angst where jc is suffering from a disease of some sort and has to undergo an incredibly risky/life-threatening procedure he is very unlikely to survive. jc does not tell anyone.

while in the hospital, mere minutes before the surgery, jc calls his entire family.

he calls them under the guise of missing them and wanting to talk for a few minutes. jc spends the few minutes he has left simply talking to wwx, jyl, and his parents about really nothing in particular. and before he hangs up, jc makes sure to tell his family at least once that

he loves them.

and that's it.

he hangs up with tears in his eyes and a face of acceptance as the nurses push his hospital bed to the operation room.

all jc can think is, he's glad everyone is happy and has their own people who come first in their lives.

after all, jyl has her husband and son. wwx has his husband as well. and his parents have their beloved company. while they all come first for jc, jc knows he does not come first for any of them.

he's accepted it, made peace with it. he talked to them, said he loved them.

whatever happens now is up to fate itself.

jc falls asleep under the anesthesia as a man who knows everyone he cares for will be just fine without him.

he never does get to wake up again.