The Seventh Picture

                “Hey, hyung,” Youngbae addressed Seunghyun, “what do you know about Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia?” The two of them along with Jiyong were sitting inside of the UC eating lunch. It had been awhile since they had all gotten together, mostly because Youngbae had been spending all of his time with his new girlfriend, so it was nice to hang out with his friends.

                “I’m pre-med but that doesn’t mean I actually know all of those things yet,” Seunghyun chuckled before taking a bite of his sandwich. Youngbae sighed at that comment. He knew it was a shot in the dark to ask his friend but he didn’t want to ask Chohee in case it brought up bad memories and he didn’t want to look stuff up on the internet. After a moment, Seunghyun added, “My dad as had a few patients with that though. It’s pretty nasty. Why do you want to know?”

                “I know someone who used to have it,” he admitted.

                “Well, if it is in remission, I would keep it at the back of your mind. Don’t stress over something you can’t change,” was the older boy’s advice.

                “When did you get so grown up?” Jiyong teased before stealing one of Seunghyun’s fries. Youngbae was pretty sure his best friend had an idea of who Youngbae knew who had ALL but he was also sure that Jiyong wouldn’t bring it up unless Youngbae did first.

                “Got to grow up sometime,” Seunghyun mumbled, “You should try it.”

                “That’s not for me,” Jiyong laughed. The conversation took a lighter tone from then on out. Seunghyun didn’t have long to talk due to his next class but Jiyong was able to stay longer with Youngbae. The two friends even walked together to their next classes which were in the same building but on opposite sides of the hall.

                “You’re really taking this music thing seriously, huh?” Jiyong asked after they exited the UC, “Does it have anything to do with Chohee?”

                “In a way,” Youngbae shrugged, “I don’t think I would have started it without her. Besides, I’m only doing lessons so how serious could it be?”

                “Bro, all you do is talk about piano now. Even in class, if you’re not doodling musical notes then you’re outright studying sheet music. Just admit that you’ve got a problem.”

                “I don’t have a problem,” Youngbae scoffed.

                “Admittance is the first step to recovery,”Jiyong said, smirking at Youngbae. He knew his best friend was right. All he could think about was music or Chohee. Those two seemed to be consuming his life but he enjoyed it.

                “And what would my recovery be, huh?”

                “I don’t know. I’m just the friend not the counselor. Though I guess telling your mom would be the first step. And, I do mean telling her about both things.” Youngbae flushed from embarrassment. While he had been spending more and more time with Chohee’s family, his own mom didn’t even know about her. She thought he was hanging out with Jiyong every day and Youngbae didn’t have the courage to correct her.

                Why did Jiyong always have to be right? Sometimes, it really wasn’t fair.

                “I know, I’m just not entirely sure how to tell her,” he said, stopping in front of his class which he had no desire to attend. Honestly, he wanted to run back to the music building and practice piano for another three to four hours. He’d have to tell his mom about that too.

                “She’s your mom, you’ll figure it out.” Jiyong offered Youngbae a fist bump which was returned before they separated. Then, he was left to try and figure out some sort of solution to his two main problems while his professor yakked in the front of the room.

                He couldn’t say that he was relieved when the class was over. He had no idea what had been going on for the last hour and he still had homework based off of the lecture. There would be a while lot of Google in his future. The one thing that got him moving out of that classroom was remembering he had a meeting with Chohee.

                For once, he was the first one there. He might have just been a little overly excited; he still couldn’t get over the fact that he, yes he, had a girlfriend. It was such an amazing feeling to like someone and have them like you back. It was absolutely magical but he was, in a certain way, glad that he hadn’t experienced it until now.

                He checked his phone and realized he was ten minutes early so he went to the coffee stand nearby and quickly bought two piping hot chai tea lattes before returning to the designated wait spot. Another three minutes and she arrived, carrying her other camera which she usually saved for night.

                Chohee smiled at him before quickly taking a picture. Then, the camera was actually put away. He handed her the drink and she held it in between both hands so the heat from the cup could warm her chilled fingers. “Thanks for the drink. How did you know what I wanted?”

                “It seemed like a chai tea latte day,” he answered with a smile, using a line against her which had previously been used against him. She smiled back at him and laughed softly before they strolled across the campus with nowhere either of them really had to go.

                “What are you thinking about?” she asked, suddenly, after a few minutes of silence. Instead of replying right away, Youngbae reached out and took one of her hands in his. He could feel the residual warmth from the beverage but her hands were still pretty cold. So, he gave her hand a squeeze before putting their intertwined fingers inside his jacket pocket, causing her to laugh again.

                “I was thinking about how much I like your family,” he said, “It’s really nice to be around all of you. I know I haven’t met your brother yet but I’m really excited to meet him too.”

                “I’ve talked to him about you,” she admitted, “He feels the same.”

                “That makes me even happier, but I feel bad at the same time. I want you to have that same relationship with my family. I’m tired of hiding you from her. It feels wrong, you know?”

                “I agree,” she said as her fingers tightened around his hand. She blew on her drink in an attempt to cool it down which caused the lid to make a sort of musical noise. Her lips twisted up into a smile before she repeated the action, causing the sound to come out again, a few more times before taking a sip gingerly. It was still too hot.

                “I also think that I need to tell her about my lessons,” he added, “The Showcase is in two weeks and she knows nothing about it. Maybe she’ll actually come too. If not, I have your family there to support me.”

                “I agree with that too.” She tried to drink the beverage again to no avail. At this rate, she was going to burn her tongue.

                “So do you want to come over to my place?” he asked quickly, his words rushing together and occasionally combining into something that was almost incoherent. Somehow she managed to understand his question and nodded before blowing on her drink again.

                Apparently, this time it was cool enough for her to take a slightly longer sip. He left his alone until they reached the bus stop. He paid for the two of them and grinned when he noticed that two seats, next to each other, were free. They sat down and finished the beverages before reaching the transfer stop.

                Normally guys would feel embarrassed about not having a car to pick up and drop off their girlfriends in but Youngbae didn’t care because he knew Chohee didn’t care. She did take the camera out to take pictures of the bus stop while they waited but it was put back away when the next one arrived.

                Then it was another block and a half to his apartment complex. They walked up the stairs to the white door marked with the number to his home. He had been a little nervous about this before but Chohee had been able to distract him. Now, standing in front of his home, the nerves hit him fast and hard.

                He fumbled with the keys but managed to open the door. Chohee entered with him and they both removed their shoes before Youngbae called out for his mom.

                “You’re back early,” the woman remarked as she came down the hall with the dog trailing behind her. The moment her dog saw Chohee, he immediately ran over with his tail wagging. His girlfriend giggled and leaned down to pet the dog’s tummy while Youngbae’s mother looked down on her, confused.

                “What’s going on?” his mother asked now turning her attention back to her son.

                “Well, um, we need to talk,” was his response. Chohee straightened herself and the dog ran back over to his mother who turned and stalked towards the living room. Youngbae glanced over at Chohee but all she could do was offer him an encouraging smile.

                He left his bag in the front room but Chohee continued to carry hers. He could hear the couch squeak as his mother sat down and he was suddenly very self-conscious of the bare apartment. There were still boxes here and there from when they had moved; most of the boxes were filled with his dad’s belongings.

                He led Chohee to the living room but didn’t quite feel like sitting down. His mother sat stiff on the couch with the dog beside her. She was petting the dog with one hand while the other rested in her lap. It was almost like a super villain from a cartoon was staring at him but it was his mother.

                He took a deep breath, realizing that it was now or never. Besides, he had Chohee at his side to support him and, with her so close, what could go wrong?