1 of 112 [HaruKyu FF]

Chapter 33

Junkyu POV

"So, you're really going to erase your mom's memory?" I asked, looking at Haruto behind the wheel as we were heading to his mom's hospital.

He had told me about something called Deep Brain Stimulation, a neuroscience stuff, implanting a machine inside the brain or something and I could only understand half of it.

"Oh. Manipulating, to be exact. She deserves a second chance. She's been stuck in her past for too long." He answered. I can tell his voice is a little bit strained inside his throat. "Besides, I don't want her to stay in hospital for the rest of her life. She's getting old and I want to take care of her myself. I can't do that if she keeps forgetting about me every other day."

I slid my hand to his on the middle armrest and entwined our fingers. I know for sure it was a sensitive topic and I wanted to give him some sense of comfort. "But then she won't remember you as her biological son. She will remember you as someone else' son."

He looked at me and smiled for a few seconds before turning his eyes back on the road. "It doesn't matter. Biological or not, a mother is still a mother and a child is still a child." He said as he brought my hand to his lips and gently kissed the back of it. "I wasn't sure at first but then I saw you with the twins. Adopting them doesn't make you less of a father and them less of your children."

"You're right." I mumbled.

"But again, it all depends on the assessment result. They've been running some tests on her and the reason I bring you along today, so you can hear the result and give your opinion." He said then took a quick glance at me again. "You're going to be my husband, so your opinion matters."

"I'm not sure about that though. She's your mother. I can only support your decision, whatever it is." I shrugged.

"But still, I need your opinion. You know how I can be too quick to decide without much consideration. And I need you as my anchor." He removed his hand from mine and patted my head with a smile that I couldn't resist.

My eyes wandered outside the window as our car cruised the road and I kept thinking if it was a good idea to remove his mother's memory. Good or bad, memory is the source of someone's identity. Sure memory will change overtime but personal identity grows with it. I won't be a father if I don't have a memory of the twins, right?

I stopped pondering with it when we reached the hospital. We went straight to the doctor's office on the 3rd floor instead of visiting his mother first. I wasn't familiar with the floor and even more with the doctor's office. But one thing, or person, I was familiar with was there, standing in front of a messy desk, looking way much older yet still as handsome as I remember him.

"Soo-Hyuk Hyung!" I shouted, removing Haruto's hand that has been holding me since we stepped out of the car, forgetting about an old weird looking man behind the desk, and straight jumped to hug Dr. Lee.

"Annyeong Junkyu-ya." He said as he returned my hug. I was happy to see him again. The last time I saw him was before my enlistment. "Now you're back with him so you don't need me anymore eh?" He sneered jokingly while ruffling my hair.

Suddenly Haruto stripped me away from Dr. Lee and hugged me tight. "No hug! And no touching!" He growled like a lioness protecting a cub and I rolled my eyes. "What do you mean by he doesn't need you anymore?"

I slapped Haruto's arm to let me go but he didn't budge and hugged me even tighter. "Yah! He helped me when you left. He recommended me to a psychiatrist in Tokyo. He was also monitoring my health during my first year on my medication. And that was all because of you! Because you left me! Stupid!" I slapped his arm again and he gave me a cute sad puppy look, sticking out his bottom lip with a frown.