[kyle's notes]: the chapter is a gift for you.. well, not the whole chapter, but only the last part haha savor it.. it's the last update for now.. gotta focus on two things: work and review.. again, don't expect too much.. the chapters are always as crappy as ever.. kyle and crappy in one sentence is a very common idea :)

song credits to the owner: Katy Perry; Faber Drive

 

 

 

WARNING: LOTS of ERRORS ahead

 

 

 

 

Sitting on his drum chair, Hyun Joong watched his bandmates make the intro and So Min began singing. His position at the back allowed him to see the other band sitting in the first row of the audience. He could see them. He could see him.

 

 

 

Si Wan had a dreamy smile playing on his lips as he was totally immersed in watching them. No, not watching all of them, but her.

 

 

 

♫♪ ‘Cause when I’m with him I am thinking of you, thinking of you

What you would do if you were the one who was spending the night?

Oh, I wish that I could look into your eyes ♫♪

 

 

 

Hyun Joong paid no attention to his drums. His hands and feet were coordinated and could move by themselves, following the beat and rhythm of the song. Heck, he could do it even with his eyes closed. They had practiced this number of times and the naturally acquired talent in music was working its way to coordinate his body movements. It’s not that he was taking the presentation for granted; just that he wasn’t focused because his eyes were locked on the beautifully created maiden singing oh-so wonderfully. He couldn’t see her face since she had her back on him. But he’s certain she was all out. The way she sings whilst playing her instrument, it’s not difficult to conclude that she was into it.

 

His eyes stared at the audience again where he could see Si Wan looking so amazed by just watching her. He wondered if she was looking at him too.

 

 

 

♫♪…You’re the best and yes, I do regret how I could let myself let you go?

Oh, oh now, now the lesson’s learned… I touched it, I was burned

Oh, I think you should know…♫♪

 

 

 

“Oh, come on.  You perfectly know what to do. And that’s to let her go,” his words during their wedding reception rang to his ears like a constant vibration of tinnitus. ‘Have they?’ he inquired to himself. ‘Have they let each other go?’

 

 

 

♫♪ Oh won't you walk through and bust in the door, and take me away?

Oh no more mistakes 'cause in your eyes I'd like to stay... ♫♪

 

 

 

‘If the answer is no, then maybe I should…’ The thought was whirling an uneasy roil inside. Maybe he’s the second best in this story? Or maybe he was just thinking too much?

 

 

 

He dejectedly looked at her who still had her back on him, bowing and thanking the crowd along with Geun Suk and Kyu Jong.  Oh, forget it. He had the time later to ask her at home.

 

 

 

Hyun Joong was too focused on the matters of his heart that he failed to notice the triumphant grin of the bandmate sitting beside Si Wan. It seemed he was really enjoying this.

 

 

 

“Guys! Guys!!” Mr. Hwang hurriedly approached them soon as they stepped foot on the backstage. For being their adviser, it should look like he’s going to congratulate them. But his frantic expression indicated otherwise. “Il Woo had an accident!!”

 

 

 

***************************************

 

 

 

Jung Min walked restlessly outside the operating room where his brother was brought straight from the admission area of the emergency room. He was closing the shop so that he’d be able to watch his brother perform on stage when a police officer called, telling him that Il Woo was rushed to the hospital. He didn’t even think of anything else but going to where he was. Why—why must this happen?

 

It’s been hours but any member of the health team assigned to attend to his brother still hadn’t come out. It should be a good thing, right? Meaning they were focusing to perform whatever it was they needed to perform for Il Woo. Yes, taking them a long time shouldn’t mean they were having a hard time saving him.

 

Jung Min finally found himself setting his down on one of the chairs in the waiting area. He ran both his hands on his face in frustration. ‘Please, be alright.’

 

 

 

Just then, several footsteps echoed on the floorings of the hallway. He didn’t bother looking up.

 

 

 

“Where’s Il Woo?”

 

 

 

“What happened?”

 

 

 

“How is he?”

 

 

 

Mr. Hwang, Geun Suk and Kyu Jong asked spontaneously, disregarding the fact that the guy was drowning in worry. Then again, he didn’t bother responding to any of them—not that he didn’t want to; just that he didn’t know the answer himself. What’s taking them so bloody long?

 

 

 

So Min, on the other hand, kept quiet, which was not something unusual. Instead, she made her way to Jung Min, knelt before him and without words, hugged him. Hugged him for all its worth.

 

 

 

All boys, especially the husband, were stunned on their spots. First Si Wan, then the immensely perturbed reaction she expressed upon learning Il Woo’s accident; and now, hugging Jung Min—all in front of him. Just how many of this did he have to endure that evening?

 

 

From being frozen, Jung Min realized her intentions. Positive, she was trying to comfort him because she had seen it. She had seen his wretchedness and pain combined in one great misery.

 

 

 

She had seen them when no one else had.

 

 

 

He was overwhelmed with a little amount of joy from her action. He hugged her back tighter than she was doing to him. All his life since their father passed away and their mother undergoing depression, he had assumed the role of being the head of the family with both his mother and his brother depending on him. For them, he needed to be strong. He needed to be brave. He had to overcome his fears so that his family members, particularly the younger brother, could make him their role model. A tough one to fight against the devilish obstacles in life.

 

 

 

So Min’s gesture made him feel like despite all the things mentioned, he still had the right to be weak; to let his nerves tingle as he showed his fears. “He’ll be okay, right? He’ll be okay. He has to be okay.”

 

 

 

“He’ll be fine. Yes, yes. Everything will be okay, hmm?” Although she wasn’t sure about it too. One thing So Min was sure of was that pestering him with questions wasn’t the best thing Jung Min needed right there. He needed someone who’d sympathize with him; consoling him when one of the things he used as source of strength was being operated inside.

 

 

 

As if on cue, the double doors opened, tossing out a surgeon dressed in cotton gown that covered most of his body. He was removing his blood-filled sterile gloves when he approached them. “Are you Jung Il Woo’s family?”

 

 

 

So Min pulled herself up, followed by Jung Min who just got free from an uplifting embrace. “Yes, I’m his brother.”

 

 

 

The doctor removed his mask. “I’m Doctor Sy, the neurosurgeon attending to your brother. We’ve managed to remove the clog that formed in his head and closed the wound that smashed his abdomen from the impact. He also acquired some scratches and bruises on different parts of his body. Your brother’s vital signs are stable now. However, he has lost a pretty huge amount of blood. The stability might eventually fade if we don’t perform blood transfusion.”

 

 

 

“Do it then,” Jung Min interjected, slightly relieved upon hearing the word stable. “Where’s the waver I need to sign?”

 

 

 

The older male motioned a nurse who handed Jung Min the waver and a pen. “There’s a bag of blood available in our blood bank that we found compatible. Another however, this type of blood could only be given to him once. We have to find a more compatible blood donor.”

 

 

 

“Are you saying that you don’t have enough stock of blood similar to my brother’s type in your bank?” while handling the pen and paper back to the nurse.

 

 

 

“We’ve run tests and his blood type is A.” He sighed upon seeing the expectant expressions of six people staring at him. Of course, blood type A should be common in a hospital’s blood bank. How he wished he could say the same on this situation. “Negative. Mr. Jung’s blood type is A-negative.”

 

 

 

Six pairs of eyebrows met. “What does that mean?” Jung Min asked, not quite definite if he wanted to hear the accurate answer.

 

 

 

“Your brother, sir, has A-negative blood type. It means his Rhesus or Rh factor is not present on his blood surface. If he receives an A-positive blood type, it should only be once. Only once— because during that once, his Rh-free components would produce antibodies. We call it sensitization—the same reaction our bodies do when we receive immunizations.  If he receives subsequent A blood which is Rh positive, these antibodies will attack the antigens present in the said donated blood; he’ll develop hemolysis of red blood cells.”

 

 

 

“Wait, wait, wait, wait,” raising his palms in front of him. “You mean we have to look for a person with A-negative who’s willing to donate?”

 

 

 

“I’m afraid so, sir. Mr. Jung needs more than one bag of blood for the succeeding blood transfusions he’ll receive. We’ll contact the other health institutions in the country to help in looking for it as well. We need it as soon as possible or it’ll be fatal for him. He could be in danger for any wasted time that ticks.” He bowed, “That’s all for now. We’ll update you,” and immediately went back inside, the nurse following him, obviously agitated to save their patient who was waiting inside.

 

 

 

Stability... Fade...

Hemolysis…

Fatal…

Danger…

Wasted time…

 

 

 

Jung Min felt the vessels in his body constrict, preventing his blood from flowing, resulting to a depravation of oxygen. He felt like he couldn’t breathe. The first time he felt this way was when he heard parallel words during his father’s death. And then when their mother was diagnosed with her present psychological condition. And now this—what did he ever do wrong in his life to give him this awful feeling? The idea of losing his brother never crossed his mind. It was too abysmal to think of. “Il Woo is not frail. He’s a cheerful guy, always full of life. He doesn’t deserve to be laying there. He shouldn’t be—Oh God!”

 

 

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