Flashback

“It really depend on you, son. Your sister life, is in your hand. If you agree, we will guarantee nothing but the best treatment for her, to make her back to her previous condition, and you have nothing to worry about the expenses, I will personally pay it, right from my own personal account. If you decline.. I’m afraid I have to order the hospital management to stop your sister treatment, because it gave us a lot, this is very detrimental to the whole company, not just the hospital. I don’t want to say this, but, you owe the company a lot, not me, but the company, the hospital, all of the employees. And I’m willing to give you a hand. Me, personally. Only if you accept my personal offer.”

End of Flashback

“Hey..” she nudged his hand slowly to get his attention

“I’m sorry, you were saying?” because he obviously not listening to what she said earlier

Understanding that he might have a lot in mind, she smiled “Something is bothering you? Want to tell me what’s wrong?” offering herself to be his listener

Knowing her good intention, he smiles “Nothing.. Just something about work, not a big deal, so how’s your meal?” He tried to change the topic

“Is it good? I’m trying to give you the best impressions of me, which I guess, failed? Because I came late, and the reservation I made couldn’t be renewed and here we are, having McDonald as dinner while sitting in the hospital garden, because within approximately 10 minutes from now, you’ll be back on duty” he heavily sighed “Sulli will smack my head and call me stupid for days” he facepalmed himself.

She chuckles “Hey, its not that bad, I like this, thanks” she smiled sincerely

He smiled, but then the smile disappear “Nicole”

“Yes A.J?”

“Sulli.. Honestly, do you think there’ll be a chance for her to be back like she used to? Before the accident happens?”

The atmosphere seems to be more serious once the topic about Sulli is being brought up.

“I.. Honestly not sure A.J..” Nicole said, honestly “Her condition, is serious, you know that already”

Suddenly A.J finds the ground looks more interesting than someone sit next to him, someone he probably has a feeling for.

“Currently, her life, half of it depends on every tubes and machines that being plugged on her” Nicole carefully try to explain the whole situation about Sulli, because she knows how important she is for A.J “The only reasons why we are not giving up on her yet, is because, miraculously, everything is still working, weak, but stable, the fact that she’s actually getting way better than her condition when we have her for the first time, proved that she is having an improvement”

“I sincerely thanked you and the others in the hospital, for taking care of my sister so well, when I didn’t know what to do” said A.J

Nicole smiled, she linked her arm with A.J “Its our job, and we promised you we’ll do the best”

“If I have more money, can she gets more better treatment?” asked A.J still looking at the ground below him

“What do you mean?” asked Nicole literally confused with the sudden question.

“Somewhere, like what Dr.Kwon said, better treatment under his colleagues in Germany?”

“A.J, you’ll need a lots and lots of money for that, we already have the best treatment here..”

“I’ll do anything, to make her back like the way she used to be” he unconsciously raised her voice which left Nicole stunned, because the A.J she’s talking with now, seems different with the usual A.J. She wanted to asked what’s wrong, she wanted to convinced him that everything will be fine even if Sulli being treated here in South Korea only. She wanted to explain to him that what they have here, medical methods the human resources, everything is capable to take care of Sulli’s condition.

“Its just.. Its been years.. She’s been like that for years..” A.J said slowly “Its not that I don’t trust you and being ungrateful for what everyone here already tried to do for her.. But.. I was just thinking.. That maybe, just maybe, what those people are trying to do in Germany, can really help her more, you know?” he looked at Nicole desperately. Yes, he’s desperate. She knows it.

“Then what will you do? Still you’ll need a lot to just prepare things for us here to send her there A.J, moreover the whole new treatments, yes maybe, they will cover up all the medications expenses because this was like they’re doing some last step of their latest experiment and you’re providing them the guinea pig, no offense, but even dr. Kwon said so, but her daily necessities, the hospital staying expenses? They are not doing some charities there A.J, at least there’s a possibilities that you would still have to pay half of it, and what about your necessities whenever you visit her?” Nicole asked out of the most realistic way to explain how a lot it will takes for A.J with the same 50-50 results of successful and failure in the end of the program.

“Think of it..” Mr. Jung’s word kept replaying in A.J’s mind.

“A.J” he looked at Nicole who looked at him worriedly “What is it? You’re keeping something are you?” when he looked away, she knows he does “Are you, going to tell me what it is?”

A.J looked at her then smiled “Nothing, it was nothing” it was a different smile, she knows, knowing each other for years although its because of an unusual circumstances, was enough for her to know some little habits of the guy who sits next to her. She knows it was a different kind of smile from A.J, and somehow, she doesn’t feel comfortable watching him smiled that way.

A.J has been sitting inside his car, holding the steering wheel but doing nothing but looking at it. He bit his goodbye to Nicole when her break is over and she had to get back to duty. He then went to visit his little sister who looked, just the same as before. Pale. And she’s getting skinnier too. He didn’t like it. Sulli used to be a hyper and cheerful girl, he used to tell her to stop moving for a bit, he even used to beg her to just sit tight and do nothing. But now, how A.J wished, hoped, begged even won’t hesitate to plead if it will get her to wake up and be the energizer bunny like she used to be.

“Only if you accept my personal offer” Mr.Jung’s word echoed in A.J’s mind once again “Its all up to you”

Its all up to him. Yes it is. Its all up to him.

Meanwhile, in another place, at Jung Tower, in Mr. Song’s office, he’s having a serious talk on the phone with someone.

“He did that?” someone sad, from another line, a woman

“Yes” Mr. Song sighed, massaging his temple, feeling stressful with what just happened earlier today.

“How did..” the woman sounds she was about to burst in anger before she took a deep inhale and speak with a calmer voice “Do you know what he’s planning about after this?”

“No” Mr.Song rested his back on his working chair, looking absentmindedly to the dark night from outside of his office large window “He wouldn’t tell me as for now” he continued “He did say he has a plan, but it will only be executed if the boy agreed to it, so until he does, Alfred refused to share me anything”

“Well did you ask him why? How come he didn’t tell you if he has plans about something? He always told you about everything David, everything he didn’t even bother to tell me, how come he didn’t tell you anything and you just get him away like that?” the woman finally lose her calmness.

“Look, we both know how stubborn Alfred can be once he’s up to something” he said “Beside he did say that he will tell me once the boy agreed, and I can’t possible just go to the boy and asked him what did Alfred told him can I?” he sighed “I’ll take care of it, okay? Don’t worry, I’ll take care of it”

The woman sighed, she seems to know about Mr.Song’s stress about the matter they faced now “I hope you really can take care of it David, I really hope you can, because I’m worried, I’m really worried if he knows the truth and what we did to cover it”

Mr.Song sighed again “We’ve gone this far, there’s nothing else we can do but to keep our best to either cover it more, or come clean”

“No” the woman quickly said “That’s not the option David, we dragged this too long, although we have a reason why we did it and why we choose to do it this way, but still, he wouldn’t forgive us, he wouldn’t forgive me, I can’t David” her voice cracked

“I know Monica, I know” Mr.Song said “That’s why, let’s just wait until he told me about what he have in mind and what does it need to do with the boy, okay? As soon as I got the answer, I’ll contact you again, and then, we’ll plan for something”

The woman who turns out to be Mrs.Jung lets out a shaky breath before she said “Thank you David, thank you so much for everything”

Mr.Song smiled a simple toothless smile before he said “Don’t mind it Monica, these is all I can do to repay your family kindness, for Alfred kindness”

“But you also putting your years of friendship on stake because of this” Mrs.Jung said

Mr.Song’s smile fade away in instant “I did it to protect him, my only motive is to protect him” he said, before they bid goodbye and ended the call.

Mr.Song just sat there, staring into nothing for some minutes before he took out his wallet, and took something from inside his wallet, two pictures of him, with two different guys. One of it is definitely the younger version of Mr.Jung, while the one on the other picture, looks terribly similar, with A.J, but in a more old fashioned style, but smiled the same smile as the present A.J. Mr.Song looked at the both pictures intensely.

How can he choose one, between two bestfriend, he considered and also considered him, as family? Brother?

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a/n: AHA! Who have guessed i'll update this after sooooooooooooooo long?I'm not sure if anyone still remember this by the way,but somehow i got a sudden motivation,well that's all for now,as usual, all comments and critiques are welcomed, LDW OUT!