Yuri let go of their embrace and took a look behind herself. Nichkhun’s father’s eye’s burned a hole in his son’s face. Nichkhun also loosened his grip on her body. He was shaking nervously and Yuri could feel his chest vibrating. Taecyeon, Yoona and Minho coincidentally ended up on front of the scene while walking by casually. Taecyeon and Yoona recognized the prince’s parents. They still looked ever so strict.

   On the other hand, Minho didn’t understand a thing. They looked like regular people. Why was everyone so afraid?

   The king got closer to his son, anxious to scold him with everything he’d got. Nichkhun slightly pushed Yuri behind him, not wanting her to get involved in such quarrel. His hand remained sweetly locked in hers. His father’s attention zoned in this particular segment.

   “So this is what you’ve been doing? How dare you run away at a time like this,” he said in English with a hand ready to hit him. Yuri quickly stood on front of the prince, receiving the hit across the face instead. Despite its power and force, she didn’t fall down. She didn’t squeal, didn’t react, she remained stronger than ever.

   “Yuri-ah!” shouted Nichkhun, Taecyeon, Yoona and Minho with fright. Their stare turned right back to the father, who seemed astonished. Nichkhun hurriedly slipped his hand over her check to sooth the pain marked with red spots.

   “Dad! What’s wrong with you? Why did you do that?” Full of anger, he threatened to throw a second, this time, intentionally towards his son.

   “Uncle, don’t blame Nichkhun for this. It’s all my fault. I’m the one who let him stay with us.” The king’s eyes grew. He really didn’t mean to hit Yuri at all. He still remembered her very well from a few years back. She was a sweet child who helped the prince adapt to the Korean life-style. He was grateful towards her and her brother whom helped them so much. To add, he pitied the children who had lost their parents twice in their lives.

   Looking at the young lady now made him think of how much she had grown. The makeup gave her a mature look. He found mercy in her eyes and slowly replaced his peeve with a softer expression.

   “Yuri, don’t interfere and let me deal with this brat,” he ordered while holding in his anger.

   “No! No uncle I’m begging you, don’t hurt him.”

   “Kwon Yuri, please understand that this stubborn child needs to get a taste of discipline before he ends up a beggar on the streets. So stay out of it,” he shouted ignoring what she had to say. “Now, come home right now.”

   “I don’t want to. I’m staying with Yuri. No way am I going marry someone I barely know. I’d rather rot in a hole than do that.” These words made Victoria look down in disappointment. Yuri could see the fiancé’s sadness. Their eyes met for a second and Yuri observed every detail about her. She was very pretty, and her beauty surpassed her own by a mile. It almost made her jealous.

   “Nichkhun Horvejkul, quit being rude to your future wife and excuse yourself.”

   He bowed respectfully. “I’m sorry Victoria-sshi. Please forgive me for rejecting you as my wife. It’s nothing personal.”

   His father was furious at his dirty matters. Nichkhun was always so stubborn and rebellious. Most of the time he wondered how he ended up like that. “You brat! And you call yourself my son? Most children long to be prince and all you can do is treat the privilege like some kind of a joke.”

   Taecyeon interfered bravely. “I’m sorry mister Horvejkul, but you can’t do anything if your son loves my sister. Can’t you accept their relationship this once and if it doesn’t happen to work out, you can do whatever you want with them.”

   “No! That won’t do one bit. A prince can’t marry a commoner. He’s required to mate with a rich wife whom his family chooses. If you can’t accept this reality, then consider yourself disowned on behalf of us.” Yuri couldn’t stand it anymore. This craziness was all her fault. She stood between the father and son to avoid a break of violence.

   “Stop! Stop already.” She pushed her hair behind her ear and politely addressed herself to the king. “Take him. Take him home. Don’t disown him. He doesn’t deserve that, he’s a good boy. I’d do anything for him to be loved by you. That’s all he really ever wanted.”

   “Yuri-ah! What are you saying?”

   “It’s true! And if I’m the cause of all this commotion, then I should be the one to fault. Mr. and Mrs. Horvejkul,” she called. The mother and father listened carefully. “I’ll never forget how much kindness you showed towards me and my brother when my parents died. I’ll never be able to repay the amount of money you paid to support us as orphans. I will be forever grateful.” A smile lifted her spirits. Now looking at Victoria, Yuri broke out of Nichkhun’s arms and walked towards her.

   “Victoria is your name. Is it?” she questioned like someone who wanted to befriend her. “Nichkhun has been my friend since we were kids. You’ll absolutely love him,” she confirmed while taking her hand. “He may seem strong, but he’s actually very weak.”

  Nichkhun shut his eyes to avoid letting out tears. Was she letting him go? “He’s smart, talented and good at everything, even at looking good. You’ll never find anyone like him, ever. He’s the only Nichkhun in the world. That’s why you have to take care of him like a precious jewel. Will you do that for me?”

   Victoria gave her a blank stare before nodding.

   “Yuri-ah, stop this.” She turned towards Nichkhun again and grinned. He hated her strong act, it always hurt him terribly.

   “Listen to your parents Nichkhun-sshi. It’s better this way.” At her last goodbye, she walked towards Minho. Her march became slower and the clueless young man saw it. Yuri tiredly gazed at him before dropping straight down to the floor. Minho caught her. Nobody was able to make up what was happening.

   Everyone gathered on front of the treatment room. The king and the queen stood quietly, feeling partly guilty about what they’ve done. Nichkhun could barely look at them. He was too angry. Not wanting to create trouble, he stood the opposite direction, not facing them at all. Victoria felt a bit uncomfortable in the situation, not really knowing what to think. Minho paced back and forth with such anticipation that he couldn’t get a hold of himself. Taecyeon sat on the waiting bench, rocking back and forth. Yoona sat beside, trying to awkwardly hold his hand. All in all, everyone waited impatiently for the news on the patient.

   “Son, what’s wrong with her?” asked the queen.

   “You don’t have the right to know,” he simply answered angrily. She sighed in discouragement. However, she didn’t cease to insist. He gave up at her constant badgering and blurted it out.

   “She has leukemia, okay? She’s dying. Now, are you both satisfied with the outcome of all this?” Both remained shocked. “Mom, do you know how much it hurts to watch her suffer like this day and night? Can’t there be some way that I could stay with her for a while? Please mom. She needs me.”

   “But your wedding is schedule next week already.”

   “Mom, if you let me stay until she gets better, I promise that I’ll come back home without complaint. I’m begging you humbly; you have to let me stay. 

   “If we do, will you marry Victoria for us?”

   “I’ll think about it.” The king seemed displeased but his wife calmed him down.

   “It’s better than nothing,” she whispered. They accepted his request, desperate to get him home as quick as possible. It was at that moment when a doctor came out the surgery room with sweat draining down his forehead. He took off his face mask and gulped a last breath before beginning his doctor speech.

   “How is she?” asked Taecyeon with is trembling voice. Everyone grew quiet and fixed the doctor with horror.

   “The patient is stable but unconscious. We’re not sure how long this will last, but she will have to remain in coma for a while.” The tension released. “And we also received her chromosome analysis test today and… they turned out positive.”

   “What does that mean?” asked Minho perplexed.

   “It means that the chemotherapy isn’t sufficient to save her. She could have a relapse during the treatment,” explained Yoona concerned at these results.

   “So is she just going to die like that? There’s not hope, is that it?”

   “Yes… There is something. The only option is a bone marrow transplant.” Everyone looked at each other as if they knew exactly what that meant. They all had to be tested as soon as possible, before it was too late.

   With the doctor’s permission, Nichkhun was the first to barge into the coma center to see Yuri. He wanted to hold her hand, because only God could tell if this was the last time he could do it.