Jane see's her dad
"We're at the hospital now. I'll call you when I know more. No, you don't have to come. Love you too." She hung up the phone and sighed, leaning her head back on the wall. Shownu was currently talking to the nurse at the desk.
"They said to give them a minute and they'll take us to see him." She didn't even glance at him. "Did they tell you what's wrong?" She sighed, placing his hand on her knee and giving it a gentle squeeze. "Let's just wait till we see him, okay?" She nodded, not saying anything more.
A few minutes later they were being brought to his room. Jane had to keep her mouth from dropping open. All memories of her father was him walking tall, carrying her on his shoulders. Being the pillar of support that Shownu had taken over the past few years.
She'd never seen him like this. Tubes hooked up to him, extremely thin. Almost as if he hadn't eaten for months. He was so, so pale. Nothing like when she had seen him last. Now the guilt was eating away at her. When was the last time she had seen him? A couple years?
"Appa," she murmured. She hadn't realized she had slipped her hand into Shownu's at the death grip she had on it. Her father turned his head towards her, a smile on his face. "YunJae-ah! There's my girl. You look even more beautiful than last time." He started to cough, bringing a napkin to his mouth. Jane didn't miss the specs of red on it.
She couldn't bring her feet to move. Thankfully, Shownu was able to literally push her gently towards him. "W-why didn't you tell me you were in the hospital?" She said, sitting down next to his bed. He sighed, leaning back on his pillows. "Because I know you would've done exactly this. Come here."
She narrowed her eyes, feeling a bit of anger. "Of course I would have! You're my father!"
"Jane-ah," Shownu's voice was low but it made her snap her mouth shut and check her emotions. Yelling wasn't going to get anywhere and she needed to know what was going on. "I'm fine, love. Really. Just routine stuff." She narrowed her eyes again. Anyone could tell that this was anything but routine.
"This is routine?" She gestured around to the hospital rooms and he sighed again. "It's just gotten a little worse, that's all. But I'll be okay. Tell me about you! It's been so long since you last visited. I want to know what's been going on your lives." He beamed at Shownu. Jane went to retort but Shownu placed a hand on her shoulder, squeezing gently. "That sounds great."
So, for the next hour or so, Shownu talked and talked about everything they've been doing since the last time Jane had visited. Jane couldn't take it anymore. How they could be sitting just having small talk while something was clearly wrong. She stood up, storming out of the room saying she needed some air. She was going to find the doctor and find out what was really going on.
Back in the room, Jane's father sighed and leaned back into his pillows, closing his eyes. "Hyunwoo," he croaked out. Shownu straightened up a little, eyes trained on him. "Sir?" Her father let out a chuckle, waving his hand weakly. "Son, I've been telling you for years not to call me that. Sir was my father." He managed a wink and Shownu chuckled.
"I've got to tell you, Hyunwoo. But I don't want to worry her. You've all been through so much these past years. Almost a decade spent together. I don't want to add to that." Shownu shifted slightly in his seat. "We're getting back to normal. But you know she's not going to stop until she gets answers." Her father let a small smile out and hummed in response. "Just like her mother. Stubborn as hell."
"Hyunwoo-ah," he coughed a little before continuing, "I-I don't have much longer left. Six months at most the doctor says." Shownu felt his throat close up. Jane's father had been a father to all of them just like their own. Also, knowing her father was all Jane had left of blood relatives.
"Why didn't you call sooner? We could've been here." Her father shook his head and stared out the window. "You know, when Jane first started dancing after her mother left, it was the first time in a long time I had seen her so happy." Shownu stayed quiet and focused.
"I was the one who signed her up for the audition at Starship. I told her to go and I went with her. She passed and we went out for a good dinner. But she didn't want to leave me alone." He looked nostalgic and Shownu didn't feel like he had the right to be listening to this.
"I promised her I would be alright. I cheered for her and rooted for all of you. Sure, like any father I wasn't thrilled about her living with 7 boys at first, but you're her brothers. You helped her gain back confidence she lost. You all helped her come out of her shell and trust people."
Shownu was still silent and a little teary-eyed. Her dad was right; she was not one to trust people easily. She was cold and definitely dressed to keep people away. But they had all broken down her walls and she had let them in. It took quite some time before it happened, but it did. "Hyunwoo-ah," her dad breathed, patting his hand.
Shownu patted his back. "I need you to promise me you will all help her through this. When I—when I go, she's going to only have you 7 boys left. Don't let her close up again." Shownu nodded, a silent promise made between the two. Then they heard a choked sob from behind them and Shownu turned around to see Jane standing there. She had heard every word.
All Shownu could do was wrap his arms around her and hold her. He needed to get the rest of them down here and quickly. She needed her family.
