He holds her hand firmly as his tears continues to flow down on his cheeks. She has been sleeping for quite a few hours already. The doctor said that she should be up by now. But why is she still not waking up?

There are a lot of things running inside his mind now. What if she's - he stops himself before he can even think of that. He knows his best friend is strong. He won't lose her. He already lose her once, he won't lose her now again. He will do whatever means to keep her.

But he still can't shake off that thought that if ever he came late - just for 1 minute - he would have lost her permanently. When she disappears right after her parents died, he doesn't know how to feel.

He is in the middle of his schedule in China when his parents calls him and break the news. He's so agitated to go home and be there for her but his manager doesn't allow him. It was only after a week that he finally flies back to Seoul.

And boy, he didn't know how he managed to hold up his anger when he saw his Kyungsoo-hyung at their dorm that night. He should be by her side, comforting her. So when his hyung told him that they have broken up, he willed himself not to throw any punch at the guy.

He knows that his hyung loves Aera very dearly and sadness is so visible in his eyes when they broke up. But he can't bring himself to feel sorry for that guy. He only has one thing in his mind by then - to find his best friend.

So seeing her lying in the hospital bed right now makes him uneasy. Moreso he suddenly doesn't know what to feel when he saw her waking up a few hours after. All sorts of emotions are filling him up and the first thing that he felt to do that moment is to scold her.

"Kim Aera!! What the hell are you thinking?! You could have ask for my help instead! Why a-are you so stupid? Wh-What if I came late? What if you and your..." he choked in his own words. He cannot bring himself to finish his sentence. That's cruel, and just by thinkinh of it hurts him so much more already.

He didn't notice that his tears started falling once again. So when his best friend reached out to him, he catch her hand. She is crying as well and it pains him seeing her like this. He reaches out to cup her face and wipe away her tears. He has decided, he will not let go of this girl in front of him. Whatever it takes, he will stay by her side - even if she only thinks of him as her best friend.

So when he learns the truth of what happened from her, he didn't think twice. He secretly buys a house just outside Seoul under her name. He makes sure that it is off-radar and those bastard loan sharks will never find her. He also make sure those guys can never get so close to her ever again.

He knows his best friend too well so he didn't tell her anything about it. He knows she will reject all help from him as he knows how she thinks she's a burden to him. And he didn't make a mistake. Because the moment he offers the house he bought telling her it is 'given by his grandparents', she immediately tells him that she will pay him in return.

He frowns at that obviously but he can't help but just sigh in agreement because he knows Aera won't back down. And as he originally plans, go with whatever means just to keep her by his side. Just to keep his girl safe with him.

--

He looks at the sleeping girl beside him lovingly. He is given a 2 days break from his jam packed schedule and he didn't think twice to go where Aera is. If he is given a chance, he would gladly drop everything just to stay by her side, especially now she is almost due to give birth.

But he knows he cannot do that - not yet. He doesn't want to push his feelings to her but sometimes he can't help but pour out all love he has. He has been supressing his feelings towards her for who knows how long already. So even if he didn't intend to, his actions towards her and her child is always full of love.

Since when did his feelings for her started? Who knows. He himself is also not sure about that. When they first met each other way back in their elementary days he never once thinks that he would fall for her. Maybe he is still a child back then, too young to even realize how he would always sticks by her side or how he would always gives in to what she wants.

Or maybe it started when they were in the middle school. He saw how the girl was bullied just because she is not from a well-off family. Something inside him was ignited by then. When he first saw her crying that time only one thing came into his mind - to protect her. He would do anything just to protect her and to keep her sweet smile in her lips.

But what makes him realized that he already has fallen in love with her? It was when he started to undergo series of hard trainings just to reach for his dream. Every night, when they are done for the day, he would always want to talk to her. To tell her everything he had gone through that day. Just hearing her voice soothes his heart. He had never felt like that before, even hearing his parents voice didn't put him at ease those days.

So he didn't know how he survived the pain when he learns that his best friend and his hyung got together. He didn't even realize that the two of them knows each other. It's just that one day, after the have finished their 4 hours dance training that he found Aera's text to him telling him that news. The only good thing that time for him was that she was not in front of him when she broke the news or she will witness how he breakdown that day.

--

To be a father. Never in his life that he imagines he would step up and take responsibilities of becoming a father of a child who is not his. But he never regrets, not even once, that decision. It just comes out naturally from him. Towards Aera's journey during pregnancy, he is there. And all those time, he already feels too much love for the child.

So when Aera gave birth, he cannot help himself but to feel so happy that he tears up. When Aera handed him the baby boy, oh dear gracious, he feels so overwhelm that no words comes out from his mouth. He could only look at the child lovingly who is crying by then.

I love you. he whispered to the boy as he brings himself to kiss his forehead. He is definitely not his child since as early as now, the resemblance to his hyung is already visible. But nevertheless he already loves him like his own. And that moment is when he decided that he wi