F4: Sunflowers ‖ 𝓵.𝓱

55.

Months passed by with a sour taste.

Things weren't going as the Lee siblings expected, since good news never arrived. Although at first they had gotten used to the new lifestyle that the routine brought them, little by little it began to silently become suffocating for both siblings.

Day by day the light of hope became just weaker and weaker. Even if they tried to hide it.

Of course, the people surrounding the pair of siblings tried their best to keep the positive spirit up, nonetheless, even they knew things didn't seem to change anytime soon.

From the fifth floor of the white building, Haechan got used to staring at people walking back and forth the street, trying to distract his mind. At the time, the youngest of the Lee family was looking through the window of the white room, the place where in the past weeks had been witnessing the seasonal change, how little by little the snowflakes started to disappear, leaving behind the mark of their past existence.

Isn't life just like that? Like a mist that is there one moment and the next, it simply disperses. 

The sound of an erratic cough attack brought him back to reality, activating all the alarms inside his brain. Haechan quickly got up and ran next to the bed where his mother was lying.

"Mom, hey, calm down," he said, trying to stay calm while his hands trembled at the same time he was trying to pour water into a glass. "Here, drink some water, mom."

With all her might, Solhee tried to compose herself, accepting the glass that her son was offering her.

Noticing that his mother's breathing slowly returned to normal, as did the rhythm of the machine next to her, Haechan let out a heavy sigh. Despite the fact that this was not the first episode that he had to witness, it was never better.

Just as their hope, his mother's state was becoming weaker as well. The doctors often tried to look for new treatments and medications but nothing was well enough.

"I'm sorry," he heard a raspy voice. 

"Mom," he started with a reproachful tone. He truly hated when his mother started apologizing for this kind of thing.

"I know," she interrupted him, now with a clearer voice, "I know you don't like me to apologize but I can't help it," Solhee voiced out, reaching her son's hand, "seeing you spend your youth days inside these four walls, and I'm not even sure if you rest properly at nights."

A couple of months back, Solhee would have acted like she didn't care what Haechan would be doing with his life as long it didn't affect his public image. It was a little bit true, nonetheless, she thought it was the safest way to protect him and protect her image as a mother. However, things had changed. Her image or herself at all didn't matter anymore. At that point, Solhee was hanging on there because of her children.

She was aware of how much she owed them, how much time she spent just pushing them away. She wanted to live, but not for her, but because she wanted to give back everything she had taken from them. She had to do it for them.

"That's not important-"

"It is, son, it is for me," she let out a heavy sigh.

At that exact moment, the door was open showing a familiar married couple, who has brought the necessary supplies to stay the night.

Noticing the heavy atmosphere, Dohee frowned nevertheless, taking the sign of Haechan's tired expression, she decided to let it go for now.

"We are here! Sorry, I know we are a little bit late."