Author's Note: So back to work I go. Only four and a half days until break where I can chill and do almost nothing. I'm so excited if you can't tell.
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"I hate people."
Soohyun laughed at Hoon Jin's blanket statement as she sent another caterer on his way to refill the hors d'oeuvres trays. He hadn't been working but two hours and he was already complaining. But that was to be expected of the twenty-five year old slacker who even hated working at his own café.
"You didn't have to come," she said as she arranged more cupcakes on the tier. It was to go out last since that was when they were going to sing to Kim Won.
Hoon Jin sputtered as he wiped down his tray and started loading fresh vegetables onto it. "Don't tell that lie. You would have held it over me for the rest of my life if I hadn't."
"I wouldn't do that."
"Tell that to someone who doesn't know you very well. Like, I know, Kim Won. He should know how mean you really are. This nice persona you have going on with him is really sickening you know. How can a man fall for that?"
Soohyun popped him in the shoulder with a spatula until he yelped. "You just better be glad I look on you like a little brother and not the annoying pest I know you are."
"See?" Hoon Jin exclaimed. "Violence! You're not nice at all. You're evil!" And he sang the blues all the way out into the party.
Soohyun shook her head. Even though he complained and whined the entire time, Hoon Jin was a really hard worker. She had known him for nearly twenty years and he had always been very hard on himself about work. He was always at the top of his class no matter how hard the subject matter was. And he had always taken care of his family.
She remembered the one time he had let his father down. His father had wanted him to become a lawyer but Hoon Jin had wanted to learn the ins and outs of coffee. He had taken a few barista courses when in college and had fallen in love with the idea of owning his own café. But his father had been totally against it.
They'd had a falling out when Hoon Jin was a senior in college. He wanted to go to Italy to study coffee and baking. His dad wasn't going to fund the extracurricular activities even though Hoon had a full ride to one of the best schools. In a fit of rage, Hoon switched gears and ended up going to France and living with Soohyun while he studied. She finished her tenure at the restaurant she had helped start then she moved back to South Korea. Hoon Jin had come back with her.
Once he returned, he had gone to talk to his parents. To this day, his father hadn't forgiven him for leaving the family. But Hoon had long given up trying to please his father and did what he loved.
"Soohyun-ah, Kim Won-ssi wants to see you," one of the other caterers asked.
Confused, Soohyun wiped her hands and left the kitchen. People gave her the weirdest looks as she meandered through the crowd. She didn't care. She was actually in uniform. She could go through the crowds without being asked to take something back to the kitchen. With a chef's jacket, she looked important.
"Soohyun-ah!" Hyun Joon exclaimed as she pushed her way through the crowd. He took her by the arm when she was within arm's length. "This is the wonderful chef who helped make all this delicious food, Lee Soohyun."
"Stop it. You're being weird again," she said.
"How is it weird when he's correct?" Won asked. He was smiling like an idiot. "The food is wonderful. I'm just wondering about those cupcakes I can't wait to try."
"You'll just have to wait. I'm under strict orders to wait until it's time for the song. If I have to wait, you do as well."
He nodded with a slight smile. He must have realized what he had been doing because he toned it down. He turned to the woman beside him. "This is my fiancé Kang Da Kyung. Da Kyung-ssi, this is Lee Soohyun-ssi, Hyun Joon's younger sister."
It dawned on the other woman and she smiled broadly. "You're the one who got him hooked on sweet kimchi with tteokbokki. I could strangle you just a bit."
Soohyun heard the underlying current of temper in the woman's tone. She wasn't the least bit excited that her fiancé was talking to another woman. Soohyun didn't care what she thought but if it came back on Won it was a different story altogether. She may not be very combative but she wouldn't let someone else go after him for being her friend.
She pursed her lips together and bowed before walking back towards the kitchen. A wave of dizziness washed over her. She stopped to grip the nearest table momentarily before she continued on. Once she was back in the kitchen, she told one of the other guys to oversee the food as she sat down and caught her breath.
"Noona, are you all right?" Hoon Jin asked as he carted a bin to the sinks.
"I'm fine. I just got flushed for a bit. I'll be okay in few minutes," she said.
"All right. Don't push yourself."
She sat in the chair and watched her people walk around like they knew what they were doing. She hoped they did. She had picked them for that very reason. They knew how to handle themselves even when she couldn't physically work.
They scurried back into the room and started preparing the cupcakes. Hoon Jin jumped right in with them, ordering them around like he was in charge when he was only part-time help. He made sure they walked in front of him with the cart of cupcakes. He had grown up so much since he had opened his café.
Soohyun followed them out and stood by one of the other chefs that had helped her put this whole thing together. They watched as the whole party sang happy birthday and Won blew out the candles on the top two tiers of cupcakes.
Another wave of dizziness came over her and her vision dimmed. She felt her blood rushing in her ears as her heart thundered in her chest. Before she could think of calling out for help, her knees gave way as darkness clouded her vision.
"Noona!"
Won didn't know what was going but Hyun Joon was running across the room just as Hoon Jin pushed catering staff out of the way. There was only one reason those two would be moving that quickly.
"Soohyun-ssi," he muttered. He left Da Kyung's side and went towards the end of the table. The woman was in a crumbled heap on the floor. "What happened?"
"She was complaining about dizziness earlier," Hoon Jin explained.
"Does anyone know if she ate today?" Hyun Joon asked. He was acting very calm when the situation was anything but.
"I haven't seen her."
"Hoon, go find her bag. She keeps a bottle in the front pocket for emergencies."
Hoon Jin took off for the kitchen as Won kneeled down. He had never seen Soohyun sleeping. But this wasn't sleeping. She was unconscious. She looked peaceful even though.
Hoon Jin returned and handed the bottle to Hyun Joon. The older brother took it and opened it. He let out a curse then put her arms under his sister and lifted her.
"What is it?" Hoon Jin asked. "Hyung?"
"She didn't take her medicine. I'm taking her to the hospital."
Won didn't have time to say anything to Hyun Joon because the man was gone so quickly. He looked at Hoon Jin. "Is there anything I can do?"
Hoon Jin shook his head. "No. It's happened before. She has to take her medicine to keep her body regulated. Since she didn't eat, it has double effects. I'll make sure all of this gets cleaned up. Go ahead and have your party."
Won didn't know what to say as the staff started to clean up the mess that had been made when Soohyun had hit the table. He wondered what was going to happen. Hyun Joon and Hoon Jin had reacted calmly and had diffused the situation before anything else had happened.
He tried to get back into the party mood but it was officially ruined. There was nothing he could do to get it back. Everyone felt the same as he heard mutters wafting throughout the room. They were all wondering what had happened and if it was serious. He didn't have any answers either because he didn't know enough of her condition to say. Not that he would because it wasn't his case to talk about.
Da Kyung pulled him aside and looked at him. "Call Hyun Joon-ssi and ask which hospital he's at. You're not going to be any use if you're worried about one of the staff."
He frowned at her. "She's my friend, not just staff."
"Go check on her. You obviously know what they were talking about, and it's clear to anyone who looks at you that you're worried. Go see what's going on."
"Yeah, hyung," Kim Tan said as he walked over. He had been eavesdropping over in the corner. "Soohyun Noona has obviously made a good impression on you for you to be worried this much about her. Plus her food was amazing."
Won laughed at his brother's shallow comment. Only Tan would be worried about the food at a time like this. His phone buzzed in his pocket. Without a second thought he pulled it out and checked his messages. It was from Hyun Joon.
"They've taken her back for a biopsy since they know of her condition. We're at this hospital if you want to come. Tell Hoon Jin for me. If I tell him now, he'll have a fit and leave his duties. It's going to be a couple of hours before I know anything so don't worry about leaving the party just yet. Stay until it ends."
That took option one out of his control. If Hyun Joon didn't want him at the hospital just yet, he had to stay at the party. Hyun Joon wouldn't tell him something if he didn't mean it. But it also left his mind to run wild. He was coming up with worst case scenarios. What if the illness was back? What if it was something else?
But the worst question was why did he care so much? He had known the woman a month and over the course of that month, he had kind of forced himself upon her. She hadn't said anything about it. In fact she had let him do what he wanted without so much as a complaint. She even dragged him around to places after he invaded her privacy.
Around midnight the party started to wind down. With Da Kyung, he said goodbye to his guests and looked to the staff as they started cleaning up. The catering group was done within ten minutes. Hoon Jin didn't even wait to hear what Hyun Joon had told him. He was gone as soon as the bus was packed and on its way back to the hotel.
Won saw Da Kyung in a taxi then he hailed one and headed to the hospital Hyun Joon told him. It was almost one and his friend needed the comfort of someone who knew what was going on. Hoon Jin would be there, but he would have to leave early to go to work. What kind of boss would he be if he didn't take care of his employees' families?
Hyun Joon was in the room he had put in his text. Hoon Jin was nowhere to be seen. His assistant looked tired as he sat by the bed.
For the first time he saw Soohyun without her beanie on. Due to her chemotherapy, she had lost her hair. Since she'd been in remission, it had gradually started growing back. So far it was like she had just returned from military service. He understood why she wore the beanie.
"I haven't heard anything new," he said as Won sat down. "They said the bloodwork came back clean but they just took some bone marrow to make sure it hasn't returned."
"I can't imagine how scared you were," Won said.
"I'm not scared. I learned long ago that it's useless to be scared. If it kills her, which is very likely, I know she lived life to the fullest. The only regret I have is that she hasn't found anyone to spend the rest of her days with."
"What about Hoon Jin?"
Hyun Joon shook his head. "Hoon's tried but Soohyun has always denied him. I don't know why. He adores her, but she's always only thought of him as a friend and little brother. Other than that no man would touch her because they would have to take on her medical expenses after she dies."
"You've talked about this at length haven't you?"
The other man nodded. "There was a moment when we didn't know if she was going to make it. Chemotherapy took its toll on her and she was wasting away because she couldn't eat. I brought her to the hospital and for three days she remained here on IV fluids. Even while weak, she had a lawyer come in and make a will for her. She wanted to make sure it was all taken care of just in case something happened."
"How long did it take her to bounce back?"
"A couple of months. Hoon stayed home with her until she could go back to work. So far it's been good. Until now. I don't want to send her home alone after this, but Hoon has a one room and I can't take care of both her and dad. I don't know what I'm going to do about it."
Won fought his first instinct but it was a battle he wasn't going to win. He felt so bad for his friend at the moment that he spouted it out before he could think it all the way through.
"I'll move in with her until she gets back on her feet," he offered.
Hyun Joon shook his head. "There's no way she is going to let you invade her territory. You may have only been allowed to go in on a visitation basis, but she's not going to let you live with her."
"She's not going to have a choice. If she's working herself to this state, she needs to suck it up and let someone help her. I learned that the hard way. Give me the pass code to her house and I'll move enough of my clothes for a couple weeks."
The younger man wasn't able to say anything because his boss was up and out the door before he could. Kim Won really didn't understand what kind of battle he was about to face. Soohyun was very sweet and gentle but she was also very strong willed and independent. There was no way she was going to let him get his way in her own house.