Goodbye
Take A Chance
Suyeon woke up with the sound of clacking metal from the kitchen. The door was open ajar and she could see Yongguk scuttering back and forth, taking and putting things back in the pantry or refrigerator. A smile spread across her face and she sat up, stretching her arms upwards. She got out of the bed and quietly put on a pair of jeans, waiting for him to turn his back so she could head to the bathroom. When he finally did she slipped through the door and tip toed out. While she washed her face and brushed her teeth she could hear him humming in the kitchen.
She snuck out again and peeked her head in, seeing him take out a few plates from the pantry. Once he put them down she went up and hugged him tightly from behind. Yongguk jumped in surprise and chuckled, bringing her hands up to kiss them before turning around and hugging her. "Good morning.", he mumbled softly against her cheek. She kissed him, whispering it back against his lips. He smiled and leaned their weight back on the edge of the counter. "Come on, we can eat and then go pick up Taehyun." Suyeon's eyes widened and she pushed away from him, covering .
"Oh my gosh, Taehyun!", she smacked her forehead, "I'm the worst sister ever!" Yongguk hugged her again, "Calm down Su, no you're-"
"YES I AM!", she interrupted him, "I just ran out! I didn't even think about it, how could I do that to him? He's just a kid, I should've been thinking about him and...yeah 's going to happen but I'm the oldest, I should act like it and...", Suyeon exhaled sharply. "I'm supposed to be strong for him." Yongguk rubbed her back, shushing her.
"Sometimes you might not be as strong and you know what, it's okay.", he mumbled, "Taehyun knows that you aren't Wonder Woman and that things aren't always perfect." Suyeon looked up at him, "But still..."
"The guys took care of him, he's fine.", he assured her. Suyeon tilted her head, "Did they come by here last night?" Yongguk opened his mouth then shut it, his face turning a light pink. Suyeon gaped, "Oh my gosh, I knew it! I thought I heard the door and-oh my gosh!", she covered her face. "What if we scarred him? It probably did!"
Yongguk laughed, "I'm sorry, he's fine...and uhm according to Maslo's voicemail and Yohan's texts we actually scarred them..." Suyeon groaned, "That doesn't make it any better." He shrugged, "Not for you maybe but..." She looked up at his smiling face and weakly punched his chest, hiding her own smile.
"It's going to be okay, alright?", he kissed her forehead and she let out a sigh.
"...alright.", she mumbled. Yongguk handed her the empty plate and nodded towards the stove. "Eat first then we can go." Suyeon reluctantly listened to him and they both ate. She ate a little faster than usual, still feeling guilty about Taehyun. Although last night was a distraction, and a damn good one she might add, she still felt terrible about it. Yongguk could tell from the look on her face and he reached over and put his hand over hers. "Can you try to be calm, please?"
"Trying~", she mumbled.
He heard his ringtone from his room and he gave her another look before he got up to get it. Yongguk grabbed it from the nightstand and walked back to the doorway before answering. "Hyung?", he furrowed his brows, "What's up?"
Suyeon heard Maslo's voice on the other end but he was talking too fast. She stood up and faced Yongguk, he glanced at her worriedly. "Which hospital?" Suyeon's eyes widened and she went over to him. She tried to take the phone away but he backed up and clicked the end button. "What happened?", she gulped. Yongguk put his hand on her shoulder, "Just, don't freak out...okay?"
Suyeon felt deja vu while she ran through the hospital hallways. When she saw the boys outside of the room they tried to calm her down but she didn't even know what she was asking. "When we woke up he was still asleep.", Still PM explained, "We thought it was because he slept pretty late but when we tried to wake him up so he could eat something he was burning up." Suyeon recalled the week or two earlier he had a fever and a sore throat, it was off and on but he was sick nonetheless. Yongguk found them while they were explaining to her why they were there. "We didn't want to worry you guys but when he started crying about his throat we brought him here." Suyeon leaned back against Yongguk and started crying. "I should've been there with him..."
The door in front of them opened and the doctor walked out, chart in hand.
"Is he going to be okay?", Suyeon asked him, "What's wrong with him?"
He chuckled, "He's going to be fine.", he assured her, patting her shoulders. "We did a simple procedure, a tonsillectomy.", he informed her. "Both of his tonsils had to be removed." Suyeon let out a breath, "That's it? You're sure he's going to be okay?"
The doctor nodded, "Yes, there might be some bleeding post op but, unless it's very bad he should be fine. I just checked and the insicion is healing up nicely already."
She covered her face and exhaled again. "Oh my gosh, thank you, thank you..."
He nodded, "Now, can you tell me...Your father, he couldn't answer these but-"
"My father?", she interrupted him, her left eye twitching at the mention of him.
"Uhm yes, he was listed as the emergency contact..." He looked at the chart and pointed, letting Suyeon see. She saw her father's name and her fist clenched tightly.
Yongguk put his hand on her shoulder. "Has uhm Taehyun had a sore throat lately, any complaints of pain or...or a fever?" Suyeon didn't answer and Yongguk moved to her side, "I can answer them...Go and see him." Suyeon looked at the door, hesitant to open it and see him but she had to. Taehyun had no idea who his dad was, he didn't even know what he looked like and she didn't want him to.
She opened the door and she stepped in, not looking up until she shut the door behind her. "Suyeon..." She heard her name leave his mouth and her head shot up, giving him a tearful glare. He sat on a chair, next to Taehyun, who was still asleep.
"Why are you here?", she said through gritted teeth. He scoffed and stood up, shutting off the TV. "Well, apparently you aren't fit enough to watch him and-"
Suyeon started walking towards him, "And you are?", she spat out. He stopped, and looked down, putting his hand over Taehyun's. "He's still my son." Suyeon chuckled bitterly, "You may have fathered him but it doesn't mean that he's yours!", she removed his hand. "He doesn't even know who you are, you left before he was born so no, he's not your son."
"And don't say that I'm not fit. If you thought you could've done a better job then why'd you leave?!", Suyeon had started crying and the door opened behind her. A nurse peeked her head in and she smiled brightly, "Hello, I'm just here to check up on Taehyun." Suyeon wiped her eyes, turning her back to her, "Oh, uhm, right...I'm sorry." She stepped out and bumped into Yongguk, she covered her face and he hugged her. He whispered in her ear, telling her it was okay. Suyeon turned around when she heard a cough behind her. Her dad had his hands in his pockets and he looked at Yongguk and the other boys, already judging them. "So instead of being with your brother and taking care of him you were out with your little boyfriend and his buddies.", a little hint of scorn in his voice, "Sounds a lot like your mot-"
"Don't talk about her.", she nearly shouted, taking a step towards him. Yongguk held her back and she struggled against him, "Don't ever talk bad about my mother!", Suyeon cried. "She might've not been around us a lot but she never had other men around us, she never brought home some other guy for us to call dad...And she never spoke badly about you...", Suyeon relaxed and Yongguk let go of her arms. "Even when I knew you only came around when you needed a place to sleep, or...or a plate of food and I told her that you were bad news she would just shake her head and tell me that you were my dad either way. She never said what you really were, she never said that you were a manipulative, low..., who only cared about-"
"I've heard enough." He was about to walk away when the nurse exited the room.
"Taehyun's awake now.", she smiled, "You may see him if you'd like." Suyeon thanked her and gave her father a glare before walking into the room. Taehyun stretched his arms upwards and he smiled when he saw Suyeon enter the room. "Hey noona!", he said hoarsely. "Oh, shh shh.", she sat on the edge of the bed, "Don't talk too much baby.", she hugged him tightly. He furrowed his brows and hugged her back. "Are you okay?" Suyeon sighed, and looked down at him, "I'm so sorry Tae.", she mumbled and kissed his forehead, "I'm sorry about not being with you last night." Taehyun cupped his sister's face, "I'm okay noona.", he said honestly, "Hyungs took care of me...Besides, I get to eat nothing but ice cream for the next week!"
She laughed, "Of course, that would be the only thing on your mind." He hugged her again and then scratched his head. "How's Ms. Hwang?", he asked. Suyeon shut her eyes, remembering that no one had explained to him what had happened. "About that...Ms. Hwang....she uh, she loves you very much.", Suyeon's voice cracked.
"Why are you crying noona?", he asked, "Is Ms. Hwang not okay?" It killed her how he was still hopeful, how even after all the crap they had been through he never saw the bad things in life. "I think you and I should go see her...", she pressed her lips together, "We uhm...we have to say goodbye." Taehyun's eyes widened and he looked down. "She didn't make it?" She heard him sniffle and she hugged him again. "Shh, shh.", she rubbed his back, "I know Taehyun...I know it's hard but...things happen sometimes and we don't why but they do and we just have to live with it."
They both heard the door shut and Taehyun swung his legs off the bed and hopped off. Suyeon wiped her eyes and picked him up, "Come on." When they stepped out of the room Yongguk and her dad straightened up from leaning on the wall. She kept Taehyun's head against her shoulder, not wanting her to see him. "We're going to see her.", she spoke to Yongguk. He nodded and moved to where he could see Taehyun. "Hey little man.", he ruffled his hair, "How you feelin'?" The little boy smiled and pulled apart from Suyeon for a second, "Hey hyung!", he beamed, voice still hoarse. "I'm okay.", he mumbled. "We'll be right back.", Suyeon said. Her dad reached out for the little boy and she took a step back, "Don't...", she whispered.
Suyeon and Taehyun stood outside the room, looking at her. From their view she looked like she was just sleeping, as if she would wake up any second and wonder why they were crying. Taehyun wiggled in her arms and she set him down, squatting next to him and smoothing out his hospital gown. "I wanna go first.", he bit his lip. She nodded and he walked inside, pushing a chair so he could be next to her. Suyeon stayed outside and crossed her arms, holding in anymore tears. "He seems a lot older than he actually is." She saw Taehyun hold onto Ms. Hwang's hand and he smiled while he spoke to her. "Yeah well having daddy issues make you grow up faster.", she said sourly. Her dad let out a sigh and she kept her eyes fixed on Taehyun.
"Suyeon, I'm sorry I left you..." Her eyes lowered and he sat down on one of the seats lining the hallway. "You're right...", he coughed, "I only cared about myself, but that's why I left in the first place." She turned her head a little to look at him and he slumped his shoulders. "I didn't think I was doing you guys any good by being with you so I left...and I tried to stay away I did but...but I knew that if I needed help your mom would be there." She teared up again, "Because she loved you...Even after all the you pulled, she still loved you.", she said. Her dad nodded, "Yeah, exactly. But just because I did everything I did doesn't mean I didn't love her...or you, or Taehyun." Suyeon finally looked at him, really looked at him.
He was shorter than she remembered, his frame less sturdy, he didn't wear glasses last time either. There was a slight sag from the skin under his eyes with a hint of crow's feet making him look older than he actually was. Suyeon didn't see it until now that Taehyun did have something from his dad, his eyes. She was angry with him, the apology wasn't going to take away everything she had gone through all these years. "She never told you, did she?", he looked at her. "Who?", Suyeon wiped her tears, "Who never told me what?" He took a deep breath and gulped, "I guess she was always ashamed of me, even more when I left..." Her brows furrowed for a second before looking at the ground, "Mom?"
Her dad shook his head and leaned his head back against the wall. "Your grandmother...My father's name was Kim Minsoo...and my mother's was Hwang Nayoung." When he said her name Suyeon turned to look at him again, opening but nothing came out. When he saw her struggle he nodded, "She was your grandmother." She looked inside the room where Taehyun was still talking to her, and she covered . "W...Why did she keep that a secret?" All this time she just thought that maybe Ms. Hwang was one of the few people in the world that proved that people as a whole weren't completely heartless. "Like I said, I wasn't exactly son of the year and I never told either of them about your mother or you until...well, until you met her."
"My father was on his deathbed, cancer...", he continued, "I apologized for everything I did, hoping for a miracle of some kind but he never forgave me...and neither did your grandmother." He took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes, hiding his tears from her. "When she found out that she had a granddaughter...", he chuckled, "But she was right...I wasn't any good, I was just weighing you both down...And by that time your mom had already told me she was pregnant with Taehyun, she still told me to go away, said that she'd make sure you three would be taken care of." Suyeon was in tears again and saw Taehyun give their grandmother a kiss on the cheek before climbing off the chair and leaving the room.
"Suyeon, don't cry.", he frowned, "Remember, you told me not to cry when mom left? You said she was in a better place, and now so's Ms. Hwang...they're both with the angels.", he said happily. Their father heard Taehyun speak, utterly amazed at how he could handle something like this...twice. Suyeon was just as amazed, seeing how he could keep it together, and she couldn't. "Su?" She turned at the sound of Yongguk's voice and let out a sigh of relief. He looked at her dad and felt as if he was intruding. "Hyung!", Taehyun ran up to him, making him break into a smile. She looked at her father and went up to Yongguk who was now carrying Taehyun. "Can you take him back to his room please?" He nodded, "You sure?"
"Yeah, I'll uh...I'll just be a minute..." Yongguk tilted his head, raising a brow at her.
"I promise, this time.", she emphasized, giving him a smile.
Yongguk chuckled, "Alright then, take your time..." She leaned in and gave him a kiss, making Taehyun cringe and groan. When they turned the corner her father was looking at her. Suyeon sat in the seat on the opposite side of the hall and stared at his shoes. "What's his name?", he asked her. "Yongguk.", she spoke with shy smile, saying his name just brought that effect on her. "You should go talk to her...", he sighed. "Aren't you going to?", she asked him, a little confused. "When they called me about Taehyun, they also told me that he was here the night before for her and...", his voice started cracking and he coughed, "I already spoke to her." She felt the need to go and comfort him, knowing the pain of loosing her mother but instead she just stood up and walked into the room.
Suyeon took hesitant steps to the bed and sat down in the chair. She stared at her for a few minutes, her hand over hers. "If you would've told me...I...I still would've loved you just as much.", she cried, "I wouldn't have resented you for being his mom...You were really the only family Taehyun and I knew. I remember the day I met you.", she smiled through her tears, "Now...Now I know why you looked at me the way you did, and why you hugged me right away." Suyeon wiped her eyes and scooted the chair closer. "You have no idea how much you mean to me and I have no idea how to thank you...All the things you did, the times you'd stay up to help take care of Taehyun, all the sappy nights I stayed up crying because of all those stupid boys...You really were my guardian angel." She stood up and gave her a kiss on her forehead, swallowing back another cry, "I love you halmeoni..."
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