(i remember there was a chapter for Jiyoung... now it's Ji-ohn's turn!)

It has been three days since Jiyoung was sick. His vomiting stopped, but his temperature was still fluctuating between 37-38°C. There was filming the next day, but Jihyo was reluctant to let him go, since he was still feeling restless and weak.

Resting against the headrest of her bed, she typed on their whatsapp chat to inform the casts and the PDs.

Jihyo: Jiyoung’s not feeling well… I don’t think he can film tomorrow.

Jae Suk: Aw man. Get well soon!

Suk Jin: Aigoo… what’s wrong?

Jihyo: He has a bad cold. He was vomiting the last few days, but it stopped. Still feverish though. Sigh…

Jae Suk: Drink more water! You take care too, Jihyo-ah.

Jihyo: Arasso oppa. Gomawo.

HaHa: *Voice note (Dream’s voice): Jiyoung-ah… get well soon! Saranghaeyo!”

At home, Jihyo smiled as she received the well wishes from the casts. “Jiyoung ah, come over here,” she gestured to the boy who was lying on the bed a little further away, about to sleep after taking his medicine after lunch. “Dreamie hyung has something to say to you!”

The boy crawled towards his mother, happy to know that Dream sent something for him, but his movements were still slow and lethargic.

She replayed the voice note for him, and Jiyoung smiled hearing his friend’s voice.

“Do you want to say something back to him?” she asked, putting a hand around him. He snuggled closer to Jihyo and nodded. Jihyo passed him the phone and told him to say thank you.

“Gomawoyo Dreamie hyungggg ~ ,” he said, dragging the last syllable like how he always does, despite his voice weaker and softer than usual. Jihyo smiled at him still being able to be cheeky.

After that, Jiyoung went back to rest, while Jihyo continued her discussion with the casts. It was eventually decided that Jiyoung should rest at home. But then there was another problem: Gary was still busy with his album, so he couldn’t make it for the filming already. If Jihyo goes with Ji-ohn, then Jiyoung would have to go to her parent’s house. But she didn’t want to leave him, since he was still sick. Then the only other solution is for Ji-ohn to follow another family, but…

It wasn’t that she didn’t trust the others, of course she trusted them- they are a family after all. But Ji-ohn would whine all day. And she felt bad for leaving her alone too. But there was no other solution.

Very often, when one child is sick, the other have to sacrifice.

Jihyo went out of her room to look for her daughter. She was in the hall, playing with Daeyang and her other toys, but it was obvious that she was getting bored. Her face lit up when she heard Jihyo’s footsteps.

“Eomma!” she called out, raising her hand to be carried.

“Ji-ohn ah,”Jihyo smiled as she carried her daughter up. She kissed her cheeks and Ji-ohn kissed her back, putting her arm around her neck. Jihyo brought her to the sofa, sitting her down on her lap.

“Ji-ohn ah,” she said, as she brushed her hair gently. “It’s filming day tomorrow, right?”

“Eo. We’re going to meet samchon and imo and the other oppas, right?” she asked.

‘We’. Jihyo felt guilty already. How was she supposed to tell her daughter that she has to go alone?

“Our Ji-ohn is a big girl now already, right?” Jihyo asked, watching her daughter’s expression carefully.

Hearing that, Ji-ohn already guessed that Jihyo is not going to tell her something good. “Eo….” She answered slowly and unwillingly.

Jihyo hugged her daughter tighter. “Do you think she can go for filming alone?” she asked.

Ji-ohn looked down and didn’t reply for a while. “Ji-ohn ah…” Jihyo probed, brushing her hair again.

“Is it because oppa is sick?” Ji-ohn sighed, pouting.

“Mmm. Mianhae… oppa is still sick, so eomma has to stay at home and look after him tomorrow,” Jihyo replied.

“Appa neun?”

“Appa has work, Ji-ohn ah… Tomorrow you stay with Haha samchon okay? You can play with Dream oppa too,” Jihyo said, trying to get her excited. “Maybe I can get Gwangsoo samchon to join you, what do you think?”

“Samchon shireo. I want you, eomma…” Ji-ohn said, her eyes getting red. “Don’t always stay with oppa… I want you too,” she repeated.

Jihyo’s heart wrenched. She knew it was hard for her daughter too, even though it was Jiyoung that was sick. “Mianhae, you know oppa is not well… he needs me to look after him, you understand?”

Tears rolled down her chubby cheeks. “No… no…” she mumbled, shaking her head.

“Be good, okay? It’s just one day, I’m sure you can stay alone by yourself for one day!” she said, encouraging her.

Ji-ohn was still shaking her head. “It’s not just one day…” she sobbed. “I am always by myself today and yesterday and other days already…” she cried, letting out all the unfairness she felt. It was only then Jihyo realised how much she have been neglecting her. For the first two days, she constantly whined for attention because Jihyo and Gary kept tending to Jiyoung. But now she stopped, and Jihyo thought that it was because she understood that Jiyoung needed the care. Only now did she realise that Ji-ohn stopped whining because she already resigned to the fact that Jiyoung takes priority over her for now. Ji-ohn was always used to getting attention whenever she asked for it, and she had been relatively patient for throughout the three days when Jiyoung was sick. But to ask her to go for filming without Jihyo or Gary…

Jihyo rubbed Ji-ohn’s back to calm her down. She sobbed into her shoulders, “I also want to be sick… then you can stay with me...” Jihyo could only repeat “Mianhae, mianhae...” She knew it wasn’t right for Ji-ohn to think that way, but she couldn’t bear to correct her. She’s just three, after all.

From his music studio, Gary felt Jihyo’s guilt and frustrations.

Wae, yeobo? Is Jiyoung very sick?

Aniya… not Jiyoung. Ji-ohn…

Why! Don’t tell me she caught the virus? Gary sent, feeling very worried.

She’s fine, don’t worry. It’s just that she’s upset that she has to go filming alone tomorrow. Jihyo thought to him, explaining it in detail. Oppa, should we… let her stay at home tomorrow as well?

Huh, what? Of course you can’t do that, yeobo. Wait, I’ll call you in a while.

Jihyo sighed and waited for Gary’s call. Not long later, her phone rang. She picked it up, still holding Ji-ohn in one hand.

“Oppa, she’s really upset about it. I think the PDs wouldn’t disagree…”

“Yeobo… just because she’s upset doesn’t mean we have to give in. She has to learn…”

“She’s just three, oppa! How would she feel if she’s alone without us by her side!” Jihyo said, her tone getting frustrated.

“Why would she be alone, Dong Hoon would be with her. And there’s the rest of the members too,” Gary countered, also getting frustrated.

“You know that’s not what I meant, oppa,” she said dryly.

“You shouldn’t always give in to her just because she can’t see, she’s not going to learn this way,” Gary explained.

“I’m not giving in because she’s blind; I’m giving in because she’s my daughter and I hate to see her upset!” She said, her voice rising, getting annoyed that he just doesn’t seem to understand.

Gary sighed. “Let’s talk when I get home, okay?” he said, getting tired of arguing.

“What time are you even coming home? You don’t even come home sometimes!” Jihyo snapped, letting anger take control of her.

However, immediately after she said that she regretted it.

Gary stayed silent on the other end. He knew she regretted what she said, and he knew she said it because she missed him. He felt it, even though they weren’t talking telepathically, he could still feel her emotions.

“Never mind,” she sighed. “Let’s talk when you get back,” she said, and hang up the call.

At home, she started to tear. She was under so much stress lately. Looking after Jiyoung, feeling guilty about neglecting Ji-ohn, feeling worried about Jiyoung etc. She couldn’t believe she just snapped at Gary. It made her even more frustrated and angry with herself. She knew how hard Gary tried to finish his album already; she knew how tired he was and she knew how much he tried to come home every night. Her tears kept falling. Gary seemed to have noticed something and tried to reach out to her, but she blocked him off.

Ji-ohn got shocked seeing her mother cry. She had never broke down in front of her children before. Realising that Ji-ohn is watching, she hurriedly put her down and went to the toilet. Ji-ohn was stunned for a while, but quickly followed her.

“Eomma, eomma…” she called after her.

Jihyo locked the toilet door as she washed her face, mixing the tears with tap water. She hated to breakdown in front of anyone, not to mention her children.

“Eomma, uljimaseyo…” Ji-ohn whispered as she knocked on the door.

“Aniya… Eomma’s not crying,” Jihyo replied, trying to stop her voice from quivering.

“Eomma, I’ll go tomorrow… uljima… uljima…” she pleaded, herself getting into tears as well.

“Aniya, Ji-ohn ah. It’s not because of that… I’m not crying, don’t worry.”

“Aniya, aniya…” she sobbed, knowing that it’s not true and thinking that Jihyo cried because of her. “I’ll be good. Don’t cry…”

Jihyo opened the door. She already dried her tears, but her eyes were still slightly red.

“Eomma!” Ji-ohn called out, looking up at her mom worriedly.

Jihyo knelt down to her daughter’s height and smiled. “See, eomma’s not crying, don’t worry.”

Ji-ohn threw her arms around her neck and kissed her. “Eomma saranghae,” she said.

After repeatedly assuring her daughter that she didn’t cry, Jihyo went to check up on Jiyoung, and then did some housework. Ji-ohn secretly took the house phone and went into the children’s room. She dialled Gary’s number.

“Appa…” she whispered, as soon as Gary picked up.

“Eo… Ji-ohnnie? Wae?” he asked.

“Eomma cried because of me. I’m sad.”

Immediately the pieces fell into place. “Aniya, it’s not because of you,” he said gently.

“Come home,” she whispered.

“I’m working, darling. I’ll come home as soon as I can, okay?”

“Come home quickly,” she repeated. “Come home and make eomma happy. You always make her happy.”

At those words, Gary felt overwhelmed with guilt. He was the reason why she cried actually.

He quickly composed himself and replied, “Okay, I will. You be good, okay?”

“Ne…”

“Okay, see you later. Saranghae.”

“Saranghaeyo appa.”

After her call, Gary decided that he had to go home for the day. Recording was important, but his family comes first, no matter what.

He left his studio and drove home. Along the way, he swung by a restaurant to get some additional dishes, since he knew Jihyo wouldn’t have cooked dinner for him.

When he reached home, it was not yet dinner time. They were all taking a nap. Ji-ohn was asleep in her own room, and Jihyo and Jiyoung in the master’s bedroom. He kept the stuffs in the kitchen first, and then snuggled in bed beside Jihyo, kissing her neck.

Shocked by the movement, Jihyo woke up. “Oppa?” she called out, confused.

He smiled and snuggled closer.

“You’re home so early?” she asked, happy and confused at the same time.

“You missed me,” he simply stated, putting his arms around her.

Jihyo smiled, all her frustrations and unhappiness just now disappeared instantly.