Chapter 43

"Cancer treatment, you say?

Everyone fell into a temporary state of panic at the shocking news.

Even Lee Hyuk, who had been relentlessly questioning, had a dazed look on his face.

Jiho’s already pale face now looked like a sheet of white paper.

It seemed like he was shivering, and he kept coughing.

Jung-hyun laughed awkwardly and said,

“I told you. It would be better not to know.”

“Does that mean Jiho’s leg surgery is over?”

“Well, it did end a while ago. But the situation is a bit ambiguous now.”

“…What do you mean by ambiguous?”

Lee Hyuk’s question made Jung-hyun scratch his head.

“I’ll stop here. It’s better to talk to Biju. It’s a difficult issue to talk about casually…”

Jung-hyun placed a bulky old smartphone on the table.

When he pressed the shortcut number 7, Biju’s number appeared.

We all swallowed hard.

A gentle voice came from the speakerphone.

-What, why? Did you not find the drink?

“No, it’s just… you know.”

-Did you accidentally break something?

“No, I don’t always break things.”

-Thank goodness. I thought you’d have to pay for it again like last time.

A clear laugh was heard.

Jung-hyun looked at the smartphone as if it were a time bomb.

“Hey, I have something to say.”

-What is it?

“I ran into Brother Wooju, Lee Hyuk, and Jiho at the café.”

-What? Why are they at the hospital? Is Jiho hurt? Or Lee Hyuk? Brother Wooju can’t be hurt.

What does that mean, he can’t be hurt?

“Jiho sprained his ankle.”

-What?!

His voice rose for the first time.

Immediately, a commotion began on the other end of the line.

Jung-hyun quickly tried to calm things down.

“Don’t worry. He said he’ll be fine after a day or two of rest.”

-Still, is the kid okay?

“Yeah, he seems fine. But… they asked why we were at the hospital. They saw us earlier, so I thought maybe I should tell them…”

There was a long silence on the other end.

Jung-hyun’s Adam’s apple bobbed up and down repeatedly.

-BJ.

“Yeah?”

-You told them.

“No, I didn’t.”

-…

Just by hearing his voice, it felt like Biju’s image was in front of me, looking at Jung-hyun with a serious expression and crossed arms.

Jung-hyun’s Adam’s apple bobbed up and down a few times.

He finally spoke.

“Sorry.”

-That’s what I thought. Your tone was strange from the start. So you’re talking on speakerphone?

“Yeah.”

-…

I interjected.

“Biju, hello.”

-Hello….

She ended with a long sigh.

-BJ, can you turn off the speakerphone for a moment?

“Why?”

-I want to talk to you privately. Switch to a normal call.

“Hey, I….”

-Right now.

Jung-hyun turned off the speakerphone as if pressing a hell switch, and held the phone to his ear. The volume was low, but a continuous, soft voice could be heard.

It didn’t sound like good news.

Even though he wasn’t exercising, cold sweat formed on Jung-hyun’s stubble.

“Yeah, sure. Yeah, yeah. Yeah. No, what I wanted to say… Yeah, that’s right. Yeah… That’s it, yeah.”

After a while, Jung-hyun finally ended the call.

“Phew, that was close.”

Jung-hyun wiped his face.

“What did she say?”

“She said she’ll let it slide this time. She’ll meet with Brother Wooju and the kids separately, and she wants us to bring them.”

“Bring them?”

“She said the kid got lost.”

At that, the three of us spoke simultaneously.

“Again?”

* * *

“Thank you for finding me.”

We found Biju 30 minutes later.

Biju was quite far from the hospital. It was even more surprising how she got here.

As soon as she joined us in the lounge, Biju ran to Jiho.

“Jiho, you said your leg was hurt. Are you okay?”

“Huh? Oh… yeah, I’m fine. Don’t worry about it.”

If it were any other time, the youngest would have exaggerated, but now he was waving his hands. He couldn’t even meet Biju’s eyes.

His steps were hesitant.

Suddenly, I remembered the funeral of my parents when I was seven. The kindergarten friends who came to the funeral looked just like this. They fumbled around, not knowing what to say, and sometimes burst into tears.

But this kid won’t cry.

“Didn’t you say Jiho’s leg was hurt?”

Jung-hyun whispered in my ear.

Jiho’s steps were normal, not limping like before.

“He’s just in shock. He probably doesn’t even realize he’s walking.”

Jung-hyun walked over and supported Jiho.

I heard the youngest say, “Thanks, Brother.”

Originally, Lee Hyuk was supposed to support him, but what is he doing?

Looking around, I found another person walking with his eyes on the ground, just like the youngest.

It’s strange to see the completely opposite person acting the same way.

Biju whispered to us.

“I didn’t want to tell them. I was afraid they’d feel burdened.”

“Why would they feel burdened?”

“Everyone is busy practicing. I didn’t want to make them uncomfortable by bringing it up. I also didn’t want them to feel like they had to be careful around me.”

“I see. They usually seem to be cautious around you anyway.”

Biju’s eyes turned to me. I nodded.

“Just like now.”

A small laugh escaped from her lips.

It was a joke to lighten the mood, and it seemed to work.

Biju said with a relieved tone,

“Thanks for treating me normally. If you had acted differently, I would have suffocated.”

“I’ve been through something similar. If I hadn’t, I would have been no different from them.”

“Something similar?”

“Didn’t I mention it before? When I was in elementary school, my grandmother had cancer surgery.”

“Oh.”

I didn’t say anything like, “I know how you feel,” because I knew how to react as someone who had been through it.

Treating her normally is the best way.

Don’t hesitate, don’t pity her, and don’t give unnecessary comfort.

“Is she okay now?”

“Of course. It’s been over 10 years. Cancer is severe, but it usually doesn’t last that long.”

Biju laughed again.

“Why?”

“I used to think the same way. I didn’t think cancer could last that long.”

A hint of bitterness passed over her face.

“But it did.”

* * *

Before entering the hospital room, Biju gathered us to explain the situation.

Her brother’s name is Kim Min-joon.

He is 10 years old, almost the same age as her.

She first noticed his illness when he was five.

I’m not sure of the exact diagnosis.

It’s hard to understand her explanation, as if she’s too distracted to explain clearly.

What’s certain is that he continued to suffer even after the surgery.

For the next five years, he couldn’t go to kindergarten or school because of continuous treatment, and sometimes he had to be hospitalized.

“A few days ago, he suddenly had a high fever and was admitted. Jung-hyun knew about my situation, so he came with me. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you earlier. I didn’t want to worry you.”

“It’s okay. I understand.”

Lee Hyuk swallowed and said, and Jiho nodded repeatedly beside him.

Biju smiled and grabbed the doorknob.

“Don’t just pat his head. He hates that the most.”

Click, the door opened.

The humid smell of the humidifier filled the room, and we saw a middle-aged couple sitting in chairs and a child reading a book in bed.

“Mom, I’m here.”

The middle-aged couple awkwardly greeted her.

Biju explained that we were visiting.

“Good. You came. This is the first time meeting our friends.”

Her father had a calm demeanor and a soft voice, giving off a professor-like vibe. He used to be a university professor. The father and son looked so much alike that if Biju wore glasses and aged 30 years, she would look just like him.

“Do you all like fruit? I peeled some apples.”

Her mother, on the other hand, had a lively tone.

When we received a piece of apple each, her mother called out to the child.

“Min-joon, the brothers are here.”

“I’ll finish this page.”

A clear voice was heard.

If he weren’t wearing a hospital gown, he would look like a bright and intelligent young monk.

Min-joon closed the science book he was speed-reading.

“Brother Jung-hyun, did you bring ice cream?”

“Of course.”

Jung-hyun chuckled and took out the contents from the envelope. The child’s face lit up the room.

Then he looked at us and exclaimed, “Aren’t you the brothers I saw on TV? Right?”

“Yeah.”

Biju smiled proudly and patted his cheek. Min-joon bowed with the ice cream in his hand.

“Hello.”

Biju introduced us to Min-joon.

“This is Brother Wooju. He helps us write songs.”

“I like the name. I really like space.”

“I do too.”

Min-joon extended his hand to me. It seemed he wanted to shake hands.

I found it cute and shook his hand.

“This is Brother Lee Hyuk. He sings the best in the group.”

“Hello.”

Lee Hyuk gave an awkward smile and accepted the handshake.

“This is Brother Jiho.”

“Jiho?”

“Yeah, Brother Jiho.”

“Oh.”

He then pulled his hand back.

He rubbed his palm on his thigh, and I thought he was wiping sweat, but that was it.

We all laughed, and Jiho looked at Biju with a bewildered expression.

“What did you tell him, Brother Biju?”

“I didn’t tell him anything.”

“…”

“A little bit?”

Biju laughed, finding it amusing.

Then she said to her brother,

“Min-joon, you should shake hands with Brother Jiho too.”

“Okay.”

Min-joon, who had been grumbling, extended his hand.

“Stop being so picky and be nice to your brother.”

While Jiho looked like a stone statue, everyone in the room laughed.

* * *

“Why are your eyelashes so long and you’re so pretty? Come on, eat.”

“Thank you.”

I took the fork Biju’s mother offered and ate a piece of apple, smiling.

“Our Biju came back from the year-end evaluation and praised you so much. She said her new friend is really good. I watched the video and was really impressed.”

“Thank you.”

“Biju always praises you when she comes home or calls. She said Brother Wooju did this and that, and thanks to Brother Lee, everything went well…”

“Mom, ah, here, eat this.”

Biju interrupted and fed her mother an apple.

“When she first appeared on TV, she said…”

“Mom, here, eat this.”

“You’re just like Biju, always interrupting me.”

“Mom, please…”

A smile formed on my lips.

It was amusing to see Biju, who always acted like a mother to us, in this situation.

“Anyway.”

Biju’s mother grabbed my hand.

“Please take good care of our child. I trust you, Wooju.”

“Sure, I will.”

“She looks so innocent, but she’s very stubborn. Just like her father…”

“Dear, eat this.”

This time, her father fed her an apple.

Her mother, who chattered like a young girl, was cute, and the father and son, who desperately tried to stop her, were also cute.

It was different from the typical image of a patient’s family I often imagined.

However, that didn’t mean Min-joon looked healthy. His expression was bright, but his complexion was poor.

His face was pale.

I now understand what the ‘purple lips’ in ‘Sudden Shower’ mean.

Her mother continued,

“His fever has gone down a lot. Yesterday, it was so high that we had to call the doctor in the middle of the night. The kid was crying, and the doctor didn’t even come…”

“That’s common in university hospitals.”

While chatting with her mother, I kept an eye on Min-joon.

He had a board game set up on the bed, and the four of them were playing.

A 10-year-old and three older brothers.

It seemed like a game called Bopple, but I wasn’t sure. Everyone was losing, except for Lee Hyuk, who looked frustrated.

It seemed like they were letting him win, but Lee Hyuk was really trying his best. He kept looking at the dice with dissatisfaction.

Jiho seemed much more relaxed than before.

He even laughed occasionally.

And Jung-hyun kept looking at Min-joon with a smile. He patted him occasionally, and this was the first time I saw Jung-hyun with such a gentle expression.

“Jung-hyun and Min-joon are close, aren’t they?”

Her father answered.

“Every time Biju comes, Jung-hyun always follows. He even stayed up all night with us when we were struggling. He’s like family.”

The father’s expression when looking at Jung-hyun was similar to Jung-hyun’s when looking at Min-joon.

Of course, Min-joon was the same.

The bald, small child laughed heartily whenever Jung-hyun made a joke or played with him, like the kind of jokes elementary school kids love.

His eyes sparkled when looking at his brother.

“That’s also something Jung-hyun brought.”

“What is it? Oh.”

Biju pointed to a Lego model on the bedside stand. It looked like a scene from a superhero movie.

That’s what Jung-hyun had been carefully carrying this morning.

Now the mystery was solved.

But there was still a question.

Min-joon’s treatment started five years ago.

Then why did Biju suddenly start acting strangely recently?

“Biju.”

Just as I was about to speak to Biju,

A young cheer came from the board game.

Min-joon had won the game.

He held up a miniature trophy, symbolizing victory, and smiled brightly.

“Min-joon seems to be in a good mood today.”

Following Biju’s gaze, I looked at the 10-year-old child.

He had been fighting cancer since he was five.

Because of the chemotherapy that suppresses cells, he was smaller than his peers and had no hair. He couldn’t even go to kindergarten, let alone school, but he looked like he was enjoying a rare moment of happiness.

“Brother, what did you want to ask?”

“Nothing.”

I shook my head, thinking it was better not to ruin the current mood.

Her mother called out to the youngest child with a flushed face.

“Min-joon, are you happy the brothers are here?”

“Yes!”

The child smiled brightly.

“I wish today wouldn’t end.”