Chapter Thirty One;;

You didnt realized that you’re trembling until Sehun intertwined your fingers together.

“Calm down, okay? Everything’s going to be alright.”

You nodded at him and stared back at the woman in her white coat – her eyes were scanning the clipboard seriously before your eyes darted at the counter which separated you and the female doctor away. Dr Chou. You let out a weak sigh when Minhee lay on the counter – sleeping.

The doctor looked up and smiled softly. “Ms Oh, right?”

You startled a bit before nodded again. “Yes.”

The doctor closed the clipboard and smiled. “Before I told you the results of the tests, mind explaining what happened to your cat here?”

You glanced at Sehun nervously before starting your story. “I just came back home, t-this afternoon when I found Minhee’s laying on the carpet. Since it was normal for him to lay down like that, I thought he was having a nap so I-I take a shower first. Then I call him for snack, but he didn’t come. I tried to wake him up but-” You choked a sob. “That was when I noticed a few blood stains on the floor.”

You’re still remembered on how fast you grabbed your phone and called Sehun.

Dr Chou nodded. “Did Minhee’s coughing before?”

You nodded weakly.

“How long?”

You pressed your lips into a thin firm line. “Three weeks? He’d a fever too last week.”

Dr Han sighed. “And you didn’t bring him to vet?”

You looked down. “I’m sorry.”

Sensing guilty washed over you, Sehun slowly rubbed your hand with his thumb. “Is Minhee alright, doctor?”

“I ran a few tests on him.” Dr Han glanced opened back her clipboard. “First of all, coughing is a symptom and not a disease but still, it’s best to have your pet checked and properly diagnosed. Coughs generally occur when the airway to the lung are irritated. When a cat coughing up, especially coughing up blood – the cat need a vet care.”

Dr Han looked at you. “Is Minhee was lethargy? Or maybe loss of appetite?”

You feel like your heart was stab by a cold metal pierce. “He –did.”

Dr Han nodded as she wrote something on the clipboard. “If I may ask, how old Minhee was, Ms Oh?”

You bit your lower lip as you glanced at Sehun. “He’s under my care for almost two years, doctor.” You answered weakly. To be honest, you don’t even know Minhee’s real age.

Dr Han nodded again. “Do you found him, Ms Oh?”

You nodded. “I-in the drain, it was raining that time.”

Dr Han smiled softly.  “What a generous heart, you are.”

Your first tear dropped. You can read it from her expression – that she trying to live up the mood before she conveyed you the real news about Minhee. A bad news.

“Ah, why am I crying?” You mumbled while you’re wiping your tears with your free hand.

Dr Han took a deep breath before stared back at you. “ A cat generally coughs up blood if it has a pulmonary embolism, Ms Oh. A long cancer.”

Sehun gasped. “What?”

Your lips trembled – threaten to cry again.

 “And Minhee’s real age is probably around four or five.”

Sehun shook his head. “But he’s so small.” You nodded at his words. But then you remembered your conversation with Sehun back then, on how small Minhee was.

Dr Han bit her lips. “Which means – he probably already suffered a long time ago.”

A tear escaped on rolled down your cheek. “B-but he was fine. He was active before.”

Dr Han nodded. “Cancer for animals has no different from human’s cancer. This virus attacked us quietly and without we knowing, we already in the stage three. Same thing goes for these animals. The X-tray, blood test, and his urine test show the presence of the tumor. We even found the signs of pleural effusion in your pet, Ms Oh. I’m so sorry.”

Your teary eyes glanced to Minhee.

Did I neglect you a lot lately, Minhee-ah?

A pang of guilty hit you right away.

“Sooyeon-ah, don’t cry.” Sehun pat your back softly as you palmed your face, sobbing hard.

“Just –give me a minute.” You muttered. Your body was trembling.

You still remembered the first time you heard the white cat mewing faintly in the rain.

You still remembered that you’re torn in two between helping the cat or hiding yourself from the rain – but at the end of course, you brought him home.

You still remembered the first time you bought the cat’s snack.

“Minhee, your name now is Minhee.”

Sehun slowly pulled you into his embrace. He whispered ‘this is not your fault’ and ‘it’s going to be alright’ a few times as you let put a small sobs.

“Is there anything we can do to save Minhee, doctor?” Sehun asked after you calmed down a bit.

Doctor smiled – but to you it was a sad smile. It was a sad smile. “We get a few options – first, we may perform surgery to remove the tumor but in Minhee’s case, the tumor was already spread. We still can perform the surgery, but the chances for Minhee to live were very very low.”

You sniffed.

“We also can put Minhee into treatment – chemotheraphy and radiation.”

Sehun sighed. “But it won’t heal Minhee, right?”

The doctor nodded. “It might slow down the further spreading.”

But Minhee was still suffering, you thought.

“Is there any other way to put stop Minhee’s from suffering, doctor?”

Dr Han glanced at you. She then exchanged looks with Sehun as if they knew the answer simultaneously.

“There is a way to end Minhee’s suffers, Ms Oh. But it require a lot of bravery. Most of the owners who really loves their pet willing to do this -- to end their pet’s suffering. We --”

Then it hit you. The answer. You got the answer before Dr Han continued her words. And your tears dropped once again.

“ – can put Minhee into sleep, forever.”

A knock on his door make Myungsoo looked up from his phone’s screen. “Yes?”

The door was squaked opened and Mirae’s head peeked in. “Oppa, mom’s calling for dinner.”

Myungsoo smiled softly and nodded. “Alright.”

Mirae sighed and walked in after closing the door. She walked straight and sits on the bed, beside him. Her eyes glanced at his phone’s screen – candid picture of you as you’re laughing at Jiyeon.

“Did you miss her?”Mirae asked softly.

Myungsoo looked back at his sister and follow her gaze back to his phone. He sighed softly before slide to the next picture – you’re sleeping.

“Did you miss Sooyeon unnie?”

“I miss her.” He whispered.

Mirae smiled weakly. “You still did not talk to her properly?”

Myungsoo shook his head.

“Oppa, you loves her don’t you? I don’t understand why you act like this.” Mirae sighed softly when Myungsoo looked away. “Mom feels guilty over Sooyeon unnie. Mom starts to feel that you’re playing with Grandma’s request. She thinks that if you took Sooyeon unnie as your wife because you just want to fulfil Grandma’s wish.”

“You know that I love her to death right, Mirae?” Myungsoo said weakly.

“Then prove it, oppa. Prove to mom, to dad, that you really love Sooyeon unnie. Put Naeun unnie aside for this one, oppa. You’re thinking Naeun unnie’s too much.”

Myungsoo flinched when Naeun’s name escaped from his sister’s lips.

“Mirae-ah, do you remember how sad Naeun when Grandma mad at her mother?”

Mirae looked down.

“She confessed that she like me a day before Grandma kicked them out.” Myungsoo whispered at he stared another picture of you. “It hit me, the guilty. I can’t forget on how broken she was when I rejected her and I can’t forget it either on how Grandma ask her to walk out, Mirae. I-I just can’t.”

Mirae looked up. “It’s not your fault, oppa.”

Myungsoo nodded weakly. “It’s not Naeun’s fault either.”

Both of them stay silence for a moment – each