"Miss Song."

Mr. Kim stood in front of Lia's desk in the Exposure office, frowning a bit to see that her head was resting against her folded arms; her lips parted as she snored softly. Mr. Kim could hear the unprofessional tee-heeing of some of the other women in the office. He frowned even more as he turned to look at them; the ones caught turning and trying to disappear as fast as possible. Mr. Kim turned back to look at Lia who was still sleeping with her head on the desk. It had been several weeks - close to a month in fact - since he had last seen his son in person. Lia had explained to him at the time what was about to happen and kept telling him that she was still waiting to hear from the doctor about if the procedure worked. He had learned she had been there the day of the procedure, but that she hadn't been allowed to stick around during or after it. When she had tried to call for a follow-up, the line was disconnected and when she tried to visit, she wasn't allowed past the gate. Lia had been acting off ever since then and Mr. Kim was worried about her since she seemed to be getting worse by the day.

"Miss Song," said Mr. Kim gently as he shook her by the shoulder.

Lia suddenly sat bolt upright, looking disoriented as she looked about her before her eyes finally landed on Mr. Kim. She blushed, using the back of her hand to wipe away any droll that might have fallen while she slept.

"I'm sorry, sir. This is really unprofessional of me."

Mr. Kim didn't say anything for a second as he stood there watching her try to pat down some flyaway hair with her hands.

"Come to my office," he said before moving to walk off, knowing that she would follow.

Lia got up from where she was seated; noticing a few of her coworkers exchanging looks with each other. No doubt they thought she was on her way to get fired. They had no clue the connection that her and Mr. Kim had, though Lia wasn't naive enough to think she could rely on that forever. Pushing her chair in, she followed after Mr. Kim. He shut the door to the office behind them before gesturing towards a chair.

"What's going on?" he asked as he sat in his seat behind his desk, looking at Lia sitting before him.

She folded her hands into her lap as she looked down at them as she replied instead of at him.

"I'm sorry, sir. I've just been going through a lot lately and I'm trying to adjust. That's no excuse for being so unprofessional though. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to fall asleep."

"Lia," said Mr. Kim in a softer tone, "You are like a daughter to me. Is there something else going on that has you weighed down so heavily?"

Lia still had her eyes focused down on her hands; her eyes flicking to look at her slightly rounded stomach. She'd been trying to hide it under baggy clothes, blaming the extra weight on overeating from depression from the loss of the boys if anyone did ask her about it. Mr. Kim noticed her eyes flick to her stomach, pursing his lips in a frown as he crossed his arms.

"You can trust me," said Mr. Kim. "I don't want you to feel like - just because they may be gone for now - that you are alone."

Lia gave a weak smile; one of her legs bouncing up and down as her vision became blurry from tears. Eventually the words she'd been hiding inside her for so long past her lips, but they did so, so faintly that Mr. Kim had to lean forward over his desk to try and hear them.

"What? What did you say?"

"I'm pregnant," said Lia a bit louder as she looked up at Mr. Kim.

He couldn't hide the shock that came to his face at her admission; Lia turning her head back down after as her knee bounced with an even greater ferocity than before. She could hear his chair's wheels against the floor as he stood up from his desk, moving to crouch down in front of her.

"I'm glad you told me," said Mr. Kim as he reached out a hand to brush her tears away. "As I said, you're like a daughter to me. I'll be here to help you through this."

"Even if it's not Jin's?" she asked to which Mr. Kim laughed.

"Yes, my dear one. Even then."

She smiled despite the heaviness of it all. Mr. Kim decided then and there that Lia would move into his house with him where he could keep a close eye on her throughout her pregnancy so she wouldn't be alone. He also thought that it would help her to move out of a place that held so many reminders. Lia knew that was probably for the best, but it wasn't easy to say goodbye to a place that held some of the best moments of her life.

- - -

As she packed up the apartment a few weeks later, her hand rested over the belly she was no longer trying to hide. Mr. Kim could be heard going down the stairs with one of the last of the boxes; Lia left to take stock of the stale and empty air of the apartment. Yeontan sniffed around in corners that held dust while she took in all the ghosts that still lingered about.

Her feet eventually took her to the bedroom. The furniture had been there when she had moved in but had been stripped of everything familiar so that it looked foreign to her. She walked over to the bed, running her fingers along the top of the mattress before her eyes landed on the bedside dresser. She had forgotten to check it.

Tugging it open, she noticed that it only held three things, but they were three things she would have hated to leave behind. Lia's fingers wrapped about Jungkook's necklace, pulling it out and running her finger over the metal guitar pic. She then withdrew Taehyung's bracelet from inside, letting both pieces of jewelry rest on her thigh. Eventually she moved to put the pieces of jewelry on, feeling more complete having done so.

Her eyes then went back to the drawer where the letter sat. She hadn't touched Jungkook's letter since she had placed it in there. Her heart hurt thinking about what it could possibly say. She didn't want to read it but yet knew she had to. After all, they could be Jungkook's last words to her.

Sitting on the edge of the bare mattress, Lia grabbed the envelope in her hands and gently slipped her finger down along the fold to be able to rip it open.

'Lia,

I know it may not seem like it, but I used to be afraid of everything. You might even say I was afraid of life itself. Every day was an uncertainty to me even before the change that affected us. Living with a life-threatening disease, I woke up every morning never knowing if it was my last. It was terrifying. Paralyzing.

I was thankful to have these six men around in my life at such a crucial point. They were my life preserver. They kept me afloat - and though I had no recollection of it for a while - they sacrificed their own lives so I didn't have to be afraid; so that I could experience what living life was all about.

Even then though, I wasn't really living a life. I was living a Thursday. It wasn't until I met you that my life really began. I'm sorry for the number of times I fell into a jealous rage over anyone else loving you. It's just that you made me feel alive and made it so that every second I did spend with you never felt like enough. I was jealous of all the times they were there for you when I couldn't be. I've finally discovered though that there is never enough time in life to be with the one you love. I almost think it's meant to be that way.

Thank you for helping me live a worthwhile life, Lia. I want you to know that I love you with all my heart, and that every day - no matter what - I will love you just the same. I am afraid to do this, but I can't be selfish anymore. The boys gave me everything - including the path that led to you - and I can't let their lives continue to remain on pause so I can live mine. I hope that you forgive me someday and that you are able to find an everlasting love with someone like I found with you.

I used to be afraid, but now I feel brave enough to face anything. It's all thanks to you.

Love,

Jungkook'

Lia was a mess by the time she was done reading Jungkook's letter; sobs leaving in a hiccup from her mouth as Mr. Kim re-entered the apartment. He rushed to the bedroom in concern, pausing in the doorway when he saw that she was weeping about a letter she had read. He walked over to her, gently laying a hand on her back.

"Come on, Lia. Lets get you home," said Mr. Kim.

Lia nodded as she folded the letter and tucked it back into the envelope it came out of. Mr. Kim was right. It was time to go home. Home was where her heart was, and it was no longer in this crypt like place of memory. She had the pieces of her heart wrapped about her and inside her, carrying those with her out the door and into the afternoon.