Jaebeom's dreams are odd, not because he dreams of his mother's accident, but because Jinyoung is in the accident. In his nightmares, Jaebeom can never move and save his mother, he's always somehow stuck, but this time Jinyoung is right there, running past him, towards his mother's car. Jaebeom watches him working to open the damaged driver's door, unbuckling the seatbelt and taking his mother away from the turned car. Jaebeom's mother is unconscious but Jinyoung drags her away from the imminent danger, her blood stains his clothes and hands, yet the young man doesn't mind at all.

At a safe distance, Jinyoung lays down the woman and starts talking to her, softly patting her cheek as if trying to wake her up.

"Eomeoni, wake up. Please wake up," Jinyoung begs, his voice frantic and erratic, he's panting but he doesn't give up, speaking louder. "Please wake up! You can't leave your son behind. He needs you, so wake up!"

The woman twitches, but that's as far as a response as Jinyoung gets, yet he doesn't give up, even if it might be just be an involuntary spasm. But the young man never gives up.

"PLEASE WAKE UP!" Jinyoung screams and that's the moment Jaebeom wakes up, jumping on his bed and with a racing heart.

Slowly, he takes notice of his familiar surrounding, the tidy room where everything that's meaningful to him hangs on the walls imprinted in the pictures he takes. He wakes up with a bitter taste in his mouth that he recognises as guilt, because his dream is the place where he can do something for his mother, but even there he is frozen and Jinyoung has to come to rescue his mother.

Trying to shake that guilt off, Jaebeom gets out of bed to follow his normal routine, even if he's twenty minutes earlier than he should. He takes his time in the shower and picking his clothes, packing his belongings and even having breakfasts. Purposely, the young man doesn't think of his dream. After almost three months since the accident, he's used to the nightmares and can ignore them, labelling them as just that, dreams, that won't change a single thing.

That is how Jaebeom can go through his day like usual, listening to the professors explaining the theory to the class that they are supposed to apply later for their final project. Jaebeom hasn't really thought about that and what he'll do. They are supposed to portray a story in four photographs, in each one of the techniques learned during the semester must be applied.

Jaebeom hasn't even practised the theories, or listened in detail to even recall them.

Luckily for the student, on Monday he finishes his lectures after two PM, which gives him all the afternoon to go and spend it with his mother at the hospital. Plus, he wants to send his aunt home so she can rest and sleep properly for a night. She's been staying for over a week with his mother, barely getting out the hospital to eat and see Youngjae. Jaebeom is eternally grateful, but he doesn't want to feel guilty for making his aunt work too hard. She also needs a break.

Youngjae's texts during the day asking him if he has time to meet one of these days. The older replies they should have lunch together and then go to the hospital to see their mothers. Obviously, the boy agrees immediately.

Like that, Jaebeom ends up waiting for his cousins at the entrance of the arch of the campus, watching the many students pass by, the crossroad is so filled with people going in all directions that it's hard to believe such a mess is actually a timed plan to make people go from one side to the other, from one corner to the other, without getting ran over. Most people walk with their eyes glued to their mobile phones, ignoring everything and everyone, even the delivery guys to whom the traffic laws and street lights, apparently, don't apply to. Jaebeom is surprised he's never witnessed an accident outside campus, it's always so crowded at every hour, considering the clubs are just one street down, and a bit farther all the shops and restaurants and all the young people performing. Hongdae is such a lively place, never quiet, never still.

"Hyung!" Someone calls, loud without screaming, managing to break through Jaebeom's appreciation of his surroundings.

The young man turns to see his cousin coming his way, waving energetically, tailed by other two tall and slim boys. Jaebeom stands straighter to greet them with a slight bow of his head.

"Thanks for waiting, hyung! The professor wouldn't let us go, talking about the midterm and blah, blah, blah. Did you wait long?" Jaebeom only shakes his head no. "That's a relief. Oh yeah, these are my friends Yugyeom and BamBam." Jaebeom tries not to react to the unusual name that's clearly foreign, but it sounds more like a stage name. Apparently, his effort is futile, because Youngjae notices his expression. "Bam is Thai, he said everyone there picks a nickname as their parents choose a super meaningful name that are always super difficult to pronounce or too long, so they choose what they go for. Isn't that cool?" Youngjae motions to the skinnier boy, the one with high cheek bones and grey hair, porcelain skin that looks unnaturally perfect, probably enhanced with makeup. "Oh, and they wanted to meet you because I'm always taking about you."

Jaebeom feels slightly embarrassed because he was caught reacting at the name, because Youngjae is talking a lot, more than usual, and because his cousin has probably described him as something far better than he really is.

"It's really nice to meet you. Youngjae hyung is always talking about you. He says you have an amazing voice but you chose photograph," the taller boy replies, the one that is Korean, with a sheepish grin and makes his long nose crinkle a bit.

"Youngjae-yah is far too kind, I don't have an amazing voice," Jaebeom speaks with modesty, not enjoying the attention.

"Hyung, you do!" Youngjae complains. "Remember how you were casted in school for the lead role of a musical just because of your voice? And you didn't even audition! You were singing while doing the cleaning duties when someone heard you."

Jaebeom blushes at the anecdote, not enjoying the wide and appreciative eyes of the other two kids.

"But I'm not someone who enjoys being on the spotlight," Jaebeom points out. "I prefer being behind the scenes, you know." Hence why Jaebeom chose photography, loving being the one watching the world but not taking part of it actively, yet capturing the ephemeral moments in one single shot. "Anyhow, should we get going to have lunch?"

"Sure!" Youngjae agrees easily as Jaebeom turns to lead the way. "I was coming when I realised I should've told you to also invite Mark and Jackson hyung."

"They are busy right now, but next time," Jaebeom offers.

Inviting Yugyeom and BamBam along, they go for chicken to a restaurant they really like and at which they are kind of regulars, right next to the Japanese udon restaurant they also visit together quite often. After ordering, adding ramen and rice to their order, Jaebeom gets the chance to know more about Youngjae's friends. Yugyeom and BamBam are studying dance but they get one class in common and that's how they got to know each other. As soon as the kids get comfortable around Jaebeom, they talk freely and ask many questions, laughing a lot and showing exactly why Youngjae is already fond of them as they have that quirkiness to their personalities that both surprise and amuse his cousin greatly.

By the end of their meal, Jaebeom deems them as nice kids and is glad that Youngjae seems to have made good friends. The two kids thank Jaebeom for inviting them to have lunch and say their goodbyes so the two cousins can head to the hospital to meet their mothers.

As they get closer to the hospital, Youngjae grows quieter, a bit more restless. He's visited his aunt in very rare occasions because he hates hospitals, they make him depressed and scared, he says death lurks in every corner and it's not like he's exactly wrong. By the time they walk inside the building and take the lift, Youngjae isn't saying a single word but Jaebeom isn't surprised, still he's thankful his cousin is still coming in even when he clearly dislikes hospitals.

On their way, Jaebeom greets the nurses around, already familiar with them all, and they smile back and wish him well. Jaebeom slides the door open to his mother's room and as expected, Youngjae's mother is there, reading for her sister.

"Adeul!" The conscious woman greets immediately when she sees her son. That puts a smile on the younger's face who rushes to greet his mother. "What a lovely surprise."

"I thought it would be good to actually see your son, imo. You spend all your days here, for which I'm thankful, but you also need a break."

"Oh, I'm fine, Jaebeomie, don't worry."

The young man shakes his head. "I know you are, and so am I. But let's trade places for a night? Go out and spend time with Youngjae. You can stay over at our place together."

"Oh, can we?" Youngjae asks, clearly excited to spend some time with his mother. "Eomma, come with me? Don't make hyung feel guilty for staying here every day."

"Are you sure?" The woman asks and Jaebeom nods, knowing that Youngjae's puppy eyes were the best weapon to win this small battle. "Then it's settled. Thank you, Jaebeomie. Please call me if anything happens, okay?"

"Of course I will. Now go, get some fresh air. The day is quite nice," Jaebeom urges and his aunt smiles.

Obviously, before leaving both his aunt and cousin say goodbye to Jaebeom's mother, promising to come back soon and wishing she'd wake up soon. And like that, in a few minutes, Jaebeom is alone with his mother like he hasn't been in quite a while. As his aunt was reading for her, Jaebeom decides to just talk to his mother and he tells her about Jinyoung, this unusual boy who held him and helped him so much, who has made way into his life without Jaebeom even noticing it.

Jaebeom is almost at the end of his story when the doctor comes in for the regular check up the afternoon. She sternly greets Jaebeom before checking the numbers on every machine, the charts with the updated information from the nurses' visits and finally doing the reflex tests. Jaebeom has seen the same thing so many times, he doesn't even pay attention anymore as the doctor presses his mother's thumb.

Except this time the doctor makes a humming sound, curious and surprised.

Immediately, Jaebeom's attention is fully on the doctor, watching her once again pressing the thumb and watching closely and because Jaebeom is like that, he can see the slight, almost imperceptible jerk of his mother's hand. The doctor squares her shoulders, releasing the hand and searching for the small torch in her pocket, turning it on immediately to check the patient's pupils. From his distance, Jaebeom can't see if the pupils dilate or anything, but he watches the doctor's expression, how she presses her lips tightly together, as if fighting a smile. With a side look, she watches the machines again and it seems she makes a decision.

The doctor releases the eyelids of her patient, turns off the torch to shove it in her coat pocket again before turning to face Jaebeom. Her eyes are bright with delight, and for the first time the doctor shows emotions.

Jaebeom's heart has stopped all together, he's holding his breath and everything stilled in his body as he waits, just waits for whatever verdict comes from the doctor's mouth.

"Im Jaebeom-ssi," the doctor speaks. "Your mother has shown response to the stimuli, response to pain and light."

"Does... does that—?" Jaebeom can't finish the sentence, he's still not breathing.

"Yes, your mother is waking up. In maybe a few hours she should be opening her eyes or even sooner." Jaebeom feels like all the weight of his body has been lift off of his shoulders, and now he's floating, drifting away. "Congratulations, your mother has left the coma."

"Oh God," Jaebeom breathes out, his knees giving out as he just slumps on the floor, staring at the doctor who actually smiles as she shoves her hands in her pockets, looking glad for the first time.

Jaebeom's heart roars to life again, loud and strong, giving him back life that he barely had in him since his mother's accident.

He wants to scream, cry, jump, dance, sing, everything! He wants to shout out of the window his mother is waking up, she's coming back to him, finally.

And as he thinks of that, a face comes to his mind, a person he desperately wants to tell the good news for no apparent reason: Park Jinyoung.

∞

Happy New Year, everyone!! I hope 2018 is a better year, that we grow wiser and stronger and that we don't get discouraged for the unavoidable bad things that will happen. My best wishes for you all.

I hope you enjoyed this chapter and I'll see you guys around.

Bel, xx