Joon’s POV

Stunned silence filled the room.

“She what?” I gasped, breaking the silence, covering my mouth in shock.

Yuri just stared at our dad, unable to move, unable to speak, frozen on the spot. Doo Joon immediately put his arms around her in a comforting way since that was the only thing he could think of doing.

“You might want to sit down,” Aunty HaNa said to us tearfully. She wiped her tears away with the tissues in her hand. She then grabbed another handful of tissues from the tissue box.

All of us obediently sat down, waiting for one of them to speak up first.

This can’t be happening. Anniyo, Umma can’t have leukemia! She’s so healthy! Why is this happening? No, no, no, this is a joke. Umma’s probably in the kitchen, preparing a snack for us like she usually do. I refuse to believe she’s sick.

NO! SHE CAN’T BE SICK! ANYONE BUT MY UMMA!

“Didn’t you wonder why she had been so tired these days?” Appa started.

It made sense now.

Of why Umma always complained about being tired, not having enough sleep, working too hard and such and being so happy when she could rest — it wasn’t because her job was stressing her out. It was leukemia that made her job stressed her out.

How could we not have noticed?

Appa looked grave. “Umma’s condition got worse. That was why we went down to Busan — for a surgery. We did not want you to worry so we lied about going on a holiday.”

“Where is she now?” I asked.

“In the hospital. The doctors transferred her there today. He . . .” he hesitated.

“What?”

“He said it was too late,” my dad went on in a rush I almost missed it. “When we went for a checkup, they said we’d realized it too late. She only have two more months to live.”

“No!” I screamed hoarsely but no one flinched at my sudden raised tone. They already expected this to be our reaction. “No, that can’t be true! I don’t believe it! She can’t —” I couldn’t bring myself to say the word ‘die’.

No.

Yuri stayed quiet.

“Appa, why didn’t you tell us about it? Don’t you think we had the right to know? Even if it might make us worry, it’s still better than keeping it a secret, right? Are you going to even tell us at all? Were you planning to tell us when she dies?”

“I told you now, didn’t I?” Appa replied quietly.

“Did you think we’re not important enough?”

Appa cast his eyes down to the carpeted floor. “Did it ever occur to you that I was hoping she would have been saved during the surgery? That I was hoping the fact my wife is dying turned out to be false?”

That . . . got to me. When those words left my dad’s mouth, I realized that I was unfair to have judged him like that. He was hurting more than I was. His wife, the woman he loves, is dying.

My dad, the one who never showed any feelings at any time, the one who managed to keep his emotions aside, was hurting as well.

I turned to Yuri.

Yuri was like Appa. Reserved, quiet, and never tells anyone what’s on her mind. Right now, I could tell she was trying to keep her tears at bay while the news sunk into her mind.

Why must this happen?

Doo Joon and I exchanged helpless glances. What could we do? Yuri, on the other hand, wordlessly stood up from her seat and left the living room, going up the stairs to her room where we heard the door closed a few seconds later.

My sister was, once again, locking herself up from everyone and everything. Yuri doesn’t like company at times like this when she was upset. She does not like to let anyone see her tears, except Mir. And occasionally me.

I looked at Doo Joon who shrugged helplessly again (some help that guy is, seriously). Then we looked back to Appa and Aunty HaNa who didn’t know what to do either.

I looked down. Umma, I hope you’ll at least be happy for these last two months.

Mir’s POV

Joon didn’t come back home to the apartment but the rest of us all figured it was probably because he wanted to spend time with his family. The rest of the day past by like how a normal rest day would: playing on the Xbox, sleeping like a pig, with G.O occasionally cleaning the house only because he felt obligated to while the rest of us watched him as he cleaned. He really is an Umma, just like Key.

Aigoo.

The next morning, it was so weird without having breakfast ready for us. We had to make breakfast to eat ourselves for the first time after so long. After breakfast, we headed to the van where it took us to J.Tune Camp.

Once we got to the practice room, Joon wasn’t there at all. This was surprising. He normally would be here by now back then before we moved into the apartment. Seungho tried calling him but he didn’t pick up his phone. The rest of us tried contacting him but we got the same results. No answers, absolutely no answer.

Where could he be?

Half an hour later, he still wasn’t here and we were all getting restless by his absence. Aish, if Bi-sunbae knows, he isn’t going to be too lenient on him this time.

As if on cue, as if my thoughts had summoned him here, Bi-sunbae walked right into the practice room. If only I could do the same for stupid Joon. Aish, chincha, where is he?!

“Sunbae, I don’t know where Joon is today. I’ve tried to call him but he never answered any of our calls,” Seungho hastily spoke up the moment he entered the room.

I understood why he said it first before Bi-sunbae could ask. As the leader, it was his responsibility to know where each and every one of us are if we’re not there and gets partially blamed for the mistakes we did as he is supposed to lead us.

Bi-sunbae nodded, looking at him. “I know why he’s not here,” he reassured us. “He called me just now. Take a break and sit down. I want to talk to you.” He sounded serious.

We exchanged glances as we sat down on the floor. This does not sound good.

He rubbed his palms together like he always did whenever he was going to tell us bad news. What will it be, this time?

“Okay . . . Joon and Yuri need all of you right now,” he started.

All of us were even more confused. What has Yuri got to do with this? Wait. Yuri? That cannot be good. If Yuri is involved . . . please, don't tell me something bad happened to her yesterday!

They got into an accident, all four of them, while spending some family time, a little voice crept into my mind. I shook my head violently. No, I will not think of such thoughts.

“Hyung, what is it? What’s wrong?” Cheon Doong asked worriedly.

“Their mother has been diagnosed with leukemia,” he dropped the bombshell.

The four of us stared at him, shocked, as we all processed what we heard what he said. Their mother has been diagnosed with leukemia. Their mother has been diagnosed with leukemia. Their mother has been diagnosed with leukemia.

The sentence kept playing over and over again in my head.

“She only has two more months to live.”

No.

“Can’t they find a cure for her?” Cheon Doong wanted to know. “I mean, it is possible, right?”

He shook his head. “I hate to say this but from what I was told, they said that they found out too late — there is no way she could be cured now that it had gone too far, much worse.”

I had this urge to go to Yuri.

He looked at me as if he sensed what I was feeling. “I know you want to go to Yuri right now,” he added.

He is a genius.

He smiled at me in a sympathetic way. “I say, go ahead. She needs you. In fact, I’m giving all of you another day off. Go spend time with Joon and just be there for him. Go, now.”

All of us stood up without second telling, grabbed our stuff, shoving them back into our bags and rushed to the van. We rode to their house in silence, each of us filled with our own thoughts.

Once we reached their house, I was the first one out of the car. I rang the doorbell, waiting impatiently for the door to open. Their god brother was the one who answered the door.

When he saw me, he craned his neck to see the others behind me and recognition flashed in his eyes. He stepped aside to let me in. “She’s in her room,” Doo Joon told me. “She refused to come out. Joon, at least, still do.”

I headed up toward the stairs. Behind me, I heard him saying to the others, “He’s in the kitchen.”

I went ahead to Yuri’s room. It was unlocked. She was sitting by her window sill, the bear her ex gave her in her arms. Damn, I need to get something for her to hug instead of that . . . thing.

I clenched my fist.

Yuri needs you now and all you can think of is getting a new toy for her because you’re jealous of that bear?

She looked up when she heard the sound of the door opening. I saw the look on her expressionless face. She hasn’t cried yet but she needed me. I ran to her and she threw her arms around me. I picked her up and laid her down in my lap. Yuri looked up to me. I kissed her gently and hugged her. She buried her face into my shoulder and I held her close to me, kissing her forehead. I didn’t say anything. I didn’t need to. What she wanted was just for me hold her in my arms.

I felt her body trembling, her shoulders quaking and I realized she was crying. I hugged her tighter. She clung tightly onto my shirt, her fist in a ball. I her hair, whispering, “I’m here,” into her ear.

Her sobs weren’t those loud, noisy wails but rather those quiet and soft tears. It was heartbreaking as I watched my girlfriend break down like this. It hurt me to see crawled together, shutting herself in.

“Mir,” she whispered through sobs. “I’m fine.”

“Liar,” I said affectionately. “It’s okay, baby, cry all you want. I know you’re upset.”

When Bi-sunbae first announced this to us, I knew it would hit Yuri hard. She’d lived with her mother most of her life. Her mother raised her up when she was a baby in China. And now to hear that the person who took care of her, the woman she had a special relationship with, was dying, was just unbearable to my fragile Yuri. I’d be upset too. Heck, I am upset.

Mrs. Lee was a wonderful lady. She was kind, sweet, considerate, and funny — and she was cool.

“Are you hungry, Yuri-yah?” I asked her, knowing she probably haven’t eaten her breakfast yet.

She shook her head. I knew she’s lying but I can’t force her. If she wants to ear, she knows where the food is.

I kissed her forehead and she closed her eyes. “I’m here for you,” I murmured. I carried her up to her bed and laid her down gently. I was about to leave when she grabbed my wrist. “I want you to stay,” she said in quiet voice. “Please.”

I nodded and got in bed with her. She wrapped her arms around my waist and I put my arms around her on her shoulder. I her hair softly. “It is all right,” I said. “Everything will be okay.”

“How can everything be okay when Umma is dying in two months? It’s not okay!” Yuri burst out all of a sudden.

I was taken aback by her outburst but yet I still held her tight. I gave her the bear and she hugged it while I hugged her.

There was a soft knock on her door and it opened, revealing the other guys with Joon. They all sat down on her bed, with Joon in the middle. She crawled off me to her brother and they embraced each other. The four of us nodded and we gave them a group hug.

There was nothing else we could do except to give them our support.

“We’ll be here all the way,” Seungho murmured. “I know it’s not much, but that’s the least we can do. You know we’ve got your backs.”

We’ve got your back, don’t worry.

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Sighs. Sorry it took awhile. I had no mood to write after I found out my thumbdrive lost EVERYTHING. T.T

Anyway, here's the next chapter. I'm so sorry I can't reply individually just yet. Really tired. =/