June didn't think twice before leaving the venue of their shoot. Fortunately, Jay and his members understood, so with the help of BOYMYSTIC's manager, June was able to leave the venue without any problem.
As he arrived at the hospital, he said a quick 'thanks' to the other manager before making his way inside. Fortunately, it seemed like none of the people recognized him, so he was able to speak to the nurses without any trouble.
"809," June muttered, looking for the hospital room that Minjun mentioned.
Finally, he arrived at the room, wasting no time opening it to see how his grandma was doing.
His heart nearly dropped when he saw her current state. She was hooked to a cardiac monitor and an oxygen cannula, making her look even more feeble than she already was.
Another thing that June noticed was the drastic weight change she had undergone. He hadn't seen her in just a few months, but she appeared to be a completely different person.
However, even then, her eyes and smile were still the same. Her eyes brightened when she saw June enter the room, appearing like she wasn't even in a hospital bed.
"Bro," Minjun said, standing from his seat to greet his older brother with a hug.
June could see Minjun's tear-stricken cheeks, so he patted his back as a way to tell him that he wasn't alone now.
"What did they say?" June asked the teenage boy.
Minjun pursed his lips before shaking his head. "We just arrived, and we're waiting for the tests to finish. I--I really didn't know what to do. I saw Grandma unconscious on the bathroom floors, so I called the ambulance right away."
June nodded and stroked Minjun's hair. "You did a great job."
A small smile appeared on Minjun's face. However, it didn't really reach his eyes.
"June," he heard grandma say. "It's been a while. I missed you a lot, grandson."
June lifted his head and gently let go of Minjun before going to Grandma's bed and sitting right beside her.
"Grandma," he smiled, tucking her hair behind her ears.
"Did you miss me?" he asked.
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64ce79d606107d003c23ea27", id: "pf-5140-1"})Grandma weakly hit his chest.
"Of course I did. Minjun told me you visited around a month ago, but you didn't wake me up so I could see you!"
"You were resting," June said. "I didn't want to interrupt your rest."
"Who's interrupting who?" Grandma clicked her tongue.
"I would have regained my strength the moment I saw you. By the way, I see that your song is charting well these days. My new friends are once again asking for me to introduce you to them. At first, they couldn't believe that you're my grandson, so I told them that I'll most definitely show you to them one day."
June chuckled endearingly at the old woman. "Of course," he smiled. "We'll do just that. So, make sure to get all better, okay?"
Grandma smiled back at June, holding onto his hand and giving it a tight squeeze.
"I'm very, very proud of what you've become," she said. "Who knew that the kid I fed back then would turn out to be a world star?"
"I'm not a world star," June softly said.
"You will be...soon...very, very soon."
"I just hope I'll still be around to see that," she muttered, so June was unable to hear her.
"What was that?" June asked.
"Nothing," Grandma smiled. "Nothing. How are you these days?"
June sighed as he gave Grandma's hand a squeeze.
"I should be the one asking you that. How come Minjun found you on the bathroom floor?"
The old woman sheepishly smiled. "Oh, you already know that your grandma's getting old."
"Grandma," June warned since he knew that there was definitely more to the situation than what meets the eye.
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64cc9e79c7059f003e4ad4b0", id: "pf-5109-1"})Suddenly, the door opened, revealing a familiar doctor.
June sighed and stood from the bed as soon as he saw him.
"June?" Dr. Oh exclaimed. "What are you doing here?"
June pursed his lips. "Shouldn't I be the one asking you that? Why do you have so many specialties?"
"Oh, I have all the specialties!" Dr. Oh exclaimed. "I have a dermatology clinic and an orthopedic clinic. Oh, I'm also a general and plastic surgeon. Don't forget about my oncology degree!"
June shook his head. Then, he glanced at the papers in his hands.
"Are those grandma's results?" June asked.
Dr. Oh nodded, suddenly turning serious.
"I'm assuming that the two of you are her present relatives?" he asked.
"I'm Grandma's grandson," Minjun said. "My mom and dad are in the States, so they can't come."
Dr. Oh glanced at Grandma, and a meaningful gaze was exchanged between the two of them.
"Why don't you go and buy some snacks first, Minjun?" Dr. Oh asked.
Minjun frowned in confusion. "What do you mean? I thought
—"
"Just do it, Minmin," Grandma endearingly said. "Buy me some too. Your grandma doesn't like the hospital food."
Hearing her grandma's request, Minjun stood and went out of the room.
"Fine," he muttered as he closed the door.
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "663633fa8ebf7442f0652b33", id: "pf-8817-1"})As soon as he left, the atmosphere inside the room suddenly became tense.
Grandma held onto June's hand, so the latter turned to her.
"I hope you understand that I don't want Minjun to hear any of this. As much as he has a mature mind, he is still a little kid."
June nodded, understanding Grandma's sentiment.
"Well, I will make this quick," Dr. Oh started. "I need to relay all of this to you before Minjun comes back."
"First, let's talk about your blood tests. It seems like your white blood cells are increased while your red blood cells are down. This means that you may have an ongoing infection inside your body, but since there is less oxygen-carrying capacity in your blood, you're having a harder time fighting it."
"I have also received some complaints about back pain," Dr. Oh continued.
June nodded, remembering Minjun's stories.
"Her bones are becoming pretty fragile," he said. "Does it have something to do with age?"
"It does," Dr. Oh said, his eyes still focused on the papers.
"However, I believe that this has something more to do with it," he said, placing the paper on the bed so the two of them could see it.
June frowned when he saw the month of the examination.
February 10, 2024?
Grandma sighed as soon as she saw it. Then, June continued reading the contents of the paper, making him freeze in shock when he finally internalized what it meant.
Now, June was no expert in healthcare, but when he saw that particular word, he already knew.
"You were diagnosed with osteosarcoma last February," Dr. Oh stated.
June turned to Grandma, whose face still radiated with happiness.
"You got me there," Grandma smiled.
"I've got cancer!"
