I could smell the salty ocean air as soon as we stepped out of the train, and clearly, so could Donghae; he drew in a deep breath through his nose, and exhaled slowly.

"It smells like home," said Donghae with his eyes closed, his Mokpo accent suddenly thicker.

"When was the last time you were here?" I asked, looking around.

"Just after the Miracle promotions four months ago," said Donghae. We walked onto the platform, and then we looked at each other.

"Hyung, I have a question," I said with the smallest smile.

"Yeah," said Donghae, not paying attention. He was too busy soaking in the sights of his hometown.

"How come your name means east sea when your hometown is the west sea?" I asked, slightly amused.

Donghae looked at me, exasperated. "If I get asked that question one more time..."

"Okay, okay," I said, smiling. "You don't have to answer it."

Donghae fixed his baseball cap and looked away from me. "We should be able to catch a cab here," said Donghae, looking around.

"You're actually not answering the question?" I asked, surprised that he wasn't joking.

Donghae looked at me and sighed. "My parents are hopeless romantics. It has to do with the sun rising or something."

Confused, I just nodded. "Um... okay."

"Just... " said Donghae, shaking his head. He stepped out to the side of the road and flagged down a cab.

I dropped the topic and sat silently in the back seat of the cab, worried about the meeting with Donghae's father.

"Hyung, I'm... I'm not the best with things like this. Let me know if I make any mistakes," I said, twiddling my thumbs with nervousness.

Donghae didn't respond. However, after a while, Donghae spoke calmly. "I don't think I ever told you what my father has." He paused a little. "He was diagnosed just over two weeks ago with cancer."

I had guessed by Donghae's reaction that day that it was serious, but hearing the words being spoken was something else. I didn't know what to say. "Is it... is it..."

"It's melanoma," said Donghae, but it was clear that the composed manner with which Donghae spoke was forced. "It's terminal."

"I - I'm so sorry," I said, unsure of what to do.

"That's not why I told you. I just want you know," said Donghae.

I hesitated. "Okay," I said, uneasy.

When we finally reached the hospital, Donghae navigated through the hospital with a set of written directions that I saw him take down over the phone a few days ago. After a few minutes of wandering, we finally reached the room that we were looking for and Donghae knocked on the door carefully.

"Dad?" said Donghae, peeking into the white hospital room. Over Donghae's head, I saw a benevolent-looking man in his 50s lying in the hospital bed. He looked up, and seeing the two of us standing there, he beamed the widest, most affectionate smile I could imagine.

"Donghae, my dear, you look so good," said Donghae's father. He sat up in the bed.

"Dad," said Donghae with a wide smile. I watched at the doorway as Donghae ran to the bedside to give his father a very long hug. After what seemed an eternity, Donghae spoke tearfully with a shaky voice. "Dad, I'm so sorry. I've been such a terrible son. I'm so, so sorry that I can't be here with you."

Donghae's dad smiled and Donghae' head. "Donghae, I'm so proud of you. The last thing I want is for me to be a burden on you and your career. I'm... so proud of you. I couldn't ask for a better son."

They hugged for a while longer, then Donghae loosened the hold on his dad. He wiped his tears and smiled again.

"Dad, our new member Kyuhyun also came to see you," said Donghae, beckoning me towards them.

Donghae's father turned his head to look at me standing at the doorway, then extended his hands toward me. "Oh, Kyuhyun," he said with another comforting smile. I rushed towards him to take his hands in mine.

"Sir, It's so nice to finally meet you," I said, returning the smile.

"Kyuhyun... the new maknae of the family," he said, the fatherly smile still on his face. I nodded. "The only member that I haven't met until now. I'm sure you're busy. I'm so glad you could come."

"I'm so happy to be here," I said, squeezing his hands.

"It must not be easy being the youngest," said Donghae's dad, patting the back of my hand.

I couldn't agree or disagree; I just held on to his hands and smiled without meeting his eyes.

"Donghae told me he was sharing his room with you, but Donghae's not much of a hyung, right?" he said, looking at Donghae. Donghae smiled ruefully. Donghae's dad looked at me again. "He only knows how to cry and fool around."

"Sir, Donghae hyung's been the most incredible hyung of the team," I said, still holding on tightly to his hands. "He... he's taught me a lot."

"What a surprise, Donghae," said Donghae's dad with an amused smile. "The ultimate crybaby acting like a hyung?"

"Dad, you think so little of me," said Donghae, pouting playfully. "See? Kyuhyun says I know how to be a good hyung."

Donghae's dad grinned. "Let's see how much longer you can fool him into thinking that."

"Dad!" said Donghae with a laugh. "Stop it, I want Kyuhyun to keep thinking I'm a charismatic hyung!"

"He probably already doesn't think that," said Donghae's dad, smiling at me.

Donghae turned to face me with a look as if to demand for justice. "Kyuhyun, tell him how charismatic I am."

"He has his impressively charismatic moments," I admitted, and the two of them laughed.

"Good for you... for both of you," said Donghae's dad with a proud smile. "I'm so lucky to have you boys as my sons."

I smiled back, touched. "Thank you, sir," I said, but then Donghae hit my arm slightly with the back of his hand.

"He just called you his son, and you called him 'sir'," said Donghae, shaking his head. I chuckled and looked at Donghae.

"Okay, hyung. I meant - " I looked back at his father. "Thank you, father," I said bashfully. However, as soon as I said this, I felt a warmth spreading from my chest to the rest of my body. I looked up to look at Donghae's father again, but he was looking at Donghae with a serious face.

"Donghae, Kyuhyun's your adorable dongsaeng," said Donghae's father, looking at Donghae. Donghae just looked at him with confused eyes. "Why is Kyuhyun still speaking to you in honorifics?"

Donghae faltered. I knew he wasn't ready for me to drop honorifics with him, and I wasn't ready to speak to him informally either.

"I'm helping him maintain his charisma," I said quickly.

Donghae's father laughed. "You're a witty one, Kyuhyun," he said, and I looked down as I smiled.

There was a brief silence as Donghae sighed. "Dad, I've missed you so, so much," he said. I let go of Donghae's father's hands after a final sqeeze, and Donghae took them instead.

"Hyung, I think I'm going to go downstairs for a cup of coffee," I said, straightening up and putting my hand on Donghae's back. I wanted Donghae and his father to have some time alone. "I'll be back in a couple of hours. Is that okay, father?"

"Don't have the cappuccino, it's terrible," warned Donghae's father, his proud smile never wavering.

"I won't," I grinned. I bowed and left the room, watching Donghae lie down next to his father and take his father in his arms out of the corner of my eye.