"Breakfast is ready, young master," Linhan spoke, loud enough so that Jinyoung could hear from his room. As their young master was now a fully grown man, they were no more to intrude into his room without his permission.
"Coming!" Jinyoung shouted back, as he was busy changing his pyjamas into a comfortable T-shirt and a pair of loose pants.
Linhan left the place and headed back downstairs; a little distance behind her was Nanseok and Minji coming downstairs.
"Linhan, have you already called your young master?" Minji asked.
"Yes, Mistress. He's coming."
"As usual, never get on time," Nanseok commented.
When they got to the foot of the staircase, Minji felt her breaths getting short and her chest tightening, causing her to lean against the newel post of the staircase, for support.
Nanseok turned and his eyes widened in shock; he tried to hold his wife and fanned her with his hand.
"Minji, what's wrong? Are you okay?"
She could not answer him as it was too difficult even to breathe.
"Linhan," Nanseok shouted, "Call the maids. Something went wrong with Minji."
For a moment, he did not know what to do; when Minji did not seem to get better, panic struck him.
"What's happening?"
Nanseok looked at his son, who was stepping down the stairs.
"Jinyoung, go and get your car ready. Something wrong with your mother. Or better, call the hospital."
"What?" Jinyoung ran down the stairs and approached his mother, who was pale and on the verge of losing the consciousness.
"Quick," Nanseok said, "Call for the emergency now."
Jinyoung felt for his phone inside his pants pocket and moving a little far away, dialed the number. He glanced at his mother again, worried, and now the maids were trying to help her get to the nearest couch and to let her sit down.
The next hour was in a chao, as Minji was taken to the hospital by the emergency car. Mark, who came to the house, having heard what had happened, and seeing that both Nanseok and Jinyoung were overtaken by the worry, he offered to drive them to the hospital.
Nanseok could not keep himself still and kept walking to and fro, along the corridor. Minji had been taken into an emergency room and it was taking longer than it should have.
Jinyoung was seated on the bench, just outside the emergency room, with his head kept low between his hands, and thinking of the possibilities of what could have happened to his mother. Mark sat still nearby, keeping silent and praying that nothing had happened.
"Park Minji."
A nurse's voice called their attention; she had just come out of the emergency room.
All three of them rushed to her, and Nanseok asked, "Is she okay?"
"She's alright. But you've got to talk with the doctor. First you can go and see her now if you want to, though she's alseep."
"Thanks," Jinyoung muttered.
The nurse led them into the room, where the doctors were still there and Minji was on her back, with the breathing device over her face. She looked pale and was unconscious or alseep.
Both Nanseok and Jinyoung took the seats beside the bed while Mark stood nearby, watching them.
"Get well soon," Jinyoung muttered quietly.
"I want to talk with you outside," said the doctor, who was on the other side of the bed.
"It'll be too sudden for you. But you have to accept it," the doctor said, running his eyes over the worried looks of the three man in front of him.
"Is it bad, Doctor?" Nanseok asked, hesitant.
"Bad enough. We've examined her body and found that there is a tumor in her lung. But it is no more on its first stage. Already at the stage of the cancer. And another thing is that it is already spreading to other organs. Actually, there should be earlier symptoms since the first stage. Either the patient did not take it seriously or hid it from you."
Cancer. Both Nanseok and Jinyoung exchanged horrified glances and the disbelief was in their eyes, although they were both aware that it was the truth. And Minji had hidden it from them? That was impossible and both of them found it hard to believe.
"Doctor, is there...is there any treatment that can save my wife?"
The doctor let out a sympathetic sigh, "The survival rate is only 10%. We cannot guarantee that the operation can save her. At most, five months to live, that is, given she goes through the regular operations."
All of them went silent. Five months, that was too short and too terrifying to be true. Five months would be just nothing and even within those five months, she would have to suffer.
Jinyoung felt his world crushing down; that was not possible, he could not accept this. It was too late now. Jinyoung glanced at the emergency room and the doctor's words came back to him. Five months. Only five months before his mother left them.
Daewon played with Jinyoung's hair and kept ruffling it, while Jinyoung was quiet in his arms. They were both lying and cuddling on Daewon's bed, after their sex.
Jinyoung could not keep his mind at the present; he had thought sex would distract him from all the negative thoughts. But he was still occupied by them, wherever he went and whatever he did.
"You're so quiet," Daewon said, "What's wrong?"
"Nothing. I'm just tired."
"Huh? Only one round and you're already tired?"
Jinyoung sat up, suddenly angry with Daewon, who always took everything that way.
"I'm leaving now. I need to get back home," said Jinyoung, getting out of the bedsheets. Daewon, however, stopped him, grabbing his hand.
"What's wrong with you? What's with leaving suddenly?"
"I told you, I'm tired now. Can't I just leave if I want to?"
"No. I'm your boyfriend, I've the right to know what's wrong. You can't just leave me like that."
Jinyoung shook his hand free and walked to pick up his clothes from the floor and putting them on.
"See you tomorrow. But I can't be sure."
"Jinyoung!"
Daewon called, frustrated but Jinyoung continued to the door and slammed it shut behind him.
He needed to go to his mother and stayed by her side, while there was still a chance to and he was still allowed to be. With the heavy heart, he headed out of the apartment suite and out into the car park.
