Mirae nodded as she stood up. She bowed at both Yesung and Junsu before she headed towards Jaejoong. She linked her arm with his, signaling that they should go. With a final wave, the two of them walked off.

“Is she still sick, hyung?” Junsu couldn’t help but ask. Jaejoong’s words were still ringing in his ears, and worry filled his heart. He didn’t understand why. It was not like he was exceptionally close to the girl.

Yesung shook his head. He stood up and dusted his clothes off. “I think it would be better if you asked her yourself. It’s not my story to tell. Anyway, that’s it for today. I’ll see you again tomorrow.”

“Yes, hyung,” Junsu nodded. “Thank you.”

As Junsu walked around the academy absentmindedly, he contemplated the events that occurred during the afternoon; he couldn’t help but focus on Jaejoong and Mirae’s trip to the hospital. It seemed like it was a normal occurrence. Aside from him, no one was really surprised. Instead on pondering on the secret that everyone seemed to know, he focused on his feelings.

‘Do I feel close to her already that I worry for her? I’ve only met her recently. Maybe I’m just mistaking my feelings. It’s the first time I’ve ever felt like this, so maybe I’m wrong,’ Junsu thought with a sigh.

With Mirae

Mirae dropped her strong façade as she sat on the car with Jaejoong. She chewed on her lip as varying thoughts occupied her mind.

“He’s going to be okay,” Jaejoong assured. He briefly squeezed Mirae’s arm in comfort, retracting his hand back quickly to focus on driving. “He’s strong, you know.”

That doesn’t mean that I can’t worry for him. Mirae signed. He’s still a very important part of my life. I don’t want to lose him.

“That’s also why he’s still fighting through this. He hasn’t given up yet. He’s not going to give up, especially not when he has you,” Jaejoong said firmly. "You can't break now, Rae-yah. He needs you."

I know. Mirae responded as the hospital came into view. She got out of the car as soon as Jaejoong had parked it. Within minutes, she had reached the room.

“Go in,” Jaejoong urged softly from behind her.

Mirae nodded. Taking a deep breath, she turned the knob and walked in.

“Hey, you’re here,” Yunho greeted. He stood up to greet his younger sister, letting her take his previous seat beside the patient’s bed.

Mirae looked at the man lying on the bed. She couldn’t even bring herself to reciprocate the smile that he was offering to her.

“What’s with the long face?” the man asked with a smile. “Aren’t you going to give me a hug, too?”

Mirae didn’t hesitate to wrap her arms around his frail body, relaxing as she felt his arms around her. She closed her eyes as she relished in the warm feeling that it brought her. ‘You’re one of the people I’m fighting for. I’m happy because you’re here, so you can’t leave my side,’ she thought as she pulled away, finally showing a smile. She fixed her hands into a familiar pattern. I love you.

A Week Later

Junsu wandered aimlessly around the academy. He had already finished his classes with Yesung a few minutes ago. “What to do?” he asked himself. He decided to go to the music room, patting the folded sheet on his pocket, the song which Yoochun made for him. When he came there, he found that the room was empty, so he got in and sat on the piano bench.

He stayed silent and still on the bench for a few minutes, using the time to observe the instrument that he fell in love with. He remembered learning pieces from Yoochun, a few bars of songs and snippets of music that he had never heard before he played them. Those were some of his most cherished memories, when he sat with Yoochun on a piano bench and learned how to play.

Flashback

“Why don’t you want to play the piano anymore?” Yesung asked.

The two of them were sitting on the music room floor, staring at the grand piano. Junsu averted his eyes to the side, chewing on his lip in nervousness. Silence fell over the room as Yesung waited patiently for the abused teen to gather his courage. Finally, a sigh was released and Junsu looked down at his lap.

“What’s the point of it?” Junsu murmured.

“What do you mean?” Yesung questioned, raising a brow in confusion at the answer.

“I’m going to lose my hearing, anyway. What’s the point of still learning it?” Junsu elaborated.

“You shouldn’t give up so easily,” Yesung sighed. He moved to lie down on the floor, staring at the ceiling as he got lost in his thoughts. He turned his head to look at the younger man. “What is music to you?”

“Huh?” Junsu blinked, startled by the sudden question.

“What is music to you?” Yesung repeated patiently. “For you to be able to give up on it so easily, is it not important to you?”

Junsu kept quiet. Deep in his heart, he knew that it wasn’t true. Music had become everything to him after he had learned the art from Yoochun. It saved him from going crazy and losing hope during his rough childhood.

Yesung returned his gaze towards the ceiling when he received no answer and he decided not to press further. Instead, he said, “There are people here who have lost important senses, but they’re still fighting. If you really want it, if music is really important to you, the loss of your hearing should only be a minor setback. You should use it while you still have it, at least.”

Flashback End

Junsu released a deep breath as he took out the music sheet in his pocket. He placed it on the stand and hesitantly moved his hands to rest on the keys, familiarizing himself with the instrument that he had avoided since he found that his hearing was deteriorating. Yet, nothing happened and the room remained blanketed with silence.

“What are you doing?” someone interrupted him.

Junsu turned around hastily, eyes wide in shock as he looked at the door. He relaxed as he found Yoochun standing by the door. “Hyung,” he greeted.

“Were you going to play? Sorry for interrupting,” the elder man said. He walked over to the piano, sitting down as Junsu made space.

“I… Well,” Junsu stumbled over his words, unsure of what to say. Was he going to play? He didn’t even know what he was attempting to do. He had touched the keys, but he didn’t have the intention of playing. So what did he even want to do?

“Is it still hard to play when the threat about your hearing is on the back of your mind?” Yoochun asked, but his tone told Junsu that the answer was already clear.

Junsu stayed quiet as he sat next to Yoochun, his first true friend and the one he had grown to see as a brother and a savior. No one knew him better than Yoochun. Sometimes, the elder male even understood him more than himself.

“Do you remember when you first learned how to play the piano?” Yoochun suddenly said. He pressed on the keys without thought, just randomly running his fingers through the instrument. “You were so happy to learn and you were so fascinated by the music that you made with the keys. Back then, you said that music was your haven. You told me that music brought you to a paradise where you could run away from the problems at your home. Why are you now running away from what saved you?”

“It just doesn’t seem worth it,” Junsu answered softly.

Yoochun turned to the younger man with a gentle smile. “Is that what your heart is telling you?”

Junsu blinked at the question. “What do you mean?”

“You shouldn’t let your fear destroy your life,” Yoochun advised.

“It’s just hard,” Junsu confessed.

“What about singing, then?” Yoochun proposed. He had already heard from Yesung that Junsu was quite the singer. From what the elder man told him, Mirae also thought that it was Junsu’s key. Maybe the younger Jung saw something as Junsu sang and Yoochun would trust her judgment.

Junsu’s eyes flickered upwards in surprise, meeting the elder man’s eyes. 

An update that didn't take one to two months before I uploaded it. I hope you enjoyed reading this chapter! I won't be able to post any updates until next month, at the latest, as I will be on vacation with my family. I will, however, try to write the next chapters while traveling. I'm not sure how well that'll work out, but we'll see. Hopefully, inspiration strikes while I'm away so that I can update when I get back. 

The reason for Mirae's visit to the hospital is finally revealed, as well as Junsu's deep connection to music. But who is the new character whose identity was not yet revealed? I hope you all have fun guessing about who the mystery man is to Mirae and why exactly he is in the hospital. I think I left enough clues in there to set you in the right track about his identity. Tell me your guesses! Thanks for reading and thank you so much for the continuous support! Comment and subscribe~!