empire | park sunghoon

11] Hana

Niki stood there with big eyes as Hana was shaking. She was late since she had to call the ambulance for her mother. That morning her mother had fainted. She was just about to leave until she heard a loud sound coming from the kitchen, only to find out that her mother was barely breathing.

All of the pressure made her panic as she was trying to be calm for her mother. They drove away and Hana ran to school. She could've stayed home but she needed to distract herself from what happened with her friends. Which didn't really work... She knew that at some point Sunghoon would ask her what's wrong and she promised herself to tell him, because she trusts him.

She now stood face to face with Niki, who must've heard about her weird acting from Sunghoon. Niki had the right to now, it was his mother after all. But as she's leaving to visit her later, she would have to bring Niki. She wasn't worried about bringing him, but she didn't know what her mother would say. She already fainted, what if she gets too overwhelmed. 

"Ah it's too much in my head" Hana thought to herself. "

"Sunghoon told me that something was up with you today" Niki said as he put his hands into his front pockets, resting backwards. "He is worried about you. I won't tell him if it's too personal, but I'm here to listen to you" he reassured her which made the weight from Hana's shoulders loosen up, making her feel safer. 

"Mom is in the hospital" Hana blurted out, scratching her arm. Her words had made Niki stop everything, his eyes becoming big at the shocking news. "I don't know what it is, how it happened, if she's sick and why she never told me-" her words got cut off by the sudden hug Niki gave her. It was tight and she was quick to bury her face in his shoulder. 

"I'll go with you later if you need me there" Hana just nodded into his now wet shoulder. She would make sure to tell her he was there before taking him into the room. It might be too much for her mother to take. 

They pulled away and as they did they heard a faint knock on the lockers. Sunghoon stood there with a calming face as he came out from behind the wall. 

"Hey I was looking for you guys... Are you okay Hana?" Sunghoon asked worriedly. Hana smiled at him, feeling her heart beat faster at his caring words. She nodded at him which made him smile too. 

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As school came to an end Niki and Hana walked side by side down the stairs from the entrance. Jay already left before everyone which only left Sunghoon together with the siblings. They hadn't told Sunghoon yet about where they were going. He just looked at them before he suddenly just walked away. 

"Sunghoon" Hana said, feeling guilty that he was suddenly walking the other way, making him stop in his tracks. He turned around, giving her a curious look. "We're visiting our mom... at the hospital. If you wanna meet her?" Her question made his whole face shine up. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad to trust him. 

As they walked together no one said a word. Hana was too much in her own head to even say anything. Her breath was short and it felt like her head was spinning at some point, all that was filling her body up was worry. Sunghoon must've sensed her worried feelings, since he suddenly slipped his hand into hers. He came up on her right side with a small and reassuring smile on his lips. 

"It's gonna be okay" he said, caressing the outside of her hand with this thumb, giving her stomach butterflies. She was totally lost in his words, but his presence made her worries disappear. The short way they had left, she couldn't help but take in his presence more by leaning her head on his arm. She couldn't see Niki, but she felt like he was happy about them two being close. At least that's what she hoped. 

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Hana felt how every part of her body tensed up. They had gotten to the floor her mother was on and suddenly they were in front of the door. Her mother's name was on the name plate to the right of the door and she knew that sooner or later she had to step inside, it was her mother inside after all. 

As she walked up to the door she realized that either Niki or Sunghoon was beside her. It immediately made her look back at them who were sitting down. 

"Go Hana, we will be here. We will talk to her soon" Sunghoon reassured her. She just nodded and her gaze turned to Niki instead. 

"But Niki, mom-" 

"I will talk to her, you have been with her more than me. I'm not gonna overwhelm her immediately" he said while giving her a smile. She answered with a nod and laid her hand on the doorknob. 

With a deep breath she opened the door slowly and inside she was met with four eyes on her immediately. Them belonging to her mother and a female doctor. Her mother's tense facial expressions had turned into a relaxed and happy one once Hana stepped inside. But the fact that Hana saw her tense made her worry, what did those papers say in the doctor's hands? 

"Hana you're here" her mother said with a big smile, which made Hana give her a small smile back. It felt bad smiling in this situation but if her mother suddenly was happy, did that mean nothing was really wrong? 

The doctor left and let the two of them talk to each other. According to her mother, the incident happened because she was overworked. But from Hana's perspective they had always worked together, so did her mother work hours without Hana when she didn't see? It only made Hana felt guilty, like she had prioritized the wrong things all of a sudden. Even tho Hana's mother was quick to reassure her that nothing was her fault, she couldn't help but take some blame. 

"Mom if it's okay, there's someone I want you to meet" she said, it felt like a question but also a statement at the same time. Her mother just nodded, happy to meet her daughter's friends. 

Hana walked up to the door, taking a shaking and nervous breath while opening it too. The two boys looked up at her and mouthed Niki to not expose the secret to her mother inside the room. He just nodded while fixing his jacket on the way in, making Hana chuckle. She saw Sunghoon giving her a thumbs up and she signed to him to follow Niki inside. All of this made Hana feel happy inside. Niki was reuniting with their family and Sunghoon got to be involved more in her life. 

She closed the door and realized that Niki was already making eye contact with their mother. Her mother didn't show any emotions, they were just staring at each other. Niki was smiling at her but she could also sense that he was shaking, which made her nervous too. She had to break the ice somehow. 

"Mom, this is Niki, your son"