Seokjin pulled the buzzing phone from his pocket and glanced at it. It was Emily again. This was the third time she'd texted him tonight. He turned the phone over and returned his attention to getting ready for his date with Luisa.

He smiled to himself because he could hardly believe it. His feelings for her went beyond the obvious sexual chemistry. She was a genuinely good person. She made him want to be a better person, too. They were friends, and now, they could finally be more.

He hummed a tune as he fixed his hair. His phone rang. This time it was Emily's sister Penny. He stared at the phone for a moment before answering it.

"Uh, hello? Penny?"

"Hi, Seokjin. I'm so sorry if I'm bothering you. I just spoke with Em, and she says that she hasn't been able to reach you, that you haven't returned her texts. I'm so sorry to bother you, but I had to."

A prickle of fear made its way down his neck due to the tone of her voice.

"I was...I was in the shower," he lied. "Is something wrong?"

"I don't know how to say this, so I'll just say it. Emily is sick. She went to the doctor's last week. I know that you all just broke up. I thought she was just being dramatic, so I told her to go to the doctor so he'd give her some pills or whatever and...uh, well. It wasn't just hysteria. The doctor ordered some tests. It's something bad."

"What do you mean bad?" he asked. "Penny, is she okay?"

"It...it's cancer."

"What?"

"We don't know everything yet. We'll get more results in two days, but Em has been very depressed. She won't eat. She won't get out of bed. She looks really bad. All she does is ask for you. Again, I know that you two broke up recently, but she's inconsolable. I didn't know what else to do except call you. The family needs you to come see her, to convince her to take care of herself. She won't be able to undergo treatment if her health is bad."

Seokjin listened to everything Penny told him, then stood for several minutes trying to compose himself. He had promised to take Luisa out on a date, and he was determined to do so.

But he realized now that he would not be able to pursue anything further with her until the situation with Emily was resolved. Penny had said that Emily was refusing food and treatment until she saw him. In his mind, he wondered if that's why Emily had been so difficult the month before they broke up. What if she'd been feeling ill all that time? Then he'd broken up with her like a selfish bastard. He had to go see her.

An hour later, he and Luisa were having dinner on their big date night. He couldn't believe that she'd agreed to go out with him. She made him happy. He felt excited and breathless around her. But now, he might not get to be with her at all.

He was happy just to sit over dinner hearing her tell her rambling stories. He couldn't take his eyes off her.

"...and then Meg turned around and said 'What do you mean that's not how you say it?' And we all burst out laughing..." Luisa was recounting a funny story about her friends.

Seokjin had no idea what the point of her story was. He was just content to hear her voice and her laughter. It warmed him from the inside out. Nothing she'd said made sense to him, but everything she said was precious to him.

They'd remained at their table for a short while after he'd paid the check. He glanced at his watch and reached across the table to take her hand.

"Lu," he murmured as he caressed her hand. "You have no idea how much I want you. How much I care about you. How much I lo—"

His phone buzzed in his back pocket. He wanted to ignore it. He had planned to take Luisa out to a movie then for drinks at a cozy bar he had discovered recently. But the phone kept buzzing every few minutes.

"Jin," Luisa whispered. "Should you answer that?"

"No," he said, his attention on their clasped hands. "I mean, yes."

His phone buzzed again.

"Maybe you should answer," she said. "It could be important."

He silenced the phone and looked up at her, his eyes sad despite his smile. "Yes. I suddenly don't feel like going to a movie. Why don't we go back to your place?"

She smiled. "Straight to business, huh?"

He gave her hand a squeeze. "Don't worry. I don't plan on attacking you like a lunatic."

She bit her lip. "What if I want you to?"

Seokjin closed his eyes and inhaled sharply. "W-We should go," he finally managed to say. He looked at her again. Her beautiful face was radiant. Her big eyes were shining. Why couldn't things work out for them? Why was the timing always off? What had he done to deserve this torture?

Luisa sensed that something was bothering him, but she thought that he was just nervous about their date. He had promised her a night to remember. Maybe he was feeling pressure after he'd talked about sex nonstop. She shook her head with a smile. No. Not Kim Seokjin. He would never have performance anxiety. Her body shivered in anticipation. This time, she would tell him how she really felt. His buzzing phone broke into her reverie.

He excused himself to take the call and left the table.

She waited patiently while he took his phone call out in the lobby. When he came back to the table to escort her out, she knew something was wrong.