Kyungsoo and Chanyeol were greeted by the nurses, when they passed by their station. They were told that Chanyeol’s lunch was already in his suite and that he must take his medication right afterwards, as his medical appointment in the afternoon has been moved an hour earlier.

The next thing Chanyeol knew, he was being transferred to a wheelchair. He suddenly felt anxious as Kyungsoo was left talking to another nurse, who chatted with him about hearing Chanyeol playing the piano just now.

“I’ll follow you in a minute, Park sajangnim,” Kyungsoo promised, as he nodded and smiled as the nurse continued to compliment Chanyeol, which he would be sure to tell him later.

“Oh, there you are, Kyungsoo-ssi!” Mrs. Park suddenly called him, with Taeyeon-ssi on her tail.

Kyungsoo looked up and bowed to the nurse, who returned to her station as well, and he walked up to meet Mrs. Park halfway.

“I just received a call from your friend, Junmyeon-ssi, and he told us that Chanyeol’s passport is ready!” Mrs. Park told Kyungsoo.

In her excitement, she didn’t notice Kyungsoo’s jaw dropping, as she turned to Taeyeon suddenly, asking her to look up the earliest flights they could book to Seoul.

“Madam, there’s a midnight flight on Wednesday. Is that fine?”

Kyungsoo’s knees nearly buckled. Wednesday… midnight?

Today was Monday, a little past noon.

“That’s perfect! Please book three tickets so we could finally go home,” Mrs. Park enthused. “Omo! So many things to do! Later, I will have to talk to Dr. Watanabe about gathering Chanyeol’s medical records for the two weeks we’ve stayed here. Thank God, Dr. Kim Minseok will return to Seoul this Friday too…” Mrs. Park smiled fully, as, for once, everything was falling into place.

“Kyungsoo-yah,” Mrs. Park turned to the sous chef again in fondness. This was the first time Chanyeol’s mother was calling him this. “If Chanyeol asks where we are, tell him that we went straight to the embassy to pick his passport up.” She squeezed Kyungsoo’s suddenly cold hands. “He would be so happy!”

Kyungsoo swallowed. “D-De.”

“Oh, and we should hold a party too! To thank the people who have helped us so much!” Mrs. Park suggested, getting even more enthusiastic.

Taeyeon laughed softly and gently reminded her boss to calm down. “I’ll organize a simple gathering, Madam. If we’re going to hold it in Park sajangnim’s hospital suite, we could only accommodate 20 people at most.”

“Could you kindly help, Kyungsoo-yah?” Mrs. Park requested, her big almond eyes, very much like Chanyeol’s, implored him. “We can have a small dinner party tonight, as tomorrow might be too busy to do so. Please invite Junmyeon-ssi and Yixing-ssi, too.”

Kyungsoo only nodded, as words became stuck at the base of his throat, where a huge, painful lump was forming.

Mrs. Park and Taeyeon-ssi waved at him, turning for the elevator.

He weakly leaned his back against the nearest wall, his eyes burning with tears.

Chanyeol… was leaving…

In 36 hours.

But why wouldn’t he want Park sajangnim to go home? To Seoul, where he could be most comfortable, and have the best medical treatment possible, under the care of the best and most renowned eye expert in South Korea?

Kyungsoo immediately composed himself, as he noticed a few hospital staff eyeing him in curiosity. What was he doing here, wasting time?

He nearly ran to Chanyeol’s room and found that the CEO was almost done eating, with the help of the nurse who took him and helped him to bed.

Chanyeol noticed Kyungsoo’s shadow approaching and grinned at him. “I didn’t realize how hungry I was.”

The nurse told Kyungsoo that the patient ate well.

Kyungsoo nodded and translated it for Chanyeol, trying to steady his voice as he did. Park sajangnim would indeed be happy if he knew that he was going home, finally.

Somehow… Kyungsoo didn’t have the heart tell him. To begin with, he didn’t know how to or if he should.

He didn’t know if he could.

The nurse then gave Chanyeol his medication and advised for him to take a nap before his check up later.

Chanyeol seemed to understand and whined a bit, only Kyungsoo was gently pushing him back on the bed, laying his head on the pillow. The nurse knew that Chanyeol was in good hands so she left, taking the wheelchair with her.

That particular medicine made him sleepy and guaranteed to knock him out for a couple of hours, much to his dismay.

“Kyungsoo-yah,” Chanyeol said, trying to do something productive still, even if he wasn’t playing the guitar. Perhaps another line or two could come to him. “Can we work on the lyrics?”

Kyungsoo silently went to get the notebook, profound sadness coming over him. This might be last time he would be doing this for him. He sat down by his bedside, opening to the page where the incomplete lyrics were written. There was a verse, a prechorus and chorus already. He felt honored to have been part of Chanyeol’s creative process, even if all Kyungsoo had done was write them down. “Would you like me to sing what you have so far?”

Chanyeol smiled. That sincere, wide, full-toothed grin that only made Kyungsoo’s heart break. “Would you record it for me, please?”

Kyungsoo wordlessly obeyed. He would do anything Chanyeol asked, and the CEO had never even asked him for much… He switched on the recording and began:

Oh, manhi haengbokhae boyeo haengbokhae boyeo

(Oh, you really look happy, you look happy)

Seulpeudorok areumdaun neol bomyeon

(When I see you, so beautiful that it’s sad)

Kyungsoo didn’t realize that a tear had trailed down his cheek.

Geuga silhjineun anha silhjineun anha

(I don’t hate him, I don’t hate him)

Neoreul cheonsacheoreom usge hanikka

(Because he makes you smile like an angel)

Chanyeol’s face was turned to Kyungsoo’s direction, but he couldn’t really see him from this distance. He was elated that the sous chef was singing for him—twice now today.

Oh, oh, yeah, kkeonaegi jeone ijen bimilcheoreom doeeoborin mal

(Oh, oh, yeah, words that became a secret before I said them)

Oh, oh yeah, nan geuraeseon an doendaneun geot

(Oh, oh, yeah, that’s why I wasn’t for you)

The words suddenly turned blurry before Kyungsoo’s eyes, he turned away from the notebook for a bit, before he wet the page with his tears.

Seoro majuboneun siseon dul

(The two eyes looking at each other)

Hana nameun siseon gireul ilheun siseon

(The one remaining pair of eyes, the lost eyes)

A confused frown slowly was forming on Chanyeol’s forehead. Kyungsoo sounded different this time… as if…

Was he crying?

Chanyeol was desperately fighting off his drowsiness, wanting to ask him but Kyungsoo only continued singing:

Gutge datyeobeorin siseon dul

(The two eyes, tightly shut)

Neujeobeorin siseon neoreul nohchin siseon

(The eyes that are too late, the eyes that lost you