"We're here!" Mikyung called, walking into her mother's hospital room. According to the doctors, she'd already lived longer than they expected. Everyone was worried and waiting. Everyone was praying for a miracle that they knew wouldn't happen. Not when her mom's condition seemed to get worse every single day.
Her father was already there, and her parents were holding hands and deep in conversation when she entered the room with Haknyeon.
"And we brought a present!" Haknyeon said brightly, holding up the scrapbook.
"Oh, a present?" her mom asked, a tired smile coming to her lips.
Mikyung and Haknyeon both grabbed chairs and sat beside her mother's bed. "Well, kind of," Mikyung said. "We'll need it for school, but it's yours afterward. Here, let me show you," she said, taking the book from Haknyeon, their fingers brushing as she reached for it. Their eyes locked for a moment, and she realized that her mom would be happy to know that they both liked each other, even if they weren't dating yet.
"I have other news too," she announced, putting the book on the bed and folding her hands. "I like Haknyeon. We're almost dating. But like... not yet..." she tried to explain, scratching her head as she awkwardly trailed off.
At that, her mother's eyes sparkled with excitement and she clapped her hands happily. "It's about time!" her mother exclaimed, making Haknyeon laugh.
"We brought snacks too," Haknyeon said, placing a bag of snacks on the bed.
"I have the best son-in-law," her mom sighed, sorting through the snacks. "I'm the luckiest."
"Mom!" Mikyung whined, feeling her face flush red. "He's not even your son-in-law yet."
"Yet?" her father asked, raising his eyebrows. He leaned towards her mother. "She said 'yet'," he mock-whispered, only making Mikyung blush harder. She hid her face in her hands, hearing her parents and Haknyeon laugh good-naturedly at her embarrassment.
Haknyeon put a hand on her shoulder, and when she looked at him, his eyes were sparkling with amusement. When she saw him, she couldn't help smiling as well.
"Anyway," she said after a moment, opening the scrapbook and leaning closer to her mom. "We wanted to show you this..."
***
"Haknyeon."
Haknyeon looked up, meeting the gaze of Mikyung's mother. Mikyung had stepped out for a moment to go to the restroom, leaving him alone with her parents. He didn't mind. Honestly, her parents always made him feel like part of the family. He really liked them, and it wasn't uncomfortable to be alone in the room with them. They talked comfortably and happily.
When he met her mother's gaze, he was surprised to see tears shimmering in her eyes. She took his hand, weakly holding onto him.
"You know I'm very ill," she said after a moment. "You know I won't be here for much longer."
Haknyeon swallowed, trying to blink away his tears. He couldn't say anything.
"Promise me something," she whispered.
"Anything," he said softly.
"Promise me that you'll be there for Mikyung when I'm gone. Promise me that you'll be by her side for as long as you can. You don't have to be her boyfriend or even her husband... just... promise you'll be a good friend to her. Be there to support her. A shoulder for her to lean on. Please?"
"I promise," he said, saying the words like a vow.
