Hope

sorry for not updating for a long time so here's a 10k update for you guys

It was all a blur to him.

Baekhyun was so excited to come back home after a day belting his vocal out in classes, thinking that maybe he could go on a date with Chanyeol or just having a nice movie night.

However, the moment he stepped into their living room, the first thing that he heard was Chanyeol’s deep voice saying that his mother, his eomma, had a cancer and she was already in stage 4!

It was unintentional; for Baekhyun to lose his hold on his books, but he couldn’t help it. All his limbs couldn’t function – his hands were shaking, his knees were trembling and Baekhyun just couldn’t stand the lump in his throat that he had to let them all out. The brunette could feel the tears streaming down his cheeks, but it was the last thing that he minded of.

Baekhyun barely remembered Chanyeol stepping closer to him, reaching out to calm him down. If it was another day, Baekhyun would already go and jump into his arms but not this time. This time, Baekhyun needed answers and only Chanyeol could answer him.

He somehow remembered slapping Chanyeol’s hand away, and he could feel his heart clenching in pain at the hurt surfacing in Chanyeol’s eyes – but Baekhyun had to. He had to hurt Chanyeol, because Baekhyun himself was so confused and hurt.

And the moment Chanyeol looked at him with his eyes wide after the phone call, Baekhyun could feel his heart thrumming hard in his chest, he could hear his heart pounding hard in his ears, because Baekhyun knew what that look meant.

Baekhyun was not joking when he said he knew Chanyeol inside and out, because he truly was.

And that wide-eyed look on Chanyeol’s face was never good news.

“B-Baek.. Eomma,.. h-hospital..”

Once the words left Chanyeol’s mouth, Baekhyun swore he couldn’t feel his legs anymore. It was like his whole world was tilted off, it was like someone had pulled away the mat he was standing on because Baekhyun could feel himself falling down to the floor, almost hitting his head on the floor if it was not for Chanyeol’s quick action to catch him.

Eomma..

Hospital..

Cancer..

Stage 4..

Baekhyun did not even realize how hard he was crying, sobbing as he clawed at Chanyeol’s chest – pleading and begging for Chanyeol to take him to his mother right away. He didn’t realize how hard he was clenching his teeth and eyes, tears and snots ruining his cheery face.

And he didn’t realize how Chanyeol was also breaking into tears, heart clenching heavily at the sight of his small husband breaking down in his arms.

---

Baekhyun couldn’t stop crying.

He couldn’t stop thinking about all of the what ifs.

What if he was too late? What if he didn’t get to see his eomma? What if he would never get to hear his eomma’s voice ever again? What if his eomma-

“B-Baek, we’re here.”

All of his thoughts were interrupted by Chanyeol’s voice. Finally coming back to his sense, Baekhyun wiped the tears on his face and he looked out of the window, noticing that the car was already parked and without thinking further, Baekhyun instantly jumped out of the car, desperate to go and see his mother.

He didn’t care about anything anymore, he just wanted to see his mother. He didn’t care that he had left Chanyeol alone behind, he just wanted to quickly go and embrace his mother. And he obviously didn’t notice that a car that had just come in to the parking lot was heading towards his way.

“Baekhyun!”

Baekhyun felt his world tilted when he was suddenly yanked back into a hard chest, a loud screeching sound of tires made his ears ring after. His eyes bulged out in shock as he watched the car stopping in front of him – which would have hit him if he was not pulled back in time.

Baekhyun couldn’t register anything that was happening – his mind was fuzzy and he could only hear the sound of his heartbeats in his ears – but he snapped out of it when he was turned and Chanyeol’s worried face came into his view.

“Oh God, Baekhyun, can you please be patient?! You could have died just now!”

Baekhyun winced at Chanyeol’s loud voice screaming to his face and something snapped inside of him.

He just wanted to see his mother. He just didn’t want to waste any more time. He just wanted to get to his mother quickly. He just didn’t want to regret it later if he was too late.

But of course Chanyeol wouldn’t understand it.

It was not Chanyeol’s mother that was now in a hospital, it was not Chanyeol’s mother who was battling with cancer, and it was not Chanyeol’s mother who might be dying right now!

“You asked me to be patient?!” Baekhyun slapped away Chanyeol’s hands that were holding him, his chest heaving in anger and frustration. “Eomma might be dying in there and you asked me to be patient?! Screw you, Park Chanyeol! I want to see my mother!”

Baekhyun shouted as he pushed Chanyeol away from him before running towards the hospital entrance, new batch of tears started to run down his already messy face. Baekhyun didn’t even say sorry to the persons that he had bumped into, his mind only thinking about his mother and how he wanted to see her fast.

“B-Byun.. Byun Yeonhee.. Where is she?”

Baekhyun asked the nurse at the front desk, who was slightly shocked to see Baekhyun in his messy state. “I asked, where is Byun Yeonhee?!” Baekhyun didn’t even feel sorry for shouting at the poor nurse, who was too slow in her work. He didn’t care about anything, he just needed to see his mother.

Baekhyun could hear Chanyeol’s footsteps coming to him from behind, finally catching up to him but then, the nurse had told him the number to his mother’s room so without even waiting for Chanyeol, Baekhyun quickly ran towards the direction of his mother’s room with tears on his face and his heart pounding hard in his chest.

“Mom!”

Baekhyun quickly ran to Mrs. Park, who was sitting at outside of his mother’s room, also crying and sniffling. Once he reached his mother-in-law, Baekhyun was pulled into her arms and she started to sob into Baekhyun’s shoulder, obviously shaken up with what had happened.

Baekhyun wiped away his own tears and pushed Mrs. Park away softly to gaze into her red eyes, desperate to know what had happened to his mother.

“Mom, h-how’s eomma? She.. She’s fine, right? P-Please, mom.. tell me she’s just fine.”

Mrs. Park sniffed once as she grabbed a hold of Baekhyun’s cheeks, helping to wipe away the tears on the boy’s face. “Y-Yeonhee.. she.. she suffered from cancer.. She is already in stage 4 and she is on her medications but I don’t know why.. s-she was vomiting so badly when I found her and.. and she was having difficulty in breathing.. I.. I didn’t know what to do.. and, and she just lost consciousness.. I.. I’m so sorry.. Mom is so sorry, Baekhyun-ah..”

Baekhyun felt his heart clenching so painfully, his whole being was hurting hearing all the pain his mother was going through. But he, her only son, didn’t even know that his mother was hurting! What kind of a child he is? His mother was battling with cancer alone and he didn’t even have a clue! No wonder his mother was always pale, how she was always bundled up in thick clothes lately, how her voice sometimes sound weak and her laugh sounded so forced over the phone.

Baekhyun should’ve known. He should’ve noticed all those things but why didn’t he?! What kind of a son he is?!

“I.. I didn’t even know.. Oh my God, I.. I’m such a bad son.. My mother is hurting but I don’t.. I don’t even know.. I don’t even notice it…” Baekhyun trailed off as he felt his knees getting weaker. He almost slid down to the floor as he couldn’t hold himself anymore, but he could feel strong arms catching him from behind and Mrs. Park’s hands trying to hold him too.

Baekhyun couldn’t care less as he kept on berating himself, mumbling about how he failed as a son, how he regretted not paying close attention to his mother like how his mother cared for him. Baekhyun started to sob harder, pulling on his hair as he blubbered all of the things, making Mrs. Park sobbing harder while Chanyeol tried to calm him down.

“Baek.. Baekhyun.. Baekhyun! Listen to me!”

Baekhyun was sniffling hard as he gazed up at Chanyeol, surprised by the firm hold of Chanyeol’s palm on his cheek.

“Listen to me, Baek. You are not a bad child; you are not at fault, Baekhyun. Eomma herself doesn’t want you to know about this, Baek. She chose to hide her illness from you so it’s not your fault, Baek.”

Baekhyun shook his head, not wanting to believe what Chanyeol had said to him. He still thought that it was his fault nonetheless; not paying enough attention to his mother, not taking care of her like he should do.

“It really is not your fault, Baek. Eomma wants to hide it from you and she even told us to not to tell you because she simply doesn’t want you to worry.”

Baekhyun’s ear perked up at what had come out of Chanyeol’s mouth and he looked up at the taller with his teary eyes. “Y-You.. You know about eomma? Y-You know that eomma is sick?”

As soon as he asked that, Baekhyun could see how Chanyeol’s face paled, and that.. that broke Baekhyun’s heart. He had tried to think that Chanyeol knew nothing, that Chanyeol didn’t know that his mother was sick because if he knew he would have told Baekhyun, right? He would’ve told Baekhyun this important matter and he wouldn’t keep this away from Baekhyun, right?

But as he watched Chanyeol struggled to stutter out an excuse, any word so that Baekhyun wouldn’t feel hurt, Baekhyun thought that it was to no use. His heart ached so much right now, he could feel his heart clenching in pain, in betrayal because,

“How could you? How could you keep this from me, Chanyeol?!”

Baekhyun shrugged his way out of Chanyeol’s hold and pushed the taller away, shocking Chanyeol and Mrs Park from his action. But Baekhyun couldn’t care less, because the only thing he could feel right now was pain, pain of being lied to, pain of being kept in the dark, pain of being betrayed.

Chanyeol reached out his hand to Baekhyun, not wanting the male to cry, moreover because of him. But before he could even touch Baekhyun, the smaller had swatted his hand away, tears streaming down his cheeks as he looked at Chanyeol with hurt painted all over his face.

Chanyeol could feel the lump in his throat as his own eyes started to well up with tears, his voice cracked as he called for Baekhyun.

“B-Baek, please, l-listen to me, p-please..”

Baekhyun shook his head as he backed away from Chanyeol, desperate to get away from him. He however stopped when Mrs. Park held onto his arm, calling his name softly.

“Baekhyun,..” Mrs. Park sniffed once before she continued, “Your mother asked us to keep this from you simply because she doesn’t want you to be worried of her.. She just doesn’t want you to be distracted from everything in your life because of her.. She-“

“But still, don’t you guys think, even once, that I have the right to know? Even once, don’t you guys think about my feelings?” Baekhyun whispered with a broken voice, his eyes red as he looked pleadingly at Mrs. Park before he averted his gaze to Chanyeol.

“How long have you known? How long have you kept this secret from me, Chanyeol?”

Chanyeol bit his lip, his heart aching as he listened to Baekhyun’s broken voice. Baekhyun had always been calling him with nicknames that now when he heard his name from Baekhyun’s mouth it made him sad. And Chanyeol knew that his answer would break Baekhyun’s heart even more, but Chanyeol wouldn’t keep anything from Baekhyun anymore.

“A-At the restaurant, during our first official meeting. I already knew about it.. back then.”

Chanyeol’s voice was so soft, so soft that Baekhyun wouldn’t have heard it but it was Chanyeol’s and Baekhyun could hear Chanyeol’s deep voice no matter what happened. Baekhyun couldn’t believe his ears when he heard Chanyeol’s answer, because he had known that long?

Even before they were married, even when they were still not close, Chanyeol had already known about this? Even when Chanyeol was a mere stranger to his mother, Chanyeol had already known about it first?

Chanyeol was so cold towards him before, but he suddenly agreed to marry Baekhyun… was it because of his mother? Because he wanted to grant Baekhyun’s sick mother’s wish? Was that it?

There were so many questions swirling inside Baekhyun’s head, but he couldn’t voice them out; his voice wouldn’t come out. He could only gape at Chanyeol, his fists clenching and unclenching at his sides as he watched guilt washed over Chanyeol’s and his mother’s faces.

Baekhyun staggered slightly because this was all too much for his poor heart. Chanyeol’s hands shot up to stabilize him but Baekhyun still managed to avoid Chanyeol’s touch, backing away even more and walked away to sit at the farthest seat. Baekhyun could only sob silently as he clutched his head in his hands, clenching his eyes tight and wishing that this was all just a dream - that when he opened his eyes this would all be just a dream.

Chanyeol’s eyebrows furrowed in worry as he watched Baekhyun walked away from him, and his feet moved on their own as he wanted to go and comfort Baekhyun, to go and wrap his husband in his arms so he would stop hurting, even though Chanyeol was one of the causes of Baekhyun’s misery right now.

But before Chanyeol could, his mother held onto his arm to stop him. Chanyeol looked down pleadingly at Mrs. Park, silently conveying his feelings with his eyes but his mother didn’t let him go.

“Let him be for now, Chanyeol. He’s hurting badly, there’s nothing we can do right now.”

Chanyeol wanted to retort his mother, because if anything, Baekhyun needed him the most right now but as he looked at his mother’s eyes, he knew that she was right. Baekhyun had pushed him away just now, it was clear that Chanyeol’s presence would only hurt him more.

Unable to take it anymore, Chanyeol chanced one last look at Baekhyun, watching as his smaller husband sat on the seat outside his mother’s room with his knees pulled up to his chest with his face planted on his knees. He looked even more smaller like that and it broke Chanyeol’s heart deeply.

Chanyeol wanted so much to go and gather Baekhyun into his arms, to tell Baekhyun that he was there for him - but of course he couldn’t. Not when he had made Baekhyun cry like that.

He then pulled his arm away from his mother's hold and walked away, not willing to be there as he couldn’t do nothing to comfort Baekhyun.

When he was far away from Baekhyun and his mother, with a heavy heart Chanyeol pulled out his phone from his back pocket, dialing the one that could calm Baekhyun down for now. Chanyeol waited with a bated breath for the call to be picked up and he heaved a sigh when it finally did.

"Kyungsoo,.."

---

"Baekhyun-ah!"

Chanyeol's head snapped to the right at the deep voice and he watched as Kyungsoo walked fast towards Baekhyun, who was now breaking into tears once again at the sight of his best friend.

Baekhyun couldn’t help but to let it all out once Kyungsoo swept him into his smaller but warm hug, not saying anything to Baekhyun and just letting him cry all he wanted - knowing that all Baekhyun needed now was just someone with him.

Baekhyun couldn’t stop crying once Kyungsoo hugged him; desperately clutching and clawing his hands on Kyungsoo's shirt - hoping that Kyungsoo could stop the agonizing pain in his heart. Everything was just hurting him and even the person that he wished could comfort him couldn’t do that for now.

It was beyond Kyungsoo’s understanding; why Chanyeol was not there beside Baekhyun and was sitting far away from his husband? But Kyungsoo just stopped thinking about that because Baekhyun was more important right now. Kyungsoo just tightened his hold on Baekhyun, feeling Baekhyun's tears seeping into the front of his shirt.

Chanyeol watched the two with his heart aching, badly wanting the one to be with Baekhyun but he knew it was impossible for now. He had hurt Baekhyun and even he couldn’t forgive himself for doing that.

Chanyeol jerked up in surprise as a hand suddenly patted him on his back. He looked up to that person and smiled a bit when he saw it was Jongin. The tanned male then sat beside him and offered him a comforting pats on his back, no words spoken but the gesture was enough for Chanyeol.

They all fell into silence after a while, the mood was sombre as they all waited for the doctor to tell them about Mrs. Byun’s condition. It was around 15 minutes later that the doctor finally came out of Mrs. Byun’s room, and Baekhyun wasted no time to ambush the doctor and asked for his mother’s state.

“H-How is my mother, doctor? She.. She’ll be fine, right?”

The male doctor, who must be at least 40 years old, looked at Baekhyun with a bit of remorse. “I’m so sorry but your mother needs to be operated. The tumour is too big now, we have to remove her left , so that the tumour won’t spread.”

Baekhyun staggered a bit as he listened to the shocking news, but fortunately Kyungsoo was there to have a hold on him. Mrs. Park’s cries were heard as she sought comfort in Chanyeol’s arms, as she couldn’t bear to hear such a devastating news about her dear friend.

“So, I need to get approval from her family member and if all the documents are done, we can start right away with the surgery.”

Baekhyun blinked away the tears in his eyes as he looked up at the doctor, nodding his head profusely. “Just, just do anything to save her, please.”

“I’ll do my best.” The doctor replied with a pat on Baekhyun’s shoulder and walked away from them. Chanyeol soothed his crying mother with a rub on her back but his eyes were on Baekhyun, as he could only watch the brunette cry into Kyungsoo’s shoulders.

“Mom, why don’t you go home and take a rest first?”

Mrs. Park frowned at that, not wanting to leave the hospital. “N-No, I’m not tired, I-“

“I’ll handle things here and I’ll call you if anything happened, I promise. You go home and take a rest first, okay?” Chanyeol wiped away the tears on his mother’s cheeks, watching how bloodshot her eyes were. It was too late into the night already, and Chanyeol was sure she was tired. “Jongin, can you please send her home?”

Jongin just nodded and even though Mrs. Park refused, Chanyeol just talked her out of it and finally made her go home. Chanyeol looked back and saw that Kyungsoo had pulled Baekhyun to sit again, whispering comforting words in his ear as Baekhyun slumped against him.

Chanyeol slowly walked to them and he noticed that Baekhyun’s gaze flickered a bit towards him though he averted his gaze after, staring into space lifelessly. Chanyeol heaved a soft sigh and looked at Kyungsoo, “Can you please look after Baekhyun for me? I want to go and handle all the documents first, I’ll come back again later.”

Kyungsoo just nodded firmly at him, ensuring Chanyeol by tightening his hold on Baekhyun. Truthfully, it hurt Chanyeol to see someone else doing what he was supposed to do, but it couldn’t be helped. He then just nodded in gratitude towards Kyungsoo and walked away from them two.

---

“Mrs. Byun is conscious now and you guys can go inside to meet her, but please let her get enough rest. Her surgery is scheduled to be tomorrow evening, at 5 p.m. If anything, just call the nurse or you can come straight to me.” Dr. Lee smiled softly as he looked at the tired look on the young men’s faces. He then patted Baekhyun on his shoulder when they just nodded at his words, “If that’s all, I’ll excuse myself first.”

Everyone just nodded their heads in gratitude towards the doctor and as soon as Dr. Lee was gone, Baekhyun wasted no time and barged into his mother’s room, feeling his eyes watered again as he looked at the pale look on his mother’s face. Chanyeol and Kyungsoo looked at each other in understanding and backed away to sit back on their seats outside the room, giving Baekhyun some time to talk to his mother.

“Eomma..” Baekhyun whimpered as he walked fast towards the bed, grabbing his mother’s fragile hand in his and kissing the warm hand that had always been holding him with full of love and care all these time. Mrs. Byun could just smile softly as Baekhyun started to sob, knowing that his son was utterly upset and saddened with what had happened.

“Baekhyun-ah, don’t cry.” Mrs. Byun pulled away her hand from Baekhyun’s grasp and she lifted up Baekhyun’s face, staring into her son’s teary eyes. “Eomma.. is s-sorry, honey. I.. I’m sorry that you have to know about this thing like this.. I just.. I don’t want you to worry about me..”

Baekhyun shook his head as he sobbed, sitting on the edge of the bed now as he planted his head on the crook of his mother’s neck. Mrs. Byun’s hand instinctively shot up to rub Baekhyun on the back of his nape, knowing that the gesture could sooth her only son.

“I.. I hate it that I never realise that you were sick.. I feel like.. I’ve failed as a son.. I want to be mad at you.. for keeping this away from me.. but.. but, it’s my own fault because I don’t-“

“Shh, Baekhyun.. It’s not your fault, sweetie.” Mrs. Byun hushed down the trembling boy, pushing Baekhyun slightly to make her son look at her in the eyes, “I’m the one that chose to hide my illness from you, so if anything, it’s actually my fault.” Mrs. Byun cupped Baekhyun’s cheeks with her small palms, wiping away the tears on Baekhyun’s cheeks with her thumbs. “I’ve made you cry this much, I’m such a bad-“

“No, eomma! Don’t say anything like that.” Baekhyun frowned as he held his mother’s hands that were on his cheeks, “How can I be mad at you, eomma? You are my mother and I love you so much. I just.. I just wish that you would tell me sooner, instead of keeping this big thing from me.”

“I know. I know that I’m at fault so.. can you forgive this old, sick woman then, my little prince?” Mrs. Byun grinned at her son, trying to cheer up the somber mood because she surely didn’t want to waste her time with her son by keep on apologizing. Her smile widened when Baekhyun started to crack a small smile while nodding his head.

“Of course I forgive you. But in return, you too have to forgive me. Can you do that, my queen?”

Baekhyun sniffed once as he beamed wide at the chuckles that escaped her mother’s mouth, “Of course, of course. So, truce?”

Baekhyun shook his head in laughter, his eyes sparkling as he stared at his own mother in the eyes. “Yes, truce,” he mumbled as he dove down into his mother’s arms once again, savoring the moment with his mother.

---

“I broke my promise to you.”

Kyungsoo blinked once before he turned to look at Chanyeol who was sitting a seat away on his right, looking down and remorseful. He watched the tall male for a moment, taking in his disheveled appearance and the hurt on his face; which was too apparent for Kyungsoo to not notice.

The promise that Chanyeol was talking about – Kyungsoo couldn’t think of anything other than Baekhyun. Chanyeol never made any other promises with Kyungsoo aside from regarding Baekhyun; which he had promised to take care of the brunette and that he wouldn’t make Baekhyun cry.

Now that Kyungsoo thought about it again, he just noticed that Baekhyun was clinging onto him all the time, not even once going to Chanyeol. It was weird that Kyungsoo came to the hospital and seeing Baekhyun sitting alone, far away from Chanyeol when normally, Chanyeol would be the one who could magically calm Baekhyun down. Moreover, when they were all in this situation where Baekhyun was the most fragile.

“What did you do to him?”

Chanyeol heaved a deep sigh and leant back to his seat, staring up at the ceiling and also staring into nothing. “I know about eomma’s illness. I know that eomma is sick, but I didn’t tell him.”

Kyungsoo’s eyes widened and he stared hard at Chanyeol’s side profile. “You knew?” Kyungsoo frowned, somehow understanding how Baekhyun feel. He must have felt so hurt to know that Chanyeol knew about it already but kept it away from him. “Since when did you know? And why didn’t you tell him?”

Chanyeol ran his fingers through his messy hair, “Since the first time I met with his mother, on the night when we were told to marry each other.” Chanyeol sat up straight and looked at Kyungsoo, his eyes pleading for Kyungsoo to understand him too.

“You know that I’m not really fond of Baekhyun before, and on that night, of course I refused to marry him. But then,..” Chanyeol sighed, “Eomma told me that she’s actually sick and that she wanted us to marry so that Baekhyun wouldn’t be alone if she..” Chanyeol gulped once, not willing to say the words.

Kyungsoo breathed in a deep breath as he heard what Chanyeol was saying. If before, Kyungsoo would have protested and fought against Mrs. Byun’s logic - because he was here and he would never leave Baekhyun alone. But now, Kyungsoo had accepted that Baekhyun was far better with Chanyeol, and he knew that Baekhyun would be happier with Chanyeol.

“So I’m guessing that you didn’t tell him because Mrs. Byun doesn’t want Baekhyun to know?” Kyungsoo asked after a moment of silence between them. He looked at Chanyeol and watched as the taller nodded his head, confirming his guess.

“But still, I should have told him. Baekhyun.. he is hurt deeply right now. I.. I made him cry.”

Kyungsoo perked up when he heard the distress in Chanyeol’s words and true to his guess, the giant was now close to tears, his almond-shaped eyes were swelled with tears. Kyungsoo was restless – because he was really not good with crying people (aside from Baekhyun).

“C-Chanyeol.. I’m sure Baekhyun will understand. Just, he is troubled right now so of course he can’t think properly.” Kyungsoo scratched the back of his neck, not knowing what to do when he saw a tear rolling down Chanyeol’s cheek. He then moved to the sit next to Chanyeol, awkwardly patting Chanyeol’s hand in an attempt to calm the taller down.

“Give him some time and then you can explain it to him. I’m sure he’ll forgive you soon.”

Chanyeol sniffed once and he was shocked to feel Kyungsoo’s pats on his hand but he really appreciated the gesture. He knew that Kyungsoo was only telling the truth so he looked up and offered the guy a small smile, “Thanks, Kyungsoo.”

“Um.. Am I interrupting something?”

Both males were shocked at the sudden voice and they both looked up, only to see Jongin standing there with a clothing bag in his hands. Chanyeol and Kyungsoo both shook their heads so Jongin approach them with a smile, “Your mom passes me this, these are Baekhyun’s clothes and also yours.”

Chanyeol thanked Jongin as he took the bag in his hand. Kyungsoo then stood up, “So, we’ll excuse ourselves first. We’ll come back tomorrow morning.” Chanyeol stood up too and thanked them both once again, grateful for the hug that Jongin gave him.

“Stay strong, Yeol and take care of Baekhyun hyung too.” Jongin patted Chanyeol on his shoulder one last time before walking away with Kyungsoo, leaving Chanyeol there. ~~Chanyeol was sure that he saw the two holding hands, but it was not important for now so Chanyeol just ignored it.~~

After contemplating whether he should go in Mrs. Byun’s room or not, Chanyeol then just decided to peek inside, to see what the mother and son were doing. He sighed softly when he saw that Baekhyun was now asleep with his head at Mrs. Byun’s side, his hand holding tight onto his mother’s hand.

Chanyeol crept into the room slowly, not wanting to wake his husband up. He walked up to the bed and crouched down beside the sleeping male, watching the streaks of dried tears on Baekhyun’s face. Chanyeol’s heart once again clenched in pain at the sight, feeling his heart broken at the thought of Baekhyun crying earlier.

“Chanyeol..”

Chanyeol jerked up in surprise at Mrs. Byun’s sudden call of his name. He stood up again to go and stand at the other side of the bed, smiling down at his mother-in-law.

“Yes, eomma?”

Mrs. Byun smiled softly as she grabbed Chanyeol’s bigger hand, running her thumb in circles at the back of Chanyeol’s hand like how she usually did to Baekhyun. “Did Baekhyun get mad at you? When he knew about me?”

Chanyeol’s mouth opened in surprise at Mrs. Byun’s words before he closed them back, not knowing what to say. “Um..”

Mrs. Byun let out a chuckle, “I know my son. He must have felt so angry before and I’m sure he was mad at everyone for keeping a secret from him.” Mrs. Byun smiled when he saw the sullen look on Chanyeol’s face when he glanced at Baekhyun, knowing that Chanyeol too must have been hurt. She knew that this wouldn’t have happened if she didn’t ask Chanyeol to stay quiet.

“Eomma is sorry for causing this for both of you. But I will explain everything to Baekhyun later, don’t worry too much, ‘kay?”

Chanyeol looked down for a moment before he offered his mother-in-law a soft smile, “Alright, eomma.”

Chanyeol could only wish that everything would be okay between him and Baekhyun soon because he didn’t think that he could live with Baekhyun not wanting to have anything with him.

---

Baekhyun groaned as shifted in his spot, feeling his back hurting from the position he was in on the couch. He fluttered his eyes open and noticed the white wall and white ceiling, still was in a daze. There was a jacket covering him and when he took a look at it, he was sure that it was Chanyeol’s. Baekhyun sat up and looked at his left, finally remembering where he was when he saw his mother sleeping on the hospital bed and Chanyeol, who was sleeping in discomfort on the chair beside the bed. Baekhyun didn’t know how did he get on the couch but he had an idea on who brought him there.

Baekhyun carefully put his feet on the floor, not wanting to wake his mother and Chanyeol up. He slowly tiptoed towards the two and stood beside Chanyeol, looking at how he frown in his sleep – must be from the uncomfortable sleeping position he was in.

Baekhyun clutched the jacket in his hand and he then carefully covered Chanyeol with it, making sure that he would at least feel a little bit warmer.

The brunette heaved a soft sigh as he swept the strand of hair that fell on Chanyeol’s forehead. He knew that it was wrong of him to get mad at Chanyeol, to put blame on him when Baekhyun perfectly knew that the reason why Chanyeol and Mrs. Park didn’t tell Baekhyun about his mother was all because of his mother herself.

Baekhyun knew it all too well but still, he felt like he was lied to, he felt left behind and he felt like he was betrayed. It was not a nice feeling to know that you were the only one who was kept in the dark.

But now that Baekhyun could think properly, he knew that it was not Chanyeol’s fault and he knew that he shouldn’t be mad at him anymore. But, there was something that Baekhyun couldn’t get out of his mind since he knew about his mother.

Chanyeol had told him that he knew long before they were married, that he knew about his mother since the first time they met at the restaurant.

So, that was why Chanyeol suddenly agreed to marry him, right? Because he knew that eomma was sick, so he had to agree to marry Baekhyun, right?

Baekhyun knew that he shouldn’t think and feel like this, that he shouldn’t doubt Chanyeol. But he just couldn’t help thinking,

Do you really love me now? Do you really fall for me?

Or are you putting up with me up until now, just because of eomma?

Do you love me, Chanyeol?

---

“Eomma, I’ll.. I’ll wait for you outside. Please,..” be safe, was what Baekhyun wanted to say but he just smiled instead, moving forward to leave a kiss on his mother’s forehead. “I love you, eomma.”

Mrs. Byun, who was lying on the bed and was now ready for the surgery, offered Baekhyun the sweetest smile and she grabbed his hand, squeezing it once to signal that she loved him too. Baekhyun took a deep breath as he watched the nurse rolled his mother into the operation theatre, wishing for his mother to be safe and healthy again.

“She’ll be okay, Baekhyun-ah. Don’t worry.”

Baekhyun looked to his left, smiling down at his mother-in-law before he was pulled into her arms, seeking comfort from the warmth of a mother. “She’ll be healthy again, because we both know she’s a strong woman.” Mrs. Park whispered into Baekhyun’s ear, earning nods from the brunette because he knew, he knew that his mother was a strong woman.

Chanyeol pursed his lips as he watched both his mother and Baekhyun, pained because he couldn’t be with Baekhyun to comfort and support him but it didn’t matter now – because the only important thing was the fact that Baekhyun was not alone.

Chanyeol was startled when he felt a pat on his shoulder and he looked down at Kyungsoo, who just offered a smile at him, albeit a small one. Chanyeol smiled back at the shorter male, thankful that they got so many people supporting them.

---

It was now near to 2 hours after the surgery started, but there was still no news about Baekhyun’s mother.

They were all now seated outside of the operation theater – Mrs. Park and Chanyeol sitting side by side while Baekhyun was leaning against Kyungsoo at the other side and Jongin sitting quietly beside Kyungsoo. Sehun and Luhan came too after a while, waiting along with everyone outside the operation room. Mr. Park too came to give his support to Baekhyun, although only for a while, since he was busy handling a big project nowadays.

The mood was somber and solemn, no one saying a thing as they waited for the surgery to finish. It was so quiet, the silence was broken only by the nurses that went in and out of the operation room and by the doctors that passed by them.

When there was still nothing happened, Chanyeol decided to go and buy coffees for them all, so he quietly got up and walked to the nearest vending machine, buying enough for them all as well as trying to clear up his jumbled up mind. After he was done buying the drinks, he took a deep breath as he was walking back to the waiting seats, nonstop wishing that everything would go well so that they could be back to their happy days again.

Chanyeol handed out the drinks to everyone, and when he was in front of Baekhyun, he squatted down to look at Baekhyun – taking in the prominent eye bags on Baekhyun’s small face from the lack of sleep and the cries he had done before, taking in the disheveled appearance Baekhyun was sporting - feeling amazed on how the brunette still managed to look perfect in Chanyeol’s eyes even when he was like that.

“Baek..” Chanyeol softly whispered as he handed him the can of coffee, feeling his breath caught in his throat when Baekhyun sat up straight and finally looked at him in the eyes. The brunette watched him for a moment before he took the drink in Chanyeol’s hand, their fingers brushing in the process.

Chanyeol swore he could feel jolts of electricity in his fingers from the contact and he was sure Baekhyun felt it too, if his slightly widened eyes were to be any indication. Chanyeol couldn’t stop himself from reaching out and brushed Baekhyun’s cheek with the back of his hand, his touch was fleeting and momentary.

Baekhyun felt his heart skipped a beat when Chanyeol affectionately caressed his cheek, his eyes staring deep into Baekhyun’s droopy ones. Baekhyun saw Chanyeol opening his mouth, looking like he wanted to say something but the taller didn’t. Instead, Chanyeol flashed him a small smile before pulling away and went back to his seat, leaving Baekhyun to stare down at the drink in his hands.

Baekhyun however didn’t get to contemplate as right after, the red light of the operation theatre was turned off and the door opened, revealing the surgeon. Baekhyun jumped up to his feet and wasted no time in meeting the doctor, frantically asking about his mother.

“H-how is she? Everything went well, right?” Baekhyun’s eyes were sparkling with hope, looking up at the smiling doctor. “Yes, everything went well. Mrs. Byun will be transferred to her room in a while and she will be monitored by us before she can be taken home. And Mrs. Byun has to undergo the follow-up chemotherapy treatment too, so that the cancer won’t reappear.”

Baekhyun’s lips curled up into a smile as a relieved tear rolled down his cheek – feeling like a whole load of burden had been taken off his back. They all thanked the doctor and watched the doctor walked away before Baekhyun suddenly turned and threw himself towards Chanyeol, taking the giant off guard.

Chanyeol however smiled softly as he wrapped his arms tight around his crying husband, knowing how happy and grateful the other was being now. “She’s safe now, Baek. Eomma is safe.” Chanyeol whispered into Baekhyun’s ear, kissing his temple in the process and savoring the feeling of Baekhyun back in his arms.

Mrs. Park, Kyungsoo and the others could just grin widely as they watched the scene unfold in front of them – everyone feeling grateful and thankful that everything had gone well.

---

Chanyeol was puzzled.

He was puzzled by Baekhyun’s behavior.

Chanyeol thought that everything was okay now between them.

Well yes, they are fine. Baekhyun did talk to him but Chanyeol somehow felt that there was still something not being settled between them. They did talk to each other, Baekhyun didn’t even ignore him but Chanyeol somehow felt that Baekhyun was distant.

But maybe it was because Baekhyun spent more time with his mother now. Mrs. Byun was now back at Mrs. Park’s house, and it was only right for Chanyeol and Baekhyun to stay there too. Chanyeol however found him always sleeping alone as Baekhyun mostly spent his night in his mother’s room, keeping her accompany.

Chanyeol could understand it – Mrs. Byun was now in her chemotherapy treatment and in recovery, so she needed Baekhyun more than Chanyeol did. He couldn’t possibly feel jealous of his own mother-in-law, anyway.

But somehow, Chanyeol could feel a little bit jealous, right?

Baekhyun smiled as he fed his mother the soup that he made on his own, happy to see that his mother now gaining more weight and a bit more color on her face despite her vomiting out everything sometimes and her hair kept on falling because of the chemotherapy effects. Mrs. Byun didn’t seem to care about the fact that she was now almost bald, as she was just thankful that she got another chance to be with her son for a little bit more time.

Though, she noticed that Baekhyun seemed to be spending more time with her – not really going out, only going to classes and would come back straight to her after he came home from classes. He didn’t even seem to be taking care of himself properly, as he was busier in taking care of Mrs. Byun.

And it didn’t escape her eyes that Baekhyun was slowly drifting away from Chanyeol.

Mrs. Byun noticed how Baekhyun would stiffen for a moment whenever Chanyeol came to him. Despite him talking and answering everything that Chanyeol said, Mrs. Byun noticed how it all seemed so distant and reserved. And she knew that not only she noticed that – because she was aware of the sad look on Chanyeol’s face.

“Baekhyun-ah,” Mrs. Byun called softly, liking the feeling of Baekhyun’s fingers in her hair. Mrs. Byun chuckled softly as she noticed how Baekhyun tried to hide her fallen hair away from her view but she didn’t say anything about it, rather focusing on the matter in hand.

“Yes, eomma?” Baekhyun hummed in reply, waiting for what his mother wanted to say.

“Baekhyunnie, shouldn’t you be sleeping in your room tonight?” Mrs. Byun uttered the words gently, noticing how Baekhyun’s fingers had halted but she continued anyway, “I’m sure Chanyeollie must be missing you by now. You spend too many nights with me already.”

Baekhyun let out a soft laugh, albeit a bit forcefully, as he peeked at his mother’s face over her shoulder. “Why, eomma? Are you bored of me already? You don’t want to sleep with me anymore?”

Mrs. Byun glanced at her son, smiling as she shook her head, knowing full well by now that Baekhyun was avoiding her question. “No, sweetheart, of course I’d never get tired of you.” The mother bopped Baekhyun on his nose slightly, pulling a hearty chuckle from the brunette.

Baekhyun just hugged his mother from the back, nuzzling his nose on her mother’s nape and inhaling her sweet scent. He sighed inwardly as he thought about what his mother said but he shook his head slightly after, not wanting to think about it for now.

---

“Baek-“

Chanyeol’s words were cut off when Baekhyun went out of the car straight away the moment Chanyeol parked the car in the garage, not even waiting for Chanyeol as he walked straight into the house.

Chanyeol sighed heavily as he leant back to his seat, thinking on why he felt even more far away from Baekhyun as times passed by. Chanyeol knew by now that Baekhyun was not mad anymore about his mother, so what could be the problem now?

Chanyeol just couldn’t figure anything out.

Baekhyun felt guilty for treating Chanyeol this way, but.. Baekhyun simply felt insecure – not knowing how Chanyeol actually felt for him. Deep down in his heart, he knew that Chanyeol would never lie to him about his feelings, he knew that Chanyeol cared deeply about him but somehow, the dark thoughts in Baekhyun just wouldn’t go away.

What if Chanyeol didn’t like him? What if Chanyeol didn’t love him? What if everything was just a lie? Now that his eomma is getting better, what would happen now? Chanyeol married him simply because of his mother, and now what?

Baekhyun was just too afraid in searching for the truth; he didn’t want to get hurt if Chanyeol really didn’t love him.

And so Baekhyun decided to stay with the negative thoughts swirling around in his head.

---

Baekhyun smiled as he peeked in his mother’s room, silently watching Mrs. Park sitting on the bed with his mother, having a small talk between them. After a while, Baekhyun then knocked on the door, alerting his presence to both ladies.

“Oh, Baekhyunnie, you’re back.”

Baekhyun smiled as he greeted Mrs. Park with a kiss on the cheek and greeted his mother with a kiss on her forehead. Baekhyun kneeled down beside the bed, noticing how exhausted his mother looked right now.

“How was the chemo session? Was everything okay? How are you feeling?”

Mrs. Byun’s lips stretched slightly at the questions that Baekhyun uttered; amused with how worried he was. She then just answered simply, feeling extremely lethargic after the chemotherapy session. Baekhyun and Mrs. Park then got up to help Mrs. Byun to her feet, helping her to walk the short walk to the attached bathroom in the room.

Once Mrs. Byun was on her feet, she suddenly felt lightheaded and her sight suddenly got hazy. She swayed on her feet, alerting Baekhyun and Mrs. Park before she couldn’t feel her legs anymore and fell down, her world became black afterwards.

Baekhyun and Mrs. Park gasped loudly as Mrs. Byun fell lifelessly into Baekhyun’s arms, both falling down to the floor from her weight as Baekhyun didn’t expect her to suddenly lost consciousness. Baekhyun held her mother gently in his arms, shaking her to wake her up but to no avail.

“M-Mom, what’s.. what’s wrong with eomma?”

Baekhyun turned frantic when his mother didn’t respond to him and Mrs. Park too started to panic. The both of them tried to wake her up but Mrs. Byun was still not responding so Mrs. Park quickly ran out of the room, shouting for Chanyeol to come down to them.

Chanyeol hurried over when he heard his mother’s panicked voice and he gasped in surprise as he saw Mrs. Byun lying unconscious in Baekhyun’s arms. Baekhyun looked up at him with tears in his eyes, begging and pleading for Chanyeol to do something.

“C-Chan..”

Chanyeol wasted no time and went to lift up Mrs. Byun in his arms, instructing Baekhyun to go to his car. Baekhyun sat in the back seat and helped Chanyeol in getting his mother into the car, holding his mother’s head on his lap as Chanyeol rounded up the car to get into the driver seat. Mrs. Park then entered and sat at the passenger seat while calling their doctor, informing about what had happened.

Chanyeol had never driven that fast in his life and he was sure he had broken a few laws, but it didn’t matter anymore as the most important matter now was Mrs. Byun’s health. The moment they stopped the car, a few nurses had been waiting for them and they quickly wheeled Mrs. Byun into the treatment room, leaving them three anxiously waiting once again.

Baekhyun was now slumped against Mrs. Park on the seats, while Chanyeol was pacing around; all of them trying to keep their calm as they waited for the doctor to inform them what actually happened. The three of them were startled when a nurse approached them, telling them that the doctor wanted to talk to them and they were then brought to the doctor’s room.

“W-What’s wrong with her, doctor?”

Mrs. Park enquired, holding Baekhyun’s hand tight in hers as they watched the solemn look on the doctor’s face. Chanyeol was standing behind them, holding both of them by the shoulders to calm them down.

“T-There’s nothing w-wrong, right? She’s just f-fine, isn’t she, doctor?”

Baekhyun stuttered out the questions, feeling restless as the doctor scanned down the document in his hands – maybe the result to her mother’s test. The doctor then put down the document to look at them in the eyes, his expression softened as he tried to convey the message the people in front of him.

“I’m really sorry but Mrs. Byun.. We didn’t suspect this before and we totally overlooked it. The cancer from before,.. though it didn’t reappear, it had actually spread to the other organs. And after checking her up, we found out that the main organ that is affected right now, is her brain.”

Baekhyun in a deep breath as he listened to the doctor’s words, feeling his chest constricted in pain as his tears started to roll down his cheeks. Mrs. Park squeezed Baekhyun’s hand in hers as she too started crying, turning to pull Baekhyun into her arms.

Chanyeol blinked away the tears in his eyes in favor to ask the doctor, “Can’t you.. do anything to save her? You can, right?”

The doctor looked up at the standing male, his face full of remorse as he shook his head slowly. “The cancer is growing too fast and by now, it would be too risky to remove it. We can give her meds and therapy, but that can only help her to hold on just for a little bit longer.” The doctor sighed regretfully, “I’m so sorry, but-“

His words however were cut off when Baekhyun suddenly stood up, not willing to hear anything anymore and he quickly ran out of the room. Chanyeol didn’t delay any further and he quickly chased for the smaller male, leaving her mother to deal with the doctor.

Chanyeol ran after Baekhyun, who was now heading towards the end of the corridor. When he reached the end and not knowing where to go, Baekhyun crouched down against the wall and cried into his arms, wrapping his arms around his knees as he curled into himself.

Chanyeol panted slightly when he reached Baekhyun, and he stepped slowly towards the male, approaching him slowly. Chanyeol kneeled down beside Baekhyun and he touched Baekhyun’s arms slightly to alert Baekhyun about his presence, before pulling the brunette into his arms, wanting to comfort him.

“B-Baek, please don’t cry.” Chanyeol asked with a waver in his voice, his heart was aching at the heartbreaking sound of Baekhyun’s wailing. “Eomma.. she’ll.. she’ll be fi-“

Chanyeol’s eyes widened as he was pushed backwards, falling onto the floor after Baekhyun pushed him harshly before standing up with his chest heaving as he glared dagger at Chanyeol.

“Will she be fine?!” Baekhyun asked while sobbing, his eyes showing his sadness and frustration. “Can you make sure that she’d be fine?! Or are you just going to fill me in with lies?”

Chanyeol’s mouth was agape as he pulled himself up to his feet, trying to defend himself because he was just trying to comfort Baekhyun – not intending to tell him lies. Instead, Chanyeol was just trying to share his wish and hope, because he wanted Baekhyun to believe that his mother would be fine. She would totally be fine.

But it seemed like it was not what Baekhyun wanted to hear, because he was beyond mad and aggravated. He didn’t want to hear lies, he didn’t want to hear the truth too – Baekhyun didn’t know what he wanted. His mind was in a mess, his feeling was in a jumble and all he knew was that he needed to let them out.

So he did.

“What, are you gonna say that eomma w-would be okay? Even when the doctor.. said that?! You are gonna tell me lies again, like h-how you lie about your feelings from me? Like how you can keep on lying and keeping secret about eomma from me a-all these times? You’re gonna tell me lies like how you pretend to have liked me, aren’t you?”

Chanyeol couldn’t even open his mouth to deny everything that Baekhyun had spewed out – he was truly shocked with what Baekhyun had said to him.

So Baekhyun thought that he was lying all these while? That he faked his feelings for Baekhyun?

Chanyeol shook his head in disbelief. He couldn’t believe that Baekhyun could say the words to him. He, by no mean, faked nor lied to Baekhyun about his feelings, even though he did keep a secret from him. Chanyeol was deeply hurt – by the words of Baekhyun and by how hateful he looked at Chanyeol right now.

But Chanyeol knew that Baekhyun was just spewing everything, knowing that Baekhyun couldn’t get a hold of his feelings right now.

Baekhyun was breathing harshly as he glared at Chanyeol, “Now, tell me, Park Chanyeol. Tell me that you can make sure – hic – that my mother would be fine. Tell me that you won’t feed me with lies anymo- omphf“

Baekhyun’s words were stopped when Chanyeol suddenly crashed his lips on him, making Baekhyun wince in pain as their lips and noses collided harshly. Baekhyun struggled to break free, to push Chanyeol away from him but Chanyeol had pinned him against the wall, his tongue invading Baekhyun’s warm cavern and exploring Baekhyun’s mouth, making Baekhyun felt lightheaded.

The kiss was rough and messy – Chanyeol could feel the salty taste of Baekhyun’s tears and also the copper taste of their bleeding lips, their teeth clashed with each other and Baekhyun kept on struggling to run away from him. But Chanyeol kept on kissing Baekhyun like there was no tomorrow, kissing Baekhyun just the way the brunette liked it and forcing his whole feeling into the kiss – wanting to convey his true feelings towards Baekhyun.

Their tongues battled for a while but eventually, Chanyeol won the battle as Baekhyun started to sag against him, his knees buckling as Chanyeol the roof of Baekhyun’s mouth – his sensitive spot. They were lucky that no one was really there at the end of the corridor to watch their little show.

Baekhyun unconsciously let out a moan as Chanyeol messed him further up with the kiss, which was now getting softer and sweeter, like how they usually kissed. Chanyeol released his tight hold on Baekhyun’s wrists - since Baekhyun didn’t struggle anymore - and he moved his hands to cup Baekhyun’s cheeks, giving Baekhyun’s lips a last before he pulled away.

They both watched the string of saliva connecting their mouths, their chest heaving from the roughest kiss they had ever shared. Chanyeol regretfully ran his thumb over Baekhyun’s injured lip, uttering a small sorry under his breath.

“I like you, Baekhyun. No, I love you. I really, really love you.” Chanyeol said earnestly as he looked into Baekhyun’s teary eyes, making sure that Baekhyun got what he wanted to say. “I did hide about eomma from you and I did marry you because of eomma, but I never lie to you about how I feel. All of my actions, I did it truthfully and I really, really fall for you after living with you, Byun Baekhyun.”

Chanyeol watched as Baekhyun teared up even more at his words, his tears rolling down his cheeks as he tried to turn away from Chanyeol. Chanyeol however wouldn’t let him and he held Baekhyun’s face firmly in his large palms, leaning down to steal one more kiss from Baekhyun’s bruised and red lips.

“I truly love you, Baek. Please believe me.”

Chanyeol begged for Baekhyun, pulling the smaller into his embrace. Baekhyun’s arms came up to wound around Chanyeol’s waist as he cried into Chanyeol’s chest, knowing that Chanyeol meant what he said.

Chanyeol sighed softly as he leant down to plant his face into Baekhyun’s hair, “I would never lie about my feelings from you. But about eomma..” Chanyeol tightened his hold onto Baekhyun as he trailed the words, “Let’s just wish the best for her, Baek.”

Baekhyun’s cries turned into sobs and he started to wail into Chanyeol’s chest, clutching the back of Chanyeol’s shirt as tight as he could. “I’m.. I’m scared.. I d-don’t.. I don’t want to lose her…. Yeol, I d-don’t want to….. C-Chanyeol… I r-really don’t..”

Chanyeol shut his eyes tightly as his own tears rolled down his cheeks, pulling Baekhyun even closer into his arms. “Me too, Baek. Me too. But we can only.. pray for the best…

..that’s all the thing we can do now.”

---

When Mrs. Byun came to, she fluttered her eyes open and looked at her surrounding, noticing that she was in a hospital room from all the blinding white. She looked at her right and saw Mrs. Park, who looked a bit dull as she sat there with her hand holding onto Mrs. Byun’s hand.

“W-What.. what happened?”

Mrs. Park didn’t get to answer her when the door suddenly opened and came in Chanyeol and Baekhyun; the smaller being huddled close to Chanyeol as the taller wrapped an arm around him, Baekhyun’s eyes were swollen because of his cries.

Mrs. Byun felt a sense of relief when she saw that the two was being close again, but still, the look on their faces made her feel restless. Baekhyun looked up to her mother, only now noticing that she had become conscious so he quickly walked to the bedside, smiling down at his mother.

“Hi, eomma. How are you feeling?”

Mrs. Byun offered him a small smile, a beautiful one albeit a bit weakly, “My head is still throbbing but it’s nothing, I feel fine.” The mother grabbed a hold of her son’s hand, “What happened, Baekhyun-ah? Why were you crying?” The sick lady then turned to look at Chanyeol before looking at Mrs. Park, noticing their saddened look. She somehow had a hunch, so she wanted to confirm it.

“Did the cancer come again?”

Baekhyun’s face scrunched into a frown, his eyes starting to tear once again. Noticing this, Chanyeol walked up to stand behind Baekhyun, pulling him to his chest and holding him tenderly although Chanyeol’s eyes were focused on his mother-in-law.

“Eomma,.. um,..” Chanyeol cleared his throat, taking in a deep breath and flashing Mrs. Byun a shaky smile, “The cancer has spread to your other organs, and it mostly affect your.. brain.” Chanyeol explained softly as he too took a hold of Mrs. Byun’s hand, “It.. It’d be too risky to remove it, so..”

A lone tear escaped Mrs. Byun’s eye when she heard it, but after taking a deep breath, she let out a chuckle as she reached for Baekhyun. “What are you crying for? There’s nothing to be cried about, honey.”

Baekhyun tried to smile at his mother but he couldn’t – his lips trembled and his eyes started to sting so he turned around in Chanyeol’s arms and hid his face in Chanyeol’s chest, crying into the taller’s arms. Mrs. Byun felt her own tears coming out of her eyes and she exchanged looks with Chanyeol, mouthing at him to always take care of Baekhyun and Chanyeol nodded, because he had promised Mrs. Byun and himself, to love and to always be with Baekhyun. Mrs. Byun smiled at that and she felt Mrs. Park too holding tightly onto her, so she turned towards her and mouthed,

“Please take care of my son.”

The nods that Mrs. Park gave her were already enough to set her mind at peace. She just wanted Baekhyun to be happy and not to be alone,

If she was no longer there after this.

---

Weeks had passed and Baekhyun noticed how his mother’s health kept on deteriorating. Her hair had almost completely fallen off that she was always wearing a beanie now and she was always bundled in layers of clothes as she got cold easily. She had also become so thin because she didn’t have any appetite to eat and she stayed lying on the bed as she didn’t have that much energy to get up now.

Watching his mother falling apart in front of him – it broke Baekhyun’s heart tremendously. However, Baekhyun tried his best to put on a smile always on his face, to not show his sorrow and grief in front of his mother because he just wanted to make her happy now. Baekhyun was always with her, talking about nothing and everything - sometimes reminiscing their old times, sometimes telling her about whatever he wanted to – anything, just to hear his mother’s sweet voice.

It was now late into the night, and Baekhyun was snuggling against his mother, offering his warmth to her. Mrs. Byun suddenly let out a cough, which almost got Baekhyun into a panic but she assured him nothing was wrong. Once Baekhyun got back into his position, Mrs. Byun started to talk softly.

“Are you happy now, Baekhyunnie?”

Baekhyun thought back about his life now, and yes, he was happy. He had his mother with him, he had Chanyeol supporting him and loving him, he had Chanyeol’s parents with him and his friends were also there with him, making sure that he would be alright and would never be alone. So yes, Baekhyun was happy and that was exactly what he said to her.

Mrs. Byun smiled in relief, “I’m glad to hear that, Baekhyunnie. I’m glad.” Baekhyun pulled away from his mother and looked at her face, leaning into her mother’s hand when her hand shot up to cup his cheek. “Eomma is sorry for everything that I had done to make you feel angry, sad, or upset. And eomma is sorry for hiding my illness before from you, but it simply was because I don’t want you to be worried.”

Baekhyun nodded his head in understanding, turning his head to leave a fleeting kiss on Mrs. Byun’s palm. “I understand, eomma. I’m not angry nor upset anymore, don’t worry.” Baekhyun smiled sweetly at her, feeling the lump in his throat as his chest started to constrict, tears started to well in his eyes.

This somehow felt like a goodbye, and Baekhyun was afraid.

But still, he tried his best to smile at her because if anything happened, Baekhyun wanted his mother to remember his smiling face.

“I’m sorry too, eomma. I know that I’m not a good son to you and I must have done lots of things that make you upset. But please know that I love you so much. So, so much.”

There were tears on Mrs. Byun’s eyes but her lips were still pulled up into a beautiful smile, “No, you’re not a bad son, Baekhyun-ah. You are always my lovely son and I love you too.”

Mrs. Byun sniffed once, “So please, please stay happily always, Baekhyunnie. Your life must go on, and I want you to always be happy, with Chanyeol, with your friends, with your mom and dad. Remember that even if I weren’t there, you always have everyone else with you.”

“Can you do that for me? And for yourself, hm? Can you promise me that you’d live your life happily?” Mrs. Byun smiled as she watched Baekhyun started to sob, nodding his head vigorously as he started to cling onto her – just like how when he was still a kid before and promised her to not be naughty anymore.

She knew that Baekhyun would always fulfil his promise so Mrs. Byun felt a serene and calm feeling washed over her – a feeling where she felt like there was nothing holding her down anymore. And she suddenly felt so, so, so calm that she just wanted to bask in that feeling.

“I love you, Baekhyun.. and your appa loves you too..” Mrs. Byun trailed off, looking into Baekhyun’s sparkling eyes and his shaky smile that he tried so hard to show her. “I love you..”

Baekhyun nodded vigorously, replying all the ‘I love you’s back to her mother, watching how she started to grow weaker and weaker, though a smile stayed plastered on her face. Baekhyun finally broke down when her mother’s hand fell limp from his face, her eyes shutting down and her breath started to get even and more even until finally she just stopped breathing.

“Eomma?!…. Eomma!… Please, don’t leave me, eomma!…” Baekhyun sobbed as he hugged his mother to his chest, holding her tight as he tried to savor the last heat emanating from her before her body went cold and just like that, his mother was not there anymore – she had left Baekhyun forever. Baekhyun couldn’t help the wail from escaping his mouth, screaming his heart out for his mother.

But this time, there’s no more soothing voice to stop him from crying, and there’s no more warm hands that could help him to wipe his tears.

Chanyeol wiped his own tears as his mother cried into his chest while his father was behind them as he held onto them both. They were standing just outside the room, listening to everything that had transpired in the room and listening to Baekhyun’s heart-wrenching wails for his mother.

Chanyeol felt a gush of wind passed through him, and he swore he heard his eomma’s voice, whispering along the wind and asking him to take care of Baekhyun.

And Chanyeol promised – he promised himself and also Mrs. Byun, that he would take care of Baekhyun and he would try his best to make the brunette happy.

I promise you.

I’ll take care of him.

Rest in peace, eomma. We all love you.

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i'm so sorry for this ty update ㅠㅠ

the next chap might be the final chap :')