II

But things didn’t come easy. It is a fact that Himchan is a celebrity, and a rising one at that. He and his band mates have received the Golden Disc Awards’ Disk Daesang and it catapulted their group to Superstardom. Which means he is always under the scrutiny – he used to say praises – of the public. And it didn’t help that Jiae was oblivious to all that.

To her, Himchan is just Himchan. She understood that they had to hide their relationship because that is the right thing to do, at least in Himchan’s world, but she never understood for how long they were going to do that.

Not that she’s impatient; maybe she just didn’t have enough time.

Himchan realized that a little too late.

The short trips to Seoul that she would do without letting him know; the bruises here and there; for a while Himchan thought that she was being abused again, but who would do that in an orphanage? The children? The nuns?

Then one day Jaein appeared at the other side of road in front of his company building, standing behind the crowd of girls cheering for them as they made their way out straight to their van. As soon as he got on, he located her all the while dialling the number he had registered for her.

“Himchan ah,” she answered.

The wind was knocked out of Himchan as when he finally saw her, she collapsed on the pavement.

Himchan didn’t think. He just jumped out of the van pushing Daehyun out as he made his way. He ran to her limp figure. She was as pale as white sheet, a bruise already forming at the arm that had direct contact with the cement. Out of habit, Himchan hissed a silent prayer thanking the gods that she was still breathing.

The crowd began to form around him. Croons of what happened, who’s this girl, and is that Himchan oppa buzzed in the air, and the air became heavy and unhealthy for an unconscious girl.

Himchan hurriedly lifted Jaein, thankful that Junhong and Daehyun – who ran after him right after he pushed him – parted the crowd to make way for the older man’s sprint to their van. As soon as he has laid Jaein, he barked hospital to their manager who was clueless of who the girl his charge brought into their private van.

Thank God Jaein is still breathing.

None of the members asked. They recognized her as the girl from the orphanage a few years back. And the girl in the picture with Himchan, smiling widely as its frame sits on the vocalist’s bedside table.

∞

Himchan was optimistic before he met her. But that was brought about by the fact that only good things happen to him. Hence he doesn’t know any negatives. Ignorantia. Only the good are true to him, outside the good, there’s just nothing.

It was leukaemia.

And Himchan laughed bitterly because he doesn’t even know how to spell the stupid medical word. He laughed more at the absurdity that his life has taken the liberty to become a damned Korean drama.

But when the doctor made her turn, disappearing at the corner, followed by the clicking of her heels, Himchan felt his knees weaken and he slumped on the floor outside Jaein’s hospital room.

“There’s cure,” he heard the doctor explain. “Jaein has been taking her medication and it’s not yet too late. There’s radiation and chemotherapy. She can still live a normal life if she wins this.”

If.

He doesn’t know how to stay positive in this situation. He wanted to run away, away from all the pain that this will bring him. He’s scared to even fi