'Dr. Yang calling' is what my phone read when I pulled it out of my pocket. , I can't let Taeyeon over hear anything.

"De, omma," I answered, quickly excusing myself from the table. As soon as I was out of earshot of Tae, I answered Dr. Yang. "Sorry about that doc, Taeyeon was in the room. So how are my labs looking?"

"Well," Dr. Yang said, starting with a long pause. He sighed deeply before continuing. I felt my heart sinking into my stomach. I already had a feeling it was bad. The fact that he called me personally at this hour was already a red flag. He didn't have to tell me twice. I already knew my health was slowly deteriorating. "Looks like your lab results are indicating that your cells are reacting radically to the medication and their ability to regenerate seems to be degrading... far more quickly than expected..."

"Hmm... How much time do I have doc? Years? Months? Weeks or is it just a matter of days now," I asked keeping my voice steady, my lips trembling. This can't be happening. I was planning to ask Taeyeon to marry me. If it weren’t for this damn illness, my life would be near perfect. My girlfriend is the most amazing girl on the planet. My job is pretty decent, I make enough money and it’s enjoyable and not the least bit taxing on my body.

"I can't give you a definite time frame... But I'd say you still have at least six months to a year... But no more than a year. Your body won't be able to sustain itself past a year at the rate it's going now. I'm sorry," Dr. Yang said on the other line. Even without seeing him, I already knew his brow was knitted tightly and his eyes squeezed tight with anguish and frustration. We've known each other since my second year of high school. He's been with me for nearly ten years now. We probably spent more time with each other than we're both comfortable enough to admit.

"Araseo, doc... I'll come in on Monday so we can talk details. Take care, have a good weekend," I said calmly before disconnecting the call. I took a deep breath to compose myself before going back to see Tae. I put on my silliest grin and covered her eyes playfully from behind.

"Oppa~ what took you so long??" she asked impatiently, trying to get my hands off of her eyes. I let my hands linger a bit, giving her gentle kiss on the crown of her head before letting go.

"Oh, omma was just nagging me about this and that. She wants us to visit soon," I said with a chuckle, taking the seat across from her. We continued our dinner, talking happily about things that seemed so minuscule to me after hearing Dr. Yang's news. It would be only a matter of time until I'll be forced to depart from this world. From the arms of angel into who knows what. "Taeyeon-ah, let's go on a trip and just get away, arachi?"

“Mmm, when oppa,” She asked cutely leaning forward, her eyes dazzling with excitement. I couldn’t help but smile widely at her. I took her hands in mine across the table before answering her ever-so adorable question.

“As soon as possible, jagiya. If you can get some time off, maybe like a month or two?” I said, making things up on the fly. Time really is money; at this point I couldn’t afford to let time go ticking by aimlessly.

“Araseo oppa, what are you planning so suddenly? I’ll call in and see if the boss will let me off okay?” She said with a smile. I nodded. We spent the rest of our night brainstorming where we could go. I wanted to take her everywhere. Maybe we could do a romantic European trip for a few weeks before swinging back to Asia for Hong Kong, Japan and back to Korea.

That night with Taeyeon in my arms, I thought about what it would be like. How is Taeyeon going to take my death? I can't make her suffer like that, how selfish would that be of me. I love her too much to make her have to deal with my death. I held her close to my body, my arms carefully cradling her. I kissed her chastely on the forehead before drifting off to sleep. The only thing I could do was to make her leave me... but for now, I think I’ll just enjoy my time with my girl.

Luckily Tae was able to get some time off. I had the whole trip planned in a day and we’d be out of the country in two. Taeyeon and I went to visit omma and appa before we flew out to London, where we would start our romantic adventure together. We had the time of our life. We explored the hills of Tuscany, dined under the romantic lights of the Eiffel Tower, had a romantic candle lit dinners in Rome. The list of our adventure in Europe goes on. Hopefully it was unforgettable for Taeyeon as it was for me.

Our last month of the trip was spent in Asia. We ate her favorite egg custards in Hong Kong with the Victoria Harbor as our backdrop. After two weeks of paradise in Hong Kong, we made our way to Japan for a tour from Kyoto all the way up to Sapporo before returning back to Korea. When we arrived in Korea, the harsh reality of my worries came crashing back. Our getaway seemed centuries ago.

A few days after our return, I called up Baekhyun. Baekhyun has been madly in love with Taeyeon even before Taeyeon and I were fated to cross each other’s paths.

"Baekhyun, it's me," I said over the line, waiting for an answer.

"De, hyung. What's up?" he answered politely. Although we don't hate each other, the atmosphere is still tense between us. From his point of view I was just some stranger that came into the picture and supposedly "stole" Taeyeon from him.

“Baekhyun… I need your help,” I said, almost hesitating. I knew it was going to be hard for me, but at least I know he’ll take care of my angel. I can see it in his eyes how much he loves her. “Can we meet up so I can explain it to you better?”

Thankfully, he agreed and we met up at a small café, where there were sure to not have any wandering ears. I waited for him, trying to formulate my thoughts and solidify my words.

“Ah, you’re here already, hyung?” He greeted me politely. I nodded, gesturing for him to sit down. I called the waiter over so he could take our order. We made small talk until our food arrived. We ate a little before Baekhyun's curiosity got the best of him, "So what was it that you needed my help with, hyung?"

I almost choked on my piece of meat. I swallowed hard, taking a deep breathe before answering his question with a grim face.

"Umm... I don't know how to tell you this... But I'm living with a terminal illness... I don't know how much time I have left," I said, my voice wavering as I set