revelation :

/rɛvəˈleɪʃ(ə)n/ 

a surprising and previously unknown fact that has been disclosed to others.

"revelations about his personal life"

"So what exactly do you plan on doing?" He didn't know just how much trust his abuji could give him. But if he could trust his son in handling a family business worth billions, then he should be able to trust his son in handling his own engagement party. Then again, nobody could miss the disappointment in his abuji's eyes when he broke the news of his fake relationship. But considering that his father was still in a somewhat upright position, looking rather comfortable on his leather chair, he'd take it that things wasn't going as bad as he had predicted. Of course, the nagging about how he should have known better, done better was perfectly normal and was actually a sign of health and vitality when it came to the Chairman. But all of the "what were you thinkings" and "how could you do this" and "why did you do this" Won could have gone without. 

"And please... don't take it too far this time. I can't handle this headache in my old age, let alone, a heart attack."  "I'm having a headache." He didn't say this out loud of course. Won has always known the health issues that his abuji has had to go through and looking at him now, there was no telling how long he had left. That thought more than anything scares him, even though the alternate of that wasn't any less comforting. But at least his father would be there. 

"Well, I know how you like to get the announcement out first, make the first move before they could do anything about it and deal with the aftermath later." His father leaned back in the great leather chair. But what he didn't know was it wasn't to stare him down. Well, not entirely. The Chairman too was hiding the pain he'd been feeling way too frequently on his side. Usually it was a dull kind of pain, but the doctor told him it was a condition from his failing kidney so he hadn't worried that much. And if he felt a sharp stab once in a while, there's nothing a little massage and one of those pills he was prescribed won't help.He shoved the handkerchief he had been holding onto deeper into his pocket. There was no use in worrying his son further with the blooming red that was beginning to stain it. 

"I was thinking we do exactly that." Won's voice dragged him out of his thoughts. "The event will get a lot of media coverage anyway. Why not use that to our advantage. Show them that we are not afraid of them...because we have nothing to be afraid of." Won cleared his throat taking a sip of the hard liquor he had been offered to calm his own nerves. "If it's a wedding the people want, then a wedding they will get. I just can't guarantee when that'll be." He added in a single breath, afraid that the liquid courage would only last that long. 

The Chairman tried to think it through, he really did. But he couldn't bring himself to then. So, maybe not from his best judgement, he agreed. And so, with a few strings pulled, there were even more media access to the place with the slackened security that'll hopefully direct the person they want straight into the spotlight. Won knows how cruel it is to someone into the spotlight that way. Which was why he knew of how effective it could be and it would be the one chance for them to get the message across loud and clear. 

"Alright. But I won't take any responsibility from now on understood?" Won was annoyed at the stare his abuji directed towards him. He knew exactly what he was doing, otherwise why would he risk going to his abuji with the truth? He certainly wasn't expecting a lecture. In fact, he wanted to avoid it, that was why he was here, seated face to face with his father. The funny thing was, he has always felt small in front of his father. But now, sitting here, he has never felt more like he was a worthy opponent for the man in front of him. He wasn't afraid anymore, at least when it came to the Chairman. 

"If that's all, then I think I'd like to enjoy a glass of brandy." The Chairman waved him away. 

"Abuji, you can't have alcohol remember?" Won got up with a sigh, feeling like he had just aged a few years. Was it just him or did his knee hurt when he pushed himself up. 

The Chairman gave a dry chuckle, about to do something Won never thought he would ever do, agree with him. "You're right. Now go." His wave was more urgent now and for that split second a sense of panic struck Won. Something was really wrong. But his abuji gave him the look that said without a doubt that he was dismissed. So he walked out of there without looking back. This, the Chairman was grateful for because then he was free to cough up the blood that he knew was starting to build up from him trying to suppress it. 

The Chairman's condition has been worsening, much more than the treatments were able to help. Money was able to buy him some time. Unfortunately, it wasn't able to buy him immortality. 

.....

MyeongSu was sure he looked like a madman. And if the race of his heartbeat was any indication, he felt like he was becoming one too. "Everybody!!!!Can I get your attention?!" At least these people weren't drowning in too much privilege that they can't even look up when called. But the look on their faces made him want to spit in their jewelled out direction. It made him sick the way they were staring at him like he was the crazy one and not them. How can they live in this charade for so long? He'll even give them the benefit of the doubt and say that these poor, poor souls were so dumb and blinded by their riches that they couldn't even see that they were being lied to. 

He shook his head, a smirk naturally stretching across his face. He was so, proud of himself. That he had managed to find out before these people. These people who had it all, al the riches that the world could buy. Somewhere in the crowd he thought he caught a glimpse of Hwa Young and Young Jae's faces. Poor things. Those two have finally lost it too. Why can't they see? Why can't they all see?

"Yeoreobun!" His face hurt with the smile on it. "I have some news that I'd like to share with you all!" Great news, actually. 

"Where's the security in this place?!" Someone actually yelled from within the masses of people and he couldn't help but wag a finger at them. He clucked his tongue, treating them like they were little children. "Aniyo... they're not what's important right now. What's important..." He twirled around, arms spread wide gesturing at no one in particular because really, he didn't know where they were. 

"Geundae... where are all the people of the press?" It didn't take much for them to appear out of the ranks of the wealthy, carrying their cameras even if they were dressed in their finery. Even here, he could see the differences. When was it that people started realizing that humans were divided into these groups. And it doesn't matter where you are in the world. The system, it just is. No matter where it is. 

"Now! Where's the couple of the hour?" He staggered, drunk on his happiness of what he knew and probably from the soju he's had earlier. And when the two finally appeared, hand in hand, no less, he felt like he could fly. He saw how hard the man was squaring up his jaw. It looked like it hurt too. All the better. He needed something to buffer the pain and humiliation that was going to smack him across the face soon. MyeongSu rubbed his hands together in anticipation. 

This was it. This was his moment. 

...

A muscle jumped in his jaw and he was sure he was going to have to make a dentist's appointment right after this with how hard he was grinding his teeth. But he stuck to the plan. He pulled SooJin forwards with him, giving her hand a reassuring squeeze and glad that he received one back. He squared up his shoulders and faced the man of the hour. 

MyeongSu looked like how he always is, since Won has mostly ever seen him in his distressed and crazed state. He seemed even more so then, standing under the spotlight of the overhead chandelier. Won looked all around him to spot the guests of honor for the night. And no, he didn't mean all the execs and ceos. 

Who he had meant was those he had sent a direct invitations to, the ones who were going to help him bring this scandal down to almost 0% harm on their part and hopefully bring just enough humiliation to stop the man standing before him once and for all. "Everyone! Here they are!" Won was aware of his family all standing behind him, in a show of strength, just the way he had planned it. 

He was sure too, SooJin's grandfather was somewhere watching too. Good. The old man must bear witness to this, so he'll know there won't be any plot holes. Not this time. He gulped down his nervousness, watching MyeongSu's every move. His grip on SooJin's hand tightened just a smidge and a second later, he felt SooJin's hand on the crook of his elbow. 

He turned to look at SooJin, offering him a little smile. 

"SooJin! SooJin ah! How could you do this to me?" He wailed, a begging look to SooJin. It was pathetic really and almost made him feel guilty for what he was about to do, almost. "How can you do this..." he gestured generally in their direction. "What a nice picture." Won felt SooJin tense up next to him at the scoff from the man in front of them. Won moved slightly to cover her from view. "The lovely couple...I have to give it to you, you guys really do look the part." 

Before he could ramble further, someone in the crowd interjected. "Excuse me, but what is this all about?" A man, in a tidy little bowtie pushed his way to the front, camera up and his phone recorder in his outstretched hand. 

"Oh, this going to make the front page news! Listen carefully." He had this smile on his face that made Won want to take a step back. But then that would imply weakness. Instead, he took a step forwards, shielding SooJin further. 

"Everyone! The Royal couple, the one you've all been adoring and idolizing? You know what? They have been playing with you all along!" He pointed in a wide sweep way at the people standing behind Won and SooJin, pointing at their families. "They've all been playing you all along.." He breathed. And what came out of his mouth after could only be classified as a cackle. "You poor poor people! Their relationship isn't even real!" His laugh was high, as if he was drunk. "They set this all up to sell that movie." 

"Excuse me, how do you even know all of this?!" Someone said from somewhere in the crowd that had slowly, come a little closer, like a single organism. 

MyeongSu laughed in disbelief. "How do I? How do I know all of this?" He scoffed. "I'm her ex boyfriend." SooJin flinched at that and Won gave her hand another squeeze. "And we would have gotten back together if you hadn't gotten in the way!" His voice wavered for a second before it turned hard with emotion and when he turned to the press, Won had no doubt that they were getting a full shot of this man in all his snotty glory. 

"Ask them if you don't believe me! Ask them!" He was trembling as he pointed all his contempt at Won. But what he didn't know was that Won had planned to do just that. Won even had to stop himself from giving the man a little bow and handing him a thank you while he was at it. 

He gave SooJin's hand a final squeeze before moving to take center stage. In the short time he made to walk to the center of the circle of humans there were already murmurs of doubts and shouts from the press to clarify if it was true or not and what they had to say for themself. He gave everyone around the room the hardest stare he could muster, partly to shut them up, but also to assert his displeasure at them being disrespectful for having been invited in the first place. 

He kind of understood why his abuji had this habit of coughing and clearing out his throat. And he suspected it wasn't just the illness. How can you stand in front of all these people and say all of this? Even the hard stuff? So he ended up clearing his throat for that little boost of confidence. "Everyone! Can I have your attention please?!" He has never had to use this kind of voice before; the kind where he felt a scratch in his throat with how hard he was projecting his voice. Then everyone was gathering around him and SooJin; some with curious glances, others were amused, and there were some who looked like they were about to throw up, as if it was their own secret to tell. 

Where to begin? Where to begin? Well, the beginning would be the best place to start, he thinks. 

"As you all have heard from our friend, here Writer Bang, there has been some questions in regards to our engagement." He could see the man in question smiling with triumph from the corner of his vision. "I feel, to understand all of this, it is better to start from the beginning." A groan to the side, doubtless from the most impatient man in the entire hall. "A few months ago, we had first met....actually, courtesy of my father..." he gestured to the man  behind him. "...the Chairman of Jeguk Group.  And although it was a reluctant meeting. I mean, who ever just happily goes to their parent's matchmaking dates right?" a scatter of laughter around the hall drowned out the one scoff in the place and he took it as a sign that everything was still okay, that it wasn't yet burning to the ground. For that, he ordered SeungHo to be ready at the nearest exit for when everything came burning down later. 

"Well, it was  a kind of matchmaking... a business kind... our fathers were childhood bestfriends and although I wish I could say we grew up together but that wouldn't be the truth. And from the moment I'd opened my mouth I want everything to be the truth." He took a deep breath before continuing. "The two went their separate ways...and I only found out who she is when I'd found old photos of our fathers." he offered SooJin a smile, one that made his heart race and that couldn't be good. He couldn't be distracted at the moment. 

"Then, it all became complicated, my world being its head, you could say. There was a time when I had moved out of my parent's home, and then I realized I had nowhere else to turn. But thankfully, I had someone looking out for me." He could feel her give his hand a squeeze. "It was when we were living under the same roof that I got to know her, all the good and all of the bad. And to be fully honest, I cannot find the patience in me to deal with people. Ask my employees, they'll tell you their fair share of trauma stories."SooJin was holding onto his arm now, as if holding him up. "But all I had wanted to do was to protect this person, to be there for them. And seeing her sad and angry made me want to punch a wall or watch the world burn." He was well aware how dramatic all of it sounded, but he didn't care. It was all the truth. And it was refreshing to tell the truth in a long while. 

"Then, like all siblings do, they just want to mess things up and what can I say? You can't live with them. Period." At this, Tan craned his neck from between his family, Gook squirming in his arms. 

"Excuse you? Without me, you would have been miserable and alone the rest of your life."  And as if in agreement, Gook started giggling happily. 

"Quiet you. I'm starting to regret ever having you as a brother. And besides, we haven't gotten to the best part yet." the conspiratorial smile crept onto his face naturally and it might be the first time in their entire lives that the brothers had been partners in crime in something. 

"As for this next part, I cannot blame my parents but at the same time, I should probably consider an occupation as an actor, because they were fooled, along with everybody else. Let me recount the people who knew of the truth by then; Tan, our matchmaker..." Tan gave a little curtsy, not being able to bow with Gook in his arms. ".... Kim Jin Ae, my future sister in law, SooJin sshi's assistant and... the CEO of Manse Group." This last part he said while staring straight at the fuming Chairman of Manse Group, Choi WooHyun. Of course, he had called WooHyun beforehand who had opted out of attending, citing "thanks, but no thanks. I've been on the receiving end of his chokeholds for way too many times." He further stated that though his grandfather looked to be the old geezer and too fragile to even stand, that didn't extend to his deathlike grip. So, if the couple would excuse his absence, he would be hiding in the Hamptons for a couple weeks until the old man had regained his normal percentage of hatefulness before returning. But he did promise them a congratulatory gift later. 

"You lied." SooJin's grandfather said in that voice of his and it made her scoot ever so slightly closer to Won. "You lied to all of us. You lied to me." He said, directing his venomous stare towards SooJin.

Won stepped in front of her to shield her from him. The entire room was reeling at this point, full of whispers all around and now the press was listening in, all ears and all eyes were on them finally. "Not exactly. While, before I met you, there was no obligations to tell you anything, although we were already friends then. But by the time I came face to face with you, we were already on our way to something more." there were gasps from the entire room. "And yes, our entire relationship was built on misunderstanding after misunderstanding. But I believe, that's the reason we are stronger together." 

"No matter what happened, we never left each other, even if we had thought of it at some point or another. And I'm sure, we were stupid enough to believe that it was for the other person's good." He let out a breath. "First, we thought this relationship would get us places, both with our families and with our work. So we agreed to Kim Tan's proposal of building it up for the show. Second, the proposal. I had gone to my mothers for advice specifically. And eventually, I had gotten the bracelet to hopefully cheer up. Because of personal reasons, she had been down the entire week, and I had hoped I could help her feel better. And like the clumsy person I am, I tripped and ended up on my knees. Which ironically, was how SooJin made me felt, even before I realized it. And third, our engagement. I cannot totally deny this since, I like to believe I'm not the only one madly in love with her...." 

"Yaish! Shibal! What is this?! Tell them the truth! SooJin. SooJin." He searched her face, hoping for support. But Won knows, he won't find any. This was the exact reason why, when he had found SooJin out by the pool, watching the Seoul skyline, he had decided to sit her down and outline what he was going to do. He didn't know if MyeongSu had realized that there was no surprise look on SooJin's face. Probably not. He was too drowned in his triumph. But when he saw the way SooJin hung onto Won instead of going over to him, he finally realized just how delusional his thoughts were. Won almost felt sorry for the man, the way his face fell away to reveal what was left underneath. 

The next part, this part SooJin has no idea about. For this, he had to face her, had to make her understand. He held both her hands in his and started playing with the ring. "So I guess you can say, we're not really engaged." He caught the way her face fell for a split second before it was carefully blank. "And therefore, for that reason alone..." he pulled the ring off her finger. "...I think we shouldn't be in this relationship anymore."  Gasps again around the hall and this time, he was sure that SooJin was one of them but he couldn't see her face as she was busy looking down at her empty fingers. Somewhere in the hall, he could hear his father said his name with a warning growl. 

He ignored them all and instead placed a finger under SooJin's chin, lifting it up slightly so she would look at him in the eye. "However, I made a promise. And I never, never make a promise I don't intend to keep. So..." He got down on one knee then, to the surprise of everyone in the hall. "Kim SooJin, I'm asking you this as Kim Won, the man, just the man, not the CEO. Will you, no. It will be my honour if you would become my girlfriend. So, what I'm trying to ask is...." 

It was so fast and quiet at first that he thought he was just hearing things. But when he looked at her, really looked at her, he could feel his heart almost full to the point of bursting. But that was nothing compared to when he finally got up, asking her over and over again if what she had said was yes. And being fed up with his doubts, she had s her hands around his neck and before he was ready for it, her lips were on his. He wondered if it was as in slowmotion for everyone else as it was for him. Eventually, he started kissing her back, and he felt like if they were to pull apart, he wouldn't be whole again. If his brother hadn't used the businessman throat clearing method, they might have kept going. Reluctantly, they had to move apart. 

"Take him away...." Chairman Kim ordered. And if there was a fraility in his father's voice, Won was too happy to notice. The couple couldn't take their eyes off of each other. Not until they heard the piercing scream. 

Nobody even noticed Myeong Su being escorted out of the building. Not when they were all staring at the small pool of blood on the floor, where the Chairman had just coughed up on the floor. In a second, he was by his father's side, and there were shouts for ambulance in the crowd. A second later they were on the way to the hospital, him holding onto his father's limp hand. Then they were racing past the emergency hallways. And then he was pushed out of the curtains where they were working on his dying father. His dying father. 

He didn't know if it was a second or more, but then he felt SooJin's arms snake around his waist, grounding him to the present and everything all around him came crashing onto him in full force. The beeping of machines, the rush of people working on his father and the other patients. "It's going to be okay...." She gripped at the bloodied front of his shirt and he had to grip her hand in order to keep himself standing. 

But pretty soon, there was an assault on his senses as all the machines started beeping. And he was about to put his hands to his ears, to drown it out when he saw them wheel his unconscious father out of the room. And even though he tried to chase them, he was stopped by a bunch of doctors. He very nearly punched them but snapped out of it when SooJin held on to his hand and said, "Where are they taking him?" 

"Are you the family?" Before she could answer, he answered yes for her. 

"His condition is deterioriating and we need to move him to the ICU. It seems there is a problem with his kidney." The doctor let that set in. "We will try our best to stabilize him but we must prepare for the worst." 

Won felt his head start spinning, or was it his legs that felt like they were about to fall from under him? 

"Is there nothing we can do?" SooJin was sobbing at this point and the two were holding each other up. 

The doctors hesitated, trying to not look up from their feet, but eventually they had to. "Well, if we have a donor, then maybe..." 

'Are there no donors on the list?" hope. It was the first bit of hope he's had since all this started. But even then, he didn't feel right to just overtake everyone who was already on the list. 

The doctor sighed. "We'll check, but just in case, be prepared." 

And just like that, he walked through the door, leaving Won reeling and finally, he couldn't do it anymore. He slumped onto the ground, crying in SooJin's arms. 

...

She had this weird sensation in her chest, it was like she could physically feel her heart fall apart. It was late into the night now, or maybe it was early in the morning. And the doctors had managed to stabilize the Chairman, although his vitals had dropped once in that amount of time. Won had begun to become unresponsive as well, only staring into the wall, trying to see past it. Only one person at a time was allowed in the room and the two ladies in the Chairman's life had started taking turns going in there, occasionally letting other people visit with him. 

Right now, her appa was in there, seeing to his best friend while everyone else took their breaks. Won, slumped against the corner in his chair had only been in there once and by the end of that. he had come out looking like he had aged more than when he had gone in. Since then he had been almost catatonic in state and had refused any attempts of SooJin asking him to eat, to do anything, to even move. 

The door slid close behind her appa with a click as he made his way out. She had never seen her father that grim before, even when her mother had passed away. Back then, he had been cheerful but she and her sister always knew that it was a face, a brave front to not upset his young daughters. But now he looked defeated. Won, who was usually the gentleman who at least felt like he needed to greet whoever it was they came in contact to, was not even acknowledging her appa's presence. 

"How is he?" She wasn't aware how difficult it was to speak until she tried it. Her voice sounded hoarse and the sensation in was gravelly and sore.

Instead of answering her, he just sighed and shook his head slowly which crushed any kind of hope that SooJin had.  But she knew, this was not like the movies and television series she ever worked on. Things don't just miraculously work out. She looked up to her appa looking intently at her before nodding for her to come with him. Soon, the two were outside and she hoped that Won could fend for himself for a while. 

Now out of sight from Won, she felt like she was the one that needed to be held up and so hoping that she won't find herself collapsed all the way to the ground, she had wrapped her arms around herself, leaving half moon indents on her arm where she had gripped herself too hard.  "He's not doing well is he?" her father's voice sounded resigned and weary. It looked like the man had aged a few more years since they arrived at the hospital. And with the age that he was at, a few years made a lot of difference. His eyes looked more sunken and gaunt than usual, dark eye circles were starting to appear out of nowhere too and he slumped even more than usual, especially in the presence of the uber rich who he always made a point of standing a little straighter when he walked past. 

SooJin shook her head solemly. "No." She sniffled. "I'm afraid at this rate he won't....be okay....for a while...." as she said it, what she had in mind; Won completely losing himself, not even wanting to continue to take care of himself was too much to bear. So she had opted for a more optimistic alternative, if only to soothe her heart so that she could be there for Won when he no longer can. 

Her dad nodded, immediately understanding. They stood together for a while, sharing whatever shred of strength they have left with each other. But SooJin didn't feel like she could leave Won alone for long before he would be truly gone. She felt like if she were there, she could hang on to whatever strength he had left or maybe even share some of her own with him so that he will still be here. After all, the Chairman was still with them-barely- but still here nonetheless. 

But at the same time that she opened to excuse herself, her dad said something she had not expected. "Mwo?"

Her dad cleared his throat, that same look of resignation and maybe something steely behind it too. "I'll get myself tested, see if I'm a match." And when SooJin couldn't bring herself to react; a little shocked and a little angry that she hadn't thought about that herself, that maybe someone in her family could be a match, that even she could be a match. 

"But...but you can't...." Her dad looked at her like she was crazy. So she immediately clarified. "Appa, you're too old, they'll be too many complications." At this point she couldn't even form proper sentences anymore. Her brain was just too far gone. "Appa, you have to think of your health too." The moment she said it, she had regretted it. The guilt came for her nice and strong, stangling  whatever breath left that she could take. She shook it off. She had to be strong. "Why don't I try? One of us could be a match." She was flailing for words. 

What surprised her was her dad hadn't said anything for a while and when she had finally calmed down on her own, he reached out and prized her hands to cup them together as if they were in a joint prayer. "Listen, I know, once you have something in your mind, you won't stop until it's done. That's why I knew you would be alright." He squeezed her hands a little tighter. "I know, as much as I want to, I can't stop you from trying to do whatever it is you want to do. Especially when I know you're an adult and can do whatever you want to without my consent. But please, promise me, be safe." His grip got impossibly tighter around her hands. Of course, she knew what he meant. Don't go into this blindly, and only if she was sure. She knew all of that, and besides, the hospital wasn't going to let her get the operation if she wasn't fit enough. She worried about her dad more, being on the later side of his middle age, that he wouldn't be able to cope. So as stupid as it sounds, she began wishing then that her dad won't be a match. Even if that decreased the chance of the Chairman getting a donor. 

......

Won was starting to feel tired, like he could just sit up straight and find that his eyes had closed. And maybe that was what happened because then he was awake and the hospital lights were just too much, reflected onto the linoleum and the white walls. SooJin was just coming back, with two steaming cups of coffee that the scent of was enough to make his ears perk. He gladly accepted the cup, useful in warming his cold hands and maybe for something to do too; nursing a cup of coffee. He could see her hesitating before placing a tender hand on his arm. "How are you doing? Do you need anything?" He swallowed the bitter comeback he automatically had in mind; that he wanted someone to drop dead so his abuji could have a kidney or maybe someone could lose one, he wonders if that would help. After all, you could live with just one kidney much easier than one lung, even though both are possible. 

But he swallowed the thought with a scalding sip of coffee because he knew she was only worried. She had started to rub soothing circles around his arms and as much as he was miserable, he was comforted by the gesture. It did not however, stop the bitter thought from resurging that he was helpless and there was nothing that he could do. He and his brother were the only relatives that he had left by his side and in a cruel twist of fate, although both of them had the highest probability as matches, both of them had been incompatible. Any hope had been thrown out the window when both his wife and mistress had not been a match. And although his abuji could use money to speed things along, he had refused to, as if accepting his fate, as if punishing himself and now he felt the little hate he had for his abuji. Why couldn't he have cut the corners to get his own health on track. 

"I'm okay..." It was the best he could do. His throat felt like someone had rubbed sand paper in there, from how long he hadn't spoken or done anything for that matter. By then SooJin had understood and was resting her head on his shoulder. Somewhere in between he had rested his head on hers, drawn to her warmth and strength, feeling like he couldn't possibly breathe without her beside him. Slowly, people started appearing. Maybe it was because it was morning or maybe it was this weird coincidence where everyone knew there was news soon. 

His stepmother was seated in the seat beside SooJin, with the mistress leaning into her, squeezing her arm for support. SooJin's dad had walked in, in new clothes, leaning against the wall, occasionally moving out of the way of the buzz of healthcare workers. It wasn't until later in the morning that the doctor had emerged, seemingly out of nowhere. A childish part of his brain was activated, into wondering whether there were hidden tunnels around the place that the healthcare workers could kind of emerge from. 

"Kim Nam Yun's family?" Everyone rose and stood at attention in unison. He didn't know how everyone else was coping, but he could feel his hands and feet going numb from the cold that nervousness had brought on. "Yes, the test results are back...." What test results? No one had told him about any kind of tests being done. At this  he inched closer, only stopping when SooJin tugged at their intertwined hands. "We have a match." Beside him he could hear SooJin sighing softly. He, on the other hand was about to have another mental breakdown. What match? Have they found a match that was miraculously for his abuji and that had moved him to the top of the list? No money involved?

But he understood everything when, still holding onto him, SooJin had taken a step forward. And his reaction had been instantaneous. "No." He breathed. And when everyone turned to look at him, he turned to look at SooJin. "No, you can't." He was holding onto her far too tightly but he didn't care. She couldn't go under the knife. She just couldn't. He couldn't lose her too. 

She looked up at him calmly. "It's okay, I'll be fine. I can live with one kidney and they'll make sure I'll be okay." He knew this already. He knew before they had tested his blood to make sure he could be a match. It was perhaps not one of the highest risk operation, but it does rank pretty high and her quality of life after, it won't be good. No. And he kept shaking his head so. He felt tears prickling at his eyes. 

"You can't...." But he knew there was no stopping her if she wanted it and at this point he was just embarrassing himself. 

The doctor cleared his throat and brought his attention back to the present. "Um...I...The match, it's Mr Kim Jin Hyuk." Instantly, there was relief. But then guilt followed through when he saw the look on SooJin's face. He had to let her go, in shock, towards her dad. Soon, they were crying in each other's arms. And thankfully, the doctor had given them the space they needed. When both had calmed down, he noticed the look of shared agreement between the two, as if they had agreed before hand and his father's best friend stepped up. 

"What do I do now?" He asked, sniffling the way that can't be dignified for anybody. 

"We'll run some last minute tests and then we'll schedule the operation." With that air of finality, the doctor had left them. 

....

Finally. He never thought it would come to past. But finally they had the all go for the operation. He had spent the time before with his family and friends. Despite him telling them that he'll be fine, he can't be completely sure. There was always the chance that it could go wrong. So his last moments with his girls and by extension, their families, were ones he held close to him as they wheeled him in to the operation theater. Beside him was his best friend, already unconscious with the amount of medications they had pumped into him. 

They asked him if he was ready. And with a last look at the day before, at how his girls had held on to him a little tighter, at how Kim Won and Kim Tan had done everything they could to make him comfortable, guilt written all over their faces, he thought that he was as ready as he'll ever be. If he doesn't make it and something goes wrong, the only comforting thought was that he would be going with his best friend, that at least he wouldn't be alone. Or, the man could just survive in his own way. That would be like the Kim NamYun he had remembered. And he found he didn't mind it; if his best friend had survived and he didn't. 

With that he closed his eyes and they told him to relax. In his last waking moments he remembered saying, or maybe it was just a thought in his head. But the last thing he was capable of saying/thinking was, "You bastard, please make sure you don't kill us both."

A/N: There will be one final chapter after this and honestly, I've put it off so long is because I don't want this to end because I enjoyed writing the characters so much. But it has to end at some point. And even though I'm a fan of open ended endings, I knew, that I had to wrap this up nicely. So in the last chapter you will find out what happens to them, an epilogue in a way. Happy reading!

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