Yuri POV

27th-January-2018

"Hey, appa...

I'm sorry I just happened to visit now...

I went into a coma again. But yeah... this time, it didn't take too long for me to wake up. I had to undergo physical therapy to correct my walking, though... And to recover as well..."

The thought had me chuckled bitterly, "Yeah, appa... Again, so many excuses..."

"Siwon has passed away...

I... I didn't manage to end his life but...

Yeah, his own body betrayed him...

At least after all... After everything that happened... Karma still favored our side..."

"You know... He...

He took care of me...

At least, that's how I remember it...

Even just a few months... I... I felt there was something... That... That he truly cared for me and my family...

But, I guess... he may have used the same method as Kim Jongin and Sehun on us, though..."

I chuckled bitterly, "So ridiculous at the end of everything, I still happened to pity him..."

"Appa," Sunkyu said, snapping me out from my thoughts. "Sorry, it took me too long." He went for a restroom break after we visited his younger brother's grave.

"That's okay, son."

He then stared at his late grandfather's tomb. "So this is where halapoji is..."

"Sorry if I happened to just make you come to visit here. It was chaos during the past months."

He chuckled, "Appa, you are thinking too much... We can visit this place anytime, you know."

"Yeah... I guess the incident has triggered my weirdness lately..." I redirected back to the tomb. "Appa, I haven't gotten to introduce him to you, yet. This is Sunkyu, your first grandson."

"Hi halapoji." Sunkyu said.

"He's turning 16 this year." I chuckled bitterly. "Too bad, you weren't able to see him...

But yeah, you're already with your second grandson, anyway... At least... At least you won't be alone there..."

Kyungsan...

The thought of what he did to my second son had me in burning rage again.

Pity.

That Siwon doesn't deserve any.

pity.

"Appa, are you okay?" Sunkyu asked.

I faked a smile as I looked back at him, "Yeah, I'm okay."

"It looks like you are not, though..."

I stared back at my father's grave.

Sunkyu uttered, "Appa..."

...

"What's going on?"

"Nothing, Kyu. Nothing..."

"That doesn't sound nothing to me, though."

...

"Is Siwon getting into your head again?"

...

He sighed deeply, "I know it's something you cannot forget easily but... Appa, don't let it consume you completely."

"All those innocent people he killed... Rap, your Aunt Hara, your Aunt Sunny... He destroyed your mom for years... He killed your grandfather... He butchered your brother, Kyu..."

...

"Tell me, how can I not be consumed by that?"

...

...

"I don't know... All I just think of now is... it's all over..." he uttered.

...

...

"You're right..." I sighed deeply. "I shouldn't let him occupy my mind anymore. It's all over..."

"Appa..."

"Yeah...?"

"Umma is really worried about you."

"..."

"You've been acting like this since you woke up."

"I'm sorry... I just... I don't know... Probably, it's the stress about everything. It still hasn't left..."

"Appa... It's alright. I understand. Just... remember we are still here... for you. Umma and I."

"..."

"It's all over, appa." He smiled. "We are now free."

"Right..."

And the long moment of silence seeped in. We both just happened to stare at his grandfather's grave.

"Why are you, father and son, in here?" someone said. You know who it is... It's my younger brother, Yoong. He stood beside me. He seemed to be so drunk again. He asked, "Why is Tiffany not with you two?"

Sunkyu answered, "Umma's attending to the soon-to-be bride's errands. Hi, by the way, Yoong-appa."

"Pfft. Attending to the bride-to-be, my ." He pulled out a flask and drank its contents in one straight.

"You are back to your vices again, huh?" I interrogated.

"Shut up, Hyung. Just let me be." He then shouted at father's grave. "Hey you, old man. Don't freaking tell me you are freaking like Yuri-hyung when you were still ing alive? Are you also so ing nosy and grumpy?"

"He's more of you." I said.

"Pfft. Liar."

"I am not lying. He's more of you than me."

"Well, whatever..." He chuckled bitterly. "How will I know if you are lying, anyway? I never really got a chance to get to know him. It was only that time I saw him at your house dancing weirdly. And also some of the times he's bringing me packed lunch boxes at school."

"He did?"

"Yeah. He was that weird guy who always gives me food. Sometimes when I refused, he gave me money instead. Though that time, I reported him to the school administration. He was creeping me out."

"Hmmm... So, appa always knew..."

"Huh?"

"Well... judging when he saw us together, I guess he really knew. Right... probably..."

"Hyung, this conversation's getting more and more stupid. I don't get what you are ing talking about. I guess even your son too."

Sunkyu said, "I did not get any of what you two are spatting about since you started talking, Yoong-appa."

I sighed loudly, "Alright, whatever. " I looked at Yoong intently and repeated my question, "Yah, you. Are you really back on your vice again?"

"This is just liquor, hyung!"

"No. I meant... the other one."

"No! No way, hyung! Aissshhh. Why are you bringing up the past again?!"

"Err-- what is it?" Sunkyu asked us.

I answered back, "It's not something you should meddle with."

"Sunkyu's already old enough to know." Yoong butted then quickly told him. "I did drugs before. Like really did bad, evil, illegal drugs since I was fourteen."

A formidable shock drew on my son's face. Yoong continued on his explanation to Sunkyu, "I did that because I was so depressed. I heard the news a year before that your ing father right here just died from a car accident. I then heard the news your mother died of childbirth too. They were my best, best friends when I was young, you know. And that thought had me killed... thinking I am the cause why they both died." He looked away then stared at our father's grave. "That's why when I returned here in Korea after those incidents, I tried that vice. I drowned myself on drugs and women in my early teen years without my parents knowing about it."

Sunkyu then asked, "So, the illegal drugs... were you still drowned on those during the time you almost killed Yuri-appa on that encounter? I mean, when you almost shot him?"

"The gun incident? Yep. That's actually when I realized I am going to far deep down in my life... so I decided to stop and went to rehab, to a shrink. But, it was just only a phase of my life... It will never happen again. Don't end up like me, Sunkyu, okay? You have no reason to."

"I won't, Yoong-appa. I promise."

"And stop calling me appa! Geesh."

My son then teased, "Why? You are my second-appa. Jessica-umma's my second-umma. It just makes sense."

"Pfft. Don't ever say her name in front of me like ever again or I'll kill you. You'll be occupying that space beside your grandfather in no time."

"Yah." I complained. "Are you freaking threatening my son right now?"

"Oh, yes I am!"

"You are a ing idiot, Yoong."

"Call me an idiot, whatever you want! Just don't ing say that name on me like ever!"

I sighed and redirected, "Why are you here, anyway?"

"Wow. Don't I have a right to be here?"

"I am serious. You always brood on my empty grave before. Now, you're here?"

"Aiishhh-hyung, are you stupid? You just said it's empty and you told me before how ridiculous I was when you saw me there. Now, you're questioning why I'm here?! Seriously, hyung. Did the gas leak from Siwon's building got into your head and you are asking stupid things?"

"That's not what I meant, you idiot. What I meant is why are you here brooding?"

"You are so ty ed up, hyung! You know what my problem is!" He pulled out a severely dirtied and torn wedding invitation.

"Have you opened that invitation, Yoong-appa?" Sunkyu asked him.

"What's the point of doing that when I already know the content?!"

I uttered, "To admit to yourself that you already lost the battle."

Sunkyu added, "Yup. Appa's right. Opening that invitation symbolizes you are finally moving on."

"The heck." He suddenly pulled out a lighter and started burning the invitation. "This. This is what I'm gonna do that's why I'm here." He then redirected to our father's grave, "See this, father? This is for both of us. For those exes who decided to be with someone else and leave us heartbroken. Screw them all, right? Now, I get what hyung just said earlier. You are more of me. We have the same fate in love."

"That isn't really what I meant why I said that." I butted.

Yet, he ignored me. He sighed loudly as he continued, "Now, what comes after? Settle down with someone not so good..."

"Yah!" I shouted. "You're making it sound like my mother's not a great choice for appa!"

"Well, isn't she?! Aunt Elise is by far the better choice. No, far most, the best choice. And for the record, hyung, my mom is even a better choice than yours."

"You pesky whining brat--!" I almost had him on a headlock. Lucky for him, my son decided to get in between us.

"This is enough!" Sunkyu shouted. "Both of you, really. Aissshhh... Is there ever a time when both of you aren't fighting?"

"He started it!" Yoong shouted.

"What?! You did!" I answered back. "Who the are you to disrespect my mom like that?!"

"I am your father's illegitimate son, !"

Then, out of his frustration, Sunkyu sighed in defeat, "Alright. I quit. Both of you kill each other, the hell I care. Appa, I'm heading back to the car." He tapped my shoulder then left the place. His walk-out stunt did stop us successfully from arguing, though.

"Your son is as grumpy as you." Yoong said at me.

"Who wouldn't become grumpy with you acting so childish like that?"

"Deal with it, hyung." He stared back at our father's grave. "Give me this moment, at least. This will last for probably a week. I just have to let my heart whine and whine until it no longer wants to."

"Fine..."

He sighed loudly, "Life sure is very cruel on me."

"Why?"

"I never had a chance to bond with my real dad... All the women I love left me for my best friends. And here I am now. Alone."

I didn't respond and just sighed.

"Tell me, hyung. Am I lucky?" he asked.

"You are. Your life isn't as ed up as mine."

"Oh, really, huh? You got Fany-yah and your happily ever after. How could that be ed up?"

"It's still ed up."

He then sighed, "Alright... Our lives both ed up..."

...

...

...

"Tell me, Hyung."

"Yeah?"

"Why are you still brooding here?"

"I just... I just thought it's unfortunate for appa because he's going to miss out on Jessica's wedding. I want to say sorry to him about it. And also, it's been months since I last visited his grave."

"Err--- I am lost."

"Jessica is his goddaughter."

"Oh. Got it."

"..."

"Why you never told me that?"

"It has been rough months for both of us, Yoong. The fact slipped off my mind."

"I see... Right. Fair point."

"..."

"Please share things about dad. I... I want to get to know him more."

I smiled at him. I rested my hand on his shoulder. "I will. I promise."

He smiled back. "Thanks, hyung." We both stared back at our father's grave. "Anyway, hyung. Don't feel so guilty. Everything was not your fault. You were just caught in between."

"Really, huh?"

"Yes. Even if you decided not to run away with Tiffany back then, this would still happen. Dad will still die on the hands of Siwon."

"..."

"That's how destiny works, I think."

"So, you are saying, we can never really escape fate?"

"Yes. It's the same with my situation now. No matter how many times Jessica and I get back together, we will always end up in separate ways. That's because we aren't really fated to each other."

I sighed deeply, "You and your Jessica obsession."

"Just let me be with my liquor best friends for a while, hyung. This is the only way for me to cope up."

"Fine. Do whatever you want."

"Thanks."

Just in time, I got a message from Sooyoung. I told my brother, "Let's go to the Hwang manor. Taeyeon just arrived there."

---

"Taeyeon!" I said as we arrived at the central living hall of the manor. He stood up and almost ran to hug me.

"I miss you so much, man." he said.

"I miss you too, bro. Welcome to the Outside World."

"Yeah. Thanks! It will only be three days but I know it will be worth it!"

"Hi, hyung!" Sunkyu greeted.

"Sunkyu!" Taeyeon called back. The latter hugged the former so tightly. "You've grown so much!"

"Yah, hyung! You've just been imprisoned for a few months."

He