Flashback - Japan, the end of summer. Before it all happens

"kaa-san, is it okay if i take temporary leave from Todai?" Ody asks her mom

"..."

"onegaishimasu.. (please)" she begs

"Why dear? you told me before that you want to focus on school only so you could graduate as soon as possible. why would you take a temporary leave?" her mom stares at her seriously. Never once crossed her mind that her daughter wants a temporary leave. As far as she knows, Ody is really diligent towards her study

"I want to go back to the states" Ody tells the truth.

"What..? Why..?" It brings her to surprise. As a mom, never once she heard that Ody ever wants to go back to the states. After Ody came back home from her exchange program, never once she said she wanted to go back to the states, despite the fact that she knows, Ody definitely misses her host family. Her mom knows exactly how it feels, she also misses Jinhwan, her exchange son.

Ody takes a deep breath, "I want to see my host family. I don't know when will I be able to see them again.."

Her mom stiffens to what her daughter has said. Has something happened?  But Ody would definitely tell her if something happened.

"Ody.." she says

"onegaishimasu kaa-san. Atashi mo, otou-san to nee-chan ga mitai.. Hontou ni akogare.." ody adds

Translation : “Please mom. I also want to see dad and big sis, I miss them so much”

It's really rare that Ody makes a request like this. To see her host family, her dad and her sister in one statement? This is unusual. She usually is a good girl, never nags about wanting to see either her dad or her sister who are both busy working abroad.

"do you miss them badly?" her mom asks.

"hai..(yes)" she answers.

I want to see them before it's all too late, she thought.

"I’m gonna make flight reservation to you. United States - Switzerland - South Korea?" her mom grabs her laptop.

Ody's face lights up with smile.

"hontou ni..? Kaa-san! Arigatou gozaimasu" she hugs her mom

"but promise me dear, call me in case you need anything."

"I will, Shinpai shinaide kaa-san" she snuggles to her mom's arm.

"promise me, you'll come back here" she stares at her daughter's eyes. There's something that Ody hides there.

"un" she nods.

Ody flips the calendar on her night table once again. A week from now, she will fly to the States, spend three weeks with her host family. Then she will fly to Switzerland to see her beloved dad, it's definitely been a half year since the last Christmas she saw him. And a month after that, South Korea. She wonders how her sister is doing in South Korea. She smiles imagining all the possible things she can do with her sister. She has two months in South Korea.

She sighs, will she able to do all of this?

She opens the first drawer on her night stand. One big envelope with 'Complete Blood Count (CBC)' is written on it.

She gulps, she can feel her tears are in the edge of her eyes.

She is a medical student, she learns all about human body and anatomy and disease and what's not. She knows there is something wrong with herself. She's been diagnosed with anemic long long time ago. But it just gets worse. She sweats during the night, she lost weight, she gets tired way too fast, sometimes she wobbles just because her vision turns all black, the iron pills don't even help anymore.

Just a few days ago, she decided to go check up to the university medical. She did all the laboratory checks up and just a got a result today.

Ody closes with her hand as she starts to cry louder. She doesn't want her mom to know that she's crying in her room.

Doctors words came slipping in her mind, flashing back all the realities she must face.

Leukemia.

Acute Lymphocytic Leukimia

And doctors are trying to consider the right treatment for her

Now she knows exactly what's wrong with her

The morning when she's about to leave Japan

"kaa-san, would you be lonely when I’m gone?"

"baby, of course I will be lonely. But I think I can deal 4 months without you, it'll be tough, but all that matters is you are happy" her mom gently rubs her cheeks.

Ody almost cry.

"matta ne, kaa-san" she hugs her mom tight and go inside the waiting room.

"come back before Christmas~" her mom shouts as Ody waves her hand, before her back disappear from sight.

End of Flashback

Joonhwe's POV

Just like in a fast-forward camcorder, Yuki-noona comes a few minutes after the lady.

She looks really panic and hasty.

I'm totally in a state where I don't know what to do. Somehow I feel like it'd be better for me to go back to the training center so they can calmly talk about what happens (as I feel, maybe this is a family's matter) but Ody-noona's hand grab me too tight, she won't let me go.

"kaa-san, let's talk inside the house.." Yuki-noona tries to calm her mom down. Her mom is crying.

Her mom is finally letting go of Ody-noona. She looks surprised when she saw me. She wipes her tears and bow at me. I bow at her.

"hmm Joonhwe-ah.." Yuki-noona looks at me with this guilty smile. I know what she means with that. I'd like to back up from this situation too but it's impossible for me to roughly dash Ody-noona's hand down from my sleeve.

Yuki-noona notices that, she finally says, "Let's come in first"

Author's Note : these following conversation between the mom and Ody are actually in Japanese. Please note that in this case, Joonhwe is there yet he doesn't understand Japanese

Ody's POV

"Baby, could you please explain this to us?" Mom looks at me.

I never expected that mom would find out. Well, not this soon. And it's not like I don't want to tell her. It's more like.. I'm not ready to tell her yet.

I never have any intention to hide that lab report from her, I just haven't told her about it yet. I just casually put it into my drawer.

Because I know, sooner or later she would find it. And she did.

"You know what happened, kaa-san." I solemnly stare at her.

She cries, "Why didn't you tell me? Why you hold all of this by yourself?"

Nee-chan tries to calm her down, she rubs her back.

My vision becomes blurry, "because it hurts, kaa-san . It will hurt me more to see you hurt" I whisper.

"I'm a medical student, I knew there’s something wrong with me and there is. I'm afraid of the chemotherapy, I'm afraid of the transplantation. What if I couldn't make it?" I let go of all my frustration.

"baby.. We can do it together.." mom sniffs. It hurts me to see her crying like this.

I steal glances at Joonhwe and he just sit on the couch, really stiff.

"kaa-san, hontou ni gomennasai..." I deeply bow at her

She hugs me tight, "we can get through this, we can…"

Nee-chan stands behind mom and quietly cry. She never expected that the vacation season her sister mentioned, is all a get-away gate that her sister's planned to escape from her reality.

Joonhwe grabs the envelope, what's written on it is what makes him interested.

Complete Blood Count (CBC)

What is this?, he thought to himself.

As he is about to open the envelope, I frantically yell, "NO!! Please, no..!" tears running down my face.

He looks at me, devastated.

"wha...what is..?" he doesn't know what to say

Nee-chan comes closer to him and takes him away from me.

"Joonhwe-ah, thank you so much for your help today. I'm sorry we have something going on.." Nee-chan bows at him

"Noona.. What's happening? Why…?" his tongue feels numb

"When the right time comes, you'll know" she puts on sad smile

Joonhwe can feel his heart beats in anxiety.

"I will take my leave, noona" he respectfully bows

"Please be careful on your way, and… I'm so sorry Joonhwe..."

He bows once again and walks out from the house. He’s leaving with a big question mark.