After getting off the phone with Minhyuk, Yukwon watched Jihoon, peacefully sleeping. That peace would soon be taken away from him. Yukwon gently shook him until he finally woke up. "Jihoon, you have to get up. Something's wrong." 

"What's wrong?" Jihoon asked through a yawn. 

"It's your mom, Jihoon. She's in the hospital." Yukwon informed, wishing he didn't have to. 

"What?" He quickly sat up, hoping to God it was only a joke. 

"Your dad got into a car accident, and your mom got hurt. Minhyuk said he's been trying to call you."

Jihoon didn't waste time saying another word. He got out the bed, and scrambled to find his shoes and car keys. Once he found them, he left Yukwon alone to be worried. After some time, Yukwon's phone rang again. "Jihoon just left. I hope his mom's okay." 

"I hope so too. I'm gonna head over to the hospital too, you wanna ride?" Minhyuk asked.

"Yeah, see you soon." 

---

Jihoon watched his mother from the window outside of her hospital room. There was no way this was happening. Not to him. Not like this. He watched as his father sat by her side, holding onto her hand. He had no right to be there. 

"Jihoon..." His father turned to see his son walking in. "They think she's gonna make it." He said with a small, reassuring smile that made Jihoon sick to his stomach.

"She wouldn't be in this situation had someone not been drinking!" Jihoon pushed his father aside to stand by his mother.

And while Jihoon stood, blaming his father, and caressing his unconscious mother's head, Minhyuk and Yukwon watched from the same window Jihoon was standing at earlier.

"Do you think she'll be okay?" Yukwon asked, looking up at Minhyuk, who'd kept his eyes on Jihoon the whole time. "I don't think so." 

"Jihoon's gonna lose it if she doesn't make it." Yukwon sighed heavily. "I feel bad because I asked him what he would do if she wasn't around anymore last night." 

"Don't beat yourself up about it. It wasn't your fault anyway, it's his." Minhyuk pointed at the man known as Jihoon's father.

"Don't you love her?" Jihoon asked. 

"Of course, I love your mother." 

"Then if you knew you were gonna be drinking, why would you drive with her in the car?! I honestly don't care if you make it home at night or not, but her? My mother? I need her!" Jihoon spat, grabbing his father by the collar of his polo shirt. 

"Son-" 

"Son?" Jihoon tilted his head. "It takes my mother lying on her deathbed, for you to call me your son?" He let go of his father's collar and returned to his mother's side to kneel beside her bed, and gently take her hand. She looked terrible. Cleaned cuts along her face, bruises along her arms. It took everything in him not to break down right there. 

"He's never gonna forgive him, is he?" Yukwon asked.

"From here on out, his father will most likely be dead to him." Minhyuk admitted. 

"And everything was going so well for me..." Jihoon muttered. "I knew it was all too good to be true."

"He's not gonna want to leave her side. He's probably gonna miss school the rest of this week until graduation."

"She's not gonna make it to the graduation, is she?" 

"Probably not."

"You're her husband! You're supposed to protect her! But , look what you did! She's hurt, but oh, thank god you're okay. Thank god you only got a few scratches outta this." Jihoon didn't bother with looking in his father's direction. 

"Son, I'm so-"

"I am not your son! Don't ever in your life refer to me as such!" Jihoon barked, losing more and more of his self control every time he heard his father's voice. "Why don't you just leave? You've already done enough." 

"But son-" His father tried to reason, but was interrupted.

"I can't even look at you. You ruined my life more than I could ever ruin yours. You know that?" Jihoon asked, still staring down at his mother. "What am I gonna do if she doesn't make it? Huh, dad? She's the only one I could rely on! Who will I rely on then? You? I'd rather drink acid." 

"Jihoon, I know you're upset, but please, we can work this out." His father nodded.

"Do you even hear yourself? What is there to work out?" He turned to face his father. "Do you feel that guilty, that you have to say whatever comes to your mind that you think will get me to forgive you?" 

"I just want to be there for you " 

"Don't you get it? You're already gone, already dead in my eyes. My father doesn't exist to me. I don't have one." 

Jihoon's father didn't bother with saying anything else. He got the message, and accepted that it would be better off if he just left. And he did. After that, both Minhyuk and Yukwon entered the room where the tense atmosphere still lingered. 

"Jihoon.." Yukwon went over to comfort his boyfriend. "I'm sorry this happened." 

"I just... This wasn't supposed to happen." Jihoon's voice wavered as he fought off the tears that threatened to fall yet again. "Why couldn't it have been him lying here instead of her?" 

"That's a little harsh to say, isn't it?" Minhyuk spoke up.

"I don't care how harsh it is. Why should she have to pay for his stupid mistake?" 

"Jihoon, don't be like that." Yukwon patted the other's back. 

"I have every in' right to be like that." Jihoon scoffed and finally pulled a chair to his mother's side once he got tired of standing. "You guys don't have to stay with me. I'll be fine." 

Both Minhyuk and Yukwon looked at one another, both wearing a concerned expression. "Are you sure?" The two asked, almost in unison.

"I'll be fine." Jihoon assured them, waving them off with a reassuring smile. "I'll call you guys if I need you." 

Even though neither of them believed he'd be fine, the two respected his wishes and took their leave.

"I hope he'll be okay by himself." Yukwon sighed as he and Minhyuk walked down the hall, heading towards the elevator. "I was hoping to stay with him, at least for a little longer than we did, y'know?"

"If you haven't noticed already, Jihoon likes to deal with things on his own." Minhyuk nodded. "Remember when he had that really bad fever and we didn't know until we found him at the underpass?" 

"And then he wouldn't talk to us for like two weeks?" Yukwon asked. "I remember. He really had me worried." 

"And before I found out about his situation at home, he was hiding everything so well." Minhyuk added, while the two got on the elevator. "Had I never went to visit him that day, I don't think he ever would've told me about his life at home."

"Why does he hide everything?" 

"That's just who he is, I guess. I don't think he wants anyone to worry about him."

"He's too considerate." Yukwon nodded.

"Let's just respect his decision to be alone, and hope he'll be okay." Minhyuk suggested as they left the hospital.