(7 days earlier, the day of the scrimmage)

The loss against Jackson took a heavier toll on the handsome young man than expected. Jinyoung couldn’t focus or let alone stand right. He had to get through practice with Mark watching him as he stressed and struggled to win every match be was paired with. Fortunately, JR won more than he lost but that still didn't phase the fact that he lost to the one person in the universe he never wanted to. The long scrimmage comes to an end and Jinyoung watches Taecyeon Mark out of the gym. He even catches a glimpse of Jackson’s boastful arrogance and rolls his eyes from seeing his ignorant rival.

“!” Jinyoung throws his helmet at the lockers making the locker room sound as if a thunderstorm erupted in there. It bounces a few locker doors before hitting the ground. JR hated this feeling. Why did he have to lose in front of Mark? How could he face his Mark after what happened? How could he let Mark slip to Jackson?

“Damn! Dammit!” Jinyoung just wanted to flush out the thought of losing after all the training, the extra hours, the pain of practice, all just to lose in the end to Jackson Wang. JR looks at his helmet that was slightly spinning in a circle from the momentum of hitting the lockers. “Agh…Mark bought me this one too.” Jinyoung slowly walks over to his helmet but before he could take his third step, an excruciating pain plunges at his chest. The pain forces JR to immediately drop to the floor. His hand finds its way to clench at his chest as if it would help sooth it but the pain drills deeper in his chest. Jinyoung’s heart pumps faster and he begins to lose his breath. He doesn't remember the rhythm of his breathing anymore. JR curls up on the floor after another shock of pain stabbing his heart making him gag and choke for air. He could hear his heart forcefully pump his blood through the chambers of his heart. Jinyoung was no longer breathing, both his hands at his chest, even punching at it to help him breath the smallest sniff of air. Finally, after a hard punch to the chest Jinyoung coughs out a breath of air but not only did he unclog his lungs to taste air, he coughed out a large amount of blood.

No. No not now. Please not yet. Please don’t come back yet.

Jinyoung’s phone was sitting on the bench where his duffle bag was. “Come on JR. It’s not far.” JR slowly starts to crawl towards his phone but his lungs begin to collapse on him. Air wasn’t flowing back to his lungs. Instead blood was falling from his lips. Jinyoung’s grunts and groans to grasp for air only made his lungs cringe in pain and his heart burned with fire. Jinyoung desperately drags down the bag and digs for his phone as quickly as possible. He presses his first speed dial and waits for an answer.

“Jinyoung? What’s up?”

“Jaebum…..”

“Yeah?”

“Jaebum….”

Already catching on to the situation, Jaebum frantically started to make his way to whereever Jinyoung was. JR could hear the ruckus over the phone. “Where are you? Jinyoung are you still at the gym? Where’s Mark?”

“I’m still here…..” JR’s eyes felt heavier and his voice couldn’t find the strength to speak. “Mark left……..Hyung…….Help me…..Hurry……”

“Jinyoung I have my team on my way to you right now but you have to stay with me okay? Stay awake okay?” Jaebum was already in his car. “Jinyoung? Focus on your breathing do you hear me!”

The phone was no longer against Jinyoung’s ear though and he was barely breathing. JR stared at his Samsung Galaxy and pressed the home button to see his home screen photo. It was a picture of Mark hugging Jinyoung by the neck with their cheeks against each other’s. Mark’s bright smile made Jinyoung smile back at it. “Mark….Mark……”

Lights were bright and as hot as the sun. They made their way into Jinyoung’s room as he lay helplessly on the hospital bed. He could hear arguing, most likely his manager. She was always defending and yelling in his place. The other voice sounded like Jaebum or another doctor who worked with him. He still couldn’t tell if it was three or even four voices. Annoyed from being unsure, Jinyoung forces his eyelids to open. The light escaping through his window curtain stung his irises. He swallows hard and gets one eye to open wide enough to look around the room. No one was there with him. He gets his other eye open and takes another look. There was no one in the room but him. His eyes search again and find that the TV was on. It was a rerun on the drama The Heirs. Looks like it was neither of the people he thought to be.

“How’s your breathing?”

Jinyoung’s head snaps to his right to find Jaebum sitting closely next to him.

“Better than the last time my heart gave out on me,” Jinyoung sighed. He turns away from Jaebum but quickly returns his gaze back. “Did you tell Mark?” Jaebum shook his head. “He’s at home with paperwork to keep him busy. Mark was pretty upset when he came home to find that I wasn’t there waiting for him.” Jinyoung smiled from Jaebum’s sarcasm. “Don’t tell him that I’m like this Hyung.”

“Jinyoung….He’s going to find out some day. When are you going to tell him?”

“I’m not and I can’t now.”

“And why’s that?” Jaebum said as he gently held JR’s hand.

“Because Mark’s life is finally getting better. Because for once in his life someone other than me wants to make him happy,” Jinyoung pauses to find the strength to hold back his tears, “and he can keep him happy longer than I can.”

Jaebum couldn’t think of anything to say but lower his head to rest it against JR’s shoulder.

“Hyung?”

Jaebum lifts his eyes to meet Jinyoung’s.

“Why didn’t the transplant work? Why am I sick again? The transplant should have kept me alive.” Tears were inevitable from falling as they made their way to JR’s ears. “You said you would help me live again…..”

“JR…..my boy…..you’ve been through countless surgeries but like we’ve already discussed in the past, we didn’t find the Eisenmenger Syndrome early enough in your heart. It seems the transplant lasted you less time than expected. There’s another hole in your heart and it’s letting blood escape to your lungs again.”

Jinyoung could see a familia