[A/N]: Long chapter warning. Well, it's long to me. TeeHee :) Enjoy reading!

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Chanri walked along the school hallways, on her way home. The school was empty since it was late.

She had to stay in school to study for her upcoming tests. She needed to score well in order to keep her scholarship. She and her brother, Chanyeol, were two students who were struggling to make ends meet. Their parents had passed away suddenly due to a tragic accident.

The siblings had spent much money on preparing the funeral for their parents. Chanyeol was working as a part time instrument teacher, but he doesn’t earn much. So Chanri had to balance her studies and working part time as a cleaner at a restaurant.

Chanri was about to exit the school when she heard a piano playing and someone singing.

Don’t hesitate another minute please take away my heart
Yes, the sharper the better, the night that even the moon has closed her eyes
If it were any other man, if it were a single verse taken from a comedy
Burn all the scars you’ve exchanged for that love

Chanri clutched her books tighter and went to see who was singing. She followed the source of the sound to the music room.

She looked through the window of the music room. She saw a guy playing the piano and singing. He was too immersed in playing that he didn’t realise Chanri watching him.

He played the piano and sang.

Baby don’t cry tonight after the darkness passes
Baby don’t cry tonight it’ll become as if it never happened
You’re not the one to disappear into foam, something you never should’ve known
So Baby don’t cry cry my love will protect you
 

Chanri stared at him in awe. She noticed that he had beautiful hands. She looked at hers, all wrinkly from all the cleaning at her part time job. She sighed inwardly. She saw how his fingers pressed each key beautifully, how graceful he was.

She could not see his face as his back was facing her. She felt very calm yet sad as she listened to him sing.

Just then her head started throbbing and her chest started hurting. She dropped her books and clutched her head and chest as she started coughing non-stop.

The guy in the music room heard her books drop and immediately stop playing. He looked outside and saw that Chanri was coughing. He went to hide inside the empty room in the music room.

Chanri crouched on the floor as she took out a tissue from her pocket and cover . Her head started throbbing more as she coughed harder. Her coughs finally came to a stop and her head was no longer throbbing. She looked at the tissue.

She sighed and grabbed her books from the floor. She looked into the music room, realising the music had stopped. The room was empty. She entered the room and sat on the seat in front of the piano. She placed her books beside her. She started playing the piano and sang what she heard the guy played before.

Baby don’t cry tonight after the darkness passes
Baby don’t cry tonight it’ll become as if it never happened
You’re not the one to disappear into foam, something you never should’ve known
So Baby don’t cry cry my love will protect you

She stopped as she coughed again. She covered with the tissue and coughed into it. She stopped coughing and looked at the tissue.

She sighed again, grabbed her books and left the room. She threw the tissue away into the dustbin in the music room and walked home.

The guy saw what happened from the empty room. He exited the empty room after waiting for a few minutes after Chanri left. He sat in front of the piano and thought of what he saw. He saw how sad Chanri was when she looked at the tissue.

He went to the dustbin that she threw her tissue in. He looked at what was inside it. He gasped as he realised why Chanri was coughing so hard and why she was so sad.

He left the room, feeling sad for Chanri. As he made his way back home, he kept on thinking on what he saw in the dustbin.

He saw a tissue, stained with a lot of blood.

……

-Two months later-

“Yeol oppa!” She greeted her brother when she saw him arrive home. She went to hug him tightly.

Chanyeol chuckled and ruffled her hair. “Hi my dongsaeng!”

Chanri let go of the hug and went to cook ramen for her brother while he went to shower and changed to comfortable clothes.

She placed the bowl of ramen on the table as Chanyeol sat down. He took a bite of the ramen. Chanri looked at him, anticipating of how her brother thought of her ramen. He smiled and gave her a thumbs up.

“Do you want some?” Chanyeol asked her.

She shook her head. “No. I cooked this for you. I also have no appetite. I need to study for my upcoming tests, oppa. Good night.”

Chanyeol nodded. “Good night. Don’t tire yourself too much, ok?”

She nodded and went to her room to study.

Chanyeol looked at his sister’s back worryingly.  He noticed how skinny she was and that she had no appetite lately. He also noticed that she has been having fevers and coughing a lot often. He would ask her whether she wanted to see a doctor but she would always reject, saying that it would be a waste of money and that it was just a cold.

He heard coughing coming from his sister’s room. He sighed as he continued eating. He washed up his dishes after eating. He went to check on Chanri on his way to his room.

He knocked on her door, waiting for her ‘come in’. But it never came. He opened the door slowly, thinking that she was probably sleeping.

“Chanri!” He opened the door fully and rushed to his sister’s side. Chanri was laying on the bed with a tissue in her head, her eyes closed. Chanyeol shook her body, trying to wake her up. “Chanri-ah! Wake up!”

He saw blood on the tissue in her hands and immediately carried her bridal style. He ran to the hospital nearby. “Help! My sister coughed out blood and she fainted.”

Nurses immediately came to his side, pushing a bed towards him. He placed Chanri’s body on it and followed the nurses that were pushing it towards the Emergency room.

A nurse stopped Chanyeol from entering. “Sir, please wait outside.”

He watched nurses and doctors rushing into the room. He sat down on the seats and prayed that Chanri would be alright.

After a few hours, the light went offed. He stood up as the doctor exited the room. “Are you related to the Chanri-ssi?”

“Yes. I’m her brother. How is she? Is she alright?” Chanyeol asked.

The doctor hesitated a little before replying. “Yes, she’s alright. But…” The doctor paused a while, thinking whether to say it.

“But what?” Chanyeol asked, eager to know.

“I’m sorry. She has leukaemia and it’s at the final stage.” The doctor said.

Chanyeol heart stopped for a moment, hearing the news. “H-how long does she ha-have?” He stammered, tears in his eyes. He held his tears in.

The doctor sighed. “Around 6 months. I’m sorry. You should spent more time with her. Treasure the moment.” The doctor patted Chanyeol’s arm and left.

Chanyeol took a seat and he cried. He cried that his sister, his only kin, was dying and only had 6 months to live.

A nurse called him to fill up the form for his sister. He went to the counter and filled up. “What room is my sister in?” He asked, wiping his tears away.

The nurse told him the room number and he immediately went to the room.

He arrived outside the room. He placed a hand on the door handle, debating whether to open the door. He wanted to see how his sister was, whether she was alright. But at the same time, he was scared that he would cry his eyes out when he sees how weak his sister would look.

He gathered up his courage and opened the door. He was greeted with dull grey walls; there was no colour in the room. He looked at his sister that was laying on the bed, her eyes closed. The sight of his sister like that broke his heart. He felt tears falling down his cheeks. He wiped his tears away and asked the nurse who was in the room, how was Chanri.

The nurse told him that Chanri was given some doses, so she was sleeping and that she would wake up around after 1 hour. He thanked the nurse and the nurse left the room, leaving only Chanyeol and Chanri alone.

He took the seat beside the bed and clasped Chanri’s hand. “Why? You knew, didn’t you? Why didn’t you tell me? We could have prevented this.” He said as his tears fell.

He pushed back Chanri’s hair that was covering her face. He stared at her before leaning down to kiss her forehead. “Oppa will do anything for you to be happy from now on.” He whispered.

He placed his head on the bed and closed his eyes, falling asleep.

……

Chanri’s eyes opened slowly. She squinted her eyes and looked around the unfamiliar surroundings. She noticed that it was dark outside. ‘Probably night time.’ She thought as she rubbed her head when she felt her head throbbing lightly.

She tried sitting up causing her bed to move a little. Chanyeol woke up from the movements. He rubbed his eyes. Chanri chuckled when she saw her brother yawned.

Chanyeol immediately widened his eyes and was fully awake when he saw his sister awake. “Oh! You’re awake.”

“Yeah. Did I disturb you?” She asked as Chanyeol helped her sit up.

“No.” He passed her a cup of water he just poured. She drank the water and passed the cup back to him. He placed the cup on the table beside the bed. He flicked her forehead.

Chanri rubbed her forehead. “Ouch! What was that for?”

“That’s for not telling me that you were sick, lying to me that it was just a cold.” He mimicked how Chanri told him that it was a cold.

Chanri looked down. “Sorry. I didn’t want to worry you. You already have enough trouble.”

Chanyeol’s eyes soften. “I can ignore all the troubles for you. You’re my only kin. What would I do without you…”

“Uh… How long do I have?” She asked softly, bracing herself for the answer.

Chanyeol gulped. “6 months…”

Chanri nodded her head. “Oh…” Silence engulfed the room. “Well, I’m going to live life fully now.” She smiled cheerfully.

“Don’t worry. Oppa will do anything for you to be happy from now on.” Chanyeol smiled comfortingly at her.

Chanri hugged her brother. He hugged her back and patted her back. Chanri had been keeping her tears in after she heard that she had 6 months left. She finally let the tears fall when she hugged her brother.

She cried in her brother’s arms. Chanyeol too, had tears in his eyes that were threatening to fall. But he couldn’t cry. He had to stay strong for his sister so his sister wouldn’t worry about him anymore.

Chanri’s cries stopped after a few minutes. Chanyeol looked at his sister and saw that she was already asleep. He chuckled and carefully laid his sister down on the bed. He slept at the couch in the room.

……

The next morning, Chanyeol woke up earlier than Chanri. He freshen up himself. He went to buy breakfast for her since he knew how awful hospital food tasted like.

He placed the food on the table and woke Chanri up.

Chanri thanked him and ate. She ate finished and realised that Chanyeol should be at his part time job.

“Oppa, shouldn’t you be working?”

“Yeah. But I need to take care of you so I took leave.”

“No need to. I can take care of myself. Go for your job.” Chanri tried persuading her brother.

Chanyeol shook his head profusely. Chanri showed him her puppy eyes as she kept on persuading him, knowing he could not resist her puppy eyes.

“Aish. Fine. I’ll go. If there’s anything you need, ask the nurse to call me, ok?”

Chanri nodded her head and waved goodbye to her brother as she watched him left the room, but not before ruffling her hair.

Chanri looked around the room and saw that she was the only patient in the room.

She looked at the table beside her bed and saw that there were books on the table. She picked one up and started reading it.

……

“Hello hyung.” Chanyeol entered the building he worked at.

“Chanyeol? I thought you said you couldn’t come.” Suho stood up from his seat.

“My sister persuaded me into coming for work.” Chanyeol sat down.

Suho poured him a cup of water and passed to Chanyeol. “How’s your sister?”

“She has leukaemia.” Chanyeol replied, blankly.

“I’m sorry to hear that.” Suho patted his back comfortingly.