Even though she is hesitant, she enters the taxi and organizes everything before Daime enters the cab. 

"Are you all good back there?"

"Yes, thank you. You can move now."

The driver nods at Daime and moves away from the waiting lane and drives to Vladivostok.