“Hyunggggg!” Baro screamed and pushed Max aside. Max was about to get hit by a car but Baro managed to save him. Baro fell down when pushing Max and his left leg was injured. Baro fainted. Max carried Baro on his back and ran to the hospital. He was too shock to even think of stopping a taxi or a car that passed by for a ride.

“Max hyung, are you okay?” Baro spoke up as soon as he opened his eyes.

“You were the one who got crashed and you’re asking me whether I’m okay? You’re a weird brother, you know?” Max tried to cheer things up a bit and hide his worried. Baro just smiled to his hyung.

“Hyung, why is my leg fell pain? Did I get crashed badly?” Max couldn’t answer Baro’s question, he was wordless. Baro lost his left leg and might not be able to walk normally again. Tears suddenly fell down onto Max’s cheeks.

“Hyung, don’t cry. I’m happy that I’m the one who got hurt instead of you. Who would cook ramen for me in the middle of the night when I’m starving if you’re not around?” Max quickly wiped his tears but it just won’t stop. He never thought that Baro would do this to him. He was determined that he would do anything to make Baro happy.

Max was pushing Baro in his wheelchair when they bumped into a Hyuna, who admired Baro much. But Baro hated her. She once embarrassed Baro by screaming out loud in their class that they were engaged by their parents. Because of her, Baro broke up with Hara.

“Baro? What happened to you?” Hyuna spoke up.

“Did you know her?” Max asked with curiosity.

 “No. Let’s go hyung” Baro pedalled up his wheelchair as fast as he could.

“Hey, wait up!” Max ran toward him, leaving Hyuna standing alone like a fool.

*****

They were playing Winning Eleven in Baro’s room when Max tried to ask Baro about their incident earlier.

“Baro-ah, who is that girl?”

“Hyung, just focus on the game, you’re losing” Baro clearly doesn’t want to talk about it.

“Is that Hara?” Baro paused the game and looked at Max.

“How do you know about Hara? And she’s not her”

“I’m your brother. I supposed to know everything about you. You know you can have a chat with me about anything, right?”

Baro nodded and continued their game.

*****

Baro got to wear a fake leg so that he could walk like a normal person. He went to the market to buy do some grocery shopping. Today is Max hyung’s birthday and Baro decided to cook for him. Baro suddenly tripped over a spilt milk and a girl caught him. He was so embarrassed, his cheek turned red.

“Mianhae. Thanks for saving my life. Wow, this is awkward” Baro started the conversation.

“Yeah. I know, right? I always dreamt that my prince charming would catch me when I fall, not the other way around”

“So, I guess you’re my prince charming now” Baro giggled.

“How about just a plain thank you?”

“Thank you…what’s your name again?”

“Krystal”

“Gomawo Krystal. I’m Baro”

Suddenly, Krystal went out of sigh, leaving Baro talking to himself.

“Yeah. I’ll see you later too!” Baro screamed to no one.

Baro went home with a weird smile on his face that worried his hyung.

“Where on earth have you been?”

“The market”

“Oh I see, and you brought home..?”

Baro slapped his head. He forgot that he was supposed to buy groceries. He was too busy thinking about Krystal.

“You promise to cook for me. Nahhh. How about some pizza?”

“That sounds great. Pepperoni for me!” Baro hurried ran to his room.

*****

As usual, Max would cleaned up Baro’s room when he was in school. Suddenly, Max saw a pink book under Baro’s pillow that was never there before.

“Pink? Oh no man. I need to know my brother better” Max muttered to himself as he read the book from page to page. The book suddenly dropped from Max’s hand. Max couldn’t hold his shock when he saw Krystal’s name written in that book. Baro had fallen for Krystal, Max’s girlfriend.

Suddenly, Max felt pain, very pain. He couldn’t stand straight. He called his friend, Xiah who is a trainee doctor. Xiah told that Max had a kidney failure and it had been for months. If he couldn’t find a donator fast, he would die. Max had been busy taking care of Baro all these days that he forgot to take care of himself. The news made his heart sank. How can he leave Baro alone.

*****

Baro went home happily and asked to go to the market again. He left his backpack and went straight to the market with his uniform still on. Max didn’t even get to say a word, Baro was already gone. He was hoping to meet Krystal and he was lucky because Krystal was there.

“Hey, it’s you again. How lucky I am to see you here?” Baro pretend that he was surprised to see Krystal.

“I worked here” Krystal answered and walked away.

“Wait, noona! Can we meet again?”

“The central park, today at 5 o’clock sharp. Don’t be late and disturb my work again”

“Yes sir!” Baro said with his hand on top of his forehead like soldiers.

*****

Baro was so excited on his first date with Krystal. He wore lots of perfume, his hyung’s perfume.

“Baro-ah, where are you going?”

“You’ll get full story when I’m back home. Okay? Bye hyung!”

Baro ran to the front door happily, leaving his hyung standing like an idiot.

Baro offered to treat ice cream and Krystal agreed. Something was bothering her, Baro smelled exactly like Max.

“Are you wearing Acqua di Gio?” Krystal asked.

“Yup. How did you know?”

“I just bought it for my boyfriend. His birthday was yesterday”

“Oh. Good to know that” Baro tried to hide his disappointment. Their walk seemed so dull to Baro. He tried to laugh at Krystal’s jokes and tried to smile but he tried too hard that it turned out to be an epic fail.

*****

Baro went home with tears all over his face and shirt. Max was shocked to see his brother, he quietly followed Baro to his room and listened to Baro, nagging to himself.

“I’m so stupid! I should’ve known that she already had a boyfriend, I should’ve asked her earlier. Babo me!” Right then, Max knew he had to do something. He doesn’t think long because he was dying anyway. He need to find someone to take care of Baro and Krystal was perfect.

Max texted Krystal.

Max       : Hey:)

Krystal  : Hey back.

Max       : I need to talk to you. Can we meet?

Krystal  : Wae? Why? Where?

Max       : Now. Meet me at the coffee house.

They both sit in a long silence before Max opened up what he need to say.

“I think we need to break up”

“Wae? What did I do?”

“It’s not you. Let just say that I found someone else” Max got up from his chair and suddenly, he fainted. Krystal quickly called 911 and brought Max to the hospital.

When Max opened his eyes, Krystal was sleeping beside him. Luckily, the doctor who treated Max is Xiah and he doesn’t tell Krystal about Max condition. Max asked him to keep this as a secret. Max wrote letter,

Dear Krystal,

Don’t worry about me. I think I just couldn’t handle our breakup. But I’m fine now. You can go on with your own life and please forget me.

*MAX*

Max left the hospital, leaving Krystal alone.

*****

Baro went back to the market the next day, after finish school. He knew he had to apologise to Krystal because he was ignoring her on their last date.

“Krystal noona, wait up. I just want to say I’m sorry that I didn’t pay much attention to you yesterday only because you have a boyfriend. I’m a jerk. Can we still be friends?”

Krystal suddenly burst into tears and fell on Baro’s shoulder. Baro comforted her and listened to all her stories. They soon became closer and knew each other better. Two weeks later, they were officially boyfriend girlfriend.

“Hyung! You told me before that I can share anything with you, right? Well, I have a girlfriend now. She’s very beautiful. Look at our couple ring!” Baro jumped with excitement. Max looked at his beloved brother and smiled. He knew he did the right thing. Seeing his brother smiling means everything to him, even it hurt him badly on the other side.

“Wow. My Baro had grew huh?” Max teased his brother.

“Tomorrow will be our first date as couples. I want to make it special. How about, a double date? Yeah I always talked about how awesome you are to her and she really wants to meet you. Double date at our house, is that okay hyung? I knew you have a girlfriend, I’ve seen you wearing a couple ring too”

Before Max can even open his mouth, Baro already went to his room. There’s no way he could turn down Baro wishes but where can he find a girlfriend in a day? Krystal also thought that Max have somebody.

“I have to think fast. Where can I find a girl? Mall! Yes. That’s every girl’s second home” Max muttered to himself like a silly boy and went straight to the mall.

He went to the main door and his head suddenly hit a girl.

“Yes you’re a girl!” Max quickly spoke.

“Wow. Good to know that” the girl added up.

“Oh you’re pretty. Your name is Suzy, I’m Max. You are now my girlfriend. We have a date tomorrow, double date at my house. Here’s my number, what’s yours?”

The girl was so much in pain to think of anything and she just lent her phone number to Max. Max took it and ran away.

“By the way, my name is Hara!” by the time she said that, Max was out of sigh.

*****

Max’s plan went perfectly. Hara texted him and agreed to be his fake girlfriend, but Max kept calling her Suzy. On the night of their dates, Baro decided to cook for all of them but the only thing he knew is to cook ramen. He opened the ramen packet but it was too hard, so he used knife. Suddenly, his fingers bled. He ran towards Max,

“Hyung, my fingers are bleeding!”

“What did you do?”

“I used knife to opened the ramen packet”

“You know how to open bread packet but you don’t know how to open ramen’s?”

“Ramen packets are thick”

Max wrapped a bandage around Baro’s finger and cook for him.

“You can’t cook ramen for a girl, not on a date”

“But that’s the only thing I knew”

“Just sit down and let me do the cooking, okay?”

“Ding dongggg” Their bell rang. Baro was super excited while Max was very nervous. When the door opened, all of them were shocked. Max felt like he was falling for Krystal again. The awkward moment last for ten minutes.

“So, Baro, this is my girlfriend, Suzy” Max started the conversation.

“Suzy? Hyung, she’s Hara”

“What? How come I didn’t know?”

“Because you didn’t ask and you didn’t even listen to me when I told my name” Hara added up.

*cough* *cough* Krystal tried to attract some attention.

“Oh hyung, this is my girlfriend, Krystal”

“Hey” Max greeted and waved to Krystal as if they had never met before.

Baro went to the kitchen to take some juice when Krystal finally spoke up.

“Why you did this?”

“He’s my brother. I would do anything for him and please take care of him for me”

Hara and Baro listened to their conversation and secretly falling for Max but Max’s feeling towards Krystal never would change. Baro suddenly came out from the kitchen, crying and hugged his hyung. Baro felt something was falling, Max. It was Max. Max fell into Baro’s arm, he fainted again. All of them were shocked and they brought Max to the hospital. The truth finally spilt. Baro can’t stop crying, knowing that his hyung would only have 46 hours to live.

While Krystal was comforting Baro who was crying non-stop, the doctor, appeared and told them that Max would undergo a kidney transplant. There was a donator out of sudden and her kidney is a perfect match.

*****

Max opened his eyes.

“Baro? I’m alive? Or am I in heaven?”

“Max hyung, someone gave you her kidney. I don’t know who but the doctor asked me to give you this letter” Baro told Max and lent him the red letter.

Dear Max,

I knew that we haven’t known each other but what you did for Baro amazed me. To be truth, I’m so touched and I decided to give you my kidney. I have another kidney and I hope I will survive with only one of it. I’m happy to give it to someone who needed it the most.

Sincerely,

HARA

---END---