I want to say sorry for making it so long ^ And thank you for your support.

CHAPTER 6:

The emergency room opens, Sunghoon confines himself on the spot, waits for the result. His right cheek is blushing because of the very strong slap from Jaejin.

- It was successful when saving his life. We’ll keep him staying the hospital to check up always. Because he can’t move strongly right now, he’ll sit on the wheelchair temporarily.

All people sigh with relief, say thank you to the doctor, then go for doing hospitalization procedure. Sunghoon stands alone at the old place, smiles slightly and thinks that Jiwon is alright that enough, the following days it will be Sunghoon take care of Jiwon.

Sunghoon takes light and slow steps into the recovery room. Jiwon are still sinking into the long sleep. After Jiwon had gotten married, Sunghoon was like push into the impasse, the way leading to a shining future closed in front of his eyes and threw him in the abyss with all black. Being accustomed to living with Jiwon, having Jiwon take care of very carefully, Sunghoon used to think he would never go on without Jiwon. But it is not, Sunghoon is still alive, although it just be living through the days tasteless, insipid and no smile. While foolish and ignorant, Sunghoon came back as a gangster and escaped like going by clouds and coming by winds, like him at the age of twenty that only wanted to show his self - before he could feel the sincere protection that Jiwon for him only.

Sunghoon approaches Jiwon. Previous day that was Jiwon slapping Sunghoon. Sunghoon has never forgotten, but he does not take offense Jiwon anymore. That moment, two people both were angry, Sunghoon could not be noble to wish Jiwon would be happy.

“I heard that you divorced. Why?”
Sunghoon sits down on the small chair put near the head of the sick-bed, his finger trembles and touches Jiwon’s lips, then he is embarrassed and takes it back. He feels that he is at fault with Jiwon a lot.

- We just let Sunghoon here alone. – Jaejin says.

Three persons are following Sunghoon stealthily through the dim mirror on the room’s door.

- Will Sunghoon be alright? – Suwon is still worried.

- I’ve slapped him to let he is disabused, haven’t I?

- You’re so cruel, Lee Jaejin.

Jaejin suddenly looks puzzled. Maybe he is really “cruel”. Jaejin quickly sneaks away to another talk:

- Let’s leave here. We’ll go for lunch.

Jaeduk and Suwon look at each other with many intensions. They just want to entice Jaejin to pay lunch today.
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Jiwon wakes up. His finger softly moves. The eyelids are heavy, it is so hard to open and look around. He uses all his palms to massage two eyes, try for a while and finally it is successful. Gently turns his body, Jiwon sees Sunghoon sitting and putting his head on the bed. Sunghoon has fallen asleep since when. Jiwon acts more slowly not to wake up Sunghoon, his injury stings and makes him clench his teeth painfully, then it quickly eases off. What happened this afternoon was a nightmare to both Jiwon and Sunghoon, but now Sunghoon was safe and sound in front of Jiwon, Jiwon has nothing to feel regret.

Jiwon slowly Sunghoon’s hair. That habit has begun since when that Jiwon cannot remember clear. Being close to Sunghoon, every finger glides past Sunghoon’s curl of hair thin and supple, all rapid-fire storms rising up in Jiwon’s heart also disappear. Sunghoon is the most beautiful dream in Jiwon’s life. Protecting Sunghoon, Jiwon believes that is the mission and he always tries his best for it.
Sunghoon sits still, raises his glassy eyes and looks up Jiwon. Jiwon is smiling gently and also looking at Sunghoon.

- You’ve woken up Jiwon hyung.

- Are you tired? Just sleeping.

- No, I’m not.

Sunghoon sits up, rubs the sleep out of his eyes. Jiwon suddenly realizes a small contusion on Sunghoon’s right cheek. Maybe at the troublous time was there someone hurting Sunghoon? Jiwon cannot keep calm, so immediately asks:

- Was that whom hit your right cheek?

- That’s because I was careless. – Sunghoon does not hesitate and replies.

Jiwon shakes his head for unbelief. Sunghoon’s weakness when he tells lie is that he does not dare to look straight at Jiwon’s eyes. Jiwon had asked Sunghoon to always say the truth to Jiwon if there were something affecting him, but there was not many times Sunghoon was honest and he kept saying that because he did not want Jiwon to worry.

- Tell me the truth. You can’t lie to me. Was the person cover his face?

- Nope.

- Who was that? – Jiwon is very impatient.

- Jaejin hyung slapped me.

Jiwon is unexpected. He sits up and “wakes up” the injury on his back that makes him scream out loud. Sunghoon becomes confused and cannot stop repeating:

- Don’t move. Don’t move.

- Was it a slap? Why did Jaejin slap you?

Sunghoon suddenly becomes very serious. He puts his hand on Jiwon’s hand so slightly that Jiwon just can feel it barely.

- What… What’s the matter?

- You don’t need to ask me such things. Just answer my question.

- What… What question?

Jiwon glowers his eyes because he does not understand.

- Why did you and she divorce?

- What are you asking about Sunghoon?

- Just answer me, because I’ve recovered my memory.

- What?
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Three remaining people are sitting in a restaurant nearby. A lot of dishes are displayed in front of them and they occupy the table’s space. It also has the most expensive Whisky bottle which is imposing near a quite big hot-pot of gold branch. Jaejin glances through one time, then sigh, two boys pretending to be innocent who are sitting opposite him are just trying to “bleed dry” the new salary he has just received.

Suwon orders more the best kind of gold branch. He both feels interested and staves off Jaejin swallowing his anger into the stomach, then also dominating it alone. If Jaejin was going crazy, Suwon and Jaeduk would run away not in time. Think about it, Suwon slightly trembles. He smiles mannerly to let Jaejin’s annoyance burn out a little bit.

“Why do you smile?” – Jaejin inhibits and looks askance at Suwon.

Suwon feels breeze, immediately turns to picking up food for Jaeduk whose stomach is restless because of hunger, so he does not pay attention to anything around.

- Are you really hungry?

- That’s right. *eating like pig*

- So eat more. Look at you now. Because you eat with not enough nutrients, you can’t grow up.

- Hmm…

Suwon and Jaeduk both stop eating when hearing Jaejin’s voice resounds with full of implications. Jaejin does not eat. He keeps sitting hesitatingly there for what?

- Hyung, eat them.

Jaeduk points at dishes on the table. Thinking that there are some dishes out of Jaejin’s reach, Jaeduk quickly pushes all of them towards Jaejin and invites Jaejin to eat, but Jaejin keeps becoming woozy like he has just been stolen his soul.

- Hey guys…

- Yes? *wait* *anxious*

- Was I slap Sunghoon too strongly?

Jaeduk and Suwon look fixedly at each other, then together look at Jaejin.

- Did you feel guilty to Sunghoon for a moment?

- Ye… yes.

- Sunghoon’ll not be angry. This evening you can call at there to say sorry. – Suwon replies, his mouth cannot stop chewing.

The lunch quickly backs to the original state, that is only Jaejin still does not want to hold his chopsticks. Jaejin looks at Jaeduk’s hand picking up food for Suwon, then shakes his head for speechless. Why does Jaejin must sit in the same table with two people who is indeliberate or deliberate to show their endless happiness and throw it in Jaejin’s face? Lee Jaejin – a single man – does not like it.

- Hey.

Jaejin makes Jaeduk and Suwon stop eating again. To up now, they also do not feel appetized because they have to examine and infer Jaejin’s unintelligible face.

- Hyung, hurry up. Or are you angry with us because we let you pay for lunch? A bit later I’ll pay for it, ok? – Jaeduk tries to be patient.

- Why do you pick up food for Suwon but not for me?

- What?

Jaejin utters the speech that no one can understand like it is a normal thing in this world. Suwon and Jaeduk looks at Jaejin’s face bewilderedly, hums and haw and do not know how to reply. Jaejin has having been eccentric and he will be always eccentric like this.
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Sunghoon tells Jiwon about him two years ago, after he had left their apartment and started the new journey alone. The first days without Jiwon, Sunghoon was so full of hardships, stressful and depressed that he thought he could not pick himself up. Sunghoon essentially was accustomed to living close to Jiwon and let Jiwon look after him carefully, he had never felt himself become useless like that since the day they broke up.

- But then I thought again. Instead of keeping hating you, I should be happy to accept the truth and wish you happy. I wrote a letter to you but then I burned it because I didn’t want to bother you. After that, I was stuck at loan-sharks, they realized me and asked me to back to the gang to redeem my sin.

- Sunghoon…

Jiwon prevents Sunghoon from memories flowing like a boat strongly drifts out to cascade in Sunghoon’s mind. One more second Sunghoon reminds the past is one more second Jiwon’s heart is doubled up with pain because Jiwon made Sunghoon face his life alone and like a fish out of water. Suwon is right, Jiwon just wants to make up for Sunghoon then everything will happen easily like that? Jiwon feels sad and tries to hide his tears about to overflowing. He slowly uses his finger and touches Sunghoon’s cheek sunken a lot. He continuously along Sunghoon’s nose, then trembles with putting the finger on Sunghoon’s lips. Jiwon only wants to know how much Sunghoon has changed for two years, but actually there is nothing, Sunghoon is only thinner and he is also not an innocent kid in Jiwon’s life anymore.

- It’s the past. Let it pass, will you? – Jiwon smiles and advise Sunghoon.

- I’m sorry. Is that me make you unhappy?

- No. It’s you unhappy. Sunghoon, you have to always smile happily. All difficulties until now I will share with you, is it okay?

- Don’t say like this. Because of me that you and she divorced, I was conscience-smitten enough.

Sunghoon’s hands close Jiwon’s hands which are cold although they are living at the long summer and says:

- I beg you. If we can, just come back to over ten past years. We are only brothers, aren’t we?