My love story began when my older brother came home one rainy night with his friend in tow. Guilt, fear and anxiety made me edgy that I didn’t even bother to look at the stranger’s face. My sole focus was on my dying father. He had been sick for a long time since I could remember. With only me at home, it was almost impossible to take care of him. Mom had left us when I was ten, leaving dad heartbroken and drowning in grief. Changmin had been left for college for three years now and soon, if I was lucky, I’d be able to experience college as well. Speaking of my senior year, these last months had been the tiest ones. Final exam would be coming soon and I could barely focus on it without worrying about dad.

“Let’s take him to the hospital.” My brother’s face was tight with worry.

This happened often before. But because two hours ago dad had started coughing blood, I tearfully called my brother. My chest felt too tight at the sight of my father slumped in his bed. He wasn’t the best father, but he was also not the worst. He was just fighting with his own sorrow that he unable to appreciate his breathing, living children.

“I’ll call the ambulance.” The stranger spoke in calm voice.

Dread filled my body. “We don’t have enough money. The insurance won’t cover it.” And tears burned the back of my eyes. Poverty was . It robbed the life out of your conscious mind.

“We have.” My brother said flatly.

“Don’t you dare.” I didn’t bother to look at him. I’d never let him use his college fund. We’ve sold our home, two cars, and the beach house before moved to small three bedrooms rented apartment downtown. Mom’s inheritance from her grandparents saved me and my brother ourtuition fee. And I’ve been working my off with a part-time job for living cost. Frankly speaking, I’ve become an adult since I was only thirteen.

I felt my brother tensing beside me. His looming height felt intimidating if I hadn’t known for a fact that he would never ever lay a finger on me. “What do you want me to do then? Praying that he would get better on his own? Or maybe staying just in case this would be his last night?”

“I–I  don’t know.” I hate that I was helpless, we were helpless. The feeling was nauseating. As much as I didn’t worship my father, I didn’t want him to leave us like this. He barely spoke a word to either of us, let alone telling us that he was sorry. From the corner of my blurring eye, I caught the stranger approached my brother and then they were whispering. Next, he left the bedroom without closing the door.

I focused my eyes back on our dying father. He used to be so strong, full of life. I remembered that I was once sitting on his shoulder when I was six. He brought us all to the beach and Changmin was a hellion he sprinkled sand all over my body like I was a cake in need of decoration. I cried, clutching dad’s leg tightly. Then suddenly he lifted me up to the sky. I was so h