The storm outside was brutal. Thunder cracked so hard it rattled the windows, lightning flashing white against the dark. You sat curled up on the couch, blanket pulled over your head, every sound dragging you back to places you wished you could forget.

The front door burst open with a bang. Seung Hyun stepped in, soaked from head to toe, his cousin’s little boy clinging to him like his life depended on it.

“Baby,” Seung Hyun said, kicking off his wet shoes, “my cousin had to fly out suddenly. We’ve got Jihoon for the week.”

Another clap of thunder shook the apartment. Jihoon whimpered, burying his face into Seung Hyun’s shoulder. Without thinking, Seung Hyun set the boy in your lap, then dropped beside you on the couch, his arm wrapping around both of you. “Two scared ones tonight,” he teased softly, kissing your temple.

You barely had time to breathe before your phone lit up on the table. An unfamiliar hospital number flashed across the screen. Your stomach sank.

Your fingers shook as you answered. “Hello?”

The voice was clipped, professional. “Are you related to Kwon Ji Yong? There’s been an accident. He’s stable, but you should come right away.”

The phone slipped from your hand. “Ji Yong…” you whispered, chest tight. “He—he’s in the hospital.”

Seung Hyun didn’t hesitate. He scooped Jihoon back into his arms with one hand and pulled you up with the other. “Come on. Let’s go. He’s stable. We’ll get there.”

The drive through the storm felt endless, windshield wipers barely keeping up with the downpour. Your hands trembled in your lap, eyes fixed on the dark road ahead. Seung Hyun kept one hand on the wheel and the other gripping yours, tight, grounding.

When you finally pulled into the hospital parking lot, your heart nearly stopped. Inside the waiting area, you could already see them—Daesung pacing, Taeyang sitting rigidly with his head in his hands, Dara and Minzy chatting to make them not too nervous, Ji Yong’s bandmates and the 2NE1 girls clustered together, their faces drawn and anxious.

CL looked up first and spotted you. She rushed forward, pulling you into a tight hug. “He’s in surgery, but they said it’s not life-threatening,” she whispered quickly. “We’ve all been waiting.”

Seung Hyun set Jihoon down gently in Bom’s lap, the little boy instantly comforted by her cooing. Then he slipped an arm firmly around your shoulders, leading you toward the others.

No one spoke for a long moment. The storm still rumbled outside, but here, in the sterile white of the hospital, the only thing that mattered was the closed door at the end of the hall—and the boy lying behind it.

Seung Hyun’s grip on you tightened, steadying you as your knees threatened to buckle. “He’ll be okay,” he murmured in your ear. “We’ll stay until he wakes up. All of us."