The words that Leeteuk had just said rang around my ears.

He's asking to see his twelve other sons. He's -

The manager hyung looked perturbed. "But - but your schedules - "

"Hyung! How could you even be thinking about what to do right now?" shouted Eunhyuk.

The manager hyung exhaled loudly and tilted his head back with his eyes closed, clearly torn between granting what could be Donghae's father's last wish and fulfilling his duties as the manager for an idol group. After a while, the manager hyung nodded.

"Okay. Get on the bus. I'll have the bus drive us to Mokpo, and I'll try to sort things out," said the manager hyung, then he opened the front door and rushed downstairs before the rest of us had even had a chance to put our shoes on.

When we got on the bus, the manager hyung was already talking heatedly on his phone. I took the seat behind him as the bus started moving, and although I wasn't trying to listen in on his conversation, I couldn't help but overhear.

"No, sir," the manager hyung was saying into his phone, looking exasperated. "I'm sorry, but the boys - " He was cut off by whoever was on the other line, and he paused for a few seconds to listen.

"I understand where you're coming from, but even if we say we spend just half an hour in Mokpo, we still can't get back by two-thirty." The manager hyung sighed as he listened again. "Look, they'll be there as soon as they can, and as for the consequences, I'll personally take full responsibility." The manager hyung bit his lip. "I know, I'd rather not have to deal with the consequences either, but I have no choice but to - "

The man on the other line then shouted so loudly that I could hear his angry voice out of the manager hyung's phone. The manager hyung gave a sigh of frustration. "Sir, this isn't something I'm negotiating with you. We're already on our way to Mokpo."

He paused, then his eyes widened, and he finally started shouting hotly. "What? Legal action? On what ground? The show's not live, and it's not like we're cancelling without notice! This is an emergency in its own right, and - " He paused again as he glanced at me, realizing that I was watching him. I looked away quickly, but he wasn't fooled. "Okay. Let me deal with this once I get back. I can't do this right now." Then without listening to the response on the other line, he slammed his phone closed. He sighed in frustration again and faced front, but I carefully tapped his shoulder. He turned his head to glare at me so fast that I flinched.

"What?" he snapped, irritated.

"N - never mind," I said, taken aback at his hostility. I shifted back into my seat again, and the manager hyung sighed with his eyes closed. However, when he opened his eyes again, he was looking at me much more softly.

"Okay. Sorry, Kyuhyun. What is it?" he asked.

I hesitated. "I just - I was just going to ask whether you were going to be all right," I said carefully.

"It's fine. I can take care of it," he said, then with an unconvincing smile, he looked away from me and faced front again. I felt a pang of guilt in my chest; the manager hyung was letting us all go to Mokpo knowing that he would be under fire for this, but I didn't know what to do but trust him completely.

We all got off the bus at the same time after the five-hour bus ride to Mokpo, and we had just stepped inside the hospital. Although we received a few blatant stares and a few started filming us on their cell phone cameras, we didn't attract a crowd, much to our relief. We rushed to the fourth floor, where Donghae's father was, and we were about to enter the hallway into Donghae's father's room when a nurse stopped us.

"Excuse me, but it's immediate family-only visitng hours right now," she said, holding up her hands to stop us.

"We are his immediate family," said Leeteuk. The nurse goggled at us.

"All of you?" asked the nurse with widened eyes.

"All of us," confirmed Leeteuk, then we pushed past her and walked towards the room.

Seunghwan hyung had us wait just outside the room and opened the door carefully without knocking. Soon, he came out of the room, accompanied by the doctor that was in the room. We greeted each other with bows, then the doctor spoke cautiously.

"The rest of his family's been able to accept it since they spent the whole week here, but Donghae hasn't been able to come to terms with it yet," he said. "Please try not make it harder for either one of them."

We nodded and the doctor entered the hospital room again, but we didn't enter the room right away; we hesitated at the doorway with the door open. I shifted my body to look into the hospital room above the other members' heads. Donghae was sitting on a chair next to his father's bed, looking tired and spent with his red, blotchy face; his brother and mother were standing by the window, holding each other's hands.

Donghae's father took a few shallow breaths, then let out a groan and he grimaced. Donghae took him by his hands.

"Dad, are you okay?" asked Donghae, worried.

"Let's give him some more morphine," said the doctor empathetically. The nurse made to enter the code into the drip machine, but Donghae roughly pushed her hand away.

"No, don't!" yelled Donghae with a glare. "You said in the morning that you were already giving him the maximum - "

"Donghae, please," said Donghae's father with a small smile. "You don't want me to go in pain, do you?"

"Dad, what are you saying? Don't say things like that," rebuked Donghae. He then turned his head towards the door, then he spotted us standing at the doorway.

"Dad! Dad, look, the members are here!" said Donghae, forcing a smile on his face, but it contorted into a grimace very soon as he tried to keep himself from crying.

Donghae's father turned his head a tiny bit to look at us at the doorway. He saw us, then he smiled an exhausted smile. "I didn't think you would make it," he said. He extended his hands towards us, just like he had done when I visited him last time. All of us walked into the small, white hospital room with the orange sun shining through the window, and stood around his bed. He looked at all of our faces in turn, then turned his head to look at Seunghwan hyung, who was still standing at the doorway.

"Please, come nearer. And thank you so much for letting the boys come. I know they're busy, and you're busier," said Donghae's father. Seunghwan hyung bit down on his lips and walked closer to the bed.

"I feel like I can really go in peace now, now that I've got all of my sons here," he said with a small sigh of relief.

Donghae squeezed his father's hand. "Dad, no, the last performance you saw of us was when we messed up. Dad, no, please."

"I'm so proud of all of you. And I love you even more for making mistakes and pushing through them. I'm so proud of you for what you boys have become."

"I so wanted us to be the perfect sons that you wanted us to be," said Donghae, large teardrops falling on the bed.

"You are perfect. All of you."

Donghae's father then looked at us again in turn. When he saw Leeteuk, he gave a faint smile. "I know things are hard for you, Jungsu, but please take good care of Donghae."

"I will," said Leeteuk, his own face shining with tears. Then he looked at Eunhyuk.

"You'll be the friend he can count on for the rest of his life, right?" he asked. Eunhyuk just nodded and didn't say anything; he was crying too hard. Donghae's father chuckled again and looked at me.

"And Kyuhyun - the maknae," he said, looking at me with the smallest smile. The tear that was welled up in my eye fell. "Understand when Donghae's being like a child. I know he will act like a dongsaeng to you sometimes, so take care of him when he's being that baby," he said. I nodded, and Donghae's father smiled.

"Just looking at all of you boys makes me so proud," he said strenuously. "I'm so glad I could see all of you again."

He struggled to steady his breath for a minute or so, then he looked at Donghae.

"Donghae, aren't you going to say good-bye to me?"

"Dad - dad, no. Dad. Why would I say good-bye? You're going to be fine," whimpered Donghae.

Donghae's father gave a tired chuckle and took Donghae by his hands. "I've been so worried about you since I let you leave for Seoul, but I think I have you in very, very good hands," he said, looking at Seunghwan hyung with the faintest smile. "And I'm so glad, and so, so proud - " he gasped for a breath, then he sighed as he let it out. He then closed his eyes weakly, but Donghae shook him by the arm urgently.

"Dad! No, dad, don't go to sleep. Dad. Please, stay awake with me."

"Donghae, I'm so tired," he said, a small tear rolling down his cheek. "Don't make this hard for us."

At this, Donghae started sobbing. "Dad - "

"Donghae," whispered Seunghwan hyung, putting a hand on Donghae's shoulder. Donghae hit his hand away quickly.

"STOP IT! Stop it. He's my dad," shouted Donghae, glowering at Seunghwan hyung. "He's my dad. He's my - "

Donghae's father smiled again. "I know, Donghae. And you're my most beautiful son." Donghae let out another ragged breath and started shaking.

"Dad, it's not fair, I didn't get to spend as much time with you as I should have. I promise to spend all of my time with you once - "

Donghae's father shook his head. "Donghae, be strong while I'm gone."

"DAD!" yelled Donghae through his tears. "Dad, I'm so sorry. Dad. Please. Not now. I'll drop everything and live with you again. I haven't done anything for you yet, dad. Please."

"You've done... so - " He closed his eyes. "So much."

"Dad - "

"Donghae, say good-bye," he pleaded, opening his eyes again to look at his son.

"No, I won't. Not yet."

"Donghae, I'll be watching. And we'll see each other again."

Donghae bowed his head and got up from his chair to lie down next to his father, and started weeping into his shoulder. Donghae's father sighed.

"Please. I need to - I need to hear it from you, Donghae," he said, his son's head. Another tear rolled down his face.

Donghae bit his lip, and cried silently. After a few minutes and many more tears, Donghae finally grabbed his father's hand and opened his mouth with great difficulty. "I'm going to - I'm going to miss you - so - so much, dad," he said, crying into his father's chest.

Donghae's father let out a relieved breath and looked at his beloved son. Donghae looked up into his father's eyes as well, then cuddled up on the bed closer to his father and hugged him as my heart wrenched.

"I love you," whispered Donghae's father. Donghae gave another sob but he took a deep breath.

"I love you too, dad," said Donghae quietly.

Donghae's father smiled peacefully and wrapped his arm warmly around Donghae's shoulders.

He then let out a long breath and closed his eyes.

*Author's note: I actually had to think a really long while before writing this, because I wasn't sure if this subject should be something that should be touched in a fanfic, especially since this deals with a death that really happened. I really hope I don't offend Donghae, his family, or anyone involved with this should they come across this chapter, in the unlikely event that should occur. I also hope that everyone understands that I realize that death/cancer is not a light topic, and I hope I didn't make it out to be as such.

Also, to Donghae's father - thank you for giving this world such an amazing son, and thank you for all that you have done to make him the inspiring person that he is. R.I.P. <3