Cheondoong shifted the flowers in his arms as the bus rumbled to a stop in front of the hospital.  Stepping down, he took a deep breath and made his way through the doors and up the stairs.

It’d been nearly three months since he’d last visited his sister.  His schedule had been too packed for him to find enough time to visit and the guilt was killing him.  Although his sister’s condition hadn’t changed, he still felt horrible for not being a good brother.

As he walked down the hall, he nodded towards a nearby nurse who was looking at him with a shy smile.  Continuing on, Cheondoong noticed a few more nurses standing in a huddle looking at him and whispering.  As he approached them, they giggled and nodded at him.  Perplexed by their behaviour, Cheondoong nodded back in response and kept walking.  As he neared his sister’s hospital room, Cheondoong noticed the same strange behaviour several times.  Confused, he walked past a window and checked his reflection.

Quickly, he checked to make sure his zipper wasn’t open or that he didn’t have anything stuck anywhere embarrassing.  Finding no signs of peculiarity, he wondered if it was his own good looks.  After mentally rolling his eyes at himself, he continued his way towards the room.

In the months that he had spent at KTA, it was true that he had cleaned up quite a bit.  His hair was much shorter than it used to be and was often styled by a stylist before he went anywhere in public.  Although he had yet to debut, he had heard from his trainer that there was already an excited buzz about the new trainees that Hyunsik had brought to the fundraiser.  

Deciding that it was his dashing good looks that was causing all these stares, he grinned to himself and entered Dara’s room.  He vaguely wondered if his looks had the same effect on Soyun…

He was jolted out of his thoughts as he noticed someone standing over Dara’s bedside.  It was an older woman and her back was facing him.  Alarmed, Cheondoong let the door close behind him with a loud click.  The woman swung around as if startled out of her own thoughts and whirled around to look at him with wide eyes.

Cheondoong felt the flowers slip from his hands as he stared into the misty eyes of his mother… or rather, what was left of her.  Since the last time he saw her nearly nine months ago, she had lost so much weight that her cheeks, once plump, had become sunken in.  Her eyes were rimmed with red and her dark circles were more pronounced than ever.  Her clothes hung on her like they would on a hanger and she seemed to become lost in them.

A moment of stunned silence passed as the two stared at each other.  His mother stared back at him with equal shock as she took in his appearance.  Her lips trembled as her face crumpled.

“Ch… Cheondoong-ah,” she murmured as she took a step towards him, “You… you’ve changed so much…”

Clenching his jaw, Cheondoong leaned down and picked up the flowers before walking by her and circling to the other side of Dara’s bed.  Without looking at her, he unwrapped the flowers and placed them in the empty vase.

“Why are you here?” he asked, his voice tight.  He crumpled the bouquet wrappings in his hands.

“I’m… I’m sorry,” his mother said, her voice cracking as she gripped the hem of her shirt, “I’m so sorry-”

“Why,” Cheondoong interrupted, his voice quietly dangerous, “Are you here?”  He looked at her with what he hoped was cold eyes as he balled his hands into fists.  

His mother fell silent briefly before she turned her gaze to Dara.  Her lip trembled as she tried to piece her words together.  “I… I wanted to see her,” she whispered, “I should have come sooner…”

Cheondoong watched as she reached out to touch Dara’s face.  He felt a flare of anger and slammed the bouquet wrapping into the nightstand.  His mother jumped in response and retracted her hand quickly as she looked at him with terrified eyes.

“You saw her.  Now leave,” he said shortly as he grabbed the vase.  Walking around the bed, he made to leave when he was suddenly stopped by his mother’s weak grip.  He turned in surprise as she pulled on his arm.

“Please, Cheondoong-ah,” she said with a quivering voice, “I’m so sorry.  Please…”

Cheondoong tried to shake her off but she held on with a tight grip.  He felt both anger and sadness as he looked at the pitiful but hateful woman hanging on his arm.  “What…” he said, his tone of voice softer than intended, “What do you want?”

His mother let out a shaky breath as her grip on his arm loosened.  “I missed her so much,” she murmured as hot tears spilled down her cheeks, “I missed my daughter-”

Cheondoong felt his irritation spike as she said those words.  Missed her daughter?  Then where the hell was she for all these months?  And did she forget that she was the one that put Dara in the hospital?  Had she forgotten that it was her who called Dara home that night?  And had she forgotten that she was the one that planned this murder with Jang Daeho?

“Cut your bull,” he hissed, pulling his arms away as he narrowed his eyes at her, “She’s not your daughter and I’m not your son.  Take your pity party elsewhere, you murderer.”  He felt fury bubble in his chest as he spat those words at her.

His mother’s eyes widened and dropped in horror as she collapsed to her knees.  “No!” she wailed, covering her face with her hands as she sobbed on the floor, “No!  It’s not like that, Doong-ah.  I never… it wasn’t supposed to be this way…”  She broke off as her shoulders shook with sobs.

Disgusted by her fake tears, Cheondoong turned to leave but was stopped as his mother threw her arms around his leg.

“Please, Doong-ah,” she said, hiccupping as her chest heaved, “Please let me explain!  It isn’t what you think!  I never wanted this to happen to Dara!  He tricked me!  Please, Doong-ah!”  She cried heavily as she clung onto his jeans.  Her thin and frail body was without any weight as he tried to shake her off.  “Please,” she sobbed, “Please don’t abandon me…”

Letting out a shaky breath, Cheondoong gripped the vase in his hands as his stomach twisted with emotion.  When his sister had been conscious, she had tried so very hard to maintain a relationship with their mother.  But all Cheondoong wanted now was for this woman to disappear from his sight forever.  But… what would his sister do?  What would Dara do if she knew her mother came to see her?  Would she be like before and try to convince their mother to turn herself in?  Or would she feel the same fury and disgust that now coursed through Cheondoong’s veins?

After a long moment of silence, his mother’s sobs quieted as she tried to catch her breath.  Against better judgement, Cheondoong looked down at her and asked, “Why are you really here?  Do you want money?  Or forgiveness?  Because we can’t give you either right now.”

His mother wiped her eyes and released his leg.  Standing up like a newborn calf, she sniffled and looked at him through tear stained eyelashes.  “I’m not here for money.  And I know,” she said softly, “I will never be forgiven for what I’ve done… to the both of you, and to Lee Joon.”

Cheondoong clenched his jaw and waited in silence as she wiped her face again and continued.  Part of him didn’t want to know why she had suddenly appeared in front of them after nearly nine months of absence.  Part of him wanted to take her by the arm and throw her out of the hospital room.  Instead, he did what Dara would have done and waited for her to speak.

“I… I’ll be leaving soon,” she said quietly, her gaze falling to the floor, “I wanted… to have dinner with you one last time.”  Looking back up at him, she searched his face with her own hopeful expression.

“Leaving?” Cheondoong repeated, laughing bitterly, “So leave.  I don’t care where you go, just… go.  If my sister were conscious, she’d beg you to turn yourself in.  But I won’t.”  He took a deep breath and shifted the flowers in his arms.  “I won’t ask you because I know you’ll never do it,” he said quietly, “So just… leave.”

His mother’s fell silent as she gazed at him.  The hope faded from her eyes as she grabbed the bottom of her shirt and clenched her hands into fists.  “If I agree to turn myself in,” she whispered, “Will you come home and have dinner with me?”

Cheondoong looked at her with surprise.  Was she being serious?  Or… was this another trick?  Like she had tricked Dara into returning home the night of the accident, did she plan on doing something similar to him as well?  What was she planning?

“I know what you’re thinking,” she said, looking at him with a sad smile, “I’m not planning anything.  I just… want one last dinner with my son.”  She took a step towards him and begged, “Please, Doong-ah…”

“I can’t trust you,” Cheondoong said, taking a step back and looking at her through narrowed eyes, “There’s no reason for me to trust you.”

His mother’s face crumpled briefly before she regained her composure.  With trembling lips, she nodded and said, “You’re right.  You’re right…”  With a shaky breath, she mustered a smile onto her worn face and said, “It was good to see you again… Dara too.  When she wakes up, please tell her I love her.”  With that, she wiped her face and headed for the door.

As she turned her back to him, Cheondoong suddenly felt the urge to grab a hold of her shirt.  The child within wanted to reach out and tug on his mother’s arm.  The child in him wanted to cry for his only living parent not to leave them.  She was all they had left.  And although she didn’t deserve to be their mother, she was still the only living relative they had left.

“Wait,” Cheondoong blurted out as she grabbed the door handle.  The call surprised the both of them as his mother turned back to look at him with shock.  Unsure of what to say, Cheondoong just stared at her as she looked back at him with a glimmer of hope.

“Doong-ah,” she whispered as she waited.  Her hands shook as clutched her shirt.

“You…” Cheondoong said, his heart pounding in his chest, “You swear on your life that you will turn yourself in… and I’ll… come have dinner.”  His mind raced with doubts but his heart prayed his mother was being sincere.

“I will,” she nodded quickly, her eyes b with tears again as she took a step forward, “I promise… I swear on my life that I will turn myself in.  If that means I can start over with the two of you, I will.  I’ll do it.”

Cheondoong watched as hope filled her expression.  She looked as if she wanted to close the distance between then and pull him into a hug.  Instead, she straightened her back and smiled at him as she said, “Thank you, Doong-ah, for giving me one last chance.  I won’t let you down again.”

“I won’t tell you when I’ll come,” Cheondoong said, still wary, “I’ll just… show up one day for dinner.  If you’re not okay with that-”

“No,” she said, shaking her head, “That’s perfectly fine.  Come any time; I’m fine with any time.”  She smiled and exhaled shakily.

Cheondoong searched her eyes for any sign of a lie.  He avoided scheduling a date in advance to protect himself in case she really was planning something again with Jang Daeho.  This way, she would have no idea when he would come… it was all he could think of to protect himself at the moment.  

“Then,” she said with a hopeful smile, “I’ll go on ahead.”  With one last look at Dara, she left the room and closed the door behind her quietly.  

Cheondoong stood rooted to the spot as he gazed at the hospital door.  Exhaling, he leaned against the wall and closed his eyes.  The flowers in his arms suddenly felt as if it weighed a ton.  His legs wobbled and he slid down to a seat against the wall.  Closing his eyes, he waited for his heart rate to return to normal.  

Had he done the right thing?  Should he have just let her walk away?  What was the best for Dara and himself?  Did he just jump head first into trouble?  Was his mother really being sincere?  Or was all of this another scheme?  

Cheondoong opened his eyes and gazed at his sister’s bed.  He didn’t know the answers to any of those questions swimming around in his head.  But he did know that… it was what Dara would have done.

Soyun sat across the study table as she gazed at Changwook.  The boy was focused on his studies that his brows were furrowed into a small frown as he read the math problem again.  Biting her pen cap, Soyun wondered how she could bring up the subject of inviting Cheondoong and Lee Joon to dinner without raising Changwook’s suspicious.  The boy was exceptionally smart; he would probably sniff out her ulterior motive in a heartbeat.

“I know I’m handsome but stop staring,” Changwook scowled at her as he looked up at her, “I’m not interested in old women like you.”

Soyun kicked him under the table as she raised her hand.  “Who are you calling old?” she retorted, as Changwook winced from the kick.  She watched as Changwook returned her kick with a glare before returning to his math problem.  “Changwook-ah,” Soyun said, leaning forward, “Do you miss Cheondoong?”

Changwook looked up at the mention of his name, suddenly interested.  “Why…?” he asked slowly, setting the book down.

“Do you want to invite him out for dinner?” Soyun asked lightly, hoping she wasn’t being too suspicious.

“Really?” Changwook asked, forgetting his suspicions.  His eyes lit up as he looked at her with excitement.  “Today?” he asked, “Can we do that?”

“If you want to,” Soyun said, nodding.  

Changwook bounced in his chair with excitement before his face suddenly turned suspicious again.  His smile disappeared as his lips curled into a suspicious smirk.  “What are you planning?” he asked, narrowing his eyes and placing his pen on his upper lip.  Balancing it skillfully, he asked, “Do you miss Cheondoong-hyung?”

Soyun blinked in surprise at the question.  She felt a blush creep up her neck as Changwook wiggled his eyebrows at her.  He grinned like a cat as he looked at her sideways through evil eyes.

“Wrong,” she said, making a face, “I’m actually interested in a friend of his.”  She mentally kicked herself for letting the kid bring out her inner immaturity.

To her surprise, Changwook sat up with an outraged expression on his face.  “What’s wrong with Cheondoong-hyung?” he asked, his eyes wide and his lips pursed together, “And what friend?  Have you been hanging out with him without me?”

“No, shh,” Soyun said in exasperation as she glanced at the door.  If he was any louder, the whole house would hear them.  Although the Lee estate was big, you never knew when one of the maids might pass by the library…  “I haven’t,” she snapped, “I met him at the fundraiser.  You did too, remember?”

“Who…?” Changwook asked, cocking his head to one side in confusion.  

“Lee Joon,” Soyun whispered, “The good looking guy that was standing to Cheondoong’s left.”

Changwook furrowed his brows as he looked at her.  He clearly didn’t remember anybody else from the fundraiser other than Cheondoong.

“Anyway,” Soyun said, rolling her eyes, “I was thinking we could invite him to dinner too.”  She waited as Changwook gave the idea some thought.

He frowned and said, “I thought you liked Cheondoong-hyung.”  He sighed and shook his head.  “I think Cheondoong-hyung’s better,” he said dramatically, “And way more handsome.”

“Yes but I like Lee Joon,” she said, “So help me out?”

Changwook shook his head stubbornly and picked up the math book again.  “Why should I help you?” he asked, “Not interested.”

Soyun sighed irritably.  This little brat… A light bulb suddenly went off in her head.  Scooting closer to the table, she leaned in and asked, “You know how you always complain that I’m interrupting your time with your Doong-hyung?  Well if you help me, you get him all to yourself.”

Changwook peered at her through the top of the math book with suspicion.  “What do you mean?” he asked, clearly interested.

“Help me invite the two of them out for dinner, and then you lure Cheondoong away for a while.  That way, I get to have some alone time with Lee Joon and you get to hang out with your hyung all by yourself,” Soyun suggested, raising her eyebrows excitedly.  She just hoped he’d bite…

After a brief moment of contemplation, Changwook held out a hand with a wide smile on his face.  “Deal,” he said firmly.

Giddy, Soyun shook his hands and waved him closer.  This was going to work!  She would get a chance to question Lee Joon without raising any suspicions!  “Great,” she said, lowering her voice, “Now… here’s what we’re going to do…”

Author's notes: 

Been a few days!  I found out that the past six chapters I had typed didn't save properly in the word document.  Thus, I had to re-type my story plan and copy back the chapters I'd posted on AFF.  I was seriously irritated for a few days which is why there was no updates LOL.  But here's another twist in this neverending cycle of twists and turns!  XD  Thanks for reading and stay tuned!