“You have kidney cancer.”

Lee Min Ho said bitterly as his eyes slowly shifted to Shin Hye’s hands. She was clenching her hands so tight that it makes her knuckles turned white. He was sure her nails pricked the soft skin of her palms. He took a step forward as he grasped both of her hands and caressed it softly, urging her hands to relax.

Shin Hye felt herself trembling very badly as her heart was thudding so loud in her ears she could hear nothing else. His soft and warm touch brought her back to the reality. Her vision was blurred by her flooding tears and she couldn’t see his face clearly.

“H-How… how did you find out?” She asked, her voice quivering.

Min Ho tightened his grip on her hands. “Your father told me.”

Shin Hye bit her bottom lip hard. “So you know about it all along since we came back?” She asked again.

“Your father told me on the night before we come back to Seoul.” He replied.

Shin Hye held her head low and looked down. “Then you must be very clear with my condition now.” She inhaled deeply. “I’m dying soon.” Her tears were dripping down like raindrops. “No matter how much I wanted to be with you and So Won, I can’t keep my promise. I can’t give you the forever you wanted from me.” She slowly looked up again and held his eyes. “I told you that you will regret if you want me to stay. I can’t give you anything except sadness.”

Min Ho moved his hand to her face and wiped her tears away. “Do I look like I’m regretting now?” He looked into her eyes painfully. “Do you know how much my heart hurts knowing that you are hiding all this from me and endure it alone? I’m not regretting anything. I’m in pain.” He took her hand and placed it against his chest. “Here. It’s very very painful. It hurts so much that I could barely breathe. I thought I’m going to die first when your father told me about it.” He brought her hand to his lips and kissed it softly. “But I can’t. I have to be strong. Your father was right. I have to be the pillar to support you and not letting you fall. When you feel like the whole world collapsed around you, I will be there to hold up the whole world for you.”

Shin Hye closed her eyes to try and stem the flow of her tears but they just wouldn’t stop. It just flowed down her cheeks uncontrollably, wetting his fingers that were still caressing her face. She bit her trembling lips. “You are an idiot. You are the owner of a large corporation, a successful businessman, a billionaire. How can you be so stupid? How can you be so vulnerable just because of a woman like me?”

Min Ho swallowed hard, looking at her with tears started streaming down his eyes again. “Yes, I’m an idiot. How can I mistaken her as you?” He released her hand and cupped her cheeks in between his hands. “How can both of you looked so alike as if the same but yet so different? Facing a woman like you, how can I not be stupid? How can I not be vulnerable when the fate is being so unfair to you? Why am I so stupid? Why didn’t I meet you earlier? I’ve wasted so much time thinking that she was you. When you came to this house 5 months ago, I was so stupid to think that you were her. If it’s anybody’s fault, then it would be mine. I’m so sorry.” He closed his eyes and rested his forehead against hers. “I’m sorry.” He whispered.

“Hug me.” Shin Hye said softly. Her voice was almost pleading. She needs him to hold her before she fell down. She felt her knees go weak and shuddered.

Min Ho opened his eyes, looking at Shin Hye before he pulled her into his arms, embrace her tightly, giving her the strength that she needed. They held each other for a long time, too scared to let go of one another.

“I will not let you die.” Min Ho finally broke the silence.

Shin Hye took a deep breath, inhaled into his pleasant and calming scent. “You are not God. You can’t do that. Even the doctor has no confidence that he could save me.”

“That was because that doctor you are seeing is useless. There are so many doctors in this world. If the doctors in Korea couldn’t help you, I’ll bring you to US, to UK, to wherever that can save you. You have no idea how much money I have. To cure cancer is just a small case.” He was trying to convince both of them that she will be alright, they will be alright.

Shin Hye smiled. “Cancer is not a small case. It can be very painful.” She didn’t lie. The pain she suffered was so unbearable and if it’s not because of the painkiller she was taking, she wasn’t sure she could still stand until now.

Min Ho tightened his arms around her. “Please don’t waste any more time. You have already wasted more than 6 months. You have to go back to the hospital and get treatment as soon as possible.”

Shin Hye bit her lip again. “Did my father tell you how my mother passed away?” She was not changing the topic. She just wanted to tell her the reason why she doesn’t want to get treatment for her cancer.

Min Ho shook his head.

Shin Hye sniffed and inhaled deeply. “My father loves my mother very much. My mother’s health has been very bad since they know each other. My father insists to marry her even though he knows she couldn’t bear a child for him.” She paused and rested her head against his shoulder.

“When my father finds out that she was having lungs cancer stage 4 and it was already spread to her stomach, he was totally devastated. The doctor said my mother only has 12 months left and if she tries chemotherapy, there might be a chance that she could live longer. But if my mother couldn’t take it, she might leave us even earlier than 12 months. Although the percentage of survival was low but my father said as long as there were still hopes, he doesn’t want her to give up.” She continued as tears continued to flow down, soaking into Min Ho’s shirt.

He tightened his arms around her; bringing her closer to him when he felt her body started to tremble. He knows it was not because of the cold wind but it was because of the fear that she was having now when she talks about her mother that make her shaking. He kissed her hair softly, soothing her, calming her, supporting her.

“Because she loves him, she agreed to do whatever that can make my father feel better. This was the last thing she could do for him. But it was not as simple as we thought.” Shin Hye inhaled sharply, recalling how much her mother had suffered during that time.

“Do you know what kind of side effects that a cancer patient need to suffer when they undergo chemotherapy? Balding, loss of appetite, digestive distress, swollen hands and feet, nausea and vomiting, mouth sores, anxiety and depression. Do you know how much strength and courage a person need to endure all these pains? But this woman, my mother, she was so strong and brave. She endured everything without a single tear.” She closed her eyes, buried her face into his neck. She needs to feel him. She needs his strength so that she could continue what she wanted to say.    

“But there was one thing that she couldn’t survive.” She pressed her trembling lips against his neck, feeling his warmth. “My father.” She inhaled again. “The man that she loves so much was her only weakness that she can’t overcome. The pains in my father’s eyes, the helpless expression on his face, all of that was like a poison to her. Yes it was true that the therapy could drag her life slightly longer but at the same it was dragging the pains that were torturing both of them too. My mother thought that her love for my father has slowly become his burden. Her love for him has become pains and sadness. She couldn’t bear to see my father suffered so much because of her. So she chose to give up.”

Shin Hye clenched onto Min Ho’s shirt very tightly as she started to sob into his neck.

Min Ho felt heartbroken seeing her crying like this. He buried his nose into her hair. “How?” He asked, his voice was almost audible.

Shin Hye took another deep breath before she continued. “She killed herself.”

Min Ho widened his eyes as his breathing became heavy. He recalled that night when Park Soon Jae told him about Shin Hye’s sickness. The pain, the guilt, the regret, everything was floating in those eyes. He was almost begging him to help Shin Hye. He was scared. Scared that his daughter will be like his wife. And that was also the reason why he asked him to make Shin Hye understand that love is not only about happiness but also sadness. He was afraid that Shin Hye will follow her mother’s footstep.

“I will never forget that afternoon when I came back from school, when I saw her laying on the bed lifelessly, with her wrist covered with blood. She chose to end her life to end our pain.” Shin Hye said in between sobs.

Min Ho pulled her even tighter against his body, never wanting to let go, afraid that he will lose her anytime if he don’t held her tighter. “Don’t you dare to even think about it. If you dare to hurt yourself, I’m going to hunt you down even you are hiding in the hell.” He said through gritted teeth, mixture of pain, fear and frustration.

“Then don’t force me to get treatment. Let me spend my remaining time with no regrets. I don’t want to lay on the bed feeling helpless and hopeless.” Shin Hye cried softly. “I know 12 months is a very short time but who say that forever have to be long? If we could be together and cherish every second meaningfully, nothing could separate us even death. I will stay in your heart forever.”

Min Ho pulled away from her and grasped tightly onto her arms, staring deep into her eyes. “Then who tell you that love is just about happiness? Who tell you that love will become a burden when one of us is sick? Do you know why there is a marriage pledge during a wedding? It was because when two person being together, they have to face everything together. For better or for worse, for richer or for poorer and most importantly, in sickness and in health.”

He inhaled a deep breath before he cupped her face and looked straight into her eyes, straight into her soul. “Even if you are in the worst situation ever, it wouldn’t change my love for you.  Even if you are the poorest person in this world, it wouldn’t change how much you mean to me. Even if you are sick or dying, you would never be my burden. Because my love for you will overcome it all.”

He leaned down and sealed her lips with a very soft and tender kiss. “I know as long as we cherish each other, one day could be forever. But I regret now. I don’t want it to be one day, I don’t want 12 months. I’m a businessman; I’m always greedy, greedy for more. I want more, I want longer.” He kissed her again. “Don’t give up. I know I’m not the strongest person in the world but because of you, I’ll be brave and face whatever storm that will hit us.” He whispered against her lips. Tears were still pouring down their face, mixing together. “If you are balding, then I’ll shave my hair too.”

Shin Hye laughed softly as more tears rolled down. “You will look very ugly without any hair.”

“I don’t need to be handsome when I already have you.” Min Ho said as he nuzzled her nose with his. “If you don’t have appetite, then I’ll eat your remaining food for you.”

“Then you will become a fat man.” Shin Hye smiled and cried at the same time.

“Fat is good. You will feel very comfortable when I’m hugging you.” He replied with a smile. “If your hands and feet is swollen, I’ll standby myself to become your walking massager. I guaranty you won’t feel pain even if it’s swollen. If you are vomiting, I’ll always be there to hold a bucket for you, get ready a towel, patting your back, soothing you. I won’t let you…”

Without letting him to finish his sentence, Shin Hye pulled his face down, swooped in and kissed him deeply. She was being defeated again. Defeated by him, defeated by his love. He is really the most dangerous man she has ever met. He makes her greedy too. Greedy to fight stronger, greedy to stay longer.

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

“Eom…” So Won bit her lip as she looked down. “Eemo…”

Shin Hye smiled as she adjusted her uniform’s collar and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “You can always call me eomma when your mother is not around.” Shin Hye whispered into her ear.

So Won let out a wide smile, looking back at her. “Eomma…”

Shin Hye leaned forward and kissed the tip of her tiny nose. “So Won have to study hard and listen to the teacher in the school, arasso?”

So Won nodded. “Arasso. I’ll study hard and become a lawyer like you.” She held Shin Hye hands and looked at her. “Eomma, you will still be here when I come back from school, right?” She asked worriedly.

Shin Hye sighed silently. What have she done? She shouldn’t make a little kid like her have so much worry in her supposedly happy life. She took So Won’s hand and hooked her pinky finger with hers. She looked at her and assured her with a smile. “I promise that I will still be here when you come home.”

So Won wrapped her arms around her neck and laughed heartily. “So Won love eomma.” She whispered.

“Eomma love So Won too.” Shin Hye said.

“How about appa?” Min Ho stood behind them with a bright smile.

So Won pulled away from Shin Hye and ran to her father. “So Won love appa too. But you have to promise me not to let eomma run away again, okay?”

Min Ho laughed as he pinched her nose softly. “Okay.” He replied as he looked at Shin Hye with a warm smile.

“So Won agasshi, it’s time to go now.” Ahjuhma called as she walked towards her.

“Goodbye, appa. Goodbye eomma.” So Won waved her hand at them before she followed ahjuhma to the door.

Min Ho walked to Shin Hye and enveloped her in his arms. “Good morning.”

Shin Hye looked towards the staircase nervously as she trying to break free from him. “Yah! What are you doing? She will see us if she come down.”

Min Ho chuckled. “Look at the time now. She won’t wake up that early. And so what if she sees us? I don’t really care what she thinks about us.”

Shin Hye pulled back slightly and glared at him. “She is still your legal wife, okay.” She then chewed on her lower lip and looked away. “And it makes me feel like a mistress now.”

Min Ho let out an exaggerated sigh. “I’ll make her sign the damn paper.”

Shin Hye hit his chest. “You are a heartless man. If you found a rose flower or a jasmine flower in the future, are you going to make your twinflower to sign on that damn paper too?”

Min Ho narrowed his eyes at her. “Wow… are you saying that you will marry me once I settle the divorce with her?” He .

Shin Hye felt the blood rush to her face and her face is blushed red now. “T-That’s not what I mean. I was just…” She bit her lip and glared up at him when she heard him laughing.

Min Ho pinched her cheek softly. “You look so cute when you are blushing.” He caressed her cheek lovingly.

Shin Hye sighed softly before looking at him from top to toe when she noticed what he was wearing. He was wearing a casual jacket and jeans. “Why are you wearing like this? Aren’t you going to the office?”

Min Ho exhaled and looked at her with a serious gaze. “I’m not going to the office. We are going to the hospital today.”

Shin Hye’s eyes widened. “Today? How can we go today? I didn’t make any appointment with the doctor yet. We can’t just barge in like this.”

“Why not? There are always walk-in patients right. I can call Secretary Oh to arrange for us.” He grabs her hand and smiled at her. “Don’t worry. If he refuses to see you today, I’m going to change to another doctor.” He said f