Boyfriend for Hire [minsung]

Chapter 24

HAN POV

Lee Know was quiet most of the drive, but he'd squeeze my hand every so often. I suppose I should've felt bad that I was taking him with me to tell my parents goodbye for the last time, but he was all I had...and even I deserved to have someone there for me at the end.

We pulled up to my parents' house, and I bit my cheek to hold it together when I saw that both of their cars were parked in the driveway. They were home...but had supposedly been too busy to come visit me at the hospital only an hour away...

Lee Know squeezed my hand even tighter when he realized what it meant. They didn't care about me at all.

"I'm okay," I told him. It was a lie. He knew it.

Deep down, I'd hoped they'd suddenly had to go out of town for work. Still, maybe one of them was hurt and couldn't make the trip...

Lee Know stopped the car, and I waited for him to help me get out, so I wouldn't hurt myself. He set me down gently, and we walked hand-in-hand up to the house. As we neared, I could hear them laughing on the other side of the door. My face flushed in shame.

It was worse that Lee Know was here and seeing just how little people thought of me. My own parents were laughing while knowing the doctor had said that I had just months to live. Their lives couldn't be put on hold to visit me for even a few minutes.

"We can leave if you want," Lee Know offered. "They don't deserve you." His eyes were sad and full of pity.

"No," I told him and took a deep breath. "I need to do this."

I knocked and could hear as my mom's laugh grew closer with every step before she finally opened the door to face me.

"Han," she gasped. "What are you doing here?"

My lip quivered, and my eyes welled with tears before I could even answer.

"We called," Lee Know told her.

Both my parents were healthy. Nothing was wrong that would've prevented them from coming. They truly just didn't care.

"Look," she turned around, and my father joined her, "this isn't a good time."

"Han doesn't have time," Lee Know spat, clearly disgusted by them. My chest ached at the sight of the them.

Behind them was a dinner of Chinese takeout on the table and the sounds of a movie being played on the TV. It was an exceptionally ordinary evening, and certainly not a reason for them to not show up for me.

"I-I wanted to say goodbye," I stuttered. I hadn't told Lee Know that was the reason for my visit, but my hand received a tight squeeze of support.

"No need for the dramatics, Han," my mom rolled her eyes.

"The doctor said I only have a few months. I wanted to give you a chance to say goodbye," I explained to them.

"Han, you're obviously fine. Look at you," she laughed. The sound of it made my ears ring.