"Are you sure that's the only choice we have? Even though the success rate is only 50%?"

I stared at the scanned x-ray image of Harabeoji's head and noticed that the tumor had enlarged since the last visit to the hospital. Doctor Ahn pointed out a few things on the screen which she mentioned were some of the vital veins in the brain.

"There's not much time for delay anymore. I can give you up to tonight to make the decision. But if you were to ask me, I would suggest to go ahead with the surgery. 50% success rate is still a good chance of survival. The earlier the surgery is done, the lesser risk there'll be." Doctor Ahn gave her opinion as I just nodded my head.

I left her room soon after and made my way to the ward where Harabeoji had been admitted. Krystal and Halmeoni had stayed by his side while I went to meet up with Doctor Ahn. The moment I walked in, 3 pairs of eyes were looking at us as I could only managed a small smile.

"Is everything okay?" Halmeoni asked as I nodded my head reluctantly.

Krystal stood up from her seat to allow me to sit down beside the bed as I reached out my hand to grab Harabeoji's hand. Rubbing my fingers slowly on his palm, I could see how much he had lost weight over the past few weeks. Thinking of the pain that he had to put up with because of his illness, I couldn't stop my tears from flowing as I continued to look at his wrinkled hand.

"Eunjin-ah, gwenchana?" Krystal asked as she placed her hand on my shoulder before giving it a soft squeeze.

All I could do was to shake my head repeatedly as I hung my head low.

"Is it okay if the both of you give me and Eunjin some time alone?" I heard Harabeoji's request but I continued to look down until I heard the sound of the door opening before closing again. "It's just the two of us now, Eunjin. Tell me. How bad is it?"

I took a deep breathe and lifted up my head slowly as I just stared at Harabeoji's face. He was giving me a weak smile as he patted my hand. I explained to him about what Doctor Ahn had said to me earlier.

"50% is better than nothing." He said with a short chuckle. "We should just follow Doctor Ahn's suggestion. She should be better informed about the situation than us. For the surgery, let's just leave it to God's will. Don't cry anymore. I know you're a little stressed out but you won't want to worry Halmeoni and Krystal, right?"

"I'm scared, Harabeoji. What if things didn't go as planned? What am I suppose to do? Halmeoni, the company? I feel so lost right now. It was the same feelings I felt after Appa and Omma passed away." I explained the things that was bothering me.

"If it's meant for me to go, you will have to accept it, Eunjin. We have no control over these kind of things. Everyone will die one day. It's just a matter of when it'll be"

"But why does everyone keep leaving me behind? Appa, Omma.. now probably, you. Just when our relationship had improved and I was so happy to be receiving love from my grandfather." I expressed my feelings as Harabeoji had a bitter smile on his face.

"I'm sorry, Eunjin. It took me so long to realise what is valuable to me in my life. Maybe this illness is meant to be a wake-up call for me to treat my own family members better. I have a lot of regrets but at least, I'm glad that I manage to make things right with you before I leave." Harabeoji smiled at me.

"But I don't want you to leave yet, Harabeoji. I'm going to engage the best surgeon to assist Doctor Ahn for the surgery. So that the success rate will be higher."

"Don't have to waste your money on me, Eunjin. We have good doctors here and I put my trust in Doctor Ahn. You should just leave everything in her hands. She's someone who will always do her best."

I let out a deep sigh as silence filled the room. Harabeoji informed me that he would like to get some rest and asked me to go home with Halmeoni and Krystal first. This time round, Harabeoji was not allowed to return home after his bi-weekly check-up. Doctor Ahn had requested for him to be detained for detailed surpervised care under her medical team. She said that it's too risky for his condition to be left unattended.

Saying my goodbye to him, I walked out from the room and saw Halmeoni and Krystal, seated outside at the couch. I told them that Harabeoji had requested for no disturbance while he rest and how Harabeoji had asked us to return home first. Initially, Halmeoni wanted to wait at the ward itself but Krystal managed to persuade her to go home so that she'll have a proper rest.

"You can come back later to eat dinner with Harabeoji, Halmeoni." Krystal tried to suggest as the elderly lady finally nodded her head in agreement.

************************

Krystal's POV

"Gwenchana?" I asked the moment I closed the door of Eunjin's apartment.

After leaving the hospital, Uncle Park had drove the 3 of us back to Harabeoji's house. Eunjin wanted to stay with her grandmother but the elderly lady told her that she wanted to rest straight away. I could see that Eunjin looked a little dejected but she hid it behind her smile. Asking Halmeoni to rest well and to give her a call immediately if she needed anything, Eunjin and I then left the house on her bike which had been there since morning.

She was quiet throughout the ride and I didn't want to distract her. I knew she's feeling bothered at the moment. During the car ride, Eunjin had explained to all of us about what Doctor Ahn had informed her earlier. I was a little shocked but surprisingly, Halmeoni looked calm. After Eunjin had informed us about the surgery, the remainder of the car ride was filled with silence.

The sound of heavy sighing, distracted my thoughts as I saw Eunjin lying down on her bed. Her head was against the board rest with her right arm placed across her forehead. Her eyes were closed shut as my question earlier was left unanswered.

At that point, I was getting a little frustrated with her actions but at the same time, I was trying to understand her feelings. So instead of bugging her to reply me, I walked over to the other side of the bed and lied down. It was only 3pm but I was already feeling fatigue. Maybe it's due to the situation that we're currently in.

For the next 10mins, I felt like I was the only one in the room. There was no movement from Eunjin and even her breathing was minimal. I decided to give Eunjin her personal space as I turned sideways, away from her and tried to get some sleep. But I was surprised when an arm went around my waist a few seconds later as I felt Eunjin's warmth against my back.

Her head was pressed lightly against the back of my neck as her arms around my waist tightened. Initially, I wanted to just ignore it and continue on my sleep but when I heard light sobbings, I started to panic. It was the 2nd time that she had cried for the day. For someone who rarely showed her tears, her condition worried me a lot.

"Wae?" I asked softly as my fingers rubbed against her arm. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"Anni." Her voice was soft and child-like. "I just needed a hug."

My heart melted when I heard her voice. It was not like her normal everyday voice. It was a voice that you made when you were pleading with your parents for something. I tapped her arm softly before removing it from my waist. Turning myself around to face her, I saw the tears in her eyes as I gave her a small smile.

"Let me give you a proper hug." I said as I pulled her closer, repositioning myself so that she could place her head against my chest while I her hair slowly.

Eunjin instantly wrapped her arms around my waist as her sobbings stopped momentarily and her breathings were back to normal. I didn't asked her anymore questions as I allowed her to have a peace of mind.

"Thanks, Krystal. For being here with me." She finally said. "And sorry for not replying to any of your questions. I just have a lot going on in my mind right now."

"Would you like to share them with me?" I tried to ask as Eunjin lifted up her head. "I may not be able to help but at least your chest wouldn't feel congested with all that burdened feelings."

"I just feel sad and scared about the future. Sad that Harabeoji is going through so much pain because of his illness and scared about the future if he's no longer around." Eunjin expressed out her thoughts.

She started telling me about how work had been piling on, the expectations from everyone and also the rejection of the older workers on her work etiquette and policies. Eunjin said that she's glad more than half of the workers in the company were supportive of her but those who were not really in favour of her, actually held some high ranking post in the company.

"Obviously, Harabeoji's style of leadership is not similar to mine. He's more strict and not as flexible. But times have change. We need to be in line with the changing economic world." Eunjin let out a sigh for the umptenth time. "Right now, the older workers are giving me face because of Harabeoji. What if he's no longer around? Are they going to go against me or even resign?"

I stared at the deep frown that had appeared on Eunjin's forehead. I could feel the stress oozing out from her as I leaned in and kissed her forehead. Immediately, the frown disappeared as she looked straight into my eyes before breaking into a smile.

"I like your smile better than your frown." I said as I heard a chuckle from Eunjin.

"I thought you like everything about me?" She asked cheekily as I rolled my eyes at her before I started giggling. "I'm sorry if I had made you worried."

"As long as you don't push me away, I'm fine with being worried."

************************

Yuri's POV

"Did you manage to contact Eunjin?" Jessica asked as I nodded my head.

After I told her that Harabeoji would be going through a surgery to remove his brain tumour, Jessica also shared her concern with regards to the elderly man's health. Eunjin had dropped me a message to inform that Harabeoji had agreed to the surgery and she had given the approval to Doctor Ahn to proceed with the necessities. Since Eunjin had been placed as the guardian of both her grandparents, the medical team needed to seek her approval on it.

"Uncle Park would be sending Halmeoni and Krystal back to Harabeoji's place for the night while Eunjin would stay up at the hospital until the surgery is over. She asked me not to come over until everything is over." I said before letting out a sigh.

"But you don't feel good leaving her by herself there, right?" Jessica guessed correctly. "Soojung must have wanted to stay with her too but Eunjin must have told her to look after Halmeoni on her behalf."

With every guess that Jessica made, I could only nod my head in agreement. It was typical of Eunjin to not allow others to see her  in her most vulnerable state. But as her close friend, obviously I couldn't stop worrying about her. I've contemplated to just go ahead to visit her at the hospital but I'm afraid that she'll be upset.

"If only Taeng was here." I mumbled to myself but Jessica heard my remarks.

"If Taeyeon was here, both of you would have just go ahead and visit her, right?" Jessica completed my sentence.

"That's right. It's better to have a companion when you're being scolded by Eunjin." I grinned dorkily. "But Taeng's in LA at the moment to settle her wedding stuff so I won't want to disturb her either."

"But I don't think you will have a good night rest either with the way you're being worried about Eunjin right now. Let me give Soojung a call and seek her opinion. I think she would know what to do." Jessica suggested.

Jessica's POV

Taking my phone from the side table of the bed, I dialed Soojung's number and waited for her to answer. It only took a few rings before I heard her voice on the other line.

"Soojung-ah, are you already asleep?"

"Unnie, you didn't check the time before calling me, is it?"

I quickly glanced at the clock, scared that I had called her too late but it was only 9.45pm. I heard her chuckle on the other line and realised that she had just teased me.

"Yah!! How can you tease your Unnie like that? Anyway, are you alone? I know that you're at Harabeoji's place with Halmeoni while Eunjin is at the hospital."

"I'm alone inside Eunjin's parents room. Wae, Unnie?" Soojung asked as she further explained that Halmeoni had decided to rest early so that she could go and visit the hospital early tomorrow.

I had been informed that after Eunjin had approved the surgery last night, the medical team in-charge had started to prepare everything quickly. The earliest time that the surgery could be done was tonight at 10pm. Which mean that the surgery would begin in 15mins time.

"I don't think you have any plans to sleep anyway, right?" I asked as Soojung agreed to my statement. "Your Yuri-unnie is also feeling restless right now. Eunjin already sent her a message about preventing her from coming over but she's worried sick."

"Eunjin also didn't allow me or Halmeoni to stick around the hospital. She told both of us to go back and rest. She will update us if there's any news." Soojung explained as I nodded my head even though I knew that she's not able to see it.

"Do you think it's a good idea for Yuri to just go ahead and accompany Eunjin at the hospital? Do you think Eunjin will be upset with her?"

There was a momentary pause on the phone which I presumed was due to the fact that my sister was actually thinking. "I don't think Eunjin will be that upset. I mean, even if she had said that she didn't want anybody around, but I think she will appreciate Yuri-unnie's gesture. Because Doctor Ahn said that the surgery might take a few hours. Having someone to accompany her will make the time pass faster."

"In that case, I'll ask Yuri to drop me at Halmeoni's house to accompany you while she would then drop by the hospital."

I ended the phone call and was about to turn around to tell Yuri about my plan when I saw that she was already halfway getting herself ready. Grinning at me dorkily, she said that she overheard my conversation with Soojung and was already aware of what I had planned to do.

"I'll drive you over to the hospital first since it's nearer to our place. Then I'll drive to Halmeoni's place." I suggested as I stood up from my bed while Yuri could only nod her head in agreement.

************************

I stared at the screen of my handphone and smiled at Krystal's photo on it. It's been almost an hour since Harabeoji was pushed into the operating theatre. Doctor Ahn had told me before that it might take between 3 to 5 hours for the surgery. It was quite boring since I'm waiting along the aisle outside the operating room. Even though there were chairs around, it's not really that comfortable to rest.

"It's already at 30%. It won't last long if I use it to watch a movie or drama." I mumbled to myself as I looked at my phone's battery level. "If only I had something to entertain me."

"How about someone to entertain you?"

I turned to my side and was surprised to see Yuri appearing from behind a pillar. She had a cheeky grin on her face as she walked up to me. Before I could say anything to her, Yuri raised up both her hand with an apologetic look as if I was going to reprimand her.

"Look. I know you told me not to come until everything is over. I know you don't want to burden any of us. But I'm worried. So instead of spending my whole night, being sleepless and worrying about you and Harabeoji, I rather be here. You can scold me all night long but please allow me to accompany you."

My mouth was ajar as I listened to Yuri's speech. The moment it ended, there was nothing much I could say except to just nod my head and patted the empty seat beside mine. Yuri seemed a little suspicious when I didn't scold or nag at her but I told her that I was feeling lethargic at the moment so I don't have the strength to do all those.

"Gwenchana?" Yuri asked as she sat down. "Have you eaten?"

"I had my dinner with Krystal earlier. Anyway, thanks for coming. I appreciate your gesture actually." I said with a small smile as Yuri nodded her head. Leaning my head against the wall behind, I let out a long sigh. "Did you get Jessica's permission to be here?"

"Permission? I can do whatever I want without her permission." Yuri replied arrogantly before grinning like a dork. "Just kidding. Don't tell her, okay. She'll kill me. Anyway, she's at your Harabeoji's place to accompany Krystal."

I had to chuckle at Yuri's dorkiness as I slapped her shoulders lightly, telling her that she's whipped. I laughed out further when she replied that both of us were whipped. We continued talking and laughing when we compared both the Jungs as we found some similarities between the sisters but our conversation was disrupted when my phone rang.

Seeing the name on my screen, my eyes widened as I swallowed my saliva.

"Do you think they know that we were gossiping about them?" I looked at Yuri and showed her my phone screen. She just shrugged her shoulders and asked me to quickly answer the call. "Hello?"

"What are you doing? Why did you talk so long to answer?" Krystal's voice was heard over the other line.

"Aaa.. Anni.. I didn't hear the phone. It was on vibrate mode." I replied with stammers as I saw Yuri slapping her own forehead as I imagined Krystal rolling her eyes at me in disbelief. "How come you're not asleep yet? It's almost midnight."

"Do you think I can sleep right now? Luckily, unnie is here to accompany me. By the way, don't try to change the subject. Is Yuri-unnie there with you? Are you both in front of the operation theatre?" Krystal asked again as I replied her questions. "Why were you stammering just now? It's as if I caught you doing something inappropriate."

"Actually, both me and Yuri were talking about you and your sister. We found out something amusing about the similarites in your characters. So when you called out of the blue, it sort of caught me offguard. Sorry." I answered honestly.

"Gossiping about us?" Krystal said as I heard Jessica's voice from behind.

"Those two are always up to something. Tell that Kwon Yuri that she's going to get it from me once we are home."

Since I had put the phone on speaker mode, Yuri was able to hear what Jessica had said as she let out a sigh before leaning her head against the wall. I heard Krystal chuckling though.

"Don't think you're getting away with it too, Han Eunjin." I swallowed my saliva when I heard that statement from Krystal. "Anyway, get some rest if you can or if you're hungry, get some food too. I don't think I'll be sleeping until you update me the status of Harabeoji, so call me anytime if you need me, okay. Love you."

"I love you too." I replied with a slight tint of blush since I noticed Yuri smirking at me.

Ending the phone call, I turned to face Yuri who mouthed the word 'whipped' at me before both of us broke into laughters.

************************

"Any updates yet from Eunjin?" Tiffany asked as Taeyeon shook her head. "I feel bad for bringing forward our trip here. If we were still in Seoul, you could have accompanied Eunjin at the hospital."

"Gwenchana. Eunjin just updated that Yuri is there with her right now. It's not as if we planned all this to happen. Furthermore, we need to settle our wedding plans in LA first before concentrating on the one in Seoul. So one way or another, we still have to do this." Taeyeon said as she smiled at Tiffany. "Let's just pray that everything goes smoothly for Harabeoji. He's a nice man now. He deserve a little chance to live slightly longer."

A few hours ago, Eunjin had sent a message to the groupchat about Harabeoji's surgery. She insisted for no visitors until the surgery was over as she didn't want to trouble anyone. Taeyeon and Tiffany could only send their well-wishes through the groupchat since they're currently in LA. Eunjin had assured everyone that she would keep them updated and not to worry too much. An hour after that message, Eunjin updated that Yuri was at the hospital with her. A picture of Eunjin pulling Yuri's right ear, was sent along with that message with the caption that stated 'I thought I said no visitor.'

Even so, the picture showed that Eunjin was not really that angry with Yuri's presence. The caption was more as a deterrant for the rest not to follow suit. Eunjin explained further that since she's planning to wait outside the operation room, it's not conducive if the aisle was packed with a lot of people as the nurses would be going in and out of the room.

"We'll try to finish up everything here quickly so that we can fly back to Seoul as soon as possible." Tiffany suggested.

"Fany-ah, are you a doctor or a nurse?" Taeyeon suddenly asked as her girlfriend shook her head with a frown on her face. "There's nothing we can do to help even if we are there. We will go back to visit them once we are done here but right now, we need to priortise our wedding."

"I know. I just thought that since you're close to Eunjin, you might want to be there for her." Tiffany pouted a little as Taeyeon smiled.

"I appreciate your kind thoughts but Eunjin has Yuri and the other girls to be there for her at the moment. I'll be there for her once I'm able to. This wedding is something that is only going to happen once in my lifetime so I want to make sure that it's going to be as perfect as I imagine it to be. So my focus will be on that for now." Taeyeon explained as she pulled Tiffany into a hug. "Friends are important to me but you are the most important person in my life."

"Ooouhhh... cheesy Taeng. I like." Tiffany smirked before she started laughing when she saw Taeyeon's cute reaction. "You're my once in a lifetime, Kim Taeyon."