Day one

After weeks of fighting and quarrelling over what they stand for one another, they finally admitted it. Doctor Oh Sehun and Nurse Xi Luhan are madly in love with each other, and now they are finally a couple.

A cold gust of wind rushed by Luhan, making him shiver as they walked hand in hand one quiet winter night in the streets of Seoul. Having noticed this, Sehun unwrapped his scarf, fixed it on the other's neck, and burrowed closer him, making the warmth of their love superior to the cold weather. Luhan likes this. He likes simplicity. He likes long walks. He likes feeling Sehun’s warmth against him. Combine all of those, and you have Luhan’s interpretation of a perfect night.

Flashes of their past rough weeks came to his mind, making him feel blue.
 

 

"I-I'm sorry I gave away the rubik's cube that you gave me." He said, looking down on his feet.
 

 

"Don't be, that was my fault. I was an idiot so I tried acting cool in front of my hyungs. I didn't think you would hear it" Sehun said in grim. He didn't know what had poisoned his mind that day to make him say harsh things about Luhan when his hyungs started teasing him about their complicated relationship, or if they even had one in that matter. That was the heaviest dilemma they encountered, Now it’s all clear to him, all you need is to communicate with one another. No more hiding.

 

"I'll buy you a new one. I promise" he said

 

"You don't have to buy me another one. That's okay" Luhan consoled him
 

 

"What if I already did?" and Sehun revealed in his hand a rubik's cube keychain.
 

 

Luhan's face awed angelically as he played the little cube. He couldn’t help but show much excitement over a small object. In return, he gave him a hug tight that almost prevented Sehun from breathing. The other laughed in adoration of his cute boyfriend and kissed him in the forehead.

 

They halted in front of a semi-circled café. Its exterior is in a shade of dark brown, with bright coloured banners hanging, and lightened, on each window. Five pilasters are placed across it as well as a lamp, giving an angular effect to its round shape. With its black frames, the big windows between these pilasters allowed the café to give light to the dark setting outside. In front of the cafe is its name imprinted on a black wallpaper.

 

 

"Let's get inside. They're waiting for us" Sehun said as he dragged Luhan inside the cafe, who was still entertained with his new toy.

 

 

 

They were welcomed by a beautiful wall art that stretched through the longest wall of the bar. The artwork showcased faces of different people, with the biggest face in the middle, as well as different other elements such as a moon, a star, a fish, the earth, a bright pink flower, and three people on its hat. Beside it is a word bubble that says “Peace Love”. Drawings of band members are also present and placed each side. Mismatched sofas and coffee tables are set in the whole area. On the left side is a mini-bar with long legged chairs situated in it.

 

"Finally!" Chanyeol shouted upon seeing Luhan and Sehun enter the bar. 

 

 

"Did we miss it?" Sehun asked as they sat.

 

"Nope. You're just in time actually" Minseok said, then took a sip of his drink.

 

A man entered the small setup of the stage and sat on a chair that was placed behind a keyboard. He tapped on the microphone thrice and adjusted it to the height of his mouth before speaking.

 

"Good evening everyone, I'm Zhang Yixing." Everybody cheered, the table of doctors (and a nurse) cheered the loudest "This song is called Airport Tears." his hands started to pave the way to the sorrowful yet beautiful melody on the piano.

 

Jongin, who is still wondering how his hyungs got him to come with them tonight, drowned himself with the alcoholic beverage inside the hip flask, that he now proclaims as his, as he tried to block the sad music from his distressed heart.
 

Sehun noticed this despaired look and gave himself a shot at trying to cheer Jongin up.
 

 

"Hey hyung why aren't you cheering? Don't you love this song?" 
 

 

 

"Shut up" Jongin said coldly in return. Sehun turned to face the other side.
 

 

"What's up with the brat?" He asked Yi Fan. His little commentary earned him a smack in the head.
 

 

"Yah, he's still older than you" He scolded him. Yes he is older, by freaking months. At times like this, Sehun hated being the youngest among the group. This Korean age is getting on his nerves.

 

 

"He still haven't found him" Minseok explained further

 

"Who?" Luhan asked, not being able to relate to the topic. And so Sehun explained everything that happened. The elevator, the "I am Do Kyungsoo by the way", the hip flask, the kiss, the escape, and finally, the cancer. By the end of it, all Luhan could do was let his jaw drop as he took in every bit of information.

 

"Did he try checking the address?" He asked suggestively, as if the person they were talking about wasn't beside them at all (but he was mentally absent).

 

"He visited it last week but didn't see him. The landlord said he reached the end of his contract so he moved out" Yi Fan said.
 

 

"What about his job? He's a composer right?" Sehun butted in and suggested as well.
 

 

"I asked my noona to look into that, but the company she was under didn't have a composer named Do Kyungsoo. She tried asking around too, but found nothing" Chanyeol explained.
 

 

"Didn't he come back to the hospital yet? I mean, I'm sure he needs to be treated" Luhan asked. The three shook their heads with a saddened look.

 

 

Luhan continued this conversation with his partner, trying to fill and remove holes from the sticky situation. He found this cute because it felt like they were playing detectives who are trying to solve a mystery. Of course, they failed at the end of the conversation.

 

And Jongin takes it all in. These people are too dumb to think that he wasn’t hearing any of what they were talking about. He just takes all of the information in with the hopes that he would somehow feel numb about it. That he wouldn’t care anymore.

 

But he remained unsuccessful.

After five more heartfelt, tearful songs, Yixing's set was over. Every one stood up to cheer for the doctor/singer. He bowed and bowed and bowed to everyone. Having seen this for more than a thousand times, the table of doctors (and a nurse) sat down first, knowing that Yixing takes a long time with thanking people. This humbleness earns him a lot of fans, which are usually waiting for him on the side of the stage. With Zhang Yixing being Zhang Yixing, he spends the rest of the night talking to them.

 

 

“Honestly, I don’t get why we support him in all of his gigs. We don’t even see him afterwards” Chanyeol complained.

 

 

Yixing notices his group of friends, waves at them with joy, and returns to talking to the group of girls surrounding him.

 

 

“At least he gets laid” Yi Fan teases Chanyeol. This caused Sehun to spit out at least half of what he was drinking, causing a mess in the table as well as in his clothes.

 

 

“That’s my cue to leave” Luhan announces as he sees how big of a mess Sehun is. He gave him a peck on the cheek as he was cleaning up.

 

 

“Alright, call me later” Sehun instructed. Luhan nodded and bid farewell to the rest of the group.

 

 

“Where is he going?” Chanyeol asks after the other left.

 

 

“He’s going to his friend’s restaurant. He used to work there during his free time but haven’t been able to visit recently” Sehun explained. Suddenly, Jongin gets up.

 

 

“I’m leaving” he said all of a sudden. This startled the younger one.

 

 

“Hyung! You’re still here?!” He said. Jongin had been quiet the entire night. With Sehun keeping his eyes on his lover, he didn’t really notice Jongin and thought that he had left. This earned him another smack in the head.

 

Damn it.

---
 

 

Luhan stood outside a restaurant-bar like a stalker eyeing his target. He tries to spot his best friend, Kim Jongdae, amidst the busy atmosphere inside. The restaurant is full packed tonight, some dining while some lounging in the bar. The bar is the first thing you notice in the restaurant because of its location. It is what welcomes the people who are entering the said place. Next is the short cylindrical stairs that leads to the elevated second floor of the restaurant. Its seats is of red and maroon while its tables are black. His best friend seemed to have hired a lot of people recently because Luhan couldn’t seem to identify anyone who was serving, including the barista.

 

Kyungsoo stares at the marbled counter that he is wiping. The streaks and mottlings in the white-coloured counter fades and blurs as his thoughts wandered off to remembering Jongin’s soft, plump lips exploring his.

 

No. Stop it.

 

And so he shifts his view to the odd man standing in front of the restaurant who is bobbing his head as he tried to find something—or someone—inside the restaurant. Kyungsoo tried to analyse if the said person would bring harm to the restaurant, but with his young charming face, he doubts it. He calls the attention of the owner just to be sure.

 

Finally, Jongdae emerges from the kitchen and sees Luhan right away. He opens the door for Luhan and welcomed him loudly.

 

"You finally showed up!" Kim Jongdae said as he welcomed his best friend with a hug.

"Sorry, I was busy" Luhan said while blushing. He missed the high-pitched shout of his.

"Mhm" Jongdae said and walked back to the counter, with Luhan following "This is so you, Lu. When love comes, lonesomeness disappears, and so do you”

"Right” Luhan said sarcastically, though it is an accurate representation of Luhan.

 

 

“Grab an apron and help will you?” Jongdae said as more people came in.

 

“I’m on it!” Luhan answered

"Thank you" Jongdae said gladly "And by the way Luhan this is D.O., D.O. meet Luhan" he continued as he passed by Kyungsoo and patted his shoulder to add emphasis. He still isn’t used to being called D.O.

 

 

Luhan’s eyes meets a pair of rounded eyes. He smiles politely bows. The other, whose black hair is almost covering his eyes, bowed back and smiled as well.

 

 

 

The night transcends without them noticing because of the amount of customers. It is now three in the morning, the last customer exited the restaurant an hour and a half ago. After the usual cleaning, the employees left, leaving D.O., Luhan, and Jongdae for a little drinking session.
 

"And Luhan stripped and ran like a deer" Jongdae said, cracking up as he told the story of when Luhan got so drunk. It made D.O. laugh loudly, and Luhan was buried in embarrassment. When Jongdae excused himself , Luhan asked D.O. the question that he had been thinking about since they were introduced.
 

"Why does he call you D.O.?"
 

"He says my last name sounds cool, so he made it into an abbreviation"
 

"Well it does sound cool" Luhan admits, though his words are becoming hard to understand "but does your first name sound bad?"
 

"I don’t think it is." D.O. answered, uncertain of even entertaining such question from a drunk man.
 

"Ahhh. I see I see" Luhan said as he swayed in his seat "I'll be right back, I need to call my boyfriend" he continued and stepped out, even though he had already called Sehun for about five times.
 

And Kyungsoo is left there to think. Think about Jongin, the throbbing pain in his throat, and the hoarseness of his voice. He is left to remember that bittersweet memory and his tragic future.
 

Jongdae came back, Kyungsoo was thankful of this.
 

"Where did the deer go?"
 

Kyungsoo pointed at him outside. Jongdae, being the king of mischievousness, suddenly thought of a devious plan. He sneaked behind a babbling Luhan, and grabbed the phone away from him.
 

"Hello Doctor! This is Luhan's friend" Jongdae said as Luhan shouted "Give it back!" while trying to reach his phone.
 

"Luhan's really in love with you, isn't he? Did he tell you about the time when he ran like a deer? Now that’s funny!-" Luhan successfully grabbed it before Jongdae could continue the story. He gave him a good punch in the arm, leaving Jongdae wailing in pain. On the other end of the call, Sehun just kept on laughing.

"I'll pick you up in a bit" he says while trying to control his laugh.

"Okay. Thanks baby" Luhan said and hung up.

"You little joker" he said, diverting his attention once again to Kim Jongdae who was literally rolling on the cold concrete, laughing. Luhan tickled him and threw more light punches for revenge. Once Luhan was contented, he picked Jongdae up and led him inside the restaurant.

"Never trust your boss. He will trick the out of you!" Luhan said to the man who was left inside the restaurant to watch their stupidity. Jongdae was still laughing at what he did.

 

 

After a while, a black BMW halted in front of the restaurant.

"Oh that's him!" Luhan said. He faced Jongdae and gave him a hug "I'll come again tomorrow, I promise"

"Whatever you say you love bug" Jongdae said

"It was nice meeting you, D.O." Luhan said loudly.
 

"Same here. I'll see you tomorrow" D.O. said, as he waved Luhan goodbye. 

The lover boy skipped his way to the car and greeted his boyfriend with an intoxicated kiss.
 

 

Day two

 

 

Luhan had all the intentions of coming to the restaurant tonight to help around. That’s what is good about Luhan, he always keeps his promise. Sehun, on the other hand, didn't understand why he was being into this.

 

 

"Come and work with me" Luhan said while showing a bit of his aegyo to Sehun who clearly couldn't see it because his eyes were on the road.

 

 

"But we just got out of work" Sehun reasoned out.

 

 

Luhan groaned. Sehun really liked using petty excuses.

 

 

"Come on," he persuades further "You won't even have to work! Just sit there and eat!" Luhan said.

 

 

They came across a red light, allowing Sehun to lay his eyes on his flower boy.

 

 

"I'd love to, but Jongin's waiting for me," he said

 

 

Luhan pouted in defeat. He did understand Jongin's situation, he just thought that maybe they could bond while he was in his own comfort zone.

 

 

"He found a lead on where he lives" Sehun informed the other. This came as a shock for Luhan.

 

 

"Really? Where?"

 

 

"I don't know yet, and I’m not even sure if it’s legitimate." Sehun answered. Jongin has been contacting so many person that it was hard to recognize which is telling the truth or at least the most accurate information. This is also why he is accompanying Jongin tonight.

 

 

Luhan rested back to his seat.

 

 

"I hope you find him as soon as possible" he said

 

 

"I hope so too. Jongin's a mess." Sehun said. It was true. His hyung has been a wreck ever since that happened. He’s always quietly staring off and getting lost in his own depressing trail of thoughts that even his work is beginning to be affected by it.

 

 

D.O. didn't expect to see Luhan again today. But he's fine with whatever makes his boss happy. Jongdae is really nice to him, despite not knowing him that long. A part of him thinks that Jongdae hired him out of pity, because he was sick.

 

 

He could still remember how he turned ghostly white when Jongdae said he knew his condition.

 

 

 

"H-how did you know?" He asked, not being able to speak properly. Kyungsoo was confident of his lying skills, but Jongdae seemed to have surpassed it.

 

"My boyfriend had lung cancer. He died two years ago," Jongdae's voice sounds a pitch lower as he said this. His thumb played with a silver promise ring on his finger that felt like a permanent part of him. Joonmyeon gave this to him a day before he died.

 

D.O. felt the hair in his body rise because of what he heard.

 

"I'm so sorry for asking" he said in sympathy.

 

"That's okay" Jongdae said calmly with a smile forming in his face. Kim Joonmyeon will always be the happiest part of Jongdae’s existence. At one point he thought that he would marry him, but time's extension only lead to a promise ring.

 

 

 

D.O.'s flashback came crashing when an excited Luhan greeted him. It amazes him how Luhan can turn from a charming looking man to an overly joyed idiot.

 

 

It was not as busy as last night, which was great for Luhan because he got to eat more. Believe him, the Snickers Peanut Butter Brownie Ice Cream Cake is more beautiful than life itself. He just sat on one of the high stools and watched D.O. as he worked.

 

 

 

"Don't you have work tomorrow?" D.O. asks as he swept the floor

 

 

The night ends with the three of them left yet again. Luhan twists and turns in the high chair, watching D.O. as he cleans his work place. Jongdae, on the other hand, had a thick load of bills in his hands and different papers and a ballpen on his table.

 

 

"It's okay. My shift ends early so I can go home and rest before going here" he said in assurance "Why don't you go ahead? We can finish this up."

 

 

"I live upstairs."

 

 

Luhan could only answer "Oh," as the uncertainty of asking the right question kept him quiet. So when D.O. left to use the loo, he pestered his dear friend.

 

 

"Why didn't you tell me that D.O. lives upstairs!?" and he hits Jongdae as if he was an irritating fly.

 

 

"Why? What's wrong with that?" Jongdae says as he winces in pain.

 

 

"You're making him live here so he can guard the restaurant!?" Luhan said with his voice toned down into a whisper, but still freaking out.

 

 

"You are so dumb Luhan! Why would I do that?" Jongdae says as he raises his voice out of frustration. Luhan covers his mouth and only released him when he was calmer.

 

 

"He doesn't have a place to live in anymore so I let him stay here" Jongdae explains

 

 

All Luhan could say is "Oh”. He is dumb after all.

 

 

He let out an uneasy laugh as he hugged and complimented Kim Jongdae to avoid further vengeance for his stupidity.
 

 

 

Day three

 

 

When an intervention is needed, an intervention is called.

 

Behind the doors of the hospital’s conference room is a long wooden table, a big projector screen on one side and a table of refreshments on the other. This is where groups of doctors, along with the patient, discuss their course of action when it came to special cases or advanced cancer stages treatment.

 

Today, they will try to treat Kim Jongin before he loses his job.

 

 

“Jong, you can’t ruin your life because of this,” the main organizer of the intervention also known as Doctor Wu Yi Fan said to a motionless Doctor Kim Jongin. Beside Yi Fan is the second eldest in this small support-like group, Doctor Kim Minseok and Doctor Park Chanyeol on the farthest right. On the other side of the table is the infamous Doctor Oh Sehun and Nurse Xi Luhan pairing, and Doctor Zhang Yixing next to them.

 

 

“He’s right, Jongin. You’ve been so distracted lately. It’s not good for you and your career,” Minseok said.

 

 

“I….I just want to find him,” Jongin said as he tried very hard to keep the tears in his eyes from spilling.

 

 

“We know that, Jong. But the board members are starting to hear news about you, and it doesn’t sound good,” Yixing informs him.

 

 

Anxiousness filled Jongin’s whole being, but he kept silent and let his fingers play with each other to show how tense he is, his lips quivering.

 

Chanyeol let out a sigh

 

 

“Fine. I’ll look for a private investigator,” he said. Jongin’s face lit up.

 

 

“But you need to get yourself together Jongin. I beg of you.” He remarked. The person seated on the hot seat nodded diligently.

 

 

 

D.O. looked troubled, frustrated even, that the six kegs of beer were just left in the cold for him to bring inside. How in the world is he going to bring all of these inside when he can’t even carry his own suitcase anymore? His fist curled as he bit his lip. Think Kyungsoo, think.

 

He took out his phone and dialled the number of the person who have eaten so much during the past few days but it doesn’t show on his body nor his face.

 

 

“Hello Luhan?” He said with much hesitation in his voice “Uhm…can you come to the back of the restaurant for a second? I need help”

 

 

And so Luhan did as requested, only to see a small man surrounded with kegs of beer. His face bloomed with shyness once he laid eyes on Luhan.

 

“Can you help me with these?” D.O. asked in desperation.

 

 

Minutes later, Luhan was carrying the kegs one by one while D.O. assisted him partially.

 

 

 

Day four

 

 

It took Luhan a while to realize that D.O. wasn’t manning the bar today.

 

“Hey Jongdae,” Lu called the attention of his beloved friend “Where’s D.O.?”

 

 

“He’s not feeling well so I made him take the day off to rest”

 

 

Having the instinct of a nurse, Luhan was immediately interested on the situation.

 

 

“Do you want me to check him up? I can—“

 

 

“He doesn’t really like to see visitors, Lu” Jongdae said “Let’s just give him his privacy”

 

 

Luhan sulked in his seat, looking at the stairs leading to the attic with much wanting to help his friend. Jongdae is as concerned as Luhan, maybe even more considering the fact that he is aware of Kyungsoo’s condition. But he triple checked Kyungsoo’s meds and it was all complete. He sneaked up the room from time to time to see Kyungsoo sleeping like a baby.

 

 

Day five
 

 

 

The next day arrived, and D.O. is back to his wellness. Sadly, his coughing fits are getting worst. He was coughing dryly on his handkerchief when Luhan could no longer stop himself from interefering.
 

"D.O., are you okay?" Luhan asked in concern.

 

"Y-yeah. I just really have a bad throat. Excuse me for a moment" he answered and left.

 

Kyungsoo ran to the bathroom and locked it. He coughed loudly, feeling his throat die in dryness like sand paper brushing against each other.  It hurts, it really does, but the itchiness is preventing him to stop. Sweat is beginning to prickle from his hair and his body felt cold. He took out his new hip flask. Contrary to what was usually placed in flasks like this, what is inside Kyungsoo’s flask is actually water. He drank it completely, and thank heavens, his coughing fit was tamed.

 

He took his handkerchief to the sink and tried to wash off the blood stains in it.

 

 

 

Day six

 

 

One of the fun part of sharing the same workplace with your partner is that you could eat lunch together.

 

Luhan skidded happily like a little child as he was on the way to Sehun’s office with two well-prepared lunch boxes in hand. Having remembered that he did not put any utensils in the box, he went to the hospital’s pantry where he was shocked to see Jongin on the floor crying.

 

 

“Hey, what’s wrong?” he said as he squatted down to talk to his dear friend.

 

 

“I don’t know what to do anymore” Jongin shuddered deep into his knees and wept.

 

 

“I just want to see him again, Luhan. I don’t even know how much time he has left.” He said in frustration.

 

 

Luhan could no longer manage to see the agony in Jongin’s eyes, so he pulls him to a hug and Jongin cries in his shoulder. He feels useless in this situation. For starters, he doesn’t even know how that person looked like. All he knows is that his name is Do Kyungsoo, and he is diagnosed with laryngeal cancer.

 

 

“You’ll find him,” Luhan said in assurance as he comforted his friend “We’ll find him”

 

 

 

It was a rough day at work, Luhan admits. It was painful to see Doctor Kim Jongin in such a vulnerable state. Seeing a person who used to be so strict and uptight turn to something so fragile made Luhan’s knees wobble in weakness. What Jongin said was true. Time is his greatest enemy in this battle, and time is getting the best of him.

 

 

“Hey, are you okay?” D.O. said to a gloom-looking Luhan who has his chin rested on his palm

 

 

“Yes” he said, though his answer did not sound convincing. D.O. took out a toy. He’s a hundred percent sure that toys like this would cheer his friend up.

 

 

“Here, play with my rubik’s cube” he says

 

 

A smile crept on Luhan’s face in fascination of the toy.

 

“I’ve got a smaller version actually” he said as he showed a rubik’s cube keychain and hid it back in his pocket as he played with the bigger one.

 

 

“I’ll bet you five bucks I can finish this in two minutes!” he says to D.O.

 

 

“You’re on!” D.O. says as he synchronized his watch for Luhan.

 

 

 

Day seven

 

 

There is something different today. It’s as if D.O. has grown thinner and paler than he was before. His eyes contained deep bags under them. The hoarseness of his voice never left, ruining his sweet, spellbinding voice. His coughing fits remained terrible as well.

 

There is something wrong, Luhan thinks. But he couldn’t put his finger on it.

 

 

 

"You're not listening to me, I'll pay for everything. You don't have to pay me back" Jongdae says in annoyance as he talked to Kyungsoo. It came to a point when Jongdae could no longer take seeing D.O. cripple because of his sickness. Now, he proposed for Kyungsoo to get treated.

 

 

"Hyung, there's no point in doing that" D.O. said on the contrary.

 

 

"The point is for you to get well."

 

 

"Didn't you hear me hyung? The cancer has spread in my body. I'm going to die and I can't, in good conscience, waste your money when I already know what will happen to me"

 

 

He didn’t want to burden anyone because of his sickness. If cancer is the end of him, then he will face it alone.

 

 

Still in the heated conversation, D.O. walks out to use the bathroom and locked himself there.

 

 

"Yah! Do Kyungsoo! Don't walk away from your hyung! I’m still talking to you!" Jongdae said in irritation.

 

 

Luhan's eyes widened. Suddenly, the puzzle pieces assembled in his head. And he knew.

 

 

 

Day eight

 

 

“I’ve got a surprise for you” Sehun said. He took out of two tickets and gave it to the other. Luhan read what is written in the ticket carefully, with the words still drumming in his brain.

 

 

“8 Nights Shanghai to Singapore....Cruise?” Luhan repeated what was written in the thick glossy paper and Sehun nodded

 

 

“We’re leaving tomorrow”

 

 

“What?” Luhan said in shock. The younger one grinned at Luhan’s initial reaction.

 

“I fixed everything, don’t worry. I even talked to Jongdae” He guaranteed. No wonder Jongdae has been saying all sorts of puns about going to a cruise, that devious man.

 

 

Luhan is really impressed with his boyfriend. Who knew that Oh Sehun could pull off a plan this big without Luhan noticing it? Sehun never fails to make Luhan fall in love with him more and more.

 

 

 

“The restaurant is closed for a private gathering. Would you mind looking over for me? I need to help Luhan ready himself for their big cruise trip” Jongdae said to Kyungsoo. The other agreed. And so Jongdae gave him the phone number of his contact, pointed out a few things such as “don’t let them touch any of the liquors” and “the other staff will be arriving soon to help you” , then left.

 

 

Kyungsoo called the said person to inform him of the situation. He says he’s just around the corner, so Kyungsoo cleans and sweeps to make the place squeaky clean.

 

 

Kyungsoo’s world froze when he saw Kim Jongin enter the restaurant. He had never felt goose bumps like this that almost took his soul away. His mouth opened slightly in shock. The person whom he thought he would never see again is standing right in front of him. Nostalgia is clawing through his pounding heart that is encouraging him to go, go and hug him and kiss him because there may not be any chance left. But instead, he stood his ground.

 

 

“The restaurant is closed tonight. If you want to talk, we can talk later” he said as he tried to make his voice firm.

 

 

Kim Jongin took his phone out and dialled the number of his recent caller. The phone vibrated and rang on Kyungsoo’s hand. It silenced him in a sense of fright.

 

 

“What do you want?” He said coldly, with his guts dying inside of him as he resented himself for saying so.

 

 

"People call me a lot of ugly things. Mean, , arrogant. Well I say to them, I found a person that's worse than I am" Jongin said with his voice breaking. Kyungsoo admits that he felt like his heart is being pierced with needles and pins because of what Jongin said because it wasn’t true. Not at all.

 

 

"Jongin, I'm sick. You have to understand that these cancer cells will not leave my body anytime soon-“

 

 

"So you leave me instead? That's your solution?" His tears finally won over him. “I opened my life to you. I told you things that I didn’t even consider telling other people. Did that not matter to you?”

 

 

Kyungsoo pursed his lips, hard enough to bring out the redness in his lips.

 

 

"There was no other solution for it, Jong"

 

 

“Was staying with me not a part of your choices? Did it ever cross your mind to even warn me about….about your sickness?”

 

 

“And then what?” Kyungsoo questioned, with his voice raising “Then you would help me get better? You would carry the burden of taking care of a sick man who is obviously going to die?-“

 

 

“Don’t!” Jongin trembled in anger and pain “Don’t say that”

 

 

“But it’s true, right? These malignant sons of es has spread through my body. It’s eating me alive and I can feel it. I can feel it crawling in my chest. I can feel it conquering my voice. It won’t take long for it to swallow me completely.”

 

 

"You know, I've seen a lot of people who fought - and fought really hard - against cancer despite of knowing that their chances of winning are almost zero to none. But you…..you don't even try. And that's what hurts the most." Tears were streaming from his eyes uncontrollably as his body shook in pure depression. Jongin’s heart felt deflated and crushed.

 

 

"Jongin, I am going to die. I’m terrified and selfish and stupid. I’m a coward.” Kyungsoo said

 

 

“Don’t say that, please” Jongin begged in desperation, almost whispering “Please fight, for me”

 

 

Kyungsoo’s body felt like collapsing as he heard Jongin’s plead. He felt himself surrendering to whatever his fate will be as he cried vulnerably. He whimpered in pain as he simply closed his eyes and try to block the idea that this was really happening, that Jongin is really here, that he really is dying.

 

Jongin did what he had been wanting to do after all these weeks. He pulled Kyungsoo and hugged him with no intentions of letting go.

 

 

“I’m scared of dying. I’m scared of leaving you.” Kyungsoo surrendered in Jongin’s arms as he felt defenceless.

 

 

Jongin didn’t respond and just caressed Kyungsoo. Jongin is Kyungsoo’s defence machine.

 

 

 “Jong, I’m sorry” Kyungsoo whispered after he had calmed down “I’m sorry I pulled you into this” he said as he snuffled.

 

The other hushed Kyungsoo in opposition.

 

 

“I chose this, Soo. Like it or not, you’re stuck with me now” and Kyungsoo couldn’t contemplate feeling sad because of what Jongin said so he let out a smile against the fabric of Jongin’s sweater.

 

 

 

---

 

 

“I’m going to start counting now, okay?”

 

 

“One….two….three….” and she ran bouncily as she tried to think of a place to hide.

 

 

She ran through the cold hallway, peeping her head through each of room she passed, until she saw a bedroom that had a king-sized bed which was a great hiding spot. She sneaks into the room as the numbers were counted continuously. She thought twice before going under the bed as the idea of the bogey man entered her mind. But she is different. She is brave. As she was about to go inside, a wooden box came to view. Curious of what it was, she stopped all of her plans and brought it out. She blew and wiped the dust from the rectangular wooden box. The light glossy wood shined like it was brand new after a few more wipes. She opened it, to see a small piano in a stage. It came to her attention that it had a winding key on the side, so she twists and twists it until the little box let out a beautiful melody that did not feel unfamiliar to the little girl. Behind the turning piano, she sees something embossed on the lid of the box. It read “For you and our little angel”. The little girl touched this carvings lightly, feeling it against her little fingers making her smile to herself.

 

 

“I see you’ve already seen your Appa’s gift for you” Jongin appears out of nowhere leaning in the door as she watched the little girl with joy.

 

 

The little girl smiled as bright and as warm as the sun.

 

 

“This is from Kyungsoo Appa?” She said in cheerfulness.

 

 

“Mhm” Jongin said as he approached the little girl and sat beside her. “He gave that to me on our birthday and he told me to give it to you when you grow up”

 

 

The little girl still had wide open in surprise and excitement. Her imagination lead her to envisioning her Kyungsoo Appa holding this box with much care, and smiling like her showing his white teeth. She imagines her laugh that she could barely remember hearing but is so clear in her mind. The melody playing from the music box hugged her and encircled itself around her as she embraced it back.

 

 

“Can I keep it, Appa?” she asks Jongin.

 

 

“Of course baby” Jongin answers and pats the child lightly.

 

 

“There you are!” Luhan said as he saw the father and daughter bonding on the floor. It had slipped the little girl’s mind that they were playing hide and seek. Luhan and Sehun decided to visit Jongin and his daughter after feeling suffocated in the city. They figured that they need some time off, or better yet, some time with an old friend.

 

 

But the truth is, they’re merely postponing the biggest decision of their lives.

 

 

“Do you still want to play?”

 

 

The little girl nodded and ran off. Luhan stayed to talk to Jongin.

 

 

“Thanks for letting us stay here, Jong” The older one said.

 

 

“No problem. Besides, she likes seeing you the most” Jongin said as he referred to his daughter. Luhan smiles charmingly. The little child played favouritism when it came to his friends. Luhan is her most favourite.

 

 

“So, have you decided yet?” Jongin asks. The smile in Luhan’s face is suddenly wiped out and turned into a straight poker face, a facial expression that Jongin understood very well.

 

 

“I see” he says.

 

 

---

 

 

The cosy night served as a consolation to the father and daughter bonding as they laid in bed, snuggling and giggling. His daughter’s bedroom is of rosy pink themed with a shelf full of stuffed toys and a pink table on the side. Of course, a princess’ bedroom is not complete without a pink sheeted bed with pink netting hanged around it like a canopy. Inside this cover are hanging stars and butterflies that glowed in the dark and which they are now playing with.

 

 

“Appa, could you tell me the story of how you found me again?” the little girl requested. They openly told their daughter that she was adopted. Though it may seem hard to understand, she took it otherwise. She's happy to have two Appas. It was a blessing for her.

 

 

“Well one day, your Kyungsoo Appa wanted to visit an orphanage. We toured around an orphanage not too far away from here, and we then we saw you.”

 

 

“You were about this small,” Jongin motioned the size of a toddler “and your cheeks were so chubby” he pinched his daughter’s cheeks making him giggle. He became a bit more serious.

 

 

“Your Kyungsoo Appa cried out of joy when he saw you. He was very sickly at that time so he let you sit on his lap instead of carrying you. And that day, you became our baby.” He ended.

 

 

He remembers that day clearly. He remembers wheeling Kyungsoo around the orphanage house and stopping abruptly upon seeing and hearing the angelic toddler laughing as the nuns played with her. Kyungsoo’s eyes glistened is joy as they came closer to her. Jongin carried her first. The little girl touched Jongin’s face in adorement, which made Jongin laugh. Kyungsoo remained unmoving, and just watched Jongin play with the baby. Having noticed the reaction of his husband, Jongin placed the little girl on Soo’s lap. The other hugged her as tight as he could, but not tight enough to suffocate her. The baby girl reached out for Kyungsoo’s face as well, touching his lips then his cheeks. Kyungsoo held on to the little girl’s hand as tears fell from his eyes. He looked at his husband, who was smiling at what he was seeing and finally said “Let’s adopt her”. No complications were made. No questions were asked. That was the day this little girl became their daughter.

 

 

Later that day, Kyungsoo revealed that he, too, came from that orphanage.

 

 

“I wonder where Kyungsoo Appa is now?” the girl said

 

 

“He’s up in the sky, baby”

 

 

“He's so lucky, he gets to be with the stars and other planets?”

 

 

“Mhm” Jongin says “and he gets to sing for them too”

 

 

The little girl yawned, slowly drifting to sleep.

 

“Goodnight Appa” she says, not letting go from their embrace.

 

 

“Goodnight baby”

 

 

Out in the cold hallway, Luhan watched the two of them in glee. Sehun came up next to him, curious of what his husband was looking at. After taking a peep, he watched the father-daughter bond with him.

 

Through the past few months, Luhan and Sehun has been pondering on whether to pursue this part of their relationship or not. For normal partners, a long talk would be the key to making this work. But Luhan and Sehun are not like those normal partners. Their talk would proceed all day, but no decision is made in the end. Reason being is that, they are both confused. Sure, they love each other so much that they decided to wed. But could they take it a step further? They were uncertain of that. But this, this might have changed something.

 

 

“Let’s do it, Sehun” Luhan whispered. Sehun looked at him, his face lightened by the small opening of the little girl’s bedroom. And Sehun smiled, he was thinking of saying the exact same thing.

 

 

“Let’s adopt a child” Luhan said.

 

This time, they were sure about it.

 

 

---

 

 

Jongin laid in his bed, ready for sleep to take over him, when he realized that his daughter left her music box in her bed. He opened it and twists the winding key, making him hear the music that once made him feel melancholic but now represented a whole lot more than that feeling. The light enchanting melody came out of the box as if Kyungsoo was there to listen to it with him. It’s in these moments that Jongin never felt alone, that Kyungsoo is just there beside him, holding his hand tight and telling him to take care of himself and their child. Kyungsoo is here, Jongin believes. It had been years since he passed away, but he could still hear his soft laughs and he could see his heart-shaped smile that always makes his heart jump. It’s because Kyungsoo never left. He will always be in Jongin’s heart, floating inside the person that he has become.

 

 

 

 

---

 

Author's Note : Hi! This is me procrastinating yet again (my midterm exams starts tomorrow T_T). Anywayy, surprise! I hope you enjoyed reading this sequel. I would appreciate it if you would point out any grammatical errors you see. I will proof read this once again tomorrow. I don't know, I really wanted to finish it in time for Kyungsoo's birthday, KaiSoo Day, and Jongin's birthday!!

 

• MID Music Box version is made by krisyeol of tumblr
• Description of the cafe is actually the cafe of Chanyeol's Dad

 

Once again guys, thank you very very very very much for supporting this story. I love you all!!!!!

 

-patneska