“Calm down, honey. I’m sure she’s a lovely girl.” But despite his reassurances, Jungsook was still upset.

“She’s going to take my baby away from me. I have to put her in her place right from the beginning.”

Hoon’s father just shook his head. When it came to the maknae, his wife was always a bit unreasonable. “Hoonmin is a good son. He’d never want to introduce us to a girl who he didn’t think would get along well with us.”

“He’s so busy though. He doesn’t have time for a girlfriend. He doesn’t even have time for us. How can he be dating someone? He’s not thinking about his health.” She was getting more worked up, and all Woontaek could do was listen quietly. He knew and trusted Hoonmin. He wasn’t worried at all about the caliber of woman his son would bring home to meet them. He was sure she was a lovely girl. He didn’t need to meet her, and that was one thing he was sure of.

Hoon arrived with Serin not too long after his conversation with his wife, and upon entering Serin greeted them very formally. Her manners were most excellent, and she was quite attractive. She spoke well, and clearly showed how well educated she was. “So what do you do, Serin-ssi?” he asked because, although Hoon had explained her job to him before, he wanted to be polite.

“My father owns a company. I work for him as an international liaison. I travel overseas and present business agreements and proposals to foreign businesses and investors.”

“I bet you’re fluent in English, then,” Woontaek said.

“I am, but I’m not nearly as good as Hoonmin-ssi’s English speaking members.”

“You father owns a company?” Jungsook asked her. “I wonder if we know him. What’s his name?”

“Lee Hyunsu, eomma-nim,” Serin said politely.  “He and my mother started the company before I was born, and they both poured their lives into it to make it successful.”

“Your mother?” Woontaek asked, curious because her father’s name seemed a bit familiar to him.

Hoon cut him off though. “Appa… please don’t talk about her mother. It’s a difficult topic for her right now.”

Serin shook her head. “It’s fine. My mother, Eunhye, died in a car accident when I was 16 years old.”

Watching his wife’s heart melt at this news was actually a bit amusing to him. Because her eyes and posture went from hard and demanding to soft and comforting instantly. “You don’t have a mother anymore?” Jungsook asked Serin. She nodded. “You poor thing. It must be so hard for you.”

Serin looked down, pulling herself together a bit before responding. “Ah. I’m sorry. It’ll be eight years since her death next week. I’m just getting a little emotional about it. I’ve moved on and accepted it now, but this time of year, I miss her a lot. I miss having a mother figure in my life.”

“Were you close?”

Serin nodded, obviously willing herself not to cry. Hoon casually started rubbing her back, offering what comfort he could. It was for this reason that he had tried to avoid the conversation in the first place. “She died a week before my birthday. And just… it’s coming up soon. She was coming to pick me up from my night violin lesson, and…”

Jungsook moved to sit on the side opposite of her son, gently patting Serin’s leg. “You don’t have to tell me right now, Serin-ssi,” she said sympathetically. “It must be incredibly hard with the anniversary coming up.”

“It is. I miss her more now than usual. Especially after finally getting to meet you and feeling how much you really love Hoonmin. It makes me a little jealous.”

Though it had little to do with the situation at hand, it was at that moment that it dawned on Woontaek who this girl was, and why she seemed familiar. He had watched her father's company as it grew to some extent. He was glad to know it was doing well enough to start expanding overseas. He told Serin as such in a attempt to change the subject.

Serin, who had pulled her self together and was holding Jungsook’s hand for comfort, looked at him with surprise. “You  paid attention to my father?"

"You bet!" he said. "How could I not? We were both young managers starting up companies."

"That makes sense. I should see if my dad wants to have a meeting with you sometime. I'm sure you could talk about many things.Plus, he could always use a few more friends."

Woontaek smiled and told her he’d be glad to spend some time with her father. He wasn’t going to turn down such an offer, especially one that might turn into a good business partnership for him. The rest of the visit went without issues. They ate dinner and talked, and the more Woontaek observed, the more he liked Serin. She was a good match for his son, and judging by the look on his wife’s face, she was beginning to think so too.

--

Hoon was anxious. Perhaps the most anxious he’d been in quite some time. It was Serin’s birthday, and she’d invited him over to her father’s house for a birthday celebration. Though she’d assured him that her father and brothers would not be difficult towards him, he was still nervous about it. Especially since he was showing up late to the party. He was also worried a bit about the atmosphere since just a week ago they were all in mourning over the death of their mother.

Hoon sent Serin a message when he got there, letting her know that he had arrived. He couldn’t really tell as it was dark, but he could see that the house was large, but not overly so, and seemed to be well kept. Serin was at the door, holding it open for him, and as he walked closer, he realized once again how beautiful she was. She had obviously put in extra effort for the party, and he could tell. She was radiant, which was a stark contrast to her dark appearance when he’d seen her a week ago.

“Welcome. And thanks for coming, Hoonie,” she said, voice high, a sign that she’d had at least some to drink. “I know you’re so busy right now. Preparing for the musical.”

“I didn’t want to miss your birthday party,” he said. “Even if it means missing out on a little bit of sleep.”

“Thanks. Please come in. You don’t have to take your shoes off.” Her eyes clouded briefly as she explained, “Mom wanted the house to be American style, and we still always wear our shoes inside at home.”

Hoon nodded as he walked in, feeling a bit odd about it, but accepting how her family did things. It was their home, afterall. Serin had linked arms with him, and he felt a bit awkward because he was meeting her family, and he didn’t want to seem too physically close to her and upset them. She seemed unfazed by the contact, unsurprising as she’d initiated it, and simply led him to the dining room.

Her father sat at the table end, laughing jovially as one of her brother’s told an animated story. They all quieted down to look at him when he and Serin entered, and he felt the awkwardness return. He detached himself from Serin, and bowed politely as he introduced himself. “Hi, I’m Yeo Hoonmin. It’s very nice to meet you all.”

Her father stood up from his seat, and walked up to him, and offered his hand for a handshake. “It’s nice to finally meet you, as well, Hoonmin-ssi. I’m Lee Hyunsu. Thank you for taking such good care of my daughter.”

Hoon felt embarrassed by the praise, as he sometimes felt a bit lacking as a boyfriend because of the time he had to spend apart from her. “Thank you, sir,” he replied, bowing once more.

Her brothers had all stood up to introduce themselves, as well. He’d met Jaehyun not too long ago, so he greeted his dongsaeng jovially. The elder of the two he hadn’t met introduced himself first. “It’s nice to meet you, Hoonmin. I’m Seunghyun, Serin’s oldest brother. This,” he said, indicating the other woman in the room, “is my wife. Our son is upstairs asleep. It’s kind of late for him, but it’s good to finally meet you. Serin has said many nice things about you. And your group is quite talented. I had fun watching your performances.”

“You watched our group?” Hoon asked, a bit surprised that this hyung who was obviously busy with his own life would spend time watching U-KISS.

“Of course,” he said. “I wanted to know what Serin’s boyfriend did. And you’re a very talented vocalist.”

“Thank you very much,” Hoon said, truly thankful for her brother’s interest.

Serin’s other brother, the older middle brother, then introduced himself, as well, but decidedly more roughly. “I’m Hyunsaeng.”

Hoon was taken aback by Hyunsaeng’s demeanor. Serin shook her head disapprovingly at him. “Stop it, oppa,” she told him sternly. “Play nice.”

He scowled at Hoon, but Serin paid him no mind, so Hoon figured he should try his best to ignore him, as well, especially with Hyunsu and the other two brothers shaking their heads at him. Clearly, his behavior wasn’t something they approved of.

“Have you eaten, Hoonmin?” Hyunsu asked him then.

“Ah no. Not yet. I came straight from practice. I didn’t have a chance.”

“Serin, why don’t you go get him something?” he suggested.

“Let’s go,” she told him, and led him to the kitchen. She prepared him what had obviously been her birthday dinner, and while they were waiting for it to heat up, she told him, “Don’t mind Hyunsaeng too much. He’s very protective of me. Just give him some time to get to know you. He’ll warm up to you eventually.”

Hoon relaxed a bit at that information. “I was worried for a bit.”

She shook her head, and smiled wistfully. “He’s hotheaded, but he’ll fight for me, and I really do appreciate him a lot. As I said, give him a chance to get to know you. He’s nice to people he likes, and I can’t imagine him disliking you once he gets to know you.”

“Okay,” Hoon agreed.

She gave him his meal, and walked with him back to the dining area. “They won’t mind you eating while they drink,” she told him.

The rest of the evening went reasonably well, except for the glares Hyunsaeng occasionally sent his way. But he shook them off, remembering what Serin had told him and hoping that someday her brother would be more accepting of him. As it got later, Hyunsu, Seunghyun, and Seunghyun’s wife decided that it was time for them to go to bed, which left behind the other four. Jaehyun was his usual chatty self, having gotten fairly interested in U-KISS when he’d found out that Serin was talking to Hoon early on. Hyunsaeng was decidedly more intoxicated, and much less threatening. His looser self actually reminded Hoon a lot of Eli, and with that in mind, he was also able to relax and open up around Serin’s protective older brother.

“You should probably go, Hoonie,” Serin said after awhile. “I’m sure you have to be up pretty early, and it’s already quite late.”

He nodded. “Yeah. It was nice to spend time with you guys. We’ll have to hang out again some time.”

“For sure,” Jaehyun said enthusiastically. Hyunsaeng simply nodded his agreement.

Serin walked with Hoon out to his car. “Thanks for coming,” she told him. She shivered then, the early April night air hitting her all at once as she’d neglected to put on a jacket. He tentatively wrapped her in his arms, and she pressed against him, relishing his body heat. “I had a lot of fun,” she said into his shoulder.

“Me too. It was nice to meet your father and brothers.”

“Mmhmm.”

“Are you tired?” he asked, caressing her back as he held her.

She slid her arms around his torso, keeping them under his jacket, looking up at him with tired eyes, and answered, “Yeah.”

“Why don’t you go inside then? Go to bed.”

“I don’t want you to leave.”

He didn’t really want to leave either. It felt so satisfying to hold her like this. But he knew he had to. He would regret pulling an all-nighter. “I don’t want to leave either. But I have to.”

She pressed her nose into his chest and replied, “I know.” Her breath tickled his neck, and it felt so sensual to him, sending a tingling feeling of anticipation through his body.

“I have a present for you,” he told her then. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a box. Taking the necklace out of it’s container, he carefully put it around her neck and hooked it for her. Looking down at it situated around her neck, he smiled, pleased with himself. “It’s dark, and you can’t see it, but let me know what you think. From what I can tell, it suits you perfectly.”

Serin reached up, still within his arms, and touched it, tracing what felt to be a treble clef on a chain, and smiled contentedly at the thoughtful gift. “I’m sure it’s beautiful,” she told him. “Thank you.” She pecked him on the cheek excitedly, before realizing that she had perhaps been a bit too familiar and hiding her face in the crook of his neck. He was a little shocked. They’d kissed a few times before, but never so casually, which made tonight feel a bit different. Like it wasn’t just a simple goodbye, and there were certainly more feelings involved than in the past. He held her tighter then, leaning his head over to whisper into her ear. “Serin…”

She tilted her head to the side to meet his eyes, and before he even realized what he was doing, his lips met hers. So very gently.  Soft pink lips against his as he felt her body press closer to him. But the atmosphere was different, and the chaste kiss turned more intense, as she allowed him entrance to , and he explored hers with his tongue, tasting her for the first time. She smelled amazing and felt so soft and inviting in his arms. She moaned as his kiss made things warm for both of them, breathing heavier as he continued. He moved ever so carefully from to her neck, and after several light kisses and her breath turning ragged as it caught in , she pulled back from him.

“We can’t, Hoonie,” she told him. “You have to get some sleep, and I’m exhausted, as well.”

He wrapped her in his arms again. “I know. Happy Birthday, Serin. I’m glad you’re my girlfriend.”

“Mmhmm,” she agreed.

He met her lips again, kissing her gently. “Goodnight,” he told her after he pulled away. “I’ll see you later.”

She said her farewell to him, as well and regretfully parted ways, watching with her arms crossed in front of her to ward off the cold as he got in his car and drove away before briskly walking back in the house and going to bed, butterflies of delight and excitement fluttering in her stomach.

--

Serin was a bit uncomfortable, sitting between Hoonbi and Hoon’s mom in the theatre. They were here to see Hoon’s musical debut performance. She’d even gotten to meet Soohyun’s mother and sisters. But she’d almost have rather attended on her own. Being with his family focused some extra attention on her, and she didn’t really want that.

Hoonbi laughed at her stiff posture. “Relax,” he told her. “No one’s going to read too much into you being here. They’ll think you’re with me or something.”

Jungsook put a hand on hers, showing her gentle support. “Did you have a good birthday last week?” she asked.

“I did.”

“I got you a present, but never got a chance to give it to Hoonmin to give to you for me. I’ll give it to you when the show is over,” Jungsook told her happily.

Serin smiled at her, appreciative of the gesture. “Thank you.”

“It’s the least I could do for you,” she said. It was quite obvious to Serin that Hoon’s mother had sort of adopted her and was trying to fill the role of mother in her life. She certainly didn’t mind.

A hush fell over the audience as the lights dimmed. Serin watched the show intently, feeling a pang of jealousy during the kiss scene, but otherwise greatly enjoying the performance. She stood and clapped enthusiastically during the curtain call. She followed Jungsook and Hoonbi backstage and stood quietly by while they congratulated Hoon on his successful performance. She shot him a thumbs up and a smile. “You did well,” she said, being sure to keep her distance with others around.

He smiled and nodded at her compliment. “Thanks.”

--

Serin was warm, dressed in a light, long-sleeved shirt, and a pair of shorts. Sitting around Hoon’s apartment while he prepared to leave for Japan, she watched an interview with uBEAT. “Seriously,” she said to Hoon, “I can’t believe those three didn’t get themselves in trouble.”

“It was a good thing Kevin was there,” Hoon said, walking into the living area where she was sitting. “Jaeseop and Eli…”

“Are a problem,” Serin finished for him. “Who’s in the ballad subunit?” she asked. “Since Kevin spoiled that.”

“Ah, it’s not been officially decided yet. We’re playing around with the idea. It’ll probably be Soohyun, Kevin, and me.”

“Why not Kiseop?”

“I told you. Nothing’s been decided officially yet.”

“Okay, okay,” she said. “As long as you’re in, and I can listen to your voice, I’ll be happy.”

He sat down beside her then trying to keep a bit of distance as the warm June air made the apartment rather muggy, even with the air conditioning on. He felt hot enough as it was from packing up stuff that he didn’t need her extra body heat to make him even warmer, but he wrap his hand around hers. Soohyun walked in then, glancing at the two of them on the couch. “Hey Hoon, Serin.”

“Hi, Soohyun,” she said without looking at him.  “Is Hoonbi going to be back soon? Then it’d be a regular old party.”

“Who knows when Hoonbi will get back,” Hoon told her. “Why?”

“Oh well… I figured I’d make you guys dinner. Since I’m here. And I was trying to see if I should make him dinner, too.”

“Just make enough for him, and we’ll eat his share,” Soohyun said, sitting down on the couch next to her, putting her between the two guys.

She laughed at his suggestion. “So what are you going to do while they’re in Japan practicing for their musical?” she asked him.

“Practice and get ready to go to South America. That’s coming up very soon.”

“I bet concerts are hard to prepare for,” she mused.

“They are certainly more difficult,” Hoon said. “We have to run through more dances, and sing more songs. It’s not easy.”

“But it’s fine,” Soohyun added. “Knowing that we’re doing it to make the fans happy makes it worthwhile.”

Serin stood up then, the show she’d been watching over and headed to the kitchen to see what was in their fridge. It was sparse, but she found a few things that she could use. “How does kimchi jigae sound?” she asked.

Hoon said, “Sure.”

Soohyun was much more excited. “That sounds amazing!”

She went to work then, making them dinner, making sure there was rice and kimchi to feed all of them, including Hoonbi in case he showed up later on. Hoon had fallen asleep on the couch while she cooked, and Soohyun was playing with his phone. It was getting pretty late, but it was the weekend, and she was used to staying up all hours to wait for Hoon to get done. He’d actually gotten out a bit earlier than usual today, which was why she had come over to hang out. She could feel that the temperature outside had dropped as it was getting a bit cooler. Soohyun walked into the kitchen and inspected the food. “It’s not ready yet,” she told him.

“How much longer? I’m getting hungry.”

“Probably like twenty minutes.”

“I’ll go take a shower then,” he told her. “Don’t start without me.”

She made a face at him and shooed him away. She felt like she needed to make something else to eat, but the options were limited, and she wasn’t going to go out to get them something else. She looked in the cupboards and fridge, and just shook her head. This was definitely a house that boys resided in.

Soohyun finished his shower and plopped himself down in the kitchen. Serin put the kimchi jigae down on the table she’d already and went to get Hoon up. Groggily, he sat up and was led him to the kitchen. They all began eating, clearly very hungry, and Hoon began to perk up as the food hit his belly. Hoonbi walked in then, casually noting them eating in the kitchen.

“Hey, what’s up?” he asked.

Soohyun looked up at him, spoon halfway to his mouth, and said “We’re eating dinner.”

Hoonbi laughed and sat down with them. “Did you make this, Serin?”

“Yeah,” she told him.  “You can have some. I tried to make sure there was enough for everyone, but these two are eating more than I figured they would.”

“We worked hard today,” Soohyun said. “We’re hungry.”

Hoon just nodded in agreement, more focused on eating than on what Soohyun was saying to his brother. “This is really delicious, Serin. You’re cooking is on par with my mom’s,” Hoon told her.

Hoonbi looked more interested then. “As good as Mom’s?” Hoonbi asked. “I suppose I’ll give it a try even though I already ate.”

Serin stood up and got him rice and a bowl with utensils. He served himself and gave her a thumbs up. “It’s really delicious,” he told her.

“Thanks. I always worry that the way my mom taught me will be a little off. Since she grew up in the States and sort of added an American flair to all the food she made.”

“No no,” Soohyun insisted. “It’s good. You’ll have to come be our personal cook or something.”

“Hyung, she doesn’t have time for that,” Hoon told him, now finished and full.

Soohyun just smiled playfully. “You’ll come cook for us more, won’t you?”

“If you ask when I’m around, sure. I don’t mind.”

“Let’s watch something before you leave, Serin,” Hoon suggested.

“How about an anime?” Soohyun asked. “I want to watch the newest episodes of One Piece.”

“No,” Serin said.

They all looked at her a bit surprised. “Why not?” Hoonbi asked. “Everyone likes One Piece.”

“I don’t. And you can thank my argumentative older brother for that. He tried to force it on me, and I rebelled.”

Hoon nodded. “I remember you telling me that. What would the other options be?”

“Well, we could watch Dragon Ball,” Soohyun suggested. “Practice our Japanese a bit.”

“We’re watching anime, hyung,” Hoon said. “No matter what we watch, we’ll be practicing Japanese.”

“I don’t feel like watching Dragon Ball,” Hoonbi stated. “I want something a bit more new.”

“Dragon Ball is fine with me,” Serin said. “But we’ll need Korean or English subs. I don’t know Japanese. Do you know Japanese, Hoonbi?”

He shook his head. “I don’t. So make it Korean subs. Serin might be fluent in English. I’m not.”

“That ruins the fun,” Soohyun told them.

She pursed her lips at him. “I’ll go home,” she said. “Then you can watch your One Piece.”

“No, Serin,” Hoon told her. “We’ll pick something we can all agree on. What about something newer? That none of us have seen yet.”

After thinking a bit, Hoonbi stated, “ I think there was a really popular new one. It’s currently airing. Want to give it a shot?”

“What’s it called?” Serin asked.

“Shingeki no Kyojin,” he replied.

Soohyun’s face lit up in anticipation. “Oooh, I heard that one is really good. Let’s watch it.”

“Sounds good to me,” Hoon said.

“Okay with me, as well,” Serin agreed.

Hoonbi was in charge of setting everything up and found the anime with Korean subs, and they watched the first two episodes with rapt attention. “Wow,” Serin said, when they had finished them. “I think we’ll have to finish this one when we’re all back home again.”

“I don’t know if I’ll be able to wait,” Hoonbi said. “It’s really good.”

“We could just all catch up on our own and watch the new episodes as they come out,” Soohyun suggested.

“We’ll keep our mouths closed until you can watched subbed versions,” Hoon promised.

“Sounds like a deal to me,” Serin said. “When we’re all available we can watch the episodes together. Otherwise, we’ll just watch them on our own.”

“Don’t cheat and read the manga, Serin,” Hoon instructed.

She stuck her tongue out at him. “I’ll do as I please. But I won’t give you spoilers if I do.”

“Fair enough,” he agreed.

Soohyun yawned. “I’m going to go to bed. Tomorrow will be here before we know it.”

“It already is,” Hoonbi said. “I have to get up for work, as well. I’ll see you later Hoonie, Serin.”

“Goodnight, Hoonbi,” she told him. “You too, Soohyun.”

She looked over at Hoon. “I guess I should go so you can get some sleep before you leave.”

“Yeah,” he said. “I’ll miss you.”

“Same. I’ll keep in contact. I’m glad things worked out as well as they have. I’ve haven’t had many trips this spring and have gotten to spend a lot of time with you. It’s been amazing. I’m so glad I met you.”

“Definitely. It feels like fate to me, honestly. It was just a chance encounter, but here we are. I’m glad that I went with Hoonbi that evening. And… I’m glad, harsh as this might sound, that your ex broke up with you. Otherwise—“

She smiled and cut him off. “I know.  I don’t really want to talk about that though. Thank you for being in my life, Hoonmin,” she said. “Nothing would be the same without you.”

“I’ll message you and talk to you often while I’m gone.”

“You better.” She stood up, trying to get out of the apartment so he could sleep. It wasn’t really a big deal for her. She was off the next day. “Have fun when you go to South America, if I don’t see you before then.”

“I will.”

“And make sure you stay healthy. Don’t push yourself too hard and get sick on me.”

“Okay.”

She felt sad knowing that she wasn’t going to see him for a substantial length of time. He was walking her to the door, and she stopped and threw her arms around him, wrapping him in a hug. “I really am going to miss you a lot.”

“I’m going to miss you more,” he whispered in her ear, resting his chin on her shoulder. “I love you.” The words just came out without him thinking, the first time he’d uttered them to her.

But she thought nothing of it because she felt it in her soul. She could feel that he loved her. And she returned the feeling, and so without hesitation, as naturally as if she’d said it to him hundreds of times, she said, “I love you, too.”

They embraced each other for several minutes, finally saying goodbye and parting with a kiss, going their separate ways for the next several weeks.

--

“I’m at the hospital,” Hoon told her over the phone. “Yes, I’m going to be fine. Don’t worry too much.”

“What’s wrong?” she asked.

“I have enteritis. I caught it in South America or Mexico. I must have drank  some of the water accidentally.”

“Ah,” she said. “That’s not good, Hoonie. You have to prepare for your musical and the Japan tour.”

“The doctor’s say I’ll be fine. They’re just putting some fluids in me to make sure I don’t get dehydrated. I’ll be better in no time.”

“Still, I should come see you.”

“You can if you want. I’ll be out of the hospital soon. I just have to finish this IV, then I’ll get medicine and be good to go.”

“I’ll stop by your apartment. Do you want anything special? I’m sure you don’t want to eat real food yet, but you should eat something.”

 “I don’t know if I can. I don’t feel all that up to eating. The liquids they put in my have some nutrition. Until the bacteria is out of my intestines I should probably avoid food.”

“I understand,” she told him. “I’ll be over once I’m done with work, okay?”

“Sound good, Serin,” he said, pronouncing her name cutely.

She smiled and said goodbye. She knew he couldn’t eat anything, but she felt like she needed to bring him something mild for when he did feel like eating again. Though she was sure Jungsook would be over helping him, Serin couldn’t help feeling compelled to tend to him, too. She cared too much about him to leave him be while he suffered from sickness.

She didn’t have time to make him a rice gruel, so she purchased some from one of her favorite carry-out places. Hoonbi let her into their apartment when she arrived, marveling at her business attire, as he’d never seen her dressed in her work clothes before. “You look so professional.”

“Thanks,” she answered. Looking down as she slid off her heels, she saw another pair of women’s shoes and knew Jungsook was here, as well. Not one bit surprising. “How’s Hoonie?”

“Doing as well as he can be, I suppose.”

Serin nodded, worry still gnawing at her. She had figured Hoon had reassured her without letting her know the full extent of how he actually was. “Well, he’ll get better before long. People who really struggle from enteritis are people who can’t get advanced medical care. Did they put him on an antibiotic?”

“I don’t know,” Hoonbi told her. “I would guess so.”

“Is he getting some time to rest? Did he talk to the company?”

Hoonbi frowned at her. “Serin, I don’t have answers for you. Why don’t you go and ask him yourself?”

And she did. Putting the rice gruel in the refrigerator, she then walked to his room, greeting him and his mom, and sitting down on the bed next to him. He had lost a lot of weight, and his face looked thin, en in. “How are you feeling?” she asked him.

“Okay,” he said. “Better than this morning.”

Jungsook looked at her meaningfully. “He’s on an antibiotic now. He should heal up pretty quick. He’s young, strong, and healthy except for that bacteria.”

“Are they letting you have time to heal?” she asked, extremely serious. “You can’t go back to work tomorrow.”

He didn’t answer the question, and she figured that meant that he had been given off, but was going to push himself in to practice. “Don’t overwork yourself. Your body needs time to fight off the infection. Practicing will be more effective when you’re healed a bit more.”

“I tried to tell him that,” Jungsook said. “He doesn’t want to listen.”

“I can’t stop you, but Hoon, I do love you and worry about you. I don’t want you pushing yourself too hard and spending even more time in the hospital.”

“I know, Serin. And eomma, too. If it makes that much difference to you, I’ll rest one extra day.”

Jungsook shot her a thankful look. She smiled. “Thank you, Hoonie. It does mean a lot to me.”

She sat by him holding his hand for a bit, saddened at how physically tired he looked. In an ideal world, he’d have taken several days off, but she was just as aware as he was that he couldn’t afford to do that. He had to get back to practice as soon as possible so he didn’t fall behind. “Are you staying with him tonight, eomma-nim?” she asked Jungsook after awhile.

“Yes. I’m going to spend the night to make sure he’s taken care of.”

Serin felt relieved at the news. “Do you want me to bring you anything tomorrow? I will be here after work, and I can bring you anything you need.”

“Don’t worry about it, dear,” she told Serin.

“Okay,” Serin said, saying her goodbyes to the two in the room, and leaving. Hoon was obviously going to be okay, but she still was worried about him. She got ready for bed, and her worry swirled around her conciousness, keeping her awake. After laying in bed for an hour tormented by her thoughts, she got up and found her melatonin and took a pill. It was reserved only for times when she was having difficulty sleeping, and this was one of them. After nearly twenty minutes, she fell asleep. She wasn’t especially looking forward to the next day, but she knew Hoon would get better. He’d be back on his feet and healthy in no time.