“It’s almost time, isn’t it, Minhyuk-ah?” asked Eunkwang.

“Yes. Has the arrow been prepared?” asked Minhyuk.

“It’s ready, Minhyuk-hyung,” replied Changsub, as he handed Minhyuk the gold arrow.

“How is Sungjae going to fire it, hyung?” asked Hyunsik.

“Things will go as I planned. Don't worry,” replied Minhyuk.

…

The big day of the production finally arrived and everyone on set was ready for the curtain to be raised. Youngmin and Sungjae strode around in their costumes, going over their lines one more time. Sooyoung and Dohwan in the corner caught Sungjae’s eye. Sooyoung was anxious about the dance scene and they were rehearsing together in the corner. Sungjae tore his eyes away from the corner and forced himself to focus on his own scene, though his heart wrenched painfully at what had happened back at the hospital just before his discharge.

FLASHBACK

“Hi Dr. Kim,” greeted Sungjae. “I can be discharged tomorrow, right?”

“Mr. Yook, I need you to follow me to my office,” said Dr. Kim.

“Wae, Dr. Kim?” asked Sungjae, an uneasy feeling creeping over him as he got up. Dr. Kim led Sungjae to his office in silence and showed him in. As Sungjae sat in front of Dr. Kim, the uneasy feeling in his heart intensified.

“Mr. Yook, when we did a scan of your brain for blood clots, we found some unexplained irregularities in your scan results. So, we sent you for an MRI scan as well. And…” trailed off Dr. Kim.

“And?” prompted Sungjae.

“We found a 3 cm tumour and three 1 cm tumours in your head,” finished Dr. Kim.

Sungjae felt like someone had ripped his heart out of his body.

“So… is it cancer?” asked Sungjae hesitantly.

“Yes, we believe so. If it was a benign tumour, it would not have so many satellite tumours around it. This is clear indication of a malignant tumour,” replied Dr. Kim.

Sungjae took a deep breath and asked, “What stage is my cancer at then?”

“I’m sorry, Mr. Yook. But given the sizes of the tumours, I believe this is grade 4 brain cancer. [A/N: Brain cancer is not diagnosed based on stages, but on grades.] You may not have had any symptoms prior to this because brain cancer can sometimes be asymptomatic,” said Dr. Kim.

Sungjae forced down the tears that threatened to spill and swallowed the painful lump in his throat.

“How much time do I have left?” asked Sungjae.

“I would say about a month. But you can always consider immunotherapy. That’s one of the best treatments available for you now,” replied the doctor.

“I see,” said Sungjae. “So, will I be discharged tomorrow, seonsaeng-nim?”

“Yes, you will. So, would you like to start immunotherapy, Mr. Yook? I suggest you start it as soon as possible,” urged Dr. Kim.

“I’ll think about it. Kamsahamnida,” replied Sungjae, as he stood to leave Dr. Kim’s office.

Sungjae went back to the ward. Surprisingly, he felt calm. After all, what good would it do if he broke down or went into a depressive state?

END OF FLASHBACK

I only have about a week left, Sooyoung-ah. Ottoke?

As the stage manager gave his cue, Sungjae got into position and mentally prepared himself for the show. The curtain was drawn at 8pm sharp, and a smattering of applause sounded across the audience. Sungjae watched from the side as the opening of the production drew to a close and, before he knew it, it was his turn to appear on stage. Dohwan positioned himself in the middle of the stage, as Youngmin and Sungjae stepped out from the side.

“Cinderella! Where are our suits? We’re supposed to have new suits when we attend Princess Esme’s party tonight!” screamed Youngmin.

“Cinderella! What have you been doing all this while? Didn't you hear what father said about getting our suits ready for the party? It’s an extremely important party for us to meet Princess Esme!” hollered Sungjae.

“Mianheyo, hyung-deul,” replied Dohwan. “I will get your suits right away.”

Dohwan hurried off stage and came back with the two suits that they were supposed to wear. Youngmin and Sungjae grabbed them without another word and strode off stage. Dohwan had not taken two steps before Sungjae strode on stage with another suit in his hand. Sungjae walked up to Dohwan and flung the new suit in his hand at Dohwan’s face, before pushing Dohwan to the ground.

“Whose suit is this?” demanded Sungjae.

“It… it’s mine, hyung,” replied Dohwan.

“Mwoh? Yours? Who said you were going to the party?” spat Sungjae.

Youngmin came back onto the stage and said, “You’re going to the party? Father said only we were going to the party!”

“Besides, how are you going to go to the party with a suit like t