“Jinyoung?” Jinyoung’s head shot up and turned towards Sori. “Sori-ah..” Jinyoung was expecting Sori to arrive, but seeing her in front of him still took him by surprise. They hadn’t seen each other for days, so both of them didn’t know what to say. Both were also too concerned about Dongin, whether or not he was going to be okay.

“I’ll leave you two alone, if you need anything, just tell me” Nurse Jung informed before she left the waiting room.

Sori slowly sat beside Jinyoung in silence. She couldn’t stop fidgeting with her nails, when she was nervous, she couldn’t hold still. “How long has Dongin been feeling like this? How long has he hid this from me. I was too busy talking about myself to realize…” Sori continued to worry. Her thoughts were filled with negativity; she didn’t know how to stop them. She felt herself lose her patience as the seconds went by.

Jinyoung was staring at Sori without notice; she was too lost in her own thoughts to realize. He grew worried as he looked at her anxious expression. He couldn’t imagine how much pain Sori was going through, Dongin was like a little brother to her.

Jinyoung’s attention shifted to Sori’s fidgeting hands.  He gently held her hand, making her stop.

Sori turned her head to look at Jinyoung, whose gaze was set on hers.

“Sori, are you alright? Do you want me to get you anything? Are you thirsty? I have a-"

“It’s fine, I don’t need anything. I just want to know that Dongin is alright” Sori turned her head down towards Jinyoung’s hand that was holding hers. She distracted herself by looking atthem, making her feel a little more at ease.

“You must have visited a lot for Dongin to make you his guardian…” Sori suddenly mentioned. “Did you know that he was feeling weaker than usual?” Sori asked eagerly. 

“No, he never told me anything about his health, although I was quite worried about his condition…” Jinyoung admitted.

“Why? Did you sense something? The last time I visited him he was looking kind of pale, but he avoided it when I asked. I should have known then…I would have asked his doctor if I’d known he put me as his guardian. They’re only allowed to give personal information to guardians” Sori explained.

“Dongin once told me he had a lot of checkups…since then I was kind of suspicious. He also avoided it when I asked him” Jinyoung recalled.

Jinyoung suddenly felt something drop on his hand. It felt like a drop of water or…

“Sori-ah? Are you okay?” Jinyoung softly lifted up Sori's head to find her eyes filled with tears.

Sori quickly put both of her hands over her face. She didn’t like crying in front of people. She always needed to stay strong and in control in front of people, but she just couldn’t keep it together anymore.

Jinyoung wrapped his arms around Sori and held her close to him. “Sori, everything is going to be alright” he her hair and repeated those words once more “everything's going to be alright.”

“What if it’s not? I barely visited Dongin after I got let out from the hospital. I could have visited him more, but I was too concerned with my own problems. I’m so selfish” Sori vented. “If I had only visited him more I would have realized how much pain he was going through” she continued, gradually soaking up Jinyoung’s shoulder with tears.

“We can never know the future. Just like how you never knew you’d lose your hearing, or that you’d get it back. Dongin probably thought he could get through this so he didn’t want to tell anyone” Jinyoung reasoned, trying to comfort Sori in any way he possibly could.

Sori released herself from Jinyoung’s embrace and wiped away her tears. She tried to dry up Jinyoung’s drenched shoulder with a tissue, but it was no use so she gave up. “It’s okay, Sori-ah” Jinyoung asuured, giving Sori a comforting smile.

“Dongin… he always just wanted to live simply. He never asked for much. His parents are richer than mine; I don’t know how he stayed so humble. All he wanted to do was run around like a kid. Play in the snow and in the sand and eat ice cream, but he wasn’t able to do that. Even before he got hospitalized, his parents always kept him inside. They wanted to train him to have a certain mindset to inherit the company, it's so messed up since he's only a kid! He never listened to his parents. He got average grades in school and didn’t like competition so his parents gave up on him and had another son. They made sure to brain wash this son properly, and now they only pay attention to him. I don’t want him to leave with these kinds of memories, I want to give him happy memories, but what if I can’t do that anymore?” Tears continued to fall down Sori’s face. She wiped each one off her face as they fell.

“You don’t have to consume yourself with negative thoughts. You always think of the worst-case scenario because you don’t want to be let down. It’s okay to have hope, you should know by now that miracles can happen. Do it for Dongin, hope for the best”  Jinyoung comforted. He took another tissue out of his pocket and handed it to Sori. “It’s harder than it sounds…but I’ll try, for Dongin” Sori finally said.

She leaned her head against Jinyoung’s shoulder and closed her eyes. Both remained silent as they waited for the surgery to finish. They didn’t want to bring up their fight, they just wanted to comfort each other and hope for Dongin’s recovery. They soon both began to doze off.

“Excuse me” a doctor tapped Jinyoung’s shoulder. Jinyoung slowly opened his eyes. “Are you two Oh Dongin’s guardians?” she asked.

“Sori-ah, wake up” Jinyoung said, squeezing Sori’s hand. Sori easily woke up at his call. She immediately stood up when she saw the surgeon in front of her.

“Is Dongin alright?” Sori asked nervously. Jinyoung stood up and held Sori’s hand.

“The surgery ended well” the doctor replied.

Both Sori and Jinyoung let out a sigh of relief and continually bowed to the surgeon. “Thank you doctor, I don’t know how to thank you” Sori said.

“Dongin is in a very weak condition right now. He won’t be able to get out of bed for a while. His energy needs to be stabilized first before he can recover from this surgery” The doctor explained.

“Will he be alright?” Jinyoung asked. “For now, yes. We’ll have to see how he recovers first” the doctor explained.

“Is there anything we can do for him?” Sori asked. “You both should just remain by his side, giving him support. I’ll go see if he’s ready to be reeled back to his room” The doctor bowed and went back inside.

Sori sat back down, she was mentally exhausted and just wanted to take everything in now. “Jinyoung, I’m going to stay here overnight. You should go back to your dorm, I’ll see you tomorrow?”

“Wait, Sori-ah...” Jinyoung called.

"What is it?” she asked.

“I`m…. sorry” Jinyoung said suddenly.

“Huh? ... oh, that” Sori recalled. She looked down, avoiding Jinyoung’s eyes. 

“I should have thought before I spoke, and I don’t blame you for getting angry at me. I was just eager to hear you tell me that Hyungsoo was lying” Jinyoung continued "I also shouldn't have looked through your phone. It wasn't because I didn't trust you... I was just... eager to know what was going on..." Jinyoung explained, looking down, he couldn't help but feel a little disappointed in himself.

“…It’s okay..." Sori finally said, making Jinyoung's head life up in surprise. "I’m sorry for not talking it out with you…I just can’t control myself in those kinds of situations” she sighed.

“I know it’s a bad time to be saying this but….I just had to. You don’t have to accept my apology now, but I hope our relationship doesn’t get ruined over something like this” Sori looked up. She gave Jinyoung a warm smile and a hug.

“It won’t” She reassured. “I guess we’re bound to get into these little fights at the beginning. Once we learn more about each other, it’ll either get better... or worse” Sori laughed. “Well, I’m going to go to Dongin’s room now” Sori stood up and waved goodbye.

“I’ll come by tomorrow morning. Tell Dongin thanks if he wakes up before I get to see him,” Jinyoung requested.

“Thanks?” Sori asked, confused. “Bye Sori-ah!” Jinyoung kissed her forehead and left before she could ask him any more questions.

Sori cautiously opened the door to Dongin’s room. She only saw a nurse in the room

“Nurse, where’s Dongin?” Sori asked. “He’ll be reeled in here soon, are you his guardian? Will you be staying here?” the nurse asked.

“Yes, I’ll be staying here overnight. How long will Dongin be unconscious?”

“Probably until the morning. You should go to sleep” the nurse handed Sori a couple blankets and then left.

Sori put down her things and laid down on the couch. Sori didn’t want to sleep until Dongin was reeled in, but she unconsciously dozed off.

Sori awoke from the morning sun that illuminated through the window beside her. She put her hand before her face to block the sun from shining into her eyes. It took her a while to differentiate what was a dream and what was real.

“Dongin” she thought. She quickly turned her head, remembering that she hadn’t seen him yet.  She saw the hospital bed with Dongin laying there in a peaceful slumber. She slowly got up and walked up to his bed to see all the medical tubes hooked up to him. She moved a chair beside his bed and sat there, staring at him for a while.

“Dongin-ah, you’ve endured a lot” Sori said, combing her fingers through his hair. “I’m sorry for not realizing how much pain you were in. You’re so good at acting happy that I forgot that it was all an act. We both have the same problem; showing our true emotions. While I’m afraid of showing my happiness, you’re afraid of showing sadness.”

Sori took a deep breath to hold back her tears. She smiled as she remembered all the things Dongin had done for her: He always visited her right after her mother left with a plate of dark chocolate chip cookies because he knew she’d be in a bad mood. He’d stay up late with her, watching videos of her favorite musicians. When Sori was upset, he’d always silently stay by her side and offer his shoulder to cry on.

These were all memories that Sori cherished greatly. She realized that; although in that moment it felt like a nightmare, looking back on them now, they seemed like comforting memories. She saw that everything she went through was worth it, because she was able to meet Dongin. “I guess everything really does happen for a reason, even the bad things.”

“Sori-ah, You’re awake?” someone said, giving Sori a warm hug from behind.

Startled, Sori jumped out of her seat. “Jinyoung, when did you get here?” Sori asked, surprised. “Just now, is Dongin still asleep?” Jinyoung asked as he walked closer to his bed. He bent down a little, putting the back of his hand on Dongin’s forehead.

“Yeah, I’ve been waiting for him to wake up. He must be pretty tired. “ Sori sighed. She got out of her seat to go pour herself some water.

“Dongin-ah! Sori come here, Dongin’s awake!” Jinyoung signaled Sori to come over.

Sori quickly walked over and stood beside Jinyoung. “Dongin-ah, how do you feel?” Dongin blinked a few times before a warm smile formed on his face. “Sori…Jinyoung” Dongin said slowly. “Dongin, are you hurting anywhere? Do you want me to call the nurse?” Jinyoung asked.

“No…not yet” Dongin said, reaching out his hand onto Jinyoung’s, indicating him not to leave.

“Sori-ah…” Dongin whispered.

“What is it Dongin?” Sori asked, holding Dongin’s hand.

“You look horrible. It looks like you haven’t slept for weeks?” Dongin said, letting out a soft laugh.

“Hey! Now I know you’re fully conscious!” Sori exclaimed, crossing arms. “I was worried sick about you all night!” Sori defended.

“It’s ok, Jinyoung looks horrible too. Did you both get no sleep because of me?” Dongin asked.

“Eh, we look pretty good for people who haven’t slept” Jinyoung defended, ruffling Dongin’s hair.

“I’m sorry for causing so much trouble” Dongin sighed.

“You don’t have to feel sorry for anything Dongin. We’re the ones who are sorry that you had to go through this all alone. You must have been in so much pain” Sori said. “All you have to worry about is getting better, okay?” Sori pulled Dongin’s blanket over him, worrying that he might be cold.

“I’m not alone anymore though? I usually wake up with no one beside me, but today I woke up to both of your faces.

“We’ll always be here for you Dongin-ah” Jinyoung reassured.  Dongin smiled “I knew making you two my guardians was a good idea. At first it was just to get you both back together but-“

“You did that to get both of us back together?!” Sori interrupted.  “I told you that, if you two didn’t make up by yourselves, I would step in, didn’t I?” Dongin reminded. “It seems that my plan worked” Dongin said, pleased. “You two better grow up and learn how to communicate! It’s not everyday that the nurses will call you both over here!”

“Don’t worry, I love Sori and I don’t think I can stand dragging out another fight with her again” Jinyoung said.

“L-love?” Sori repeated, speechless.  Jinyoung eyes widened realizing what he just said. “I’ve been in love with her for a while, I didn’t realize that I hadn’t said it to her yet” Jinyoung regretted.

“Is that the first time you’ve said the “L” word Jinyoung?!” Dongin exclaimed. “You’re supposed to confess that somewhere romantic!” Dongin said. “You idiot” Jinyoung thought, scratching the back of his head.

Before Jinyoung could say anything, his cellphone began to ring. “One sec” he said as he left the room.

“Hello?”

“Hello, is this Jung Jinyoung?” A woman asked.

“Yeah, who is this?” Jinyoung asked.

“Jung Jinyoung-ssi, it’s Mrs. Kim” she responded.

“Mrs. Kim…?” Jinyoung asked, confused.

“I’m Sori’s mother” She finally said.  Jinyoung’s eyes widened, “how did she get my number? Why is she calling me? Does she know me and Sori are dating?” All these things went through Jinyoung’s head at once.

“Jinyoung-ssi, I hear that you are dating my daughter, my one and only daughter. Is this true?” Mrs. Kim asked.

Jinyoung thought for a moment before he answered. There’s no use of lying if she already knows. “Yes” He stated.

“It’s sad that I’m hearing this from you rather than Sori herself. I’m not surprised that she didn’t tell me” Mrs. Kim said.

“Mrs, Kim, did you call me just to confirm this?” Jinyoung questioned.

“No, that’s not all. I’ve called because I want to meet you, Jinyoung-ssi. Will you come to our house right now? I’ll text you the address. I have something to say to you, and I want to say it in person” Mrs. Kim explained.

“You want to meet me? Now? Sori and I are kind of busy-"

“Don’t bring Sori. Don’t even tell her that you are meeting me, do you understand, Jinyoung-ssi? I’m a very busy person, I expect you here in an hour” Mrs. Kim’s voice turned cold. “Oh, and Sori’s father is also waiting to meet you. See you soon, Jung Jinyoung-ssi”  She said before hanging up the phone.

It took Jinyoung a while to process what had just happened. He was confused about what to do. He wanted to tell Sori what had happened but Mrs. Kim had told him not to tell her anything. “I have to have a good first impression. What if she tells me to break up with Sori? I’ll just tell her everything at once, after I see what her mother wants.” Jinyoung thought.

Without saying goodbye, Jinyoung left the hospital and headed to Sori’s home. 

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Sorry for the super late update but University started 2 weeks ago and i've been busy every since! I thought i'd have this fic done by the end of august but, guess not. I'll probably only be able to update on the weekends now.