Chapter 43
Chapter 43
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 43
Chapter Title: Cancer Patient?
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“Cancer battle?”
The story hit like a bolt from the blue, plunging everyone into a temporary state of panic.
Even Ri-hyuk, who’d been relentlessly pressing for answers, wore a dazed expression.
His already pale face now looked as white as a sheet.
Ji-ho was coughing nonstop, like he’d choked on something.
Jung-hyun gave an awkward smile.
“I told you. It’s better not to know.”
“If he’s a cancer patient, does that mean the surgery’s already done?”
“It was a while back. But the situation’s gotten a bit ambiguous now.”
“…What do you mean, ambiguous?”
Jung-hyun scratched his head at Ri-hyuk’s question.
“Let’s stop here for now. It’s better if you hear the details from Kim Bi-ju directly. It’s not something I can just casually talk about…….”
Jung-hyun placed a clunky old smartphone on the table.
He pressed shortcut number 7, and Bi-ju’s number popped up.
We all swallowed hard.
A clear voice rang out from the speakerphone.
-Hey, what’s up? Can’t find the drinks?
“No, it’s… you know.”
-Please tell me you didn’t accidentally break something while passing by.
“I don’t break stuff every time.”
-Good. I was worried I’d have to pay for damages again like last time.
A bright laugh echoed through.
Jung-hyun stared at the phone like it was a ticking time bomb.
“Hey, I’ve got something to say.”
-Something to say?
“I was passing by the cafe and ran into Woojoo hyung, Ri-hyuk, and Ji-ho.”
-Huh? Why are you all at the hospital? Is Ji-ho hurt? Or Ri-hyuk? No way it’s Woojoo hyung.
What did she mean, no way it’s Woojoo hyung?
“Ji-ho twisted his ankle a bit.”
-What?!
Her voice rose for the first time.
Chaotic noises immediately started coming from the other end of the line.
Jung-hyun quickly smoothed things over.
“They say there’s no need to worry. A day or two of rest and he’ll be fine.”
-Still. Is the kid okay?
“Yeah, he seems fine. But… the guys asked why we’re at the hospital. They saw us earlier. So I was wondering if it was okay to tell them…….”
A long silence stretched from the other side.
Jung-hyun’s Adam’s apple bobbed up and down repeatedly.
-Jung-hyun.
“Yeah?”
-You told them.
“Huh? No.”
-…….
Even just hearing her voice, I could picture Bi-ju right there in front of us—arms crossed, looking up at Jung-hyun with eyes demanding a straight answer.
His Adam’s apple bobbed a couple more times.
Jung-hyun finally parted his lips.
“Sorry.”
-No wonder. Your tone’s been weird from the start. So this is on speakerphone?
“Yeah.”
-…….
I chimed in.
“Bi-ju, hey.”
-Hi, hello……
Her voice trailed off like a long sigh.
-Jung-hyun, can you turn off speakerphone for a sec?
“Yeah, why?”
-I have something I want to say privately. Switch to normal call.
“Hey, I…….”
-Right now.
Jung-hyun turned off speakerphone like he’d flipped a hellish switch and held the phone to his ear. The volume was low, so it was hard to hear, but a steady murmur continued nonstop.
It didn’t sound like good news.
Sweat beaded on Jung-hyun’s sideburns, even though he wasn’t exercising.
“Yeah, got it. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah. No, I was just about to say… Yeah, right. Yeah… That’s, yeah.”
Like a husband getting an earful from his wife, he stayed like that for a while before finally ending the call.
“Phew, I survived.”
Jung-hyun wiped his face.
“What’d she say?”
“She said given the situation, she’ll let it slide this time. She’ll talk to hyung and the kids herself, so she told us to come pick her up.”
“Come pick her up?”
“She said she got lost.”
Our three mouths dropped open at the same time.
“Again?”
* * *
“Thanks for finding me.”
We found Bi-ju about 30 minutes later.
She was quite a distance from the hospital. It was even more amazing how she’d gotten all the way here.
As soon as we linked up with our waiting dongsaengs in the lounge, Bi-ju rushed to Ji-ho.
“Ji-ho, I heard you hurt your leg. You okay?”
“Huh? Oh… yeah, I’m fine. Don’t worry about it.”
The maknae, who would normally whine, waved it off. He couldn’t even meet Bi-ju’s eyes.
His steps were hesitant too.
It suddenly reminded me of my parents’ funeral when I was seven. The kindergarten friends who came to the hall had acted just like that—flustered, not knowing what to say, bursting into tears out of nowhere.
At least this kid wouldn’t cry.
“Didn’t you say Ji-ho hurt his leg?”
Jung-hyun whispered in my ear.
Ji-ho’s steps behind us were normal now. No more limping like before.
“He’s too shocked. He probably doesn’t even realize he’s walking.”
Jung-hyun strode over and supported Ji-ho.
I heard the maknae say, “Thank you, hyung.”
Ri-hyuk was supposed to help him, but what was he doing?
Looking around, I spotted another person staring at the ground just like the maknae.
Seeing the complete opposite of Ji-ho doing the exact same thing felt oddly amusing.
Bi-ju glanced at the dongsaengs and whispered.
“That’s why I didn’t want to tell them. I didn’t want to burden them.”
“Why would that be a burden?”
“You guys are all busy with practice. I didn’t want to make things awkward by bringing it up. And I hate seeing them watch my every move.”
“Hmm. They watch you all the time anyway.”
Bi-ju’s eyes flicked toward me. I nodded.
“Like right now.”
A small laugh escaped her.
My joke to lighten the mood seemed to land well.
Bi-ju looked relieved.
“Thanks for treating me normally. If you started acting weird too, I’d really suffocate.”
“I’ve been through something similar, that’s why. Otherwise, I’d be no different from those guys.”
“Something similar?”
“Did I mention before? Back in elementary school, my grandma had cancer surgery.”
“Oh.”
I didn’t say things like, “I know how you feel.” As someone who’d experienced it, I knew the right response.
Treat them exactly the same as always.
No hesitating, no pitying looks, no pointless comforting words.
“She’s fine now, right?”
“Of course. It’s been over ten years. Cancer’s vicious, but it doesn’t usually drag on that long.”
Bi-ju smiled again.
“Why?”
“No, it’s just… I used to think the same as you. That cancer couldn’t possibly last that long.”
A trace of bitterness crossed her face.
“But it did.”
* * *
Before entering the room, Bi-ju gathered us and explained the situation.
Her dongsaeng’s name was Kim Min-jun.
He was ten, practically a generation younger.
They’d first discovered his illness when he was even younger, around five.
I wasn’t sure about the exact diagnosis.
She explained it, but I was too distracted to follow.
What was clear was that even after surgery, he’d suffered continuously.
For the next five years, treatment had been nonstop, so he couldn’t go to kindergarten or school, and he’d been hospitalized sometimes too.
“A few days ago, he suddenly spiked a fever, so we came in. Jung-hyun already knew about my situation, so he came with me. Sorry for not telling you ahead of time. I didn’t want to worry you.”
“No, it’s understandable.”
Ri-hyuk swallowed hard as he spoke, and Ji-ho nodded vigorously beside him.
Bi-ju smiled and grabbed the door handle.
“Don’t just pat his head. He hates that the most.”
The door clicked open.
A humid mist from the humidifier filled the air as the room came into view. A middle-aged couple sat in chairs, and a little kid read a book on the bed.
“Mom, I’m here.”
We exchanged awkward greetings with the couple who stood up.
Bi-ju covered for us, saying we’d come to visit.
“Good, you made it. It’s the first time meeting our friends.”
Her dad had a calm demeanor.
His gentle speech gave off professor vibes, and apparently, he used to teach at a university. Father and son looked so alike—if you put glasses on Bi-ju and aged him 30 years, he’d be spot-on.
“Do you all like fruit? I peeled some apples.”
Her mom, on the other hand, was lively from the start.
You know those people who just make you smile by looking at them?
That was Bi-ju’s mom.
We each took a polite piece, and that’s when her mom called out to the kid staring intently at his book on the bed.
“Min-jun, the hyungs are here.”
“I’ll finish this page first.”
A clear, bright voice replied.
If he weren’t in patient clothes, he’d look like a wise young monk.
Min-jun, who’d been speed-reading a science book, closed it.
“Jung-hyun hyung. Got ice cream?”
“Of course.”
Jung-hyun grinned and pulled stuff from the bag, lighting up the kid’s face and the whole room.
Then he turned to us and let out an “Ah!”
“You’re the hyungs from the broadcast. Right?”
“Yeah.”
Bi-ju smiled proudly and tapped his cheek. Min-jun, holding the ice cream, bowed his head.
“Hello.”
Bi-ju introduced him.
“This is Woojoo hyung. The one who makes our songs.”
“Pretty name. I love space a ton.”
“Me too.”
Smiling, I took the hand Min-jun extended. I thought it was a handshake request.
So cute—I shook it.
“This is Ri-hyuk hyung. Best singer in the group.”
“Hello.”
Ri-hyuk gave an awkward smile as he shook.
“And this is Ji-ho hyung.”
“Ji-ho?”
“Yeah, Ji-ho hyung.”
“Ah.”
Then he pulled his hand back.
He rubbed his palm on his thigh like he was wiping sweat, and that was it.
We burst out laughing, while Ji-ho turned to Bi-ju with a bewildered look.
“What’d you tell him about me, Bi-ju hyung?”
“Nothing.”
“…….”
“A little?”
Bi-ju said cautiously, then cracked up herself.
She turned to her brother.
“Min-jun, shake hands with Ji-ho hyung too.”
“Fine.”
Grumbling, Min-jun extended his hand.
“Stop throwing tantrums about food and be nice to my hyung.”
As Ji-ho blinked like a statue, everyone in the room burst into laughter.
* * *
“How can he have such long lashes and be this cute? Here, eat up.”
“Thank you.”
I took the fork from Bi-ju’s mom. Smiling, I ate the sixth piece of apple and responded.
“Our Bi-yeon came back from your year-end evaluation raving about it. She said her dongsaeng was great, but the new kid was amazing too. We watched the video and were blown away.”
“Thank you.”
“Bi-ju brags about you whenever he comes home or calls. Today Woojoo did this, thanks to that hyung everything went well…….”
“Mom. Uh, yeah. Uh.”
Bi-ju cut her off and fed her a piece of apple.
“What did he say the first time on broadcast?”
“Mom, have another one.”
“This kid. Always interrupting me like Bi-yeon.”
“Mom, please…….”
A smile played on my lips.
Seeing Bi-ju, who always mothered us, like this was fun.
“Anyway.”
Bi-ju’s mom grabbed my hand.
“Take good care of our kid from now on. I’m counting on you, Woojoo-ssi.”
“Yes, I’ll do my best.”
“He may look this sweet, but he’s stubborn as can be. Just like his dad…….”
“Honey, have some apple.”
This time, her dad fed her.
Her mom chattering like a girl was adorable, and the father-son duo desperately blocking her words was too.
It wasn’t the image of a patient’s family I’d imagined.
But that didn’t mean Min-jun looked healthy. His expression was bright, but his complexion wasn’t good.
Pale, bloodless—something like that.
Now I knew what “purple lips” from Shower meant.
Her mom spoke up.
“This is after the fever’s gone down a lot. Yesterday it spiked so high we called the doctor at dawn—total chaos. The kid crying, the doctor in no rush to come…….”
“That’s how university hospitals are.”
Chatting with her mom, I watched Min-jun.
A board game was set up on the bed, and the four of them were playing.
A ten-year-old and three hyungs.
Something like Burmable, but whatever it was, they were all losing.
Seemed like they were letting him win, but Ri-hyuk was frowning alone.
The other two maybe, but he was going all out. Glaring at the dice nonstop.
Ji-ho seemed much more relaxed than before.
Even laughing occasionally.
And Jung-hyun kept smiling at Min-jun, patting him now and then. I’d never seen such a gentle expression on him.
“Jung-hyun and Min-jun are close.”
Her dad answered me.
“Jung-hyun always comes with Bi-ju. He’s stayed up all night with us during tough times. Practically family.”
The way her dad looked at Jung-hyun mirrored how Jung-hyun looked at Min-jun.
Min-jun too, of course.
The buzz-cut kid went wild with joy every time Jung-hyun made booger jokes or pranks that elementary kids love.
His eyes sparkled at his hyung.
“That’s from Jung-hyun too.”
“What? Oh.”
Bi-ju pointed to a Lego model by the bed. A scene from a hero movie, probably.
So that’s what Jung-hyun had packed up that morning.
Mystery solved.
But one question lingered.
Min-jun’s illness started five years ago.
So why had Bi-ju been acting strange only lately?
“Bi-ju.”
I was about to ask when a young cheer erupted from the board game.
Min-jun had won.
He held up a miniature trophy like a victory symbol, beaming.
“Min-jun’s in a great mood today.”
Following Bi-ju’s gaze, I looked at the ten-year-old.
Battling cancer since age five.
Stunted from chemo suppressing his cells, bald, never gone to kindergarten let alone school. His face showed rare joy.
“Hyung, what were you gonna ask?”
“Nothing.”
I shook my head, not wanting to ruin the vibe.
Her mom called to her flushed youngest.
“Min-jun. Happy the hyungs came?”
“Yeah!”
He grinned innocently.
“I hope they don’t leave today.”