Jonghyun’s POV

I’m feeling much better after Jung Hye forced me to take a nap and eat some food. It has in fact, allowed me to acknowledge some of the more pressing issues regarding my father’s illness. Such as the ongoing hospital bills and the shop my dad owned. I would probably have to stop school in order to take on numerous part time jobs. However, even I know in the long run that is not sustainable.

I’m mulling over this when Jung Hye tenses beside me.

I look at her and find her staring at the doctor who had just walked into the ward. He’s looking at the paper in front of him, “Mr Kim Jonghyun? I’m Doctor—“ he pauses as he notices Jung Hye next to me, “Jung Hye?!”

Jung Hye remains tense but nods slightly, ‘Hi dad.”

Dad?! Jung Hye’s father was a doctor?

“What are you doing here?” His eyes glance downwards and noticed her hand in mine. “What’s this?” His brows furrow slightly and the skin between them creases, “are you dating?”

Although his voice maintains a relatively pleasant and professional tone, his mouth is pressed into a thin line.

‘Yes I am.’ Jung hye’s voice wavers a bit.

Disapproval is written all over the Doctor’s —or should I call him Mr Park?—face as he shifts his glance over to me.

I fidget under his hard gaze. My heart’s screaming at me to say something, defend my honour and pride, because honestly Jung Hye could do a lot worse! I mean, I was relatively good looking if I may say so myself, I dressed and cleaned up nicely, bracket okay maybe not at this moment in time bracket and I was a really nice, chivalrous guy! However my head tells me that speaking out would probably just put me under the rude-outspoken-unrespectful category and so I stand up to meet his gaze and hold out a hand, ‘Good to meet you sir, my name is Kim Jonghyun’ I say as I gave what I hoped to be a friendly but polite smile.

He ignores my handshake and directs his attention back to Jung Hye, ‘Does your mother know about this?’

‘Yes, we had dinner together. She likes him a lot.’

He lets out an angry sigh and mutters something under his breath before looking up again, ‘Very well, we will speak about this later. ‘ he turns back to me, ‘Now, Mr Kim Jonghyun, about your father…’

I’m startled at the mention of my father, caught up in the drama of wanting to impress Jung Hye’s father I had forgotten the situation I was currently in. What kind of son was I? Worried over what my girlfriend’s father thought of me whilst my dad lay sick in hospital?

Get your priorities straight! I reprimanded myself as I listened intently to Mr Park's words on my father’s condition. Some of the medical terms go straight over my head, but I get the general gist of his words—my father’s in a stable condition, but they weren’t sure when he would awake and whether or not some of his nerve functions have been damaged, if that was the case than rehabilitation would be demanding, time consuming and costly.

Basically, I had to be prepared for anything.

 Jung Hye’s POV

I know I should be listening to my father as he tells Jonghyun about Mr Kim’s condition, but I’m still reeling over the surprise of seeing my father here. Yes, I knew he worked at this hospital, but this was a huge hospital and what were the chances that he was assigned to Jonghyun’s father? None, I had thought as I entered here but fate just loved screwing with me didn’t it?

The problem was, my father was really strict on the type of guys I dated. That is, he preferred the non-existent type. He had always wanted me to be academically orientated and if it wasn’t for my mum, I would definitely be one of those extremely competitive antisocial students whose life was solely based on their marks.

Needless to say, my father and I never quite got along. I was much too free-spirited for his traditional outlook on life. Actually, it was because of him that I moved out. He wanted to send me to the other side of the country to attend Korea's most prestigious but grueling boarding school. He wanted me to study medicine, just like him. Never mind that I didn't even want to study medicine, or that I didn't even have enough smarts to because he thought that sending me to boarding school would "open my eyes".

I remember the day I moved out. The moment I left my room with my newly zipped suitcase that I would bring to the new apartment, my father stopped in front of me. He told me to go back to my room and unpack everything. That made me so mad because, what did he expect me to do? Say OK dad, you were right, I'm going to go along with your unfair decisions now, just wait a moment while I call the real estate agent for a refund? No, it was reasonable of me to refuse right? But do you know what he when I refused? He said this; ‘I don't ever want you back in this house again.’ I remember running into Mum's arms and she burst out crying and hugged me so tight I swear she was doing something funny to my respiratory system.

Of course I hadn't talked to him since. And I didn't expect that the next time I'd see him, it would be with my hands in Jonghyun's as if saying Hi Daddy! Looks like I became a wild child, just like you'd said! Teehee!

To be honest, I was aiming for more a dramatic encounter in which I would sweep into his house, looking absolutely dazzling with state of the art clothes, slam a hundred thousand grand onto his tabletop and say ‘You can retire now, I’ll take care of both you and mum,’ whilst flashing him my killer i-told-you-so smile.

Yes, I may or may not have had that rehearsed numerous times. But hey, that fantasy was totally shattered now.

My father nods to Jonghyun the direction of a closed door. "You can visit him."

Jonghyun bows a "Thank you" as I follow behind him towards his father's room and avoid my own father's gaze.

Mr Kim lies still on the white sheets of the hospital bed. Well of course he lies still - what, was I expecting him to be dancing in comatose state? But he was even stiller than still. The atmosphere changed the moment we entered the room, because everything was so blindingly white and smelled like death.

Jonghyun's face fell when he laid eyes on his father. It was as if for the first time, under the hospital lights, that he could see all the wrinkles that line the distress on his father's sleeping face.

I can't even begin to imagine, seeing your own father at death's door in front of you and only the annoying beeping heart monitor machine is there to tell you he's still alive. 

A/N: As promised, here is the next chapter! Thank you guys so much for the comments! I can't believe that there's still readers from before our unbelievably long hiatus! You guys make us so happy and are probably the main reason why we really wanted to finish this fanfic haha :)