Please do listen to this song :)

The Way To Break Up - Kyuhyun

Narrator's POV

"No, you can't go visit me today," Min Yu disapproved hoarsely, her voice thick as she silently cried. Of course she would not let Min Young barge in their house and see her all bones and skin and sightless. "I'm..." She took a deep breath. "I'm fine. I'm going to head to the doctor in an hour or so and the house will be empty," she explained briefly.

The girl clutched the phone tightly and bit her lip to suppress her cries. "Donghae won't be here, either. Just visit me...next time, okay?" She hated lying to her sister. "And I don't know when 'next time' will be," she confessed, fearing she won't be able to see Min Young again. Min Yu didn't want her to have false hopes, just like how she vainly hopes she'll live through the year.

Donghae, meanwhile, stood silently by the doorframe. He wanted to embrace her and tell her everything would be fine. But he had told her that too often that he himself isn't so convinced that everything will be fine. It was just a terrible consolation to please his own self, to comfort himself that no, Min Yu will not leave him.

"Don't have hurt feelings, okay? Because you have no idea how much I want to see your ugly face right now," Min Yu continued, adding an edge of teasing to uplift the mood. "You're the ugly one and I'm the pretty one because you took after Jungsoo and we both know Leeteuk just used some drug to make omma his girlfriend," she added.

She grinned widely. "No, even if you bribe me by bringing apples, I won't let you visit me today." Min Yu dried her cheeks with the back of her hand. "I'll just talk to you later, okay?" she bid before hanging up. And for a whole minute, the girl watched her feet hanging on the edge of the bed and traced the blue veins that weaved intricately on her thighs.

She busied herself with this until the bed tipped low and Min Yu felt someone kiss her cheek softly, indicating Donghae had already finished taking a bath. "After the appointment with the doctor, come back home quickly, okay? NEVER think of walking home and if I knew you did so secretly..." Donghae forced her to turn around and face him, placing both her legs atop his. "I won't give you morning, nor goodnight kisses anymore."

"What if I want to play in the snow?" Min Yu pressed her head against his chest, relishing the warmth his body gave off. Donghae tipped his head back and laughed. "Just call anyone to fetch you and drive you back home or hail a cab or something. I want you safe until I come home," he reminded. "So when you're already home, I can be un-safe?" she tried, and he poked her by the nose.

"I don't want you to get mugged or held up by robbers and bad people along the streets," Donghae continued.

Min Yu snorted. "What could bad people want from me?"

"Well first, even if you may not notice it, you're still hot despite being pregnant." The man gave her a sly wink. "The effects of that, you'll know after you give birth because I'll have you locked up in here until you're sore." Min Yu punched his arm weakly. "You look appealing to rapists -- mostly, to me, anyway. Second, they'd think you're rich and they'd hurt you just to get what they want."

The girl played with his damp hair. "I'm rich of what? I'm sure they won't want to steal my worries from me. That's what I'm rich of -- problems and diseases." She chuckled lightly. "Who would want to steal such?" Min Yu turned to look at him sarcastically. Donghae had all playfulness erased on his face. "I would." And she leaned over to kiss him, her fingers weaving through the wet locks of his hair.

When they separated, Donghae's lower lip jutted out. "Min Yu~ oppa wants to hear you say yeobo," he whined in an awfully playful and teasing voice. Min Yu pinched his cheek harshly. "Oppa wants to hear Min Yu say it. Min Yu loves oppa, right? Call me yeobo, then~" Donghae cupped his own face, trying his best to get to her.

"Andwae, andwae, andwae," Min Yu tried escaping his grasp for her to stand up. Throwing a quick glance at her wristwatch, she acted quickly -- which, in her present case, wasn't so quick. "Don't think you can leave me that fast," Donghae warned threateningly, grabbing her forearms and pinning her to lie underneath him. He smirked darkly when he saw her gulp.

Min Yu stopped trying to break free from his grasp and panted breathlessly. "Ya, Donghae, I have to go to the doctor already~" she whined, her eyes never leaving his face, afraid that if she looks down at his half- body, she might not be able to control her urge to yank the towel encircled on his waist and forget she really did have something to do -- which was not really better than having to stare at Donghae for the whole day.

Donghae didn't seem to notice this, however, as he continued to lean closer to her face before his lips landed on her neck, traveling up her jaw line. "You know, you haven't really called me yeobo ever since we got married," he muttered against her skin. His kisses went from her neck up to her ear. "Don't you think that's kind of unfair for oppa, hmm?" he whispered near her ear.

"Y-ya..." The girl fought back weakly. "We can't do this right now, remember?" she reminded, and she silently wished her resistance was always at its best -- and not just like a house of cards preparing to tumble with the slightest outside force. "I know," Donghae took her face in his hands. "But, like, if we do it anyway, will we have twins?"

He finally backed away and ended up kneeling on the bed. Min Yu reached for his hand and pushed herself up. "How many children do you want?" she asked, deciding to ride in with his idea. "Like...eleven?" Donghae answered, to which she laughed wholeheartedly. "You were just too shy to ask for twelve, weren't you? You could've formed your own basketball team." She sat on the edge of the bed and stood up.

As was usual, Donghae helped her down the stairs and she waited as he got dressed. When he was done, they went outside, into his car and left, heading straight to the doctor's clinic. "We should go shopping for some baby stuff," he thought out loud. "Good thing for you to remember!" Min Yu exclaimed. "I never really thought of that one."

For the whole car ride, the man kept ranting about all his plans, laying out each and every piece of his organized ideas in front of his wife, while she could only wallow in silence. Her only plan, unlike his hundreds, was to try and stay awake during her delivery, fearing once she closes her eyes, she would never get to open them again.

"Oh, and some day in February, I'll have to go overseas," he started, glancing towards her direction to check what her expression would be like. But she kept her gaze outside the window and on the road ahead. "To Indonesia, to be exact. I'll be gone for two days and as much as I beg and plead in front of your father to let me stay, he just wouldn't allow it."

"Okay," was Min Yu's only response at the moment.

"Wae?" Donghae nudged her lightly on the shoulder, and only then did she realize they were already at the hospital. Min Yu shook her head, not wanting him to worry. I'd worried him enough, she thought, and inched closer to kiss him. "I love you." He held onto the side of her face with a tender look in his eyes. The girl smiled, trying not to tear up. "I'll call you to check, okay?" he reminded, watching her exit the passenger seat of his car.

Min Yu's POV

Stumbling out of the doctor's office, I could feel all the blood draining away from my face. Clinging to the wall for support, I managed to trudge towards a seat in the waiting room, feeling lucky that there were no more than a handful of people around. The nurse manning the receptionist handed me a glass of water, which I chugged down in a few gulps, hoping that it'll wash away my fears.

I stared at the monitor. "He's growing well, and I don't think he's the least bit affected by the night blindness," Dr. Jin declared, which caused me to clasp my hands together hopefully. She lent her hand out and I took it gratefully before standing up. Awkward silence ensued as I advanced to take a seat near the table, bracing myself for the news -- which was most assumingly the worst.

The good doctor sank on her swivel chair, scanning through her papers busily. "Have you decided on it yet?" she asked, referring to the choices she had given me to debate on last month. I shook my head no. "Well, you have to choose as soon as possible." She heaved a sigh, as if my condition was also giving her tons of worries. I burdened everyone.

"Judging by how much development your baby has gone through in his eight months of growing, I'll say you'll be delivering on or before February 7," Dr. Jin announced. "D-do you think..." I chewed on her bottom lip. "Do you think that'll also be my...deadline?" I nearly whispered the last word. The woman looked at me. "If you make the wrong choice, then yes."

But choosing my baby's life over mine was always the right option. I gulped down the words surging from my throat. "How difficult do you think it will be?" I tried, my voice trembling as I spoke. "Seeing how much he is attached to you, I'd say he'll go catatonic...at the very least," she stated. I chewed on the insides of my cheeks. "I haven't told Donghae yet."

"Don't you think that's a little unfair for him if he knew just on the day itself?" she asked.

"It's already unfair on my part, so..." I trailed off, telling myself not to cry.

"There's a 50% probability that the worst will happen," Dr. Jin said to comfort me. "It's 2024, Min Yu. Everything is more modernized now, and I'll be there. I'll do the best I can," she added. "But there's still a 50% chance that I won't even get the chance to hold my son," I muttered, not so convinced with her so-called consolation. There was no consoling in this one.

Dr. Jin leaned back on her seat. "I'll see you next month."

What about Donghae? He will surely be angry at me, but I deserved it. My phone rang, and as promised, he called. "Okay, so what transpired with the doctor today?" Donghae greeted, his tone like a mother's when asking about his son's first day in school. I laughed. "Transpired? Have you been reading the dictionary again?" I teased.

He let out a laugh too, and I wondered how much I'll miss hearing his voice. "I'm on the letter T now," Donghae chided. "But anyway, what really did happen today with the doctor?" he pressed curiously. Not wanting to lie, I quickly thought of something half true. "Dr. Jin said the baby isn't affected by my night blindness." Of course I wouldn't want to tell him I only had more or less a month to live.

The man shrieked from the other line. "That's really good news," he sighed. I nodded microscopically. "It is." 

Narrator's POV

Donghae shielded his eyes from the orange sunlight brought about by the sunset. Even though he didn't promise Min Yu anything, he always made sure to come home early and eat dinner with her. It wasn't all about myself now, he thought. He maneuvered the car to park and yanked his keys out of the ignition before unbuckling his seatbelt. He had an eerie feeling he cannot really pinpoint what as he exited his car.

But the man walked up the asphalt pathway anyway, shaking the feeling off. He ached to spend more time with his wife -- even though he never really lacked time with Min Yu -- to make up for the times he would miss her when he flies off the country. Even if the two days didn't hurt, it was still 48 hours without seeing her, and it was torture enough.

He kept his gaze straight to the front door as he ascended up the rocky porch steps. Something was definitely wrong, and the feeling crept up in him, about to show its ugly face at the right moment. Donghae reached for the door knob and let his hand stay there as he breathed deeply with closed eyes, trying his best to shake the jitters away.

"I'm home~" The man greeted involuntarily, since it was his habitual exclamation everytime he steps foot inside their home after a hard day's work. He shut the door close behind him, waiting for the noisy shuffle of footsteps across the carpeted floor. When it didn't come, Donghae figured Min Yu had fallen asleep as soon as she got home. He smiled to himself and walked up the stairs.

It was an eerie kind of silence that hung heavily in the air. And though he was used to this silence, since there were only three usual people residing under the same roof, he can't bring himself to name the feeling. He added extra weight to his movements, earning him the sound of heavy footsteps as he ascended the stairs. There, he liked it better that way. The silence was deafening him.

He twisted the knob open, and entered as discreetly as he could. The curtains were drawn, even though it was nearly dark. Her glasses weren't on the bedside table. Min Yu was nowhere on the bed, either. Donghae heaved a sigh before exiting their bedroom. He advanced to the guestroom, opening the door just slightly open to peek.

A nervous lull rung in his mind as he didn't see her there. He gulped down the panic surging from his throat and comforted himself with the fact that there were more than two rooms in the entire household. Maybe she was just in one of them. And so he almost tripped on his own feet in his haste, yanking each door open with no more silence.

"Min Yu?" Donghae called out after each door he left ajar. When he received no active response, he stumbled down the stairs, breathlessly checking the kitchen and the living room. She was playing a dirty trick on him. He fished his phone out of his pocket and dialed for her quickly. The ringtone sounded, but it would abruptly come to a halt. She didn't want to talk to him.

With an almost relieved smile, he walked up the stairs, his fingers abusing the phone's keypad as he typed his message hastily. "I'm not in the mood for games, yeobo." He muttered bleakly to himself before entering their bedroom. Plopping down on the bed with a thud, Donghae calmed his furiously beating heart. He was more wary now than before.

Closing his eyes, Donghae quickly drifted off to sleep in his exhaustion. He was only awaken, however, when he stirred in his sleep and ended up face down on a brown envelope on the bed. Confused as he hadn't noticed it beforehand, he sat up. It was already dark, and the man stood up to turn the lights on. He rubbed at his eyes, forcing himself awake to read the papers inside.

Just by reading the first line, he ran down the stairs, unsure of where to go. But he ran out the front door in lightning speed, throwing his car door open and getting inside. The papers in his hand, now crumpled and nearly torn, were hurled to the passenger seat. And Donghae didn't bother wearing a seatbelt. He drove out with no particular destination in mind.

He didn't even know where to start looking for her. An idea sparked up, and he decided to call the police. "Hello?" Donghae answered as his call was picked up. "I'm reporting about a missing person. Please help me look for my wife. She's missing....a-and I-I...SHE'S MISSING!" he yelped helplessly on his phone's receiver.

"Sir, calm down," was the other person's response. Whether it was to soothe him or just his job to understand what he was saying, Donghae didn't know for sure. But as his shifted his gaze back to the divorce papers lying on the seat next to his, he couldn't remain calm. Driving, reading the divorce papers, and searching for Min Yu on the streets while he spoke to the policeman -- all at the same time, Donghae cried.

He opened his mouth to say something, but his words were choked up by his sobbing. "Who is missing?" the policeman tried asking. "My w-wife's missing a-and...Lee Min Yu," Donghae stammered, his hot tears trickling down his cheeks. He was nearly out of his mind. He ran a hand through his tousled hair while waiting for the policeman's response.

"How long has she been missing? When was the last time you saw her?" the officer interrogated coolly.

Donghae slowed down on his vehicle as he passed by a busy street. And he slowed down, scanning every face for the features he had kissed every night before he went to sleep and woken up to every morning for the past nine months. "I was with her this morning but I left for work and she left to go to a doctor and when I got home, she wasn't there a-and..."

"I'm sorry, sir." He was cut off. "You have to wait for 48 hours before the police can start searching for a missing person. Just wait for her, sir. Maybe she'll--"

"YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND!" Donghae shouted. "She's...she's pregnant an-and she's n-night blind a-and it's dark...she can't see anything. You have to help me look for her. She needs m-me, she can't see anything," he cried, his shoulders shaking violently. "I'm sorry, sir--" But Donghae already hung up. If no one was willing to help him, then he would look for Min Yu himself.

--

"Three...two...one..." Min Yu counted off and watched as the sun disappeared in all its glory together with its light. And with its light came her vision. She still had her eyes open, but it seemed otherwise. The girl sighed and entertained herself by listening to the conversations of people passing by. She shifted more comfortably on the bench by the highway, where she planned to stay until morning when her vision would come back.

She sat there for a while, occasionally wanting to ride the buses that stopped in front of her, but decided she didn't want to risk the chance of beating her deadline. Min Yu had one more month, anyway. And so she just sat there with her sweater on her lap, ready to be worn if ever the night gets too cold. And at the moment, she was contented.

Another bus stopped in front of her, and when the driver probably realized she wasn't going to enter, he resumed the journey. "It's not funny," someone beside her stated. Only when he spoke did she realize he was there. His voice had a raspy edge to it, though she didn't have to ask why that was so. "It wasn't a joke," she replied softly, staring straight ahead to the nothingness.

They were silent for a while, with Donghae examining her face for any trace of mischief. He had weaved in and out of streets in a terrible condition in his desperation. Finally, after almost an hour of driving aimlessly, he saw her sitting by the bus stop. Min Yu, on the other hand, hadn't expected he would go this far. But of course, she had left him with no obvious reason at all, and it really was unfair on his part.

The girl felt his hand near, and she wanted to hold it more than anything. But she had to endure well. "Have you read it through and through?" Min Yu asked, still not turning to face him -- even though if she did turn to him, she still wouldn't have seen a thing. Donghae sighed, fighting the urge to carry her and place her gently on the passenger seat where she rightfully belonged, even though she would protest and fight back endlessly. "I don't want to."

And it was her turn to heave a sigh. "It says there that after..." she paused, fidgeting nervously.”After I give birth, you'll have full custody of him. I haven't really given him a name yet, even though I've got so many in my mind. It's just that I want you and your..." Min Yu her cheeks in. "I want you and your new wife to decide for yourselves."

Donghae turned to look at her questioningly, but she continued. "If you read it there, it states that she, whoever your new wife will be, will be the documented biological mother of the baby," she declared calmly and placed her hand on top of his. "That means you have to marry again. I don't want you to take care of him on your own."

"But if, by chance, there's something wrong with him -- like, if he acquires my night blindness -- and you don't want him, you can leave him to my parents. They'll take care of him, I guess. I know they'll love him as if he's their own. Promise me that even if you do take him in, you'll still let my family visit him once in a while, okay?" And her hand left his.

"And, even though it's not stated there, if I do get to survive this thing..." Min Yu smiled at her wishful and, not to mention desperate, thinking. "I'll still let you have him. Don't leave him to me, okay? I know you'll provide for his needs more than I can. And if you and your new wife aren't comfortable with it, you don't have to tell him about me."

"I can be just a family friend. I won't bother you as much. Maybe I'd just want to know when he starts to get on his knees and crawl, know when he learns to stand and walk by himself, and know what his first words are." Min Yu felt her eyes b, but she pushed her emotions to the farthest in her mind. She had to be persuading to convince him. "I'll be fine with that...I guess."

As she spoke, her background music became his sobs, his gasps for air, and his silent whimpers. Donghae didn't like it. He didn't entertain the thought of having a new wife, nor did he visualize himself rejecting his own son because of some complication. And he hated the fact that Min Yu didn't see herself in any of these things. She was a distant figure watching the future from afar.

Min Yu sniffled, but not one single drop of tear fell from her eyes. Her head ached at the bottled up sadness. "It's not stated there," she started once again. "But at home, if you have noticed, I cooked three full meals and left them in the fridge so you won't get hungry even if you're too tired to cook yourself some food. I don't want you going hungry."

"And I paid the ahjumma her salary for a whole year, just in case you forget. I also paid for the electricity and water bills for three months in advance, also just in case you forget. I don't know what to do with my stuff, though. I wanted to keep them in boxes a while ago, but it was too heavy for me to carry. You just do what you want with them."

When she stopped, Donghae found the chance to speak up. With his voice thick, "Why?" he asked agonizingly.

Because it's better for you to be a divorcee than a widower, Min Yu wanted to say. "Aren't you happy about that? You're going to be free from all your worries!" She exclaimed with forced joy. It sounded off and aggressive. "And all you have to do is sign it, Donghae. I have my signature on it already. Think of it as me making your life easier."

"What do you want me to do?" Donghae asked, wiping his tear-stricken face with the back of his hand.

With all the strength she can muster, "I want you to leave right now," she stated. Never in her lifetime had she ever wanted to say those words, and she was at the right mindset at that. And her insides quivered when she heard him stand up. Min Yu still couldn't see, even at a dire situation like this, and she hated herself much more.

It was silent that night. She couldn't hear his footsteps any longer. Her eyes stinging with tears, she let her hand crawl across the seat, searching for the hand that used to be there, the hand she had held just moments ago, the hand that was nowhere to be found at the moment. Panic surged in, and when she reached out to feel him, all she held was empty air. And so she cried.

-Happy New Year everyone! ^^ leave comments~ /hands you a box of tissues/ thank you Haebby13 for the picture!! :)