Donghae was merrily on to his chocolate bar at home as he watched the new episode of Star King on the T.V. His day at the training had come to an end and hence he was back to his warm home to enjoy the delicious cooking of his mother’s.

Nari was humming some girl group song and setting the lunch on the dining table. She was making things ready to eat for when her dorky and hungry husband arrives and digs in to fill his always hungry stomach. She had made sure to cook lots of it since she was going to go and visit Sungmin and his mother after feeding her hungry and tired husband. She had felt she found a friend in Sungmin’s mother’s form. Though she was very sad about the latter having not much time left, but she hoped she could spend more time with the sick woman and give her something genuine to smile and laugh about before her sad demise could strike others.

“Umma, are you done preparing food? I’m hungry~” Donghae whined as he continued on the last bit of his chocolate bar. The boy sure was always high on sugar because of his unhealthy love for that brown coloured sweet object in any form and shape.

“Done, Hae-ah. Wait for appa to arrive and we’ll have lunch together.” she smiled at her son who was sporting a pitiful scowl on his face with lips smudged of chocolate remnants.

Their conversation was interrupted as her cell phone launched a loud ringing, making the two aware of an incoming call. She asked for her cell phone that was placed on the coffee table in front of her son and Donghae gladly handed it to her but frowned as he recalled the number in his mind. He had felt the number to be familiar but couldn’t recall just where he had seen it. He was sure his mother had asked him to remember a number similar to this one not that long ago.

Nari noticed the frown on her son’s face and looked at her android screen that was blinking light on and off, signalling an incoming call.

Why is Doctor Choi calling? Don’t tell me…

She felt her heart beat increase at the possibility of the situation the call was being made to her. She had made herself the emergency contact for Sungmin’s mother and the only reason she could think of at this very moment was something she was definitely not prepared for, at least not right after attending the sick lady’s birthday just last night.

With trembling fingers, she swiped her cell phone’s screen and pressed the device next to her left ear, her right hand unconsciously clutching the edge of the glass dining table.

“H-hello?” her voice was trembling and this definitely wasn’t gone unnoticed by her son who had been noticing his mother’s alarmed actions ever since he had handed her the ringing device.

“Mrs. Shin. You’ll have to come to the hospital as soon as possible.” The voice of Doctor Choi was heard from the other end.

“Why? It can’t be…” she couldn’t continue her question. She didn’t want to think of the situation she was scared of.

“I’m afraid, you are right. The boy has collapsed and has not gained his consciousness back yet.” Though the doctor had not exactly mentioned who that said boy was or what the reason of the said boy’s collapse was, she knew. She perfectly knew that her fear had come true.

“I—” she managed to control her emotions. She had to take care of the situation at the hospital. She couldn’t break her strong surface now of all times. “I’ll be there. I’ll be there quick.” And she disconnected the call with hands trembling beyond her control.

“Umma, what happened? Who was it from?” Donghae’s voice couldn’t get any more worried than now. His brows were knitted with worry.

“It was—”

“Honey~ I’m home and hungry~” Shindong’s exhausted yet happy voice resounded from the door and the chubby man showed himself in grey suit coat on top of a brown briefcase hanging off his right hand. He his lips as the aroma and the sight of the enormous food placed on the dining table welcomed him. The sight of the delicious Kalguksu* and Sundubu jjigae* that he had been craving for since a while now had not let him register the worried expressions his family was wearing on their faces.

“Umma, please tell me what is wrong? I’m freaking out here.” His son’s voice was what brought him out of his awe for the food in front of him.

“Doctor Choi. He was the one who called. We have to go to the hospital.” Her voice was enough to tell the others how scared stiff she was from inside.

“No. It can’t be...” Donghae’s scared brown orbs were speaking along with his voice.

“Sungmin has collapsed out of shock.” she added as she couldn’t control her own tears anymore. “We have to be there for the poor boy.” She finished.

“My poor best friend.” Donghae gasped as he unconsciously got off the couch and ran to his mother, hugging her in the process.

And Shindong didn’t feel that hungry anymore. “Let’s go to the hospital.” Shindong hurriedly said as he grabbed his car keys from the key stand where he had placed right after entering the house, abandoning his coat and briefcase in the process. On the other hand, it took quite some time for Nari and Donghae to gather themselves and they were broken out of their trance only when a loud honk from outside was heard.

“I’ll get my purse, Hae-ah. Go and sit in the car.” she said and ran to her room to grab her possession and shortly followed her son’s steps out of their small but spacious and comfortable house after covering the food, switching off the electricity and locking the door behind her.

Needless to say, their ride was filled with nothing but Donghae’s cries of worries of how his best friend might be doing at the moment and Nari comforting the younger boy by hugging him as she was at the backseat with him instead of her usual front passenger seat. She couldn’t break down now.

Definitely not now when that poor boy needs our comfort the most.

But that doesn’t mean her tears wouldn’t leak from her eyes from time to time.

………………………………………………………………….

Opening his eyelids slowly, he took in the bright lights and the white ceiling that met his eyes. He was confused. He could clearly make out that it was dark outside by the intensity of the artificial lights shining brighter above his eyes. He squint his eyes, trying to adjust his eyesight to the blinding light and slowly shifted his head to his left, finally taking in the slightly bent form of a short brunette on the chair next to the bed Sungmin was on.

Donghae…

He noticed how the boy’s shoulders shook as the boy’s face was buried in his hands.

Is he crying?

He then felt a soft hand caressing his own black hair, fingers threading the hair backwards gently. Looking at his right, he noticed Nari with red eyes and concluded that she was indeed the owner of those soft hands and gentle caresses on his head.

Why is she crying? He had thoughts invading his mind. He was still not very conscious of his surroundings.

And then it hit him.

Where is umma?

And that was the first word the others in the room heard from the boy on the white bed.

Donghae’s red eyes met Sungmin’s hazy and scared ones and Nari’s soothing voice made its way to the ears of the boy on the bed. “She’s safe, Sungmin-ah.”

Sungmin felt his heart beat calming down at hearing that.

Mom is fine. Mom is fine.

“She is safe from all the pain and sorrows now. She is safe with God in heaven.” These sentences were enough to make Sungmin’s heart constrict with pain.

No. No!

“It’s okay. We are with you, my boy. Cry. We are here to soothe your pain down.” That’s when Sungmin realized he had been sobbing painfully under the elder woman’s warm embrace. He had not comprehended when he had sat up and started thrashing his arms and body around messily in desperate attempts to free himself from the embrace he was in.

“Umma is fine! She is fine! She can’t leave me alone. She can’t go!” he was screaming his lungs out. He had gone ballistic.

Donghae’s sobs had increased by ten-fold by witnessing his best friend’s broken state. He had never seen the latter in such a mess.

“Umma~!” the scream Sungmin let out was too painful for others to hear. The devastation he was feeling was conveyed to others painfully. Even those who had no connection or relation to the people crying were being torn by the raw emotion the boy in the woman’s embrace was displaying. Most of them started tearing up by just witnessing the pain the boy was in.

“! Sungmin!” Siwon's voice was ignored by the boy whose name had left the taller boy’s lips. Sungmin couldn’t register anything around him. He didn’t realize how the tall