Doyun was silent. He couldn't speak, as the fear of breaking down before his mother and younger siblings if he tried to speak made him choose to stay quiet instead.
Though he didn't say anything, Baram knows that their situation is the main catalyst for her son's decision.
What child would be able to concentrate on their dream when they had just found out that their parent is diagnosed with kidney failure and couldn't afford the cost?
"Oemma, are you crying?" Hyeri's words made her older two siblings, who were also in deep thought, turn to their mother and saw her tear-stained face.
She wipes their mom's face with the back of her hand.
Hyewon draped the curtains down again to give her family some privacy.
Lee Baram didn't know that she had tears in her eyes. She lets go of her son's hand and opens her arms. All three of her kids run into her embrace as she adjusts herself well for them.
For a while, no one spoke. They hugged for some time before releasing themselves. Lee Baram looks at each of her children for a while. A guilty thought keeps niggling at her.
**************************************
"Bhehehe. You. You should've seen their faces." A lady said amid laughter. She's a client of both Bae Jimin and Won Shik.
"I'm glad that you're happy with how things turned out." Bae Jimin said in response to his client. They were just stepping out of the restaurant that was used for the class reunion.
"Yes. Thank you guys for helping me save face. I'll recommend your services to others. Bye." She waves at Jimin and turns to leave.
"Bye." Bae waves back at her before going in the other direction to go meet his best friend.
Buzzt! Buzzt!
"How did it go?" Won Shik asked as soon as Bae answered the call.
"It went well." Jimin said.
"Is it over?"
"Hm. I'm already on my way to your place."
"Erm, okay."
Jimin could sense his hesitation. "Why? Will that be a problem?"
"Er, no. It's nothing, you come."
Jimin stops in his tracks and asks into the phone, "Is Young Mi also there?"
"No. But she's also on her way here."
Silence. For a while they were both silent.
"Yeoboseyo? Jimin a? Are you still there?"
Bae still stayed silent.
"If you're not okay, I can meet her outside. The code is still the same."
"Nevermind. I'll go home then."
"Okay. I'll see tomorrow right?"
"I don't know. Let's talk later." Bae said and hung up the call. He then sent a text to his new friend and roommate, that he made I'm school this semester, Lee Doyun.
***
Won Shik sighs as he stares at his phone's screen light after his friend hangs up on their call. He could sense the disappointment laced in his tone of voice earlier.
He doesn't understand why his bestfriend, with whom they have been together since their elementary school years, and his girlfriend of two years cannot seem to get along.
The two were not like this for the past year and few months since he and Youngmi started dating. In fact, all three of them used to chill and play games together until just a few months ago.
He noticed their weird behaviors around the time of their senior high graduation period, yet he didn't give much thought to it.
But during the period after high school, while awaiting their admissions into the universities, he noticed how one would leave as soon as the other came around.
Or the mention of one's name seems to make the other uncomfortable. Wonshik is very concerned about them, but he still doesn't know where to start.
He sighs and puts his phone down to go wash up before his girlfriend arrives.
***************************************
"It's getting late, you all should go home." Lee Baram said this to her three children. Visiting time is almost over.
"Hm. Oemma. We'll get going now. We'll come again in the morning." Doyun said.
Their mother signaled them to come closer. Doyun stood on her right while Hyewon was on the left, with Hyeri in their middle.
Lee Baram puts one hand each on Doyun's and Hyewon's shoulders and heaves a sigh.
"My dear babies, you're all grown up now. Omma is sorry for making you worry."
"Oemma, don't say that. Everything will be fine." All three chorused.
Lee Baram smiled at her kids. "See? It should be me who should be telling you that. It's not your duty to be the ones to deal with our problems."
Baram pauses, rubs Doyun's and Hyewon's shoulders, and looks at all their faces before she continues.
"About our financial problems, I don't want you to be concerned with that. Just focus on yourselves and only that. Omma will take care of it all. Everything will be alright."
She then looks at her son straight in the face. "Doyun, when are you supposed to report to the company for the show?"
Doyun wants to say he wouldn't go but changes his mind to answer the question. "It's next Monday."
"Just in two days?!" Hyeri exclaimed, quite surprised. When her classmates were chatting about it, it wasn't mentioned that they would be starting so soon.
"Oppa, you're to go in just tomorrow next, and you didn't bother to tell us till now? If Hyeri had not brought it up, would you have even let us know that you got accepted?
Were you really intending to throw away this opportunity?" Hyewon asked, quite annoyed that her brother was trying to lose his only chance towards his longtime dream.
Lee Baram removes her hands to take her son's and rubs them as she says, "Doyun, omma would be very happy if you took this chance and concentrated on yourself and your dreams. Hm?"
Doyun nodded reluctantly. "Okay, omma, I'll go."
"Good. I want to see you shine brighter than you already are. Concentrate on your training and do your best so that you will not have any regrets. Okay?"