Benedict looked at his best friend who was absentmindedly looking at the window while playing with his cousin's former necklace on his friend's neck.
He sighed deeply and looked away... simply because he knew that whatever Cyril was feeling at the moment was the same with his.
"---- Big Brother...."
Benedict elbowed the group's leader sitting beside him and he flinched. Cyril rubbed his injured side and gave Jun a small smile.
"Big Brother Cy, are you all right?"
"As okay as I could be, I guess. "
"I'm sure big sis would be all right."
Benedict proudly smiled, "Of course she would be... she is my cousin after all. He Ran isn't weak."
Cyril grinned at his best friend's proud look when a voice from the back boomed, "sometimes I wonder how big sis become Benedict Big Brother's cousin... ah, maybe this is one of the world's unexplainable wonders..."
"Hey! What are you babbling about?! You trouble maker!"
Benedict turned to hit the youngest who was grinning evilly at the back. Tyrone immediately wrapped his arms around Mick while Jun used his body to cover the younger ones. Mick was laughing hysterically while still inside Tyrone's loose embrace while Benedict was still trying to reach him somehow. Cyril and the manager laughed at the youngest's antic and Cyril lightly patted Benedict's back as if to comfort him a bit.
"Benedict, Mick does have a point so there's no reason for you to be harsh to the kid."
At that Benedict quickly turned to the manager sitting in front, "UNCLE! What are you trying to say?!"
Cyril chuckled "Uncle, don't aggravate the situation... guys, quit playing."
"I was not playing, Cyril. The little twerp started it!"
Cyril's smile stayed on his lips as he patted Ben's back, "Benedict, you are the older one..."
Benedict pouted and sat back down, Tyrone and Jun both sat straight while Mick and MHL's manager sported large smiles.
Cyril's smile disappeared when he saw the smiles on Mick and their manager, "Mick, Uncle... it's not nice to gang up on Benedict. He is as unsettled as I am about Eira if not more. Aggravating him when he already is feeling low will not help."
Mick nodded and mumbled a soft "I'm sorry"
"Sorry..."
Benedict sported a real smile, everyone aside from Cyril and the driver was awed at his smile. They knew that Benedict rarely smile as sincerely as he is doing then. He would smirk, grin, and give evil smiles or a small soft smile but not the bright sincere smile he was sporting right now.
"Thank you for the concern and just like Cyril, I'm as okay as I can be given the circumstances. Besides, I'm sticking with my earlier statement... He Ran is not the type of girl who gives up without a fight. She wasn't a weakling then and she will not start now."
Cyril nodded and everyone smiled at Benedict whose face radiates with his pride and love for He Ran, his closest cousin/sister and "favorite sibling".
The touching moment was halted when the driver announced that they have arrived to their destination. The boys scrambled out of the van, not forgetting to wave to some fans who seemed to know they were arriving.
The boys wordlessly went to their respective rooms to change into comfortable clothes so they can start practice. Their manager went ahead so he can discuss some things with the choreographer and the coordi-noonas for the costumes the next day.
Soon, one by one the boys piled out of the room... Jun went out first followed by Mick, Tyrone and Benedict. Cyril emerged from his room just a few minutes after. Everyone noticed the necklace on Cyril's neck and they all secretly smiled to themselves.
Cyril breathed deeply and said in a serious voice, "we are not stopping until we get everything perfect. Am I clear?"
A chorus of "Yeah!" was heard in their dorms and Cyril smiled to himself. He marched ahead of everyone gripping his cell with one hand and another absentmindedly playing with the pendant of his necklace.
"I'm going to make you proud of me, Eira... I won't let you down, I promise."
==========Meanwhile in the hospital ===========
*Knock* *Knock*
"Come in, its open!"
Jung su took a peek inside Eira's room and found her listening to her phone smiling to herself. He sighed before he came in and closed the door softly behind him.
He sat on Eira's bed and patted her head, "how's my favorite patient doing?"
Eira took one of the buds off and chuckled at the doctor, "don't go all professional Park mode on me, Uncle. That's so not you."
Jung su laughed, "It isn't? You know me well don't you little one?"
"Of course Uncle. We grew up together... well I grew up and you got older. Hahahaha..."
"Why you! I'm older than you besides you haven't grown any taller too."
"But... I'm a girl, its okay for me to be a little short plus I still have room to grow..."
Jung su glared and crossed his arms across his chest, "yeah yeah... but seriously, how are you?"
Eira sighed and turned off the player and placed it on her lap, "between the two of us, you should know more than I do right? But since you asked nicely...the pain is still there. It's not as often as before but I can feel the pain gripping my heart... please tell me the truth, its getting worse isn't it?"
"I... it's..."
Eira chuckled and reached for Jung su's hand, "uncle... don't beat yourself over this. We both know since we were young that I do not have much time. It was a miracle that I managed to stay with everyone until now. We have to be thankful."
"He Ran, you are not allowed to give up until I give up first. You hear me? I became a doctor to cure you and I will. If I have to make a miracle happen then I will."
Eira patted Jung su's hand and smiled, "I believe in you Uncle. I always had and will always will."
"Silly girl... I came here to comfort you, not be comforted."
Eira chuckled, "its okay! I don't think you get shorter because I comforted you"
"Why is it height issues again?"
"Sorry..."
Jung su "hmph-ed" and glared at Eira, when he looked down... he noticed the ring on his her hand.
"He Ran, that's..."
"Oh, the headphones? Cyril's first gift to me. Nice huh? He is so sweet."
"Not that silly, I know about it. You almost made my ear bleed with the story of how you received it and how Cyril recorded all the songs in the playlist and that he is a genius with the piano. I think I can retell the story in case anyone asks. I was pertaining to that shiny band on your finger."
"oh hehehe... Cyril gave this to me before he left earlier."
Eira excitedly raised her hand so Jungsu can take a better look at the ring, grinning proudly.
"It's pretty. That boy do have taste, I'm impressed."
"Of course he does, he is my boyfriend."
"Whatever you say princess, whatever you say..."
Eira stuck her tongue out at his doctor who was chuckling. The door opened and Mrs. Choi came in followed by some nurses.
"He Ran, I'm back with your new medicines. Oh hi Jung su dear..."
Jung su stood and bowed politely to the older lady, "Hello noona"
"I've bought the medicines you asked me to. What are we going to do now?"
Jung su slipped his serious professional mask once again and provided instructions to the nurses. Eira winced in pain once she felt the medicines passing through her dextrose straight to her blood stream. Jung su patted Eira's shoulder and offered a small smile.
Eira nodded and smiled at his childhood friend/older brother/doctor. Jung su knew the meds would hurt a lot because the dosage was increased so he tried to divert her attention to something else.
"He Ran, do you ever change the songs on that playlist?"
Eira looked offended and glared at Jung su, "of course I do. I have other songs aside from Cyril's recorded heavenly voice and their group's songs. I have songs of other languages too"
"Ah this one... that group is good. They have good looking people there too, especially their leader. "
"Hm, I like the youngest more. Their leader is old."
"HEY! He's almost the same age as me!!"
Eira chuckled "anyway, no one is better than my Cyril."
"Tch... in the end, you still listen more to him even if you have other artists don't you?"
Eira blushed and looked away, "so what? I like hearing his voice."
"Yeah, yeah... I get that you are in love plus they are talented. By the way, where's your dad?"
"Dad is in the company. He needs to fix something but he'll be back in time for the operation tomorrow."
Jung su nodded and held on Eira's hand as the last medicine was being put into the dextrose. Eira gritted her teeth and swore while gripping Jung su's hand hard.
"Choi He Ran, watch your words."
Eira bit her lower lip in an attempt to relieve the pain, "sorry mom... Uncle, how many of these do you need to put in me? My arm is starting to feel numb"
"I'm sorry... that is the last one."
"All right..."
"Just bear with it for a while. The pain will fade soon."
Eira nodded andcontinued to bite her lip as the pain continued to rake from her arm to herentire body.