Work Text:
A few weeks later...
Life didn't stop.
As unfair as it felt...
It just kept moving.
Appointments came and went.
Breakfast still happened every morning.
Chris still reminded everyone to clean up after themselves.
Felix still insisted he was helping, even when he definitely wasn't.
And somehow...
The world kept turning.
I was beginning to understand something I'd never really thought about before.
You could receive the worst news of your life...
And the next morning someone would still ask what you wanted for breakfast.
It felt strange.
But...
It also felt comforting.
Because maybe...
That was how people survived.
Not by pretending nothing had happened.
By continuing anyway.
The morning started like most mornings did now.
Minho drove.
I sat beside him with a travel mug of tea balanced carefully between my hands.
The windows were cracked just enough for the cool August air to drift through the car.
We weren't heading anywhere important.
Just the grocery store.
Chris had texted us a shopping list that somehow contained seventeen different things, despite him insisting we "only needed a few items."
"I still think he writes things down just because he likes making lists," I said.
Minho laughed quietly.
"I wouldn't be surprised."
"He color-codes them."
"He does."
"He alphabetizes the pantry."
"He definitely does."
I smiled into my tea.
The road stretched quietly ahead of us.
The radio played softly in the background.
For a little while...
Everything felt almost normal.
Then...
"Minho."
"Hm?"
"...Slow down."
He looked over.
"What?"
I pointed toward the side of the road.
"I think..."
The words caught in my throat.
"...Is that a kitten?"
He immediately eased off the accelerator.
A tiny shape sat curled against the curb beneath a patch of overgrown grass.
It barely moved.
My stomach dropped.
"...Please stop."
The car rolled onto the shoulder before either of us said another word.
I was already out of my seat by the time Minho turned the engine off.
The kitten looked impossibly small.
Milk-tea brown fur.
White paws.
One tiny white patch beneath her chin.
She couldn't have been more than a few weeks old.
"...Hey."
I crouched slowly a few feet away.
"It's okay."
She looked up at me.
Her ears twitched.
She didn't run.
If anything...
She looked too tired to.
"Oh..."
My chest tightened.
"...You're just a baby."
Minho crouched beside me.
"She looks thin."
"Mhm."
I glanced around.
There were no houses nearby.
No collar.
No food.
No water.
Nothing.
"...Do you think somebody left her here?"
Neither of us answered.
We didn't have to.
I reached out carefully.
She hesitated for only a second before slowly walking the last few steps toward me.
Then...
She climbed into my lap.
Like she'd already decided she trusted me.
I felt something in my chest crack open.
"...Hi."
She let out the tiniest little meow I'd ever heard.
Minho smiled.
"I think she picked you."
"I think she did."
The kitten pressed her tiny head against my hoodie before curling into a little ball.
Almost immediately...
She started purring.
I looked up at Minho.
"...We can't leave her here."
"I know."
I already knew what he was going to say before he said it.
"...Want to take her home?"
I laughed quietly.
"...You were going to ask that anyway."
"Mhm."
"You knew my answer."
"I had a pretty good guess."
I looked down at the little kitten sleeping in my lap like she'd finally found somewhere safe.
"...Chris is going to pretend he doesn't want a pet."
"He absolutely is."
"Felix is going to cry."
"Definitely."
"Changbin's going to try teaching her tricks."
"Probably."
I smiled.
"And Seungmin's going to say he doesn't care."
"He'll secretly buy her treats."
I laughed.
"...Yeah."
"I think he will."
Minho gently scratched beneath the kitten's chin.
She immediately leaned into his hand.
"...Well."
He looked at me.
"I guess grocery shopping can wait."
I nodded.
"...First stop..."
I smiled down at the tiny kitten.
"...The vet."
She stretched sleepily before tucking herself even closer against my chest.
For the first time in weeks...
I smiled without having to think about it.
Just because something small...
Had decided to trust me.
The drive to the veterinary clinic only took about ten minutes.
The entire time...
The kitten stayed curled against my chest.
She didn't make a sound.
Every now and then, she'd lift her head just enough to blink sleepily at me before tucking herself back underneath my hoodie.
"...I think she likes you."
I looked down.
"...I think she's just warm."
"Mhm."
Minho smiled.
"Keep telling yourself that."
"...You're jealous."
"I am not."
"She chose me."
"I noticed."
"...You seem bitter."
"I'm handling it very maturely."
I laughed quietly.
"...Clearly."
The clinic was already busy when we walked inside.
A golden retriever wagged his tail so hard he nearly knocked over a display of dog treats.
Someone's parrot loudly informed the entire waiting room that it was "bath time."
The receptionist smiled the moment she noticed the tiny bundle tucked against my chest.
"Oh..."
Her voice immediately softened.
"Where did you find her?"
"On the side of the road."
Her smile faded.
"...Poor thing."
She stood up.
"Let's get her checked over."
A veterinarian named Dr. Lynch gently lifted the kitten onto the examination table.
She didn't fight.
She just looked around with wide, curious eyes before climbing right back into my lap.
The vet laughed.
"Well..."
"I know who she's chosen."
Minho looked offended.
"I've been replaced."
"You never had a chance," I replied.
"I was there first."
Dr. Lynch smiled to herself while listening to the kitten's heartbeat.
"She's definitely underweight."
"Probably around seven weeks old."
She gently checked her paws.
Her ears.
Her eyes.
"Other than being dehydrated and hungry..."
She looked back up at us.
"...I don't see anything that worries me."
I let out a breath I hadn't realized I'd been holding.
"So..."
"She's okay?"
"I think she's going to be just fine."
Relief settled somewhere deep in my chest.
The kitten stretched one tiny paw toward my sleeve.
"...Hi."
She immediately started trying to chew on the drawstring of my hoodie.
Minho laughed.
"I think she's hungry."
"I think she's trying to eat my clothes."
"That too."
The vet handed us a small packet of information.
"She'll need vaccinations over the next few weeks."
"Kitten food."
"A quiet place to settle in."
She smiled.
"And..."
She looked directly at me.
"...A name."
I blinked.
"Oh."
"I completely forgot."
Minho looked over.
"Any ideas?"
I looked down at the tiny ball of milk-tea colored fur currently trying to attack my hoodie string.
"...Nala."
The kitten looked up.
Then let out one tiny,
"Mew."
Minho smiled.
"I think she approves."
"I think she wants food."
"...Probably."
The vet wrote the name onto the paperwork.
"Nala."
She smiled.
"I like it."
"So do I."
About half an hour later...
We finally left the clinic carrying an impossibly small bag filled with kitten food, toys and instructions I already knew Chris was going to read three times.
Nala had somehow fallen asleep again.
This time...
Curled inside the hood of my hoodie.
Only the very top of her little head was visible.
Minho looked over as we walked toward the car.
"...You know..."
"What?"
"I don't think she's planning on leaving you."
I glanced down.
Nala let out the tiniest sleepy yawn without opening her eyes.
"...I don't really mind."
"I didn't think you would."
He opened the passenger door for me before carefully helping make sure Nala stayed comfortably tucked where she was.
"...Now."
He closed the door.
"Do we finally go grocery shopping?"
I smiled.
"...Chris is going to kill us."
"He'll survive."
"We've already spent an hour."
"I know."
"...We should probably buy food."
"I suppose."
As he started the car again, I looked down at the little kitten sleeping peacefully against me.
A few weeks ago...
I would've spent the entire drive thinking about the envelope sitting in my desk drawer.
About appointments.
About treatment.
About everything that came next.
Instead...
I found myself wondering if Nala preferred feather toys or little balls with bells inside them.
It wasn't much.
Just a few quiet minutes.
But...
For those few quiet minutes...
My mind belonged to something else.
And somehow...
That felt like the best gift I could've asked for.
By the time we actually finished grocery shopping...
The shopping cart contained far more cat supplies than food.
Minho looked down at the receipt.
"...Chris is definitely going to notice."
"He'll survive."
"You say that every time you buy books."
"...And?"
"He never survives."
I laughed quietly.
"...Fair point."
Nala finally woke up as we carried the bags toward the front door.
She stretched so dramatically that one tiny paw slipped out of the pocket of my hoodie.
"...Good morning."
She blinked sleepily.
Then immediately burrowed back into my pocket like she belonged there.
Minho smiled.
"...I think she likes being carried around."
"I think she's plotting something."
"I wouldn't rule it out."
The front door hadn't even fully opened before a familiar voice called from the kitchen.
"You're finally back!"
Felix appeared around the corner.
"...You guys were supposed to be gone for groceries."
"We did get groceries."
He looked at the shopping bags.
Then at the tiny kitten peeking out of my hoodie pocket.
Then back at us.
Silence.
"...You came home with a cat."
I nodded once.
"...Technically."
Chris looked up from where he was unpacking something at the kitchen island.
"...What do you mean 'technically'?"
Felix pointed dramatically.
"They adopted a whole animal!"
Chris blinked.
"...You what?"
Minho raised both hands immediately.
"In our defense—"
"It was abandoned," I interrupted.
The room went quiet.
I gently lifted Nala into my hands.
"We found her on the side of the road."
"She didn't have a collar."
"No food."
"No water."
"We took her to the vet first."
Chris's expression softened almost instantly.
"...Is she alright?"
"Mhm."
"Just underweight."
He looked at the tiny kitten for another second before sighing.
"...Bring her here."
I walked over.
Chris carefully scratched beneath Nala's chin.
She immediately started purring.
He smiled.
"...Well."
"...We're keeping her."
I looked at Minho.
"...You lasted twelve seconds."
"I tried."
"No, you didn't."
"I really didn't."
Felix was already crouching beside us.
"...Can I hold her?"
I looked down at Nala.
"...Only if she wants to."
The moment Felix held out his hands...
Nala climbed straight into them.
Felix's eyes widened.
"...She chose me."
"I thought she chose Jisung," Changbin said as he wandered in carrying a protein shake.
Felix looked offended.
"...People can have multiple friends."
"She's networking."
Hyunjin laughed quietly from the couch.
"I think she's just curious."
Seungmin walked in a minute later carrying a book.
He glanced toward the commotion.
"...Why is everyone standing in a circle?"
Felix turned around holding Nala up like a trophy.
"We have a kitten."
Seungmin looked at the kitten.
"...Oh."
That was it.
Just...
"Oh."
He walked over.
Reached down.
Scratched the top of her tiny head once.
"...She's cute."
Then immediately walked away again.
I looked at Minho.
"...Five dollars says he's the first one to buy her treats."
Minho nodded.
"I'll take that bet."
Chris didn't even look up from putting groceries away.
"Don't."
We all looked over.
He sighed dramatically.
"I already watched him buy them on the way home yesterday."
The entire kitchen burst into laughter.
Seungmin stopped halfway down the hallway.
"...That was supposed to be a surprise."
"I know."
"I saw the receipt."
"...You weren't supposed to read it."
"I read everything."
"I've noticed."
Another laugh escaped me before I could stop it.
It felt...
Easy.
Natural.
The kind of laugh that didn't take effort anymore.
Changbin crouched beside Felix.
"...What's her name?"
"Nala."
He smiled.
"...She looks like a Nala."
"I thought so too."
Hyunjin reached over from the couch.
Nala immediately stretched toward him.
"...She's really friendly."
"I don't think she's figured out that she's supposed to be scared of strangers yet."
"Good."
Felix smiled down at her.
"She doesn't have to."
For a little while...
The groceries stayed exactly where we'd left them.
Nobody seemed particularly concerned about unpacking them anymore.
Instead...
Eight people somehow ended up sitting on the kitchen floor around one tiny kitten who couldn't decide whose shoelaces looked the most interesting.
But now Nala had found her own place in the villa.
I smiled to myself.
The villa had somehow gotten even louder.
And...
For the first time since the diagnosis...
I realized that wasn't a bad thing.
The rest of the afternoon disappeared surprisingly quickly.
Somewhere between Chris finally convincing everyone to unpack the groceries...
Felix introducing Nala to approximately every room in the villa...
And Changbin insisting kittens could probably learn tricks...
The day quietly slipped toward evening.
Dinner was loud.
Mostly because Nala had discovered that shoelaces moved.
And apparently...
That was the greatest discovery in feline history.
"Ow."
Felix laughed as she launched herself at one of his laces.
"...She's fierce."
"She's six inches tall," Seungmin said.
"And yet..."
Felix lifted his foot carefully.
"...I think she's winning."
Chris sighed as Nala successfully untied one of Felix's shoes.
"I give it a week before she destroys something expensive."
"I second that," Changbin replied.
"I've already hidden my gym bag."
"Smart."
"I learn from experience."
I smiled quietly into my plate.
The conversation carried on around me.
For a little while...
I forgot.
Not completely.
Just...
Enough.
The next morning...
I woke before my alarm.
The bedroom was still dim.
Sunlight hadn't quite reached the curtains yet.
Beside me, Minho was still asleep.
One arm stretched across the mattress toward my side of the bed.
I looked at the clock.
6:12 a.m.
For a few seconds...
I just lay there.
Then my eyes drifted toward the chair in the corner of the room.
My backpack was already sitting there.
Folded neatly beside it...
Was the hoodie I'd picked out the night before.
And resting on top...
A white appointment folder.
My stomach tightened.
Right.
Today.
I closed my eyes for a second.
Somehow...
I'd managed to forget.
Now I remembered all at once.
The room suddenly felt quieter.
Heavier.
"...Sung?"
I opened my eyes.
Minho was blinking sleepily at me.
"...Morning."
"...Morning."
He followed my gaze toward the folder.
His expression softened almost immediately.
"...Today's the day."
I nodded once.
"...Yeah."
Neither of us said anything after that.
There wasn't much to say.
Eventually he reached across the bed until his hand found mine beneath the blanket.
He squeezed gently.
"...We'll leave after breakfast."
"Mhm."
"You don't have to rush."
"I'm not."
He yawned.
"...Chris already packed snacks."
I looked over.
"...He what?"
"He texted me last night."
Minho reached over to grab his phone from the bedside table.
He unlocked it before handing it to me.
Sure enough...
A message from Chris.
Chris:
"There's a lunchbox in the fridge. Don't let him pretend he isn't hungry."
Another one underneath.
"Also tell him I packed the crackers he likes."
Then...
"And don't forget the blanket in the car."
I couldn't help smiling.
"...He thinks of everything."
"He really does."
I handed the phone back.
"...Did you know?"
"Mhm."
"He packed it before we went to bed."
I laughed quietly.
"...He's unbelievable."
"I know."
Another few moments passed before Minho climbed out of bed.
"Come on."
He stretched.
"If we stay here too long..."
He smiled a little.
"...Chris is going to come drag us downstairs."
"...He wouldn't."
Right on cue,
Three quick knocks echoed against the bedroom door.
Neither of us moved.
"...Breakfast in ten!" Chris called through the door.
"And don't make me come back!"
Minho slowly looked at me.
I looked back at him.
"...He absolutely would."
I laughed.
"...Yeah."
"He would."
The kitchen smelled like toast and coffee.
Chris stood at the stove flipping pancakes while Changbin searched every cupboard in the room for maple syrup.
"I know we have another bottle."
"We don't."
"We absolutely do."
"You finished it."
"I don't remember that."
"I do."
Felix sat cross-legged on the floor with Nala asleep in his lap.
Hyunjin leaned comfortably against the counter behind him, one hand absentmindedly scratching behind Nala's ears every time she twitched in her sleep.
"...Morning," Felix said.
"Morning."
Nala opened one eye.
Saw me.
Immediately abandoned Felix.
She trotted across the kitchen as fast as her tiny legs would allow before headbutting my ankle.
I laughed softly as I picked her up.
"...Good morning to you too."
She immediately started purring.
Chris glanced over his shoulder.
"Perfect timing."
He pointed toward a lunchbox already sitting on the island.
"That's yours."
I looked at it.
"...You really packed one."
"I know how hospitals work."
He shrugged like it was the most obvious thing in the world.
"They're expensive."
"They're slow."
"And you'll say you're 'not that hungry.'"
I opened my mouth.
"...I was literally about to say that."
"I know."
He flipped another pancake.
"That's why I packed it."
I smiled.
"...Thanks."
He didn't even turn around.
"Mhm."
Like it wasn't a big deal.
Like it was the same as remembering to buy milk.
Somehow...
That made it mean even more.
I looked around the kitchen.
Everyone was exactly the same as always.
Changbin still couldn't find the syrup.
Felix was trying to convince Nala that shoelaces weren't food.
Seungmin was reading while eating.
Hyunjin quietly smiled to himself every few minutes.
Nobody spoke differently to me.
Nobody stared.
Nobody treated me like glass.
They simply...
Made breakfast.
And packed me lunch.
For some reason...
That was exactly what I needed.
The drive was quieter than usual.
Not awkward.
Just...
Sleepy.
The lunchbox Chris had packed sat in the back seat beside my backpack.
Every now and then, I caught myself looking at it.
For some reason...
It made me smile.
"...Nervous?" Minho asked.
I looked out the window.
"...A little."
"Mhm."
"I don't really know what to expect."
"I don't either."
He glanced over at me for a second before looking back at the road.
"...We'll figure it out together."
I nodded.
"...Yeah."
Outside, the city slowly woke up around us.
People hurried out of cafés with coffee in one hand and phones in the other.
Students crossed the street with backpacks slung over one shoulder.
It looked...
Normal.
It was strange.
Nobody else knew today was different.
To everyone outside that windshield...
It was just another Tuesday.
The oncology clinic looked almost exactly like every other medical building we'd visited over the last few weeks.
White walls.
Large windows.
Too many signs pointing in different directions.
The receptionist smiled politely as we checked in.
"Good morning, Jisung."
She typed something into her computer.
"Your nurse will be with you shortly."
"...Thank you."
The waiting room was quieter than I expected.
Not silent.
Just...
Calm.
A man about Chris's age sat reading a newspaper.
An elderly woman knitted something bright yellow while quietly talking with her husband.
Someone across the room laughed softly at something on their phone.
Nobody looked frightened.
Nobody looked dramatic.
They just...
Waited.
For some reason...
That helped.
"...Han Jisung?"
I looked up.
A nurse stood by the doorway holding a clipboard.
She smiled warmly.
"I'm Emma."
"I'll be looking after you today."
Emma explained everything before we even reached the treatment room.
How long it would probably take.
How the medication worked.
What side effects to watch for over the next few days.
She spoke slowly.
Never rushing.
Never sounding rehearsed.
Like she'd had this conversation hundreds of times...
But still wanted me to understand every word.
When she finally led us into the treatment area...
I stopped for a second.
"...Oh."
Rows of large reclining chairs stretched across the room.
Some people were reading.
One woman watched a movie on a tablet.
Someone farther down the room was asleep beneath a knitted blanket.
It wasn't what I'd imagined.
It looked...
Peaceful.
Emma smiled.
"You can choose whichever chair you'd like."
I looked toward the one by the window.
"...That one?"
"Good choice."
Minho immediately pulled another chair over beside mine before I even sat down.
Emma noticed.
She smiled.
"Family's always welcome."
Minho looked at me.
"...Told you I wasn't leaving."
"I know."
"I just wanted to hear someone else say it."
He laughed quietly.
"I'll still be here when she's gone."
The first hour barely felt like treatment at all.
Vitals.
Questions.
Another explanation.
Blood pressure.
Temperature.
A nurse checking my blood work one last time.
By the time everything was ready...
I almost forgot why we'd come.
Emma gently connected the IV.
"There we go."
I looked away.
"...I still don't like needles."
"Most people don't."
She taped everything into place before checking the line once more.
"You doing alright?"
"...Yeah."
"Any dizziness?"
"No."
"Nausea?"
"...Not yet."
She nodded.
"Perfect."
Then...
With one final check...
She started the infusion.
I stared at the clear tubing for a second.
Waiting.
For...
Something.
Pain.
A strange feeling.
Anything.
Instead...
Nothing happened.
I blinked.
"...That's it?"
Emma smiled.
"That's it."
I looked over at Minho.
"...I expected fireworks."
He laughed.
"I think that's a different department."
I couldn't help smiling.
"...Right."
About twenty minutes later...
Minho had somehow convinced me to play Mario Kart.
"You picked Baby Peach?"
"I panic under pressure."
"I can see that."
He immediately drove straight into the grass.
"...That wasn't my fault."
"It absolutely was."
"The turn was too sharp."
"You drove into a tree."
"The tree moved."
"...Minho."
"What?"
"What the hell do you mean the tree moved?."
He smiled sheepishly.
"...It moved emotionally."
I laughed.
A real laugh.
Not loud.
But enough that the elderly man reading the newspaper looked over with a small smile before returning to his crossword.
For a little while...
The clinic didn't feel like somewhere I was being treated.
It just...
Felt like somewhere I happened to be sitting.
With Minho.
Arguing over Mario Kart.
And somehow...
That made the whole thing a little less frightening.
About halfway through the infusion, my eyelids started feeling heavier.
Not because I wanted to sleep.
Just...
Heavy.
I yawned.
Minho looked over immediately.
"Tired?"
"...A little."
He reached behind his chair before pulling out the soft blanket Chris had packed.
"...He really did think of everything."
"He always does."
He draped it carefully over my legs.
"There."
"...Better?"
I nodded.
"Mhm."
I settled a little deeper into the chair.
The blanket was warm.
The IV pump hummed quietly beside me.
Outside the window...
The trees swayed gently in the late summer breeze.
I watched them for a while.
Then...
Without even realizing it...
I drifted asleep.
"...Jisung."
The voice sounded far away.
"...Sung."
I blinked slowly.
For a second...
I couldn't remember where I was.
Then the quiet hum of the IV pump reached my ears again.
The blanket.
The recliner.
The window.
Right.
I looked over.
Minho smiled.
"...Morning."
I frowned.
"...It's definitely not morning."
"I know."
"But you slept through almost all of it."
I blinked again before glancing toward the IV bag.
It was empty.
"...Already?"
"Mhm."
Emma walked over just as I finished speaking.
"Perfect timing."
She carefully disconnected the tubing before removing the tape from my arm.
"How are you feeling?"
I thought about it.
"...Tired."
She nodded knowingly.
"That's probably going to be the biggest thing today."
She handed me a small sheet of paper.
"Drink plenty of water."
"Eat when you can."
"And if anything worries you..."
She pointed toward the number printed across the top.
"Call us."
I nodded.
"...Okay."
She smiled warmly.
"You did really well."
For some reason...
Hearing that made me smile.
"Thanks."
Standing up...
Was a mistake.
The room didn't spin.
My legs just suddenly felt...
Heavy.
Like somebody had quietly replaced them with concrete while I'd been asleep.
I took one step.
Then another.
"...Whoa."
Minho was beside me before I could say anything else.
"You alright?"
"...Yeah."
I laughed quietly.
"My legs just..."
I looked down at them.
"...Forgot they're attached to me."
He smiled.
"I can relate."
"No, you can't."
"I emotionally can."
"...That's not the same thing."
"I know."
He waited until I was steady before letting go again.
Not because he thought I'd fall.
Just...
In case.
Outside, the late afternoon sun felt warmer than I expected.
I squinted automatically.
"...It's bright."
"You've been inside for almost five hours."
"...Seriously?"
"Mhm."
I stared toward the parking lot.
"...It doesn't feel like that."
"I know."
The car wasn't very far away.
Even so...
By the time I reached it...
I was breathing a little harder than I expected.
"...Huh."
Minho noticed immediately.
"What?"
"...Nothing."
"You don't sound convincing."
"I just..."
I opened the passenger door before sitting down carefully.
"...Didn't think walking thirty feet would make me tired."
He closed my door gently after making sure I was settled.
"...Emma did warn you."
"I know."
"I just..."
I shrugged.
"I thought I'd be different."
He walked around to the driver's side.
"...You don't have to be."
For the first few minutes...
Neither of us talked.
The air conditioner hummed softly.
The city drifted past outside the window.
I rested my head against the glass.
"...It's weird."
Minho glanced over briefly.
"What is?"
"I don't feel..."
I searched for the right word.
"...Sick."
He waited.
"I just feel..."
"...Tired."
"Mhm."
"I thought it'd feel different."
He nodded slowly.
"I think people expect it to."
"I definitely did."
Another quiet settled between us.
I watched trees blur past outside.
"...Do you think it'll get worse?"
Minho didn't answer immediately.
Not because he didn't want to.
Because he was thinking.
"...Maybe."
He finally said.
"...Some days probably will."
I looked down at my hands.
"...Okay."
"But..."
I looked back over.
"...Today wasn't one of them."
I blinked.
"What do you mean?"
"You laughed."
He smiled.
"You beat me at Mario Kart."
"Barely."
"You still won."
I laughed quietly.
"...The emotionally moving tree helped."
"I still stand by that."
"I know you do."
He smiled a little wider.
"I think..."
He kept his eyes on the road.
"...If today ends with you making fun of my driving..."
"I'll count it as a good day."
I couldn't help smiling.
"...Your driving wasn't the problem."
"Oh?"
"...It was definitely the tree."
"There it is."
"What?"
"You're smiling."
I hadn't even realized I was.
"...Huh."
"You forgot for a minute."
I looked out the window again.
He was right.
For one stupid conversation about a tree...
I'd forgotten where we'd just come from.
"...Thanks."
He looked over.
"For what?"
"...For making the tree move."
He laughed.
"I told you."
"It was emotional."
I rolled my eyes.
"You're unbelievable."
"Like you aren't."
"Hey!"
"I'm just being honest."
The rest of the drive home passed quietly.
Not because we didn't have anything else to say.
Just because...
We didn't need to.
The clinic was behind us now.
Tomorrow would come when it came.
For today...
I was just tired.
And somehow...
That felt okay.
The first treatment quietly became the second.
The second eventually became the third.
Some days were easier than others.
Some mornings I woke up feeling almost normal.
Others...
I barely made it out of bed before deciding the blanket was a much better place to spend the morning.
The nausea came and went.
The tiredness stayed.
But somehow...
Life refused to stop.
Chris still went to work.
Changbin still spent more time at the gym than was probably healthy.
Hyunjin somehow kept finding new sketchbooks to fill.
Felix taught Nala that attacking shoelaces was apparently an acceptable hobby.
Seungmin continued pretending he didn't like her.
Which would've been much more believable if I hadn't walked past his room one afternoon and caught him reading with Nala asleep across his lap.
"...Don't."
He didn't even look up from his book.
"...Don't what?"
"Tell anyone."
"I wasn't planning to."
"...Good."
Nala stretched without waking up.
"...She likes warm places."
I smiled.
"I can see that."
He reached up absentmindedly, scratching beneath her chin before immediately pretending he hadn't.
"...You saw nothing."
"I saw absolutely nothing."
He narrowed his eyes.
"...Good."
Somewhere between another blood test...
A follow-up appointment...
And Chris reminding everyone for the hundredth time that dirty dishes did not magically clean themselves...
September quietly arrived.
Which meant...
Birthdays.
Chris had insisted on combining mine and Felix's.
"It makes more sense."
Felix looked horrified.
"What if he gets more cake than me?"
Chris blinked.
"...It's the same cake."
"...Still."
"You'll survive."
"I don't know..."
Felix placed a dramatic hand over his heart.
"...This feels like favoritism."
Changbin walked past carrying a bag of decorations.
"It's literally your birthday too."
"I know."
"I'm still suspicious."
By the evening of the fourteenth...
The villa barely resembled itself.
Streamers somehow covered half the ceiling.
There were balloons tied to almost every chair.
Nala had already managed to steal one curling ribbon and disappear underneath the couch with it.
Felix immediately dropped onto the floor.
"...Give it back."
She looked directly at him.
Then ran farther underneath the couch.
"...She's laughing at me."
"I think she is," Hyunjin admitted.
Chris sighed.
"We haven't even started."
Around nine o'clock...
Everyone finally settled into the living room.
Music played quietly through the speakers while boxes of pizza covered the coffee table.
Changbin looked around.
"...This is nice."
"It is," Hyunjin agreed.
Felix suddenly pointed dramatically toward me.
"Gifts."
"I knew this was coming."
"You can't avoid birthdays forever."
"I wasn't trying to."
"Liar."
"I was delaying."
"Exactly."
I laughed, accepting defeat.
"...Fine."
Felix immediately handed me a neatly wrapped box.
"You first."
I opened it carefully.
"...Brownies?"
"Homemade."
I looked up.
"...You actually baked?"
Seungmin answered before Felix could.
"I supervised."
"I contributed emotionally."
"You nearly forgot the butter."
"...Again."
Everyone laughed.
"They look amazing."
Felix grinned proudly.
"They're triple chocolate."
"I can tell."
The gifts came one after another.
Chris handed me a backpack.
"You've been using the same one since first year."
I looked inside.
It had more compartments than I thought physically possible.
"...This is ridiculously organized."
"I know."
"You'll thank me later."
"I already am."
Changbin's gift turned out to be a pair of Meta glasses.
"...No way."
"You said you wanted to try them."
"I did."
"They'll make reading directions easier."
Minho looked over.
"...He'll still get lost."
"I heard that."
Hyunjin smiled as he passed me another box.
Inside...
A pair of headphones.
"...These are really nice."
"You always steal mine."
"...Fair."
"I got tired of asking for them back."
Seungmin's present made me laugh.
A custom phone case.
On the back...
A tiny cartoon version of Nala hung upside down from a shoelace.
"...You designed this?"
He shrugged.
"...Maybe."
"It's adorable."
"I know."
Jeongin handed me two books.
Élise followed with a Polaroid camera.
"So you can fill it with new memories," she said.
I looked down at it.
"...Thank you."
She smiled.
"I thought you'd like it."
"I really do."
Nala chose that exact moment to leap into the pile of wrapping paper.
Within seconds...
Only her tail was visible beneath a mountain of colorful tissue paper.
Felix pointed dramatically.
"...We've lost her."
A tiny paw appeared.
Then disappeared again.
Changbin laughed.
"I think she's winning."
"I don't even know what game she's playing."
"I'm not sure she does either."
I couldn't stop smiling.
The living room echoed with laughter.
Music.
Conversations overlapping each other.
For a little while...
It almost felt impossible to remember there was a hospital folder sitting quietly on my desk upstairs.
Almost.
By the time the last of the wrapping paper had been stuffed into a trash bag...
The coffee table had almost disappeared beneath pizza boxes, empty soda cans and half-finished slices of birthday cake.
Felix leaned back dramatically against the couch.
"I can't move."
Hyunjin looked over.
"You've said that after every meal this week."
"I mean it this time."
"You meant it yesterday."
"...Yesterday was different."
Chris walked past carrying a stack of paper plates.
"It really wasn't."
I laughed quietly, helping gather a few empty cups from the table.
Nala immediately chased after one of the paper napkins as it fluttered to the floor.
"...She's helping," Jeongin said.
"She's making more of a mess."
"It's emotional support."
"I've heard that excuse before."
Minho smiled from the other side of the room.
"So have I."
For a while...
Everyone drifted into smaller conversations.
Changbin and Chris disappeared into the kitchen to argue over who was washing dishes.
Hyunjin somehow convinced Nala to stop attacking ribbons long enough to fall asleep in his lap.
Jeongin and Élise quietly flipped through the instruction booklet that came with the Polaroid camera.
I had just finished folding one of the gift bags when I felt someone gently nudge my shoulder.
"...Hey."
I looked up.
Minho stood beside me.
"Hm?"
He smiled.
"...Come with me for a second."
I blinked.
"...Where?"
"You'll see."
"I don't trust that answer."
"You should."
"...That's debatable."
He laughed quietly before reaching for my hand.
"Come on."
I let him pull me toward the stairs.
Felix looked up just as we reached the hallway.
"...Where are you two going?"
Minho didn't even turn around.
"Secret boyfriend business."
Felix gasped dramatically.
"I respect it."
Chris sighed from the kitchen.
"I don't even want to know."
The bedroom was quieter than the rest of the house.
The music downstairs had faded into little more than a distant hum.
Minho closed the door behind us before walking over to his desk.
"...Okay."
He rubbed the back of his neck.
"I still have one more present."
I frowned.
"...You already got me the hoodie."
"I know."
"One more."
He reached beneath the desk before placing one last gift bag in front of me.
Smaller than the others.
Wrapped much more carefully.
I looked back up at him.
"...Minho."
"What?"
"You've already spoiled me."
"I haven't."
"You absolutely have."
He folded his arms.
"...Open it."
I smiled.
"...Bossy."
"I've been told."
I carefully pulled away the tissue paper.
Inside...
Was a small velvet box.
"...Another one?"
"Mhm."
I opened it slowly.
Resting inside...
Was the pendant.
For a second...
I just looked at it.
Really looked at it.
A simple silver chain.
Nothing flashy.
Nothing oversized.
Just...
Beautiful.
"...Turn it over," Minho said quietly.
I carefully flipped it over in my hand.
My breath caught.
Inside the tiny oval locket...
Was a photograph.
Not printed.
Not drawn.
An actual tiny photograph.
Us.
I stared at it for several long seconds.
"...When..."
My voice came out quieter than I'd expected.
"...When did you even get this?"
Minho smiled to himself.
"Remember after graduation?"
I looked up.
"When Chris insisted on taking about a hundred pictures?"
"...Yeah."
"There was one..."
He laughed softly.
"...Right before everyone else noticed us."
I looked back down.
It was us.
Standing just a little apart from everyone else.
I had one hand resting against his cheek.
He was smiling at me.
Not the camera.
Me.
A second later...
The picture had caught us kissing.
Barely.
Just enough.
"...You had this made?"
He nodded.
"I wanted you to have something..."
He hesitated.
"...That wasn't just jewelry."
My fingers traced carefully over the tiny photograph.
"...It's our first picture."
"Our first picture together."
Something warm settled quietly in my chest.
"...I love it."
He smiled.
"...Really?"
I laughed softly.
"Minho..."
I looked back at him.
"I think this might actually be my favorite gift I've ever gotten."
His shoulders relaxed.
"I was worried it might be too much."
"No."
I shook my head.
"It's perfect."
For a second...
Neither of us spoke.
I slipped the chain carefully around my neck before fastening it behind me.
The pendant settled against my chest.
It wasn't heavy.
If anything...
It felt like it had always belonged there.
"...Can I?"
Minho stepped a little closer.
Without waiting for an answer, he gently straightened the pendant where it'd twisted slightly.
"There."
He smiled.
"Better."
I looked down.
Then back at him.
"...Thank you."
"You don't have to thank me."
"I want to."
I stepped forward before wrapping my arms gently around him.
He hugged me back immediately.
Comfortably.
Naturally.
Like we'd done it a thousand times before.
"...Happy birthday," he murmured.
I smiled against his shoulder.
"...Best birthday."
He laughed quietly.
"Wait."
I pulled back just enough to look at him.
"...What?"
He didn't answer right away. Instead, he reached for my hand and laced our fingers together, guiding me toward the window beside his desk.
The room was dimmer there, the glass reflecting the soft glow from the hallway outside. Below us, the house was still alive with laughter and clinking dishes, but up here everything felt quieter.
Minho leaned one shoulder against the frame and looked out for a second before glancing back at me.
"...You look tired."
I blinked.
"...Rude."
He huffed a quiet laugh.
"I mean it."
I opened my mouth to argue, then stopped when a dull ache tugged at my side. It was small, barely there, but enough to make me shift my weight without thinking.
Minho noticed anyway.
His expression changed almost instantly.
"...Jisung?"
"It's nothing."
He didn't look convinced.
"I just stood up too fast."
He studied me for a second longer, then lifted a hand to brush his thumb lightly over my cheek.
"...You don't have to keep pretending you're fine with me."
Something in my chest softened at that.
I let out a slow breath.
"...I know."
His hand slid to the back of my neck, warm and steady.
For a moment, neither of us said anything.
Then he leaned in and kissed me. Slow. The kind of kiss that felt less like a celebration and more like a promise.
When we finally pulled apart, I rested my forehead against his for a second.
"...I really did have the best birthday."
He smiled.
"Good."
I laughed quietly.
"You're impossible."
"I know."
Still smiling...
We headed back downstairs.
By the time we reached the living room again...
Felix immediately pointed at us.
"There they are!"
He narrowed his eyes dramatically.
"...That took suspiciously long."
"I told you," Chris said without looking up from the kitchen.
"I didn't want to know."
Felix ignored him completely.
"So?"
He looked between us.
"What was the secret?"
Minho walked past him like nothing had happened.
"Boyfriend business."
"That explains absolutely nothing."
"It wasn't supposed to."
Felix gasped.
"I've been excluded."
"You'll survive," Seungmin said.
"I won't."
"You will."
"I'll recover eventually."
I laughed, dropping back onto the couch beside Jeongin.
Nala immediately abandoned Hyunjin's lap and climbed onto mine instead.
"...Traitor," Hyunjin muttered.
She answered by yawning.
"I think she's chosen," Élise said with a smile.
"I noticed," Hyunjin laughed.
Around a quarter to midnight...
Chris disappeared into the kitchen.
When he came back...
He was carrying two birthday cakes.
Felix immediately stood up.
"...YES."
Chris looked at him.
"You haven't even seen them yet."
"I don't have to."
"Cake is cake."
"I respect the confidence."
One cake had blue icing.
The other...
Bright yellow.
"They're different?" I asked.
Chris nodded proudly.
"I wasn't making two identical cakes."
Felix pointed dramatically.
"I call the yellow one."
"You don't get to call cake."
"I absolutely do."
Changbin folded his arms.
"I want whichever one has more frosting."
"They have the same amount."
"...Allegedly."
I couldn't stop laughing.
Five minutes before midnight...
Everyone somehow squeezed into the living room.
The lights had been turned down.
The candles were already lit.
Nala sat directly in front of the coffee table, completely hypnotized by the tiny flames.
"...Someone watch the cat," Chris said immediately.
"I got her," Hyunjin replied.
He scooped her up just before she decided investigating fire was a good idea.
She looked mildly offended.
"...Sorry," he whispered.
"Not today."
"Ten!"
Felix started counting far too early.
Chris looked at the clock.
"...We still have thirty seconds."
"...Practice round."
"No."
"...Fine."
We waited.
This time...
Together.
The living room grew quieter.
Nine people.
One tiny kitten.
Two birthday cakes.
The countdown finally began.
"Ten!"
"Nine!"
"Eight!"
Everyone's voices overlapped.
"Seven!"
"Six!"
I looked around the room.
At Chris.
Changbin.
Hyunjin.
Felix.
Seungmin.
Jeongin.
Élise.
Minho.
"Three!"
"Two!"
"One!"
"Happy birthday!"
Felix immediately threw both hands into the air.
"I'M TWENTY-ONE!"
Chris blew out a long breath.
"...Finally."
"I've been waiting all year."
"You've been waiting twenty seconds."
"It felt longer."
Everyone laughed.
Even Nala startled herself awake with a tiny squeaky meow.
Cake somehow turned into another hour of talking.
Then another.
Nobody seemed interested in going to bed.
Felix was halfway through telling a story about primary school.
Changbin insisted he'd already heard it.
"I have."
"You've heard version two."
"How many versions are there?"
"I'm currently on version six."
"...That's concerning."
"It keeps improving."
Around one o'clock...
Yawns finally started replacing conversations.
Élise was the first to stand, stretching.
"I should probably head upstairs."
Jeongin immediately looked over.
"I'll walk with you."
"I know you will."
Chris stretched his arms over his head.
"I think that's enough excitement for one night."
Changbin groaned dramatically as he stood.
"My legs have forgotten how chairs work."
"They'll remember tomorrow," Hyunjin said.
"I hope so."
Within a few minutes...
The living room slowly emptied as everyone drifted upstairs, into the kitchen, or toward their rooms.
Wrapping paper still covered half the floor.
Half a cake remained in the fridge.
The balloons had already started sinking toward the ceiling.
It looked...
Lived in.
Happy.
I smiled to myself as I picked Nala up.
She immediately tucked her head beneath my chin.
"...Come on."
I whispered.
"Time for bed."
The hallway was almost completely silent now.
Only the faint clink of dishes from the kitchen broke the quiet.
Minho reached our bedroom first, holding the door open for me.
"Ladies first."
I rolled my eyes.
"...Very funny."
"I know."
Nala immediately jumped onto the bed before spinning in three tiny circles and flopping onto one of the pillows like she'd lived there her entire life.
I laughed.
"...She's made herself comfortable."
"I don't think we had much choice."
"I don't think we did either."
I changed into one of my oversized T-shirts while Minho disappeared into the bathroom.
When he came back...
He smiled the second he saw Nala sprawled across the middle of the bed.
"...She's stolen my spot."
"It's her spot now."
"I've been replaced."
"You'll survive."
"...Debatable."
I laughed softly as we climbed into bed on either side of the tiny sleeping kitten.
The room finally settled into silence.
Outside...
A light September breeze rustled through the trees.
Inside...
Everything felt still.
Peaceful.
For the first time in weeks...
I didn't feel like thinking about hospitals.
Or appointments.
Or blood tests.
I just wanted to remember today.
The laughter.
The cakes.
The gifts.
The ridiculous amount of wrapping paper.
The pendant resting quietly against my chest.
I closed my eyes.
Somewhere between waking and sleep...
A dull ache stirred beneath my ribs.
Small.
Easy to ignore.
I shifted slightly beneath the blanket, pressing my hand against my side for only a second.
Probably chemo.
That thought settled almost as quickly as the ache did.
I let my hand fall away again.
Beside me, Minho had already fallen asleep.
Nala let out one tiny sleepy chirp from between us.
I smiled despite myself.
Then I closed my eyes.
Tomorrow could wait.