The crisp, autumn air greeted him as he stood there almost motionless. He was back in that small town. That small town where they shared all their memories, their secrets, and their life. He couldn't believe how great the surge of emotion went through him once he stepped out of the car with a 4 month old baby in his arms.

They were in the cemetery of this small town, with all of the other Parks joining him. His family had visited a few weeks ago with him. They would lay the freshest and brightest flowers amidst the grave since they knew in their hearts that it suited it. The person beneath would've loved it and would hide their blushing face. He would smile at the thought as he imagined them do it in front of him. And the little baby that he seemed to never let down would want to see that bashful smile too. 

He admits that he cried when he treaded on the unkempt lot that was filled with underlying mourning and depression. He would want to see what they would look like when they see him with a healthy baby in his hold. A baby that would never be able to see the person who he was crying for and would only see them in pictures, happily smiling with their friends and family. Their grave was the only one that didn't scream 'I'm dead and I was forgotten'. No... ever since that day, the Parks and the Kwons made sure that their grave would always be kept happy and beautiful like they were. They left in such an abrupt way and to this day, they were still hoping that they could get a chance to see their smile again, their wacky kind of humor, their innocent face. They longed for it but they knew that it would never happen. It was simply impossible. 

They were dead beneath the ground and had probably decomposed already. Only the flowers above them would serve as a sign that they were still very much alive. Inside their hearts, they were still very much alive. 

Hyori was kneeling on the ground, crying like she had never cried before. She would always regret how inconsiderate she was to them and how she didn't do what she can for them, Her sons would just look at their broken mother with pricked hearts and sorrowful empathy. They have never really seen their mother cry like that ever since their father died years ago. She always acted strong even though her eyes would always end up giving it away. She was their anchor that always reassured them that everything was fine despite being thousands of miles away from them. Seeing her now kneeling on the autumn ground with her head almost touching the cold, marble stone was like seeing a big, fierce lion getting tamed by a small man with a whip and a chair. It looked pathetic. The person who was stronger than any natural disaster and colder than the ice in the Arctic, fell in the hands of a dead person who was now one with the Earth. They were as pathetic as she was because they cried like that too when they first got the news. She was in denial at first but she ended up being the one that was greatly damaged. To this day, she cried like the time when they got buried and her sons had to hold her back because she still didn't believe that this was happening. 

They were so young. 

Jiyong kept himself strong for the baby, and for her. At first, he cried and bawled like their was no tomorrow, but he swore that it'll never happen again. Not with his baby looking up at him. He wished that they could at least see them from where they were and commend him for how tough he grew to be, not because he had to be but because he wanted to be. 

"Omma, it's getting late." Teddy held her shoulders, letting some runaway tears fall on his face. "And it's getting colder." 

Jay and Sanghyun helped her up and she quietly thanked them unto which they just nodded in response. She turned her tear-stricken face to Jiyong who was cooing his little boy while obviously fighting off his own tears. She put her hand on the young father's cheek and he felt the familiarity of her hand. It felt just like hers, he thought. Jiyong couldn't hold it any longer and let the tears fall down on his cheeks and on to the older woman's hand. She directed her hand to touch her grandson's little head and chuckled shakily when he was pushing her hand off. Just like her, she smiled to herself and wiped her face dry. She kissed the baby on the head, her trembling lips hovering above the thin locks of hair that was on the young one's head. "I'm sorry they couldn't get to see you..." she smiled against his hair and held back a sob. 

The older woman felt a warm cloak drape around her shoulders and she looked to see a smiling girl that had the exact same face for the person she was crying for. 

"Let's head out. Mino's starting to get fussy." Dara kissed her mother on the temple and grabbed the baby from Jiyong. She squatted so that the baby would be leveled and meet the engraving of her father's name on the tombstone. She leaned them over so that he could touch the stone and he eventually did with his mother's guidance. She took back her baby boy's hands and threw kisses on his palms making him squirm and giggle. She stood up and rocked him with Jiyong and the rest of her family just standing behind and watching them. "That's your harabeoji, Mino-yah. He was omma's appa. He was a good appa but our appa is going to be way better." Jiyong laughed inaudibly while wiping away his tears. Dara pointed at the turning night sky and the small baby followed his mother's finger. "Harabeoji became one of the stars so that he could watch over you. You better say 'thank you, harabeoji' to him, arasso?" She was starting to well up and her voice was staring to tremble. Thank goodness little Mino was there to wipe of his mom's tears, making everyone laugh at his cuteness. "Know that harabeoji loves you and you better tell him that you love him back or else he's gonna get cranky."

Jiyong stepped up to meet his family and held on to Dara's waist while letting Mino take a hold of his pointer finger. The two young parents kissed him on the head and they were rewarder with unintelligible baby sounds. He looked at his bride and gave her passionate but short kiss on the lips. Her brothers grimaced but they cheered nonetheless. He rested his forehead on hers while his hand caressed Mino's small head. "Know that omma and appa loves you too."

"You better tell them that you love them back or else they're gonna get angry." She added and with that they shared a good-natured laugh while starting to say goodbye to the person that never really left their hearts. Like his son, he never really did see her father in person. All he knew was that her father was a good and positive man. Her family and his family (mostly his parents) would often tell wonderful stories about him, how he was a closet shy person and how effortlessly he would light up a room. He can hear from their stories how much Joongki was loved and he could only add more to that love seeing how Dara's looked happy talking about him. 

"It's a boy, Mr. Kwon. You have a healthy baby boy." Dr. Ahn briefly showed him the baby before giving her back to the staff to be cleaned and checked. 

He was ecstatic, there was no doubt about it. But the thought of Dara that still lied, looking lifeless on the hospital bed was still getting to him. They said that her body gave out because of too much stress and fatigue, and that she was merely sleeping to recuperate for lost energy. However, the wires they put in her didn't really made his worries go away. They said that they needed it for monitoring and it was perfectly normal but the back of his mind continued to believe in the worst. She's not going to wake up. He's going to have to raise the baby on his own and he doesn't think he can handle it. They were both going to live in hell and the worst part was that no one was going to pull them out of it. They were going to be alone. Just his son and him. 

Alone.

He held her pale, cold hands and brought it up to meet his trembling lips. The staff was working around him and cleaning up but it felt like it was just them two in the room. He couldn't hear what they were saying but he could clearly hear her faint breathing and see how her chest would slightly heave up and down. 

"Jiyong..." 

Their friends and family were quietly let in the room and they saw his back facing them, his head bowed as he was muttering something indiscernible, while Dara was lying unconscious on the bed with some wires taped to her and her complexion almost as pale as snow. Hyori knew that Dara won't be in any danger since that had happened to her too. She could still remember Joongki's face once she woke up. There was relief, desperation, happiness, love, and even anger, and it hurt her to see him looking at her like that. She made sure to ask the doctors if she was just really coping her exhaustion and they assured her every time she would ask. 

Minzy went up to the couple and saw how she slept in bliss and how her brother looked at her like he was about to explode from anxiousness any minute now. She hugged him to try and calm him down but that's when her tears started to well up and she started to cry. She didn't like seeing him like that and she didn't like the fact that Dara was making him be like that. She was scared for him too although she just doesn't want to admit it. Who else would she banter with? Who else was going to give the stink eye to? Who else was she going to wake up to and feeling a cozy set of arms around her? It was only Dara that could do that and she doesn't want her to go away. She hasn't even gotten her present yet and she wants her to be awake when she gets it. 

"Everything's going to be fine, oppa." Minzy quietly sobbed on his shoulders, her arms tightening on his neck seemingly holding on to him for support. 

He momentarily let Dara's hand go to hug his sister back and cry on her shoulder too. And then the dominoes began to fall. Dami started crying, and her parents followed soon. Seunghyun was sniffling and Bom smacked his shoulder while holding back her own tears. Donghae was covering his already messed up and tear-stained face and his aunt comforted him by rubbing her hand on his back while crying to herself too. Youngbae was the only one who wasn't crying. He wasn't that much of a 'cryer' to begin with. He just stood there by the door with a grim face. He was looking away, not wanting to see his best friend looking broken again and another dear friend of his looking helpless over a hospital bed. 

Youngbae could hear loud steps from the other side of the room and he could hear them getting more prominent every second. The next thing he knew, the door slammed open revealing Seungri and Chaerin holding some stuffed toys in their hands and a bunch of balloons that read 'CONGRATULATIONS!'.

"CONGRATULATIONS NOONA AND HYUNG~!!!!!" Seungri entered the room. The balloons were blocking his vision and he was unable to see their shocked, tear-stricken faces. "Sorry we're late! We had to buy some b--- Why are you all cryi-- OUCH! Chaerin! What the hell is your problem! What do you mean shut up?? I was just asking a que--- YAH!! THAT'S STARTING TO HURT!!" Seungri let go of the balloons while trying to stop Chaerin from hitting him. Soon the colorful helium-filled latex scattered around the once depressing room and the rest couldn't help but chuckle at the cat and mouse fight happening before them. They forgot their sadness and they quickly changed to their cheerful selves from earlier. 

"Why are there so many ing balloons in here?" 

It was almost inaudible but he could hear that snide but sweet-sounding comment as clear as the waters from the highest spring. He quickly turned to Dara and found her quizzically squinting her eyes at the multitudes of balloons. He spent no second thought in raining kisses all over her face as relief flooded through every bit of him. Dara was just giggling and trying to push him away but her weak state wouldn't allow her so she just let him. The rest started to notice too and began to circle around her bed like a bunch of hungry puppies waiting to be fed by their owner. They looked at her with glitter in their eyes and noticeable tear streak that seemed to glimmer under the ceiling lights. 

"Did I... miss something?" 

"You passed out and made Jiyong look like he was experiencing a one-man internal apocalypse." Youngbae said flatly beside her while taking holding on to her hand, reassuring himself that she was fine. She weakly snatched her hand back and he could just smile and nod in understanding. 

Dara looked at Jiyong and grazed her cold fingertips on his face. She brushed her thumb over his eye and to his furrowed brow. Jiyong seemed to soften his facial features as he felt her hand without him having to hold on to it and making him realize that she was there and she was with him. "Do we have a boy or a girl?" she asked softly. 

Minzy suddenly jumped on the bottom foot of her bed and looked up at her eagerly. Dara lightly raised her head to meet her gaze. Jiyong helped her sit up seeing how she looked like she was having a hard time. Dara put her arms out and mentally signaled the young girl to come near her and she carefully crawled to snuggle on her side. Dara internally raised her hand up triumphantly while playing 'We are the Champions' in her head. She moved up another step in the Minzy misery ladder. 

"Got the name for the baby, little brat?" She kissed the top of her head and mumbled. 

She looked up at her with a snarl but her lips were starting to form a grin. "You got a boy!" She said a little too excitedly. Dara let out a sturgeon face and nodded. "I like Mino!"

"Minho? Isn't that a common name, Mingkki-ah?" 

"Aniyo! Take out the 'h!" 

"Mino?" Dara asked and Minzy nodded enthusiastically. 

They were all quiet for a moment when their friends, mostly the retarded ones, started clapping and cheering. 

"Original. Gorgeous. Out there. I can see it now." Jay squinted his eyes at the distant nothing. "Mino." He whispered mysteriously. 

"That's as authentic at it ing gets, mat