Mikyung was sitting beside her father's hospital bed, holding his hand and watching while he slept. By her side was Haknyeon, holding her other hand. He'd fallen asleep and his head was lying on the side of the bed.
She sighed, looking at her father. "I never expected to be by your side like this," she said softly. "You have to stay healthy, alright? I don't know what I'd do if I ended up losing you too," she whispered, thinking about her mother. Two months. Less than two months.
She lay her head on the bed beside Haknyeon and got lost in her thoughts, eventually drifting off to sleep.
***
When she woke up, it was to the sound of laughter coming from Haknyeon and her father. She bit back her smile, keeping her eyes closed and pretending to still be asleep so that she could just listen to them.
"You like riding?" her father was saying, sounding excited. "It was my childhood dream to learn to ride a horse. Never got the chance to though, unfortunately."
"You should come to the farm with me this summer!" Haknyeon said, sounding just as excited as her father. "We have horses, I can even be your riding instructor!"
Mikyung opened her eyes, grinning as she lifted her chin to peer up at the two of them. "Are you guys making plans without me?" she teased, sitting up and stretching. "And what about me?" she asked Haknyeon, putting a hand on her hip. "Do I get riding lessons too?"
"Obviously," he said, rolling his eyes playfully at her.
"Well, in that case, we have to come," she decided, half-joking. But honestly, if he got permission from his family and did seriously invite them, that would be really fun.
She turned her gaze to her father, taking his hand worriedly. "How are you feeling?" she asked, glancing at the IV he was hooked up to.
He squeezed her hand. "Don't worry about me. By tomorrow, I'll be fine, and back to work-"
"No!" Mikyung and Haknyeon said at the same time. Haknyeon looked embarrassed to have spoken out against her father, but she looked at him gratefully.
"Seriously dad, you need to rest," she insisted. "Don't worry about the hospital bills and stuff, I have them all taken care of. And mom too, we'll take care of that too-"
"We?" her father interrupted, looking at Haknyeon, who suddenly could not maintain eye contact.
For a second, Mikyung thought her father might be upset, knowing that Haknyeon was helping out with their personal situations.
But he just turned to her and said, "is this the young man your mother keeps talking about? The one she calls her 'future son-in-law?"
Mikyung laughed, nodding. "He's the one."
"I can see why she likes him so much," her father said, looking at Haknyeon in approval. "He would make a great son-in-law."
"Dad!" she whined, burying her face in her hands as Haknyeon and her dad just burst out laughing.
