All three of them stared at each other, all at a loss at what to do next. Jong Kook kicked the wall and was about to hit his fist on the wall when Jaesuk stopped him.

“Hyung, remember when I said that Jihyo…”

“What? That both of you are not meant to be? You better make your decision right now. Stop being indecisive! It’s either you want her or you do not!” He was fuming mad. “If you want her then you should fight for her, no matter how hard it is. She’s fighting for her life right now and she needs you to be strong. Jong Kook ya, you’re stronger than this. I know it and I’ve seen it.”

This was the real Jaesuk that he respected. He never pretended in front of anyone. He never hid the truth from his dongsaengs. He wanted the best for them and if talking nicely won’t help, he had to strictly say it. Jong Kook nodded and all three left to see Jihyo once more. This time round the doctor was about to enter the ward but since he saw and recognized Jong Kook and Jaesuk, he stopped to greet them.

“Are you here for Song Jihyo Shi?”

“Yes, we are. Are you the doctor? Can you tell us how she is doing?” Jong Kook asked.

“Yes. I have her report with me. I’ll need to speak with her manager too.”

The report was told to the four of them. Jihyo apparently had been coming to the hospital to take some IV for her stamina. But after a few visits, her body seems to have developed an allergic reaction towards it. She grew tired but continued taking it in the hope that she could get enough strength to overcome all that was needed. But yesterday was the final straw. Her body could not take it anymore and it just gave up. The doctor assured them that Jihyo was in a stable condition and that she’ll wake up in a couple of hours once her body is truly rested.

Changjoo stopped them from entering Jihyo’s room. He used his rights as her manager to get them out of his sights so they had no choice but to leave. Jong kook thanked Jaesuk for his help and headed back, his fist clenched tight all the way home. He couldn’t close his eyes. He could still see Jihyo’s body lying on the bed, as if living was hard for her. Right now, living was hard for him. He would do anything to switch places with her. Both of them turned in after the long night and Jong Kook resolved that Jihyo would be by his side when he woke up the next day.

“BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!”

Jong Kook woke up startled.

“BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!”

The banging grew louder still. Jong Kook and Gap Jin got out of their room and stared at each other before their eyes settled to the door. Who in the world???

They opened the door and to their surprise, it was a female. She was standing there, impatient and furious. She had a familiar air around her but both of them could not put their finger on it. She stepped into the house, not all ashamed or embarrassed at her actions. Jong Kook tilted his head, racking his brains to think who this woman could be and Gap Jin… Well, he was Jong Kook manager after all…

“Who are you? Before I call the cops you better get out of the house!”

Her eyebrows rose up so high that it was almost hidden by the fringe. “I happen to be Jihyo’s sister and I came here to know why…” she glared at the man known as Kim Jong Kook and poked Jong Kook’s shoulder “Why you.are.not.by.my.sister.side.when.she.is.sick.in.the.hospital.”

Oh yes, she spoke each word with emphasis. Stressing on every word. If Jihyo was fierce, her sister was feisty. It looked like the girls in Jihyo’s family are all temperamental.

“We were there yesterday night. And then her manager chased us away, but we are heading there again.” Jong Kook said, indignantly, holding on to his pride. How could she think that he did not place Jihyo as his highest priority?

“Then let’s go! COME ON!!!!”

An hour later, they found themselves at Jihyo’s ward again but this time there were more people. Jihyo’s family was alerted to her accident and they all came. Gary also happened to be there with Gwangsoo and Haha. Jong Kook cursed softly under his breath. It was hard enough having Changjoo as his love rival and now he has Gary to keep an eye out too. Jihyo was still unconscious and they were all taking turns to see her. Soon it was Jong Kook’s turn.

She looked a bit better, thought Jong Kook as he approached her. This time round, he braved himself to hold her hand. His fingers interlocked with her and he leaned down, kissing them softly and tenderly. He had missed that feeling. The feeling of her touch. He let her hand rest on the bed softly again and headed out, not wanting to create any gossip about them but deep inside he felt a gossip would have helped his situation a lot.

He thanked her parents and waited alongside Gary as the other running man members were on their way there. Her parents went back in again and with Jihye this time and as they crowd around Jihyo, Jihyo stirred. Her eyes slowly opened and moved. It looks as though she was calling for somebody.

“Call the nurse Jihye yah!” Jihye pressed a button near her.

“Oppa. Jong Kook Oppa.” Jihyo whispered. Her words a bit louder now and parents and Jihye who was trying hard to listen to her caught it.

“Jong Kook? Kim Jong Kook?” Jihyo’s mother said and she looked at Jihye. “Do you know something about this?” Jihye was stuck in between two choices - Her parents’ expectations and saving her sister’s happy ending. She loved her parents and didn’t want to disappoint them but after seeing her sister so hurt she gave a small nod while the doctor and nurse came to check on Jihyo.

Jihyo was being checked and tests were being conducted to check her stability. It was then, at the corner of the floor away from the running man members and Chang Joo, Jihye spilled everything. How as parents, they had forced it upon her and she didn’t want to break their hearts. And Jong Kook had been dating her in secret for a while but they didn’t dare to break the news to them since they were convinced that ChangJoo would make the best Son- in – law.

“Mum, dad. We have to make this right. Unnie loves Jong Kook Oppa and he loves her too. You forcing ChangJoo on Unnie will make her unhappy and more unwell. Please, think about this.” Her mum and dad looked worriedly at one another, confused, worried and sorry.

“But why didn’t she say anything?! Anything!” Her mother asked Jihye. “Why does she hide the relationship from us? We could have told Changjoo the truth! Jihye yah! Why did you keep quiet instead of telling us with your usual big mouth?”

Jihye looked very hurt. True she was the blabbermouth in the family. All the family secrets were usually spread by her even before the owner of the secrets chooses to tell anyone. But right then, she felt that it was much uncalled for. It was between her sister and her parents and Jihye was being more than supportive just by staying out so that Jihyo can make her own decisions.

“I think, right now, what we need to do is to check if Jihyo is better. Once she can go back home to rest, I will feel relieved. Then, we need to talk to both Changjoo and Kim Jong Jook shi. It was our mistake at the start for not talking to her properly firstly,” Jihyo’s father spoke calmly. “Jihye yah. Thank you for telling us this. You’re a great sister and wonderful daughter.”

Jihyo and Jihye’s mother huffed and then glared at her husband. “That’s right. No wonder our daughters listen to you more. You always make me the bad one. Jihye, go and see your sister!”

Jihye looked carefully from her mother to her father before standing and walking to her sister. Her father carefully and softly placed his hand on his wife to calm her down.

“You know, it is our fault when I think back about it. We should have talked to her about it and not ask her on the spot. We assumed that they were in a relationship because they are so close to one another. What we need to do is to apologize and make things right, so that our daughters can learn from us.”

“But, I’m so embarrassed. What would Changjoo think of us? What do we tell him? Oh! This is such a mess.”

“We’ll tell him the truth. That it was our mistake. Everything will be fine. Don’t worry.” He leaned in for a kiss and then headed to Jihyo’s ward.

It was only the family in Jihyo’s ward when her mother entered. Jihyo was still depending on a huge ventilator to facilitate her breathing. Jihyo had her eyes opened but it is obvious that her condition was still very weak. The whole family gathered around her, offering words of strength and comfort.

“Jihyo yah. I’m sorry. I should have discussed it with you before I made that announcement. You falling sick, is my fault. Oh my dear daughter! I’m really sorry.” Her mother suddenly started apologizing.

The room became much quieter than it was before. Jihye and her father who was trying to comfort Jihyo grew quiet, looking at the mother. Jihyo, even though exhausted, tried to reach for her mother standing by the side of her bed apologizing. Tears slowly escaped Jihyo’s eyes as she couldn’t properly say what she wanted to say to her mother.

“It’s… okay…”Jihyo mouthed her words.

It looked really hard for her to talk. Her breathing got even more ragged and her eyes were now half opened. But she had managed to hold onto her mother’s hand and she held on and her mother held it even tighter. Jihye got closer to her father and it was a quiet yet comforting moment for the family. Everyone understood one another and they knew that it was useless putting blame. Worst things had happened to this family before and now, they just have to fix things before it gets worst.

“Jihyo yah. Your colleagues are outside. Do you want to see them or should I tell them that you want to rest?” Her father finally broke the silence of the room.  

She looked at her father, thinking of the consequences at the same time. It would be nice to receive comforting words from the running man members, they would make her laugh and smile and forget her pain for a while. But all she wanted was to see that one man. The man who will no doubt take her hand and hold it tight to make her feel protected.

She was taking quite some time to think about it that her father took it as a queue that she wanted to rest but did not want to seem rude for asking them to go back after they had waited for so long.

“You know what, I’ll tell them you’re going to sleep. They can see you later or on another time.” Her father added.

Jihyo nodded and looked at her mother for assurance. She looked lovingly at her daughter and told her softly to rest and sleep. Jihye winked at her sister and mouthed told you I’d help you! Jihyo smiled and slowly, the gas from the ventilator was starting to overcome her. She felt drowsy and her eyes droop. Slowly, her eyelids shut and she fell into a deep sleep.

Jihyo’s parents were in the car that Changjoo was driving. Jihye had taken the responsibility of looking after her sister. Once home, they invited Changjoo in with the intention to tell him the truth. Changjoo who knew nothing about what was coming up, followed suit confidently, with a smile on his face.

“Changjoo dear, please take a seat. We have something to tell you…. But first, we want to deeply apologize. The mistake we made hurt many people and we know you out of all people will feel the most hurt about this.” Jihyo’s father began, threading the conversation carefully.

Changjoo looked from Jihyo’s Father to Jihyo’s mother, his face was clearly showing that he was worried. He put his hands together, clenching them and looking at them hard, expecting further explanation from their statement.

“We should have asked Jihyo’s opinion about matchmaking both of you together. We assumed that both of you are close because of all the time spent together. We too recently found out that she loves someone else. And because of this situation, we put her into danger. We made her hurt.” Jihyo’s mother piped in.

“It’s Kim Jong Kook shi isn’t it? But… But… We’ve been closer lately. She’s been putting in so much effort in our relationship. Jihyo…” Argued Changjoo desperately. He refused to believe that her parents just threw him aside after giving him hope.

“Jihyo understands her situation. She tried to love you. She did… But it was because of us. So her love for you, what you saw was not real. I’m, we’re all very sorry Changjoo ah. But you are very dear to us. You always take care of our daughter, giving her health, her happiness the most priority. And for that, you will always be part of the family.” Her father continued.

“But…” just when Changjoo wanted to opened his mouth to argue his case once more the most unexpected thing happen. Jihyo’s mother kneeled to the ground, seeking forgiveness.

“Please, forgive us. Don’t hate Jihyo or blame her for any of this. Please… Changjoo ah. Both of you mean a lot to us.”

Both men looked at Jihyo’s mother in shock before they both went down to her level to pick her up.

“I’m sorry! I’m in the wrong…” she was sobbing hard.

“Jihyo Eomonim…. Please, get up.” And both of them finally got her to seat on the chair again, but she was still sobbing. “I love Jihyo, more than you would ever know. But I understand now. It was not meant to be. I will back away, for her happiness.”

“Thank you!” Jihyo’s mother gasped in gratitude. “Please don’t take it out on Jihyo and her job. Please be her manager still.”

A short silence followed after.

“Of course.”  Changjoo answered softly.

All of the running man members had left, all except Kim Jong Kook. He wanted to see Jihyo at least once, even if it killed him. So when all the members left, he simply took a detour to the washroom and stayed there for a while until Jihyo’s parents left with Changjoo. He looked down in disappointment. He had to gain the blessings of Jihyo’s parents if he wanted to go out with Jihyo peacefully. Slowly, he walked to her ward and stood outside, looking at the window in.

Changjoo had been a great manager. The security in the hospital was tight, he realized. There wasn’t much that Jongkook could do for his girl. He looked closer through the window of the door. Jihyo was still attached to the machine and he could see her fingers smarting. He was about to leave when someone pat his shoulder. Shocked, he turned sharply.

“Owh. Jihye shi. You scared me. I thought it is some doctor or reporter….”

“Nah. Changjoo Oppa took care of that. Jihyo unnie’s rest is placed as the upmost priority. There isn’t an article out yet. But it would probably be out tomorrow or tonight. It’s going to affect her drama schedule.”

“Ahhh….” Jong Kook replied weakly. He did not know much about Jihyo’s schedule lately since they had not been contacting regularly.

“You should go in. Stay with her. She’ll appreciate it.” Jihye suggested. Jongkook looked showcked at her suggestion.

“What if your parents come? Or Changjoo? There’ll be a lot of trouble. I shouldn’t be here without the members anyway. I should go.”

“No! Oppa. Omma, Appa knows about you two. I told them. And they will be telling Changjoo about this situation when they get home. Oppa, don’t you love my sister?”

Jongkook looked into the room and his hand reached for the doorknob.

“I’ll be at the cafeteria. Oppa, I trust you with my sister, ok?!” With a smile, Jihye waved and walked away.

He waited until Jihye left before getting into Jihyo’s ward. He stepped closer to her but this time around, he felt a sense of pride and joy. Jihyo was going to be his. Her family knew about them and by the sound of what Jihye said, her family was supportive of their relationship, if there is one when Jihyo wakes up.

Jong Kook hands reached for Jihyo’s and he held it tight. It was as if he wanted to tell her that he’ll be by her side fighting her fears and troubles for her. He stood closer to her. Her hands felt cold. And even though was covered by the machine, he could see through its translucent plastic. Her lips were cracked and they were pale. He wished he could touch it, or kiss it, anything to restore it back to her full lips before. And before he knew it, there was pressure on his hand. Jihyo was pressing it back.

“Owh, Jihyo yah.” Jong Kook said softly, leaning in to her carefully.

“Op…Oppa…” Jihyo managed.

“Shhh. Rest. I’m right here. And I’m going to be here, no matter what.” He whispered to her ear and left a soft kiss at the top of her head. She pressed on his hand tighter, in reply to him. Jihyo had so much to tell him, so much to say. But Jongkook kept telling her to rest, because he knew, that he didn’t have to hear what she had to say. He knew that she had never stopped loving him just like him to her. So when Jihyo made to speak again, all Jong kook did was to tell her, “Shhh… I’m still here and will always be here.”

“Pro… Promise?” She mouthed, slowly tilting her head to try to look at his handsome features. 

“Promise.” And Jong Kook sat on the chair by the bed, hands still locked with hers. Softly, he sang for her one of his song called ‘You know everything’ because she did. She, who looked at him from afar when he felt frustrated towards her. She, who pretended with a smile so as to lessen the hurt towards the people that she love. And he felt sorry, for letting her going through it alone. Slowly, coaxed by Jong Kook’s voice and her lethargy, Jihyo fell asleep, her hands still holding on to Jong kook’s.   

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

OMG! Thank you Soooo much for your continous reading and support! XD 

7060 VIEWS!
9 UPVOTES!
BEST OF ALL.... 118 Subscribers ^^ 

Thank you for all the comments. I really hope that you guys enjoy the story.

Yes, there will be more chapters!!! *YEAYYYY!!!* 
(I aim for a weekly update, if possible.) I have the next plot ready but I want to include some happy mements for the spatace couple first. *THEY DESERVE TO BE HAPPY, AFTER ALL THIS RIGHT?* I have a few ideas. But if you have suggestions, please add in the comment section! Also, comment comment comment so that I am more motivated to post faster! Hehe ^^ Kidding. I'll still post. 

Have a great weekend all!