Youngmin stared outside the window. It had been a week since he was admitted to the hospital. He started to get sick of this place. He hated the strong smell of disinfectant. He hated the white bed sheet. He hated the taste of the food served. He hated not being able to attend school. He hated not being able to do anything.

The blonde sighed as he looked at the vast blue sky outside. He wanted to feel the heat of the sun on his skin. He didn’t remember the last time he was outside. He felt jealous with the birds that were flying across his window—they seemed to have all the freedom he wanted. How he wished he could get out from the hospital soon! Youngmin was afraid that if he stayed any longer, he would get used to this room. And he didn’t want it. He just wanted to go home.

When he was lost in his thought, the door suddenly flung open. Youngmin smiled when he saw his mother came in. The middle-aged woman sat next to Youngmin’s bed and patted Youngmin’s head tenderly. “How are you feeling today?” she asked.

“My throat still hurts…” said Youngmin.

The smile on his mother’s face disappeared, replaced by a frown. “I’m sorry, Youngmin… There’s nothing I can do to ease your pain… I’m sorry.” Sorrow was apparent in her voice.

“Don’t be, Mom,” Youngmin said quickly. “This is not your fault! Beside, I’m okay… I’m stronger than you think! I’ll survive… So don’t worry, okay?”

Youngmin’s mother smiled and nodded. “I know that my son is strong! By the way, I have good news for you…”

Youngmin’s eyes sparkled in delight. “What is it, Mom? Does the doctor allow me to go home?”

“Not yet,” his mother said. She could see that Youngmin was disappointed with her answer. “But they’ve found a way to cure you… They said that it isn’t a malignant tumor, so you don’t need to go under a surgery. You’ll only have radiotherapy treatment instead. It takes some time, but at least your voice is in assurance!”

Youngmin’s eyes widened in surprise. “Jinja? Does that mean that I won’t lose my voice?”

His mother nodded.

“…D-does that mean that I’ll be able to sing again?”

Youngmin’s mother nodded again. Her eyes were watery. She was touched because his son still had an opportunity to become a singer, just like his dream. Words alone weren’t enough to show how grateful she was.

The blonde guy didn’t know what to say anymore. He was at loss for words. He still couldn’t believe what he had just heard. Youngmin felt as if he would burst out from the excitement. All this time, Youngmin was always haunted by his own fear. Fear of losing his voice… Fear of losing his dream… His mother’s words would finally put an end to his sleepless nights.

“I’m so happy, Mom…!” Youngmin squealed while hugging his mother tightly. His voice was shaking due to the extreme happiness he felt at the moment.

Youngmin’s mother hugged him back and smiled. “I’m happy for you, too,” she said.

***

Youngmin was flipping his magazine uninterestedly. His mom had left to work, leaving him alone again. He looked at the clock and noticed that it was about time the school over. Ever since he was admitted to the hospital, Kwangmin always came to visit him everyday. But his twin usually couldn’t stay long because he also had to deal with his homework and practice.

“Youngmin…” Youngmin turned to the door when he heard the familiar voice of his twin. “Look who come today!” Kwangmin said cheerfully.

Kwangmin stepped aside so that the other visitors could step in. There were five other people coming. Youngmin’s face lit up in excitement when he saw the faces of his group members and his manager.

“Yo!” Donghyun winked while practicing their greeting for ‘Boyfriend’ by putting two fingers of his right hand next to his forehead.

“Youngmin Hyung, how are you?” Minwoo greeted him with his usual bright smile.

“Donghyun Hyung…! Hyunseong Hyung…! Jeongmin Hyung…! Minwoo…! Manager Hyung…!” A big grin plastered on the blonde’s face. “Oh my God, I didn’t expect to see you… I miss you guys so much!”

Jeongmin came closer and pulled Youngmin into a friendly hug. “We miss you, too,” he said.

“So, how are you feeling now? We’re sorry for your condition… We were so worried when we heard that you were admitted to the hospital,” said Hyunseong.

“Sorry, it took us so long to visit you because of our busy schedule,” Donghyun added apologetically.

“It’s okay, Hyung… I understand,” Youngmin reassured. “I’m feeling much better because of you guys! I’m so happy to see you again.”

Kwangmin smiled and put a basket of fruits on the table next to Youngmin’s bed. “They bought this for you. These are all your favorite fruits.”

Youngmin was touched by the attention the members gave him. “You guys are so thoughtful… You don’t need to do that, you know.”

“Nah, don’t mention it,” said Donghyun.

Their manager walked closer and smiled to Youngmin. “…How’s your condition? Does your throat still hurt?”

“Ah, Manager Hyung… Yeah, it does. But don’t worry, my condition is not as bad as everyone thinks.”

The oldest man in the room nodded sympathetically. “I see…” His face then became slightly more serious. “Actually, Youngmin, I’ve talked to your parents and also the doctor. They’ve explained your whole condition to me and the treatments you have to go through. To be honest, this is really unexpected and the company was in panic at first. We don’t know what to do if you really need to go under an operation and lose your voice.”

Kwangmin could see from the corner of his eyes that his twin’s expression grew darker upon their manager’s words. The manager took a deep breath and continued, “But, we’re all relieved when we heard that the operation isn’t necessary… There’s still a way to save your voice, right? I’ve discussed it with the president and he agreed to put off Boyfriend’s debut date until you’re fully recovered.”

Youngmin couldn’t hold the joy that washed over his body. He didn’t know how to show the grateful feeling he was feeling inside. “T-thank you, Manager Hyung! Jeongmal gamsahamnida…!” Youngmin bowed his head deeply.

“It’s okay, Youngmin! That’s my job as your manager. When Kwangmin and you signed the contract with us, I’ve promised your parents to take care of you guys, so I only do what I’m supposed to do,” their manager said modestly.

Kwangmin smiled and patted his twin’s back. “That’s why you have to get well soon, Youngmin!”

“That’s right,” said the leader. “You have to get well soon and join our practice again!”

“Yeah… Practice isn’t fun without you, Hyung!” Minwoo added.

Youngmin smiled and nodded. “I will,” he promised them.

***

Later that day, Minyoung paid a visit to Youngmin. The girl also came to see him everyday. After school ended, she would go home to change clothes, did her homework, and had dinner before going to the hospital. Minyoung actually felt a bit embarrassed by coming everyday, but she just couldn’t sit all day long in her room, thinking about Youngmin. The blonde’s condition freaked her out more than it should.

“Whoa, look at this basket of fruits…! I wonder who came earlier,” Minyoung said as she sat on the chair next to Youngmin’s bed.

“Oh, that’s from Boyfriend’s member… They came to visit this afternoon,” Youngmin explained.

“Mm, I see. So, how are you feeling now?”

Youngmin smiled to the girl in front of him. How could he didn’t feel well when Minyoung was around? Even her smile was enough to cast away any kind of pain he was feeling. “I’m fine… Why do you keep asking the same question everyday?” Youngmin asked jokingly, wanting to tease the girl.

A faint blush spread across Minyoung’s cheek. “I-I’m just worried about your condition, you know!” Then she sighed. “But seems like it isn’t necessary, since you look so fine and even a bit arrogant… I think I should stop paying you a visit.”

“Hey, I was just joking…! Don’t take that seriously,” Youngmin quickly snapped, not wanting the girl to stop visiting him.

Minyoung was his source of strength. If she no longer cared about him, how was he supposed to go through this?

Kwangmin only chuckled at the sight. “Why are two so childish?” he said while giggling.

Suddenly there was a knock on the door. The three of them turned around, only to see four older women entered the room. The twins soon recognized who they were.

“Hello, guys,” said a petite woman with long wavy hair and tan skin. “We heard about Youngmin’s condition, so we decided to come to see you.”

Kwangmin hastily got up from his seat and bowed to greet his sunbaenim. “Annyeong, Hyorin Noona! Bora Noona! Soyou Noona! Dasom Noona!”

He should have addressed them in a more formal way, but since Sistar’s members and Boyfriend’s members were close, the dongsaeng had stopped using ‘sunbaenim’ after their names and used ‘noona’ instead.

Minyoung, who was still dumbfounded by the sudden visit, got up as well and bowed to the Sistar’s members awkwardly.

“I didn’t expect to see Noonadeul here…” Youngmin said.

“Yeah, we kind of wanted to surprise you,” Hyorin said as playful as ever. She turned to Minyoung and smiled. “By the way, who is this?”

“Ah, she’s our classmate, Choi Minyoung,” Kwangmin introduced. “…And also my girlfriend.”

Youngmin could feel his chest tighten in pain as he heard those words. Somehow, he still hadn’t gotten used to it.

All Sistar’s members squealed hysterically—a little too excited, maybe. “Whoa… Why didn’t you tell us that you already have a girlfriend?” said Bora. Minyoung couldn’t take off her gaze from her as she admired how beautiful Bora was. She suddenly lost all of her self-confident.

Soyou chuckled lightly. “Kwangmin is all grown up, huh?”

“She’s so pretty,” Dasom praised her.

Minyoung could feel her cheek burned due to the attention she suddenly received from the singers. “N-nice to meet you!” she said while bowing her head politely.

Minyoung moved to join Kwangmin on the couch with three other members, while Bora took over her seat next to the blonde’s bed.

“How’s your condition, Youngmin?” Bora asked with concern.

“I’m fine, Noona. Don’t worry,” Youngmin replied while smiling, trying to convince everyone that he wasn’t that sick.

Bora chuckled and said, “Mm, I know! I shouldn’t have asked, anyway. I know that you’re strong, right? Look at that creepy smile of yours! How can a patient suffering from cancer grin widely like that? You’re the only one I know, Youngmin!”

The rest of people in that room burst into laughter.

“Stop making fun of me, Noona! You’re so mean to me, even when I am sick like this,” Youngmin pouted cutely.

“Aigoo, my dongsaeng is so cute!” Bora ruffled Youngmin’s hair lovingly.

Minyoung couldn’t help but feeling jealous at the sight. A peculiar sensation started to form in the pit of her stomach. Seeing the way Youngmin and Bora joke with each other convinced her that the two were close, indeed. Somehow, she didn’t like the intimacy.

Minyoung tried to avert her gaze from them and her gaze landed on the untouched fruit basket. Being the polite girl that she was, she got up and offered herself to peel off the fruits for the other visitors. “I-I’ll peel the fruits for eonnideul,” she said.

“Ah, thanks so much,” Soyou said. “Do you need my help?”

“No, thank you. I can do it by myself,” Minyoung turned down the offer properly. She then reached for the knife on the table and grabbed the apple first.

Honestly, Minyoung had never done this before. Even though she was good at cooking, she didn’t know how to peel an apple using knife. She wasn’t really good at doing household tasks because her mother always did that for her. She tried to remember how her mother did it and nervously peel off the skin.

Bora, who saw Minyoung peeling the apple inexpertly, sighed and said, “That’s not how it’s done! You’ll end up hurting yourself if you peel it like that.” She then took the knife and apple from Minyoung’s hand. “Watch me!”

Minyoung watched carefully as Bora gave her a perfect demonstration of how to peel an apple. She held the apple with her left hand, while her right hand was holding the knife. The sharp metal grazed on the thin skin of the apple as the red fruit was being rotated to the left. The peel came off in one long strip and landed on Bora’s lap as she did her job skillfully.

“See?” Bora smiled proudly once she was done, clearly satisfied with her work.

Minyoung could only nod in silent. Heat raised up to both side of her cheek and she didn’t dare to look at the older woman in the eyes. The girl cursed herself silently for wanting to show off, but ended up embarrassing herself in front of everyone instead.

Bora then cut the peeled apple in small chunks and washed them before serving them on a plate. She picked up one chunk and feed it to Youngmin, who willingly ate it. “These are from Donghyun and the others, right? You have to eat a lot of fruits to recover faster,” she said while smiling.

“Arasho,” Youngmin replied obediently.

Minyoung had to hold the urge to leave the room. Even though she was feeling uncomfortable, she managed to stay until Sistar’s members decided to leave. Kwangmin seemed to notice her discomfort, so he held her hand while they were sitting next to each other. Minyoung didn’t know why, but she felt more than relieved when the older women disappear from her sight. Not that she had anything against them, but truthfully, she felt like an immature girl when they were around.

“I’ll send them to the parking lot,” said Kwangmin before leaving the room with his sunbaenim.

“Okay,” Minyoung nodded.

Now, there were only the two of them in the room. Youngmin had fallen asleep a while ago. The nurse came to gave him his medicine and asked him to rest.

Minyoung sighed as she sat next to the blonde’s bed. She felt somewhat contented to see Youngmin sleeping safe and sound. She caressed Youngmin’s forehead and suddenly the pain invaded. The image of Youngmin and Bora laughing cheerfully filled her head and made her feel sick. She realized that she was nothing compared to the rapper.

Bora was beautiful and mature. She was kind, caring, talented, and famous, while Minyoung was only a plain girl who dreamed to be a singer. Also, Bora seemed to know a lot about the twins and the twins also liked her. There was no way she could be like her.

Judging from Youngmin’s behavior earlier, could he possibly have a crush on Bora?

Minyoung shook his head in attempt to shrug off the thought, but failed miserably. It was hard to think about them together, but it was even harder to act like she didn’t care. Minyoung put her palm on her chest and clutched on the fabric there. “Why does it feel so painful here…?” she whispered to herself.

Even if Youngmin liked Bora, it has nothing to do with Minyoung, right? She already had a boyfriend, for crying out loud! And that guy was Kwangmin. The brunette had been more than nice to her. He was such a perfect boyfriend who the girls fell head over heels for. Minyoung should be grateful that Kwangmin chose him. She shouldn’t hope for more.

Tears began to flow from the corner of her eyes, soaked her cheek, and landed on her clothes. Minyoung tried to fight the intangible pain with all her might, but it was too much to bear. She didn’t understand her feeling anymore. She didn’t know which of the twins she had fallen for. Everything felt so wrong. Everything felt so painful. She was all messed up and broken.

Minyoung laid her head on the edge of Youngmin’s bed and cried there. The sound of her sobs filled the silent room.

Meanwhile, Kwangmin could only sneak a peek through the slight opening of the door. It was also painful for him to see the girl he loved so much crying and mourning so desperately. He didn’t want to think of it, but that was the most reasonable explanation he could come up with.

The brunette had been keeping an eye on Minyoung for a while. Even though the girl always smiled in front of him, it was obvious that Minyoung wasn’t really happy by his side. There was something that always bothered her mind and he knew what—or who—it was. Minyoung was looking for a greater happiness in her life and it wasn’t Kwangmin.

The twinge of rejection suddenly hit him so hard. Kwangmin closed his eyes and flinched from the pain. Why…? Why it wasn’t him…? Perhaps he just wasn’t good enough for her.

***

Kwangmin and Minyoung were sitting at the rooftop. They had just finished their lunch, but they decided to stay there for a little longer since the lunch break wasn’t over yet. Minyoung pulled out an origami paper from its plastic bag and began to fold it neatly. Kwangmin observed the girl before his eyes as she seemed to be lost in her work. There were dark circles below her beautiful, round eyes—faint and barely discernible, but they were there. She must not be able to sleep for the past few days and Kwangmin wondered why.

The brunette cleared his throat to get Minyoung’s attention. “What are you doing? You seem so serious…”

Minyoung turned to see Kwangmin looking at her curiously and gave him a soft smile. “I’m making cranes from origami paper.”

“Cranes? What for?” he asked again.

“You know, there’s this myth from Japan I read on Internet…” Minyoung muttered without taking off her gaze from the paper she was folding. “Japanese people believe that if you make 1000 origami cranes, one of your wishes will be granted.”

Kwangmin’s eyes widened in amazement. “What?! A thousand? But that’s a lot…!”

Minyoung chuckled at the brunette’s reaction. “Yeah, I know. That’s why it isn’t easy to get your wish fulfilled. No pain, no gain, right? We have to work hard if we want to achieve something.”

Kwangmin raised one of his eyebrows. Minyoung was true. However, he still didn’t understand why Minyoung had to go through all the way to fold those 1000 origami cranes just to get her wish fulfilled. Beside, it was just a myth which veracity couldn’t be proven yet.

“What’s your wish?” asked Kwangmin.

Minyoung, who had just finished her 273^rd origami crane, sighed and held the crane to examine it under the sunlight. “…Do you know why it has to be crane?” she asked.

Kwangmin shook his head, clearly clueless about the myth he hadn’t even heard before.

“The crane in Japan is one of the holy creatures and is said to live for a thousand years. There’s another myth telling about a crane who returned the favor of a man who saved her by turning into a beautiful lady. Japanese people also believe that seeing a dancing crane during the breeding season will bring you countless luck. So, it’s commonly said that anyone who fold a thousand origami cranes will be granted a wish by the crane, such as long life or recovery from illness,” Minyoung explained.

Kwangmin gawked as the realization hit him. “Oh, I see,” he said faintly. “You make those origami cranes for Youngmin’s recovery, right?”

Minyoung smiled and nodded. “…I know this may sound silly to you, but I still believe it, somehow. And I wish that the myth is true.”

Kwangmin bit his lip hesitantly. Last night, when he saw Minyoung crying on Youngmin’s bed, he spent the whole night thinking and finally came up with a decision. Although the decision was killing him, that was the best thing he could do. The brunette took a deep breath before facing the girl and said, “…Minyoung, let’s break up.”

Minyoung’s mouth flung open at once. She stared at Kwangmin who was also staring deeply into her eyes. Minyoung’s lips were quivering. “What? B-but, Kwangmin, why…?”

“I know that you don’t love me, Minyoung. I’ve been observing you for a while and I realized it last night. You love someone else, don’t you? Just admit it,” Kwangmin said in a stern voice.

Minyoung was too shocked to say anything. Was that true? “I-I love you,” she stuttered. Minyoung knew that she loved Kwangmin. Kwangmin was a really nice guy. She remembered when he confessed to her at the park and how happy she was that night. She had decided to be with Kwangmin, so she must love him, right?

“No, you don’t,” Kwangmin quickly snapped back at her. Minyoung was taken aback by his sudden response. “You only think that you love me, but I know that’s not true. You don’t love me, Minyoung… You just… like to be with me.”

“H-how do you know about that?” asked Minyoung.

The brunette sighed. “It’s so obvious, Minyoung. The way you smile at me… The way you look at me… At first, I really bought it. I really believed that you’re happy with our relationship, just as much as I am. But as time passed, I noticed that your eyes were always fixed on another guy. The way you silently look at him… The way you smile at him…  Even the way you cry for him… They’re so different from what you give to me.”

Minyoung couldn’t believe that she was so obvious that even Kwangmin could see it. She felt embarrassed and sorry at the same time.

“Look at me, Minyoung,” said Kwangmin as he lift her face tenderly. “Please answer me honestly… The boy who you truly love… is my twin, isn’t it?”

Minyoung broke down at the statement. It wasn’t a question, but an affirmation. She could feel tears flowing down rapidly on both side of her face, wetting Kwangmin’s hands in the process. “I-I’m sorry, Kwangmin,” she said between her sobs. “I never have the intention to hurt you… I don’t know that it will turn out this way… I am sorry.”

Kwangmin used his thumb to wipe away the tears. “…I know,” he said reassuringly. “I know that you didn’t do it on purpose. Don’t worry, I know that you never wanted to hurt me.” Even though Kwangmin acted as if he was okay with it, pain was apparent in his voice.

Minyoung felt even guiltier now. She wanted to slap herself for breaking Kwangmin’s heart. What had he done for her to hurt him like this? Kwangmin was always nice, always caring, and always there when Minyoung needed him. He was flawless. He didn’t do anything wrong. And yet, she broke his heart cruelly.

“I’m sorry if I’m not good enough for you,” Kwangmin said apologetically. “Maybe I’m…”

“No!” Minyoung cut off his sentence. “No, Kwangmin, none of this is your fault! You never did anything wrong… You were more than enough. You’re such a perfect boyfriend. But it’s me who is being a jerk here! I’m the one who’s at fault. I can’t be a good girlfriend for you. You’ve always been so nice to me, but none of your kindness I can return. You can hate me, but please don’t blame yourself!”

Kwangmin shook his head weakly and smiled at Minyoung. “…You know that I can’t bring myself to hate you, no matter what. And I’m not blaming you for this, not at all.”

Minyoung wrapped her arms around Kwangmin’s neck and cried so hard in his embrace. “I’m sorry, Kwangmin! I’m so sorry… I’m so sorry for hurting you like this… You don’t deserve it at all… I’m sorry…”

“Stop apologizing, will you?” Kwangmin said in his deep and soft voice. His heart hurt whenever the girl said sorry to him. “I’ve told you that I’m not blaming you. I forgave you already. You don’t need to feel sorry. I’ll really hate you if you keep going on like that.”

Minyoung stopped crying and pulled away. She didn’t dare to look the brunette in his eyes, but Kwangmin forced her to do so.

“Listen to me, Minyoung… I didn’t lie to you when I said that I love you. Even though I am sad because your heart doesn’t belong to me, I still love you with all my heart. And now, the only thing I wish for is for you to be happy, even if your happiness isn’t with me. I know that you love Youngmin.

“Well, it’s kind of surprising, I must admit... But love happens when we least expect it, right? Maybe that’s what happens to you and Youngmin. Both of you didn’t expect it and didn’t wish for it, but it happens anyway. I know that Youngmin also has the same feeling toward you. The two of you are the people I love the most in my life. Nothing makes me happier than seeing you two happy.”

Hearing Kwangmin’s words only worsen Minyoung feeling and made her want to cry again. “…I’m sorry,” she said again. “I’m really sorry.”

Kwangmin ruffled Minyoung’s hair and smiled to her. “Babo! How many times I have to tell you to stop crying, huh? If you really feel sorry, then make it up to me by granting my wish.”

Minyoung gave Kwangmin a puzzled look. “What is it?”

Kwangmin grinned mischievously. “It’s simple. I just want you to promise me that you’ll always stay by Youngmin’s side, take care of him and love him with all your heart. Promise?”

Minyoung’s eyes widened in surprise as she didn’t expect the brunette to ask such a thing from her. Her sight became blurry again. She was touched by how understanding Kwangmin was. He still wished for her happiness, even though his own heart was broken into pieces.

Minyoung nodded. “…I promise. Thank you, Kwangmin! For loving me… For everything…” Until the end, Kwangmin was always nice to her.

Kwangmin hugged Minyoung again for the last time. “Yeah,” he whispered to her ear. “I also want to thank you for being my girlfriend. Even it only lasted for a while, you gave me so much beautiful memories to remember. Thank you.”

I actually wanted to make this as the last chapter, but it turned out to be longer than expected.

Anyway, I'm still hoping to receive a lot of comments from my readers!

Don't hesitate to tell what you think ^^

Btw, I love Boyfriend's new MV 'I'll Be There' so much! XD