“Why…why did you ask?” Mingyu asks Seungcheol only hums “Because you were murmuring a phrase repeatedly,” Mingyu blinks, huh? Seungcheol smiles. “I love you too. You kept repeating it,” Mingyu gulps. He…he needs to see Wonwoo.

— Though Mingyu was determined to talk to Wonwoo, there’s nothing he can do on his own now can he? He’s bound to a wheelchair with no way to contact Wonwoo. He’s just gonna have to wait for Wonwoo to show up. As he does. Everyday.

There hasn’t been any progress since 3 weeks ago. They’re in the same level. They just sit uncomfortably in each other’s company. They don’t talk. They don’t look at each other Mingyu thought he would get used to it but it’s been a far more challenging than he could imagine

Wonwoo’s determined to maintain that distance between them Mingyu doesn’t know how to close it But that dream… Mingyu’s cheeks warm at the remembrance of that dream Wonwoo….he said he loved Mingyu, didn’t he? It’s probably a memory from when Mingyu was in a coma

Mingyu can’t stop thinking about that dream, about those words, about… Wonwoo He doesn’t know what to make of it He doesn’t even know if it’s real What if it was just a … dream A scenario spun up by his Wonwoo-deprived brain But what if… what if it wasn’t?

What if he and Wonwoo… what if they…. Mingyu’s a little scared to jump to the assumption that he and Wonwoo were lov— Mingyu’s yanked back to reality by a sharp gasp. “What, what? Is something wrong?” Mingyu asks Hyerin. He’d almost forgotten he was in a session

Hyerin looks up at him with wide eyes. “Mingyu—“ Mingyu’s eyes travel down to the foot she’s holding. He gasps. He slowly looks up at Hyerin and their eyes lock in a silent understanding. Without a warning, Hyerin leaps onto him, hugging him

Mingyu catches her, hugging her tightly. Unknowingly, his eyes brim with tears and his heart begins to race at the possibility that— The door opens and the two turn their heads to see Wonwoo standing in the doorway, his poker face dusted with surprise

Hyerin pulls away from Mingyu but Mingyu maintains eye contact with Wonwoo “Wonwoo-ssi—“ Hyerin is about to explain this situation but Mingyu interrupts her “Wonwoo, take me back to my room, please,” he says, lifting himself up and plopping into his wheelchair

Wonwoo doesn’t say anything for a few moments, but morphs his face to return to his poker facade “Okay,” Hyerin looks upon with confusion as without a word, Wonwoo grabs the handles and takes Mingyu away “I have your number. I’ll text you,” Mingyu tells her

Hyerin can only nod as Mingyu leaves with Wonwoo. — The walk back to Mingyu’s room is silent. Mingyu doesn’t even try sparking a conversation. He has bigger plans. When they walk into the room, Mingyu instructs Wonwoo to lock the door. “Why?” Wonwoo asks

“So we can talk,” Mingyu says, “and you don’t run away,” Wonwoo’s eyes widen slightly. But he purses his lips. Wonwoo’s an adult who knows better than running from his problems. It’s easy. To run away from problems, and a guy bound to a wheelchair. But Wonwoo stays

And it makes Mingyu hopeful because maybe Wonwoo wants to repair their relationship too. Mingyu positions himself on his bed as Wonwoo walks over to him, fists clenched. “What is it?” Wonwoo asks. Mingyu purses his lips. “Can you look at me?” He asks softly.

Wonwoo swallows audibly and raises his eyes, only slightly, to match Mingyu’s gaze. It sends jolts of electricity through Mingyu’s veins. It makes him smile because it feels like he hasn’t seen Wonwoo’s eyes in the longest while Were they always hazel?

They look Hazel in the sunlight Pretty “Now, was that so hard?” Mingyu says, taking Wonwoo’s hands in his. But Wonwoo takes a step back, retracting his hands. Mingyu’s not going to have this. He grabs onto Wonwoo’s hands and doesn’t let go

“Ming—“ “I spoke to Jeonghan Hyung. You can stop now,” Mingyu says Wonwoo swallows, trying to wriggle out of Mingyu’s hold, “Jeonghan Hyung didn’t order me, Mingyu. What I’m doing, I’m doing on my own,” Mingyu gulps, “why now? What did Jeonghan Hyung say?” He tightens his hold

Wonwoo purses his lips, growing agitated, “Mingyu, let me go—“ “If you want to go, then go. But you owe me an explanation for why you spent 18 months by my side if were mere strangers!” Wonwoo halts suddenly, eyes wide. Mingyu inhales and exhales, their gazes locked

Wonwoo remains silent, his eyes shifty. He’s thinking. And then, he sighs. He stops resisting. “Jeonghan Hyung…” he begins. Of course Wonwoo isn’t going to reveal the ultimate secret. “He told me that I was getting too close to you and it..might trigger seizures,”

Mingyu knew it! “We’ve been close for months now. You never triggered my seizures, Won,” Mingyu’s voice softens and Wonwoo bites his lips, “But I…don’t want to hurt you again,” Mingyu’s tempted to ask him why he used the word ‘again’, how he hurt him the first time but..

“I’ll tell you what I told Jeonghan Hyung,” Mingyu says, thumbs massaging the knuckles on Wonwoo’s hands, “I told him that he shouldn’t meddle in my relationships and drive away people I care about for my sake,” Wonwoo’s lips gape. Mingyu continues, “I need you, okay?”

Wonwoo inhales sharply “I don’t know why, I don’t know how but your company has stopped me from plunging into darkness and lonesome. So please, stay, Won,” Wonwoo’s lower lip trembles and he looks away, “you’re not healing, Mingyu-yah. I want you to heal,”

Mingyu frowns, “that has nothing to do with you—“ “It does!” Wonwoo says, “what if I’m the reason you’re not healing?” “Wonwoo that’s absur—“ “No it’s not! It’s always..always been like this.. I’m always…whatever I see, whatever I touch it…” Wonwoo shuts his eyes

“Wonwoo, you motivated me to go to therapy. You motivate me to hit the gym. Because of you, I pursue my passion for cooking. Don’t you see how you’ve turned my life around? You make me want to live,” Mingyu declares Wonwoo gasps

Mingyu takes a deep breath. He doesn’t want to cry. But he’s willing to beg. “Wonwoo, please. Just…stay, okay? I need you by my side,” Mingyu pleads. Wonwoo falls silent. Mingyu can hear the cogs in his brain turning. “Won—“ “Mingyu you…you won’t heal,” he whispers

This again “I am healing! In more ways than you can imagine and—“ Wonwoo succeeds in freeing himself from Mingyu’s grasp. “Mingyu you—“ Wonwoo’s turning away “I am healing!” Mingyu yells “No you’re not!” Wonwoo’s about to leave But he trips and plummets to the ground

Confused, Wonwoo turns around to look at just exactly what he tripped on And his eyes soon land on… He gasps. His eyes land on Mingyu’s foot, his ankle outstretched at an angle, a deliberate attempt to trip Wonwoo In disbelief, Wonwoo slowly looks up at Mingyu

Mingyu swallows, eyes moist, “I told you…I’m healing,” he says, rotating his foot Wonwoo sits up and takes Mingyu’s foot in his hand, examining it, “did you just…trip me..?” he asks Mingyu smiles, “I did— ouch!” He hisses when Wonwoo pinches the skin

“Y-You can feel that?” Wonwoo asks, eyes wide and lips parted in utter shock. Mingyu swallows, “yes. I have sensation in my foot,” he says, wriggling his toes And just like Hyerin, Wonwoo, without a warning, leaps onto Mingyu, hugging him. They tumble onto the bed

Mingyu hugs him tightly, letting a secret tear trickle down his eye as Wonwoo clings to him “I told you I’m healing, idiot,” Mingyu chuckles, patting Wonwoo’s back. Wonwoo says nothing, but Mingyu can feel his heartbeat against his chest, violently fast.

Mingyu reassures him, he tries to calm him down by massaging his lower back Mingyu enjoys Wonwoo’s weight on him, his touch, his smell, his warmth. “So, will you stay?” Mingyu asks softly. Wonwoo relaxes in his arms. “I’ll stay,” And that’s all Mingyu needs

— two weeks later — “Ah, this tastes really good, Mingyu-yah,” Wonwoo says after taking a bite. Mingyu smiles, “does it? I made it less spicy for you,” Wonwoo nudges Mingyu, “there was no need for that,” Mingyu hums, “you’re right. Your fave looks a lot cuter when it’s red,”

Wonwoo flushes, “hey, that was one time” and Mingyu laughs, “twice actually. You thought I wouldn’t notice the second time around but I did. I saw you reaching for the yogurt,” “Hey, quit it,” Wonwoo warns, face flushed anyway. Mingyu just laughs.

“Yknow, it’s at times like this that I miss Chan the most” Mirae speaks up, attracting their attention onto her and off each other. “Huh?” Mirae shrugs, “chan and I could roll our eyes at you,” Mingyu exhales, “Ajhumma, you—“ “We’re really sorry, Ajhumma,” Wonwoo bows

Mingyu gapes at Wonwoo’s politeness and Ajhumma smirks All of a sudden, Ajhumma yelps. She turns to glare at Mingyu, who averts his gaze. She huffs. “Well the downside of you regaining your leg strength is that you keep kicking me!” she says as he kicks Mingyu in the shin

Mingyu yelps, prompting Wonwoo to bend and peer under the table, only to find Mingyu and Mirae’s legs tangled in a feet-fight Wonwoo sighs and sits up, giving Mingyu a disappointed look. Wonwoo pats Mingyu’s thigh, “you shouldn’t touch an elderly person with your feet,”

Mingyu relaxes under Wonwoo’s gaze and pulls back his leg, “Sorry, Ajhumma,” he mumbles Ajhumma watches with her jaw on the floor. “You brat! You only listen to Wonwoo?” Ajhumma scolds and Mingyu shrugs, “he says it nicely,” Mingyu brushes his shoulder against Wonwoo’s

Wonwoo smiles softly and goes back to eating. Mingyu winks at Ajhumma, who rolls her eyes at him. Suddenly, the door to the kitchen opens and two men walk in. It isnt anything out of the ordinary for their daily meals to be interrupted by others.

The kitchen is for public use after all. But these men today don’t seem to have come here for food. They’ve come here for — “It’s her! It’s the Nightingale!” The older man says, pointing at Ajhumma, like he can’t believe his eyes. Ajhumma puts her chopsticks down and smiles

“Hello,” she bows, putting on a graceful face. Wonwoo and Mingyu watch silently as the two elderly men walk towards her. “When I heard you were admitted here, I didn’t believe it,” one says, taking Ajhumm’s hand. Ajhumma smiles, softly sliding her hand free.

The gesture doesn’t faze the man. “I was a huge fan! I used to listen to your songs when I was in the army! I also liked Lee YoungTuk-nim’s lyrics! You poured your soul into singing his words!” The man blabbers However, Mirae’s expression has shifted.

There’s something painful about her gaze. Wonwoo and Mingyu glance at each other, thinking the same thing. Lee YoungTuk. Could he be Ajhumma’s late husband? Ajhumma doesn’t let the name affect her and continues to engage in small talk with her fans.

— “So that’s how they met,” Mingyu says as Wonwoo wheels him down the corridor “Ajhumma and her husband?” Wonwoo asks and Mingyu nods, “he used to write and she used to sing. Kinda magical if you think about it,” Wonwoo hums, “I guess,”

“Although, I don’t know if living in the memory of a person who’s no longer in this world magical or not,” Mingyu adds. “What do you mean?” Wonwoo asks, an unmissable tremor in his voice. Mingyu shrugs, “I just wish that Ajhumma would allow herself to move and be happy,”

“It’s not as easy as you make it out to be, Mingyu-yah,” Wonwoo says, “when you…love someone for so long and they just…vanish from your life…you can’t help but chase after their ghost in hope to get a glimpse of a life that once was,” Mingyu falls silent

Ajhumma said something similar Mingyu swallows “You said you loved someone deeply,” Mingyu begins, “may I ask what happened to them?” Mingyu knows the answer Ever since that dream, Mingyu’s known the answer But he… He can’t say anything about it

“They….vanished,” Wonwoo replies. And Mingyu wishes he could say something. But he can’t. Not now. Not yet. But…soon… He falls silent as Wonwoo wheels him ahead. After a while, Wonwoo chooses to break the awkwardness, “where are we going?”

Mingyu clears his throat, “through that door,” Without any questions, Wonwoo does as he’s told and takes Mingyu through the door ahead of them Upon opening the door, the smell of chlorine hits his nose and Wonwoo pauses

His eyes roam over the vast expanse of an indoor pool Wonwoo let’s go of Mingyu’s wheelchair and the latter wheels himself into the pool area “Hyerin and I were here today. My legs can support my weight under water. Cool,right?” Mingyu smiles, turning around to glance at Wonwoo

And Wonwoo…Wonwoo looks mortified Mingyu’s expression falls. “What’s wrong?” He asks as he pulls his shirt over his head. “You’re going to get in?” Wonwoo asks, and Mingyu nods, “yeah. I wanna show you how I walk,” he says, inching closer to the pool

Wonwoo grabs his wheelchair, startling Mingyu. He turns around again, “what’s wrong?” Wonwoo swallows. “I….it’s nothing,” he lets go of the wheelchair. Mingyu smiles. Hyerin and he tested the water this morning, literally. Mingyu was skeptical at first

But with the help of the top tier across the width of the shallow end of the pool, he was able to use the walk. It felt so good to be able to walk again He wants to share that with Wonwoo is all Mingyu wheels to the metal rods and stairs that descend into the pool

Mingyu hoists himself up and off the wheelchair, and carefully descends into the pool. His legs can’t fully support his weight yet so he used his arm strength to enter the water. “Careful!” Wonwoo yells, maintaining a safe distance Mingyu turns around, “don’t worry!”

“Are you sure this is safe?” Wonwoo asks, inching closer to the pool. Mingyu laughs softly, grabbing onto the rope, “it is. I’ve done it with Hyerin’s help!” “Mingyu-yah, Hyerin’s not around this time. I think you should come out,” Wonwoo warns

Mingyu giggles “Ah you worry too much,” Mingyu says, but he has to admit it’s a little more daunting than this morning. Probably cuz Hyerin isn’t here. But it’s nothing Mingyu can’t handle. He looks at Wonwoo, who has worry written all over his face. Cute.

“I’ll be just fine—“ but as he says that, Mingyu loses his footing and falls. For a few terrifying seconds, he doesn’t realise he’s underwater, or that he needs to go back up. All he sees is the darkness and bubbles But thanks to his hold on the rope, he pulls himself up

He resurfaces with a loud gasp, looking around as he wipes the water off his face to regain his vision “Fuck!” He curses, looking around. Looks like Wonwoo was right to be worried. Mingyu glances at where Wonwoo was standing moments ago, only to find the spot empty

As Mingyu begins to look around for Wonwoo, he screams when he feels hands on his body and a head rise up from the water “What the—“ he’s about to scream bloody murder when he realises the person next to him is Wonwoo. “Won! What the fuck!”

Wonwoo pulls out of the water and wraps his arms around Mingyu, holding on for dear life. Mingyu wraps his free hand around Wonwoo, other hand still holding on to the rope. Wonwoo’s shaking in his embrace, but clutching onto Mingyu tightly. Mingyu catches his breath.

It all happened way too fast for him to even process it. “Did you…did you jump?” Mingyu asks, but Wonwoo, fully clothed and drenched, only nods, his teeth chattering. Mingyu swallows. “Why?” Wonwoo hugs him, “you can’t die. Not again,”

— Wonwoo settles down next to Mingyu after handing him a towel, one wrapped around his own body. Neither utter a word, seated on the edge of the pool. Wonwoo keeps his knees to his chest while Mingyu’s feet float around in the water

Mingyu swallows. It was terrifying, if he’s being honest. But… Mingyu sneaks a glance at Wonwoo, “you’re scared of water, aren’t you?” Mingyu had concluded that when he saw how overly worried Wonwoo seemed as Mingyu went deeper and deeper into the pool

Wonwoo hums. “Not water as such but…as a child, I got carried away by a wave. I avoid pools or any water body ever since,” he explains “Oh….I’m sorry,” Mingyu brushes his shoulder against Wonwoo’s Wonwoo doesn’t say anything, shivering, even underneath that towel.

Mingyu gulps. He scoots closer to Wonwoo and wraps his arm around the man, pulling him close to share warmth. “You must’ve been worried. I’m sorry,” Mingyu says. Wonwoo doesn’t reply, zoning out. But he leans onto Mingyu anyway, for the warmth.

Nonetheless, Mingyu’s glad Wonwoo… Not glad but rather touched that Wonwoo… leapt into the water for him Wonwoo must be shaken. Not knowing how else to show his gratitude, Mingyu leans in and pecks of Wonwoo’s cheek. Wonwoo’s flushed and shocked face makes Mingyu smile

— two weeks later — “All you think about is work, work, work!” “And what about you? Aren’t you the same?!” “I care about my work as much as I care about you! I don’t let my work interfere with our personal relationship but you…” “Me what?!”

“You come home stressed from work! You’re ruining your health! Early onset of hypertension can have long term affects! What if you…” “What if I what, Won?” “What if you…what if you…” “Die? Just say it!” “Don’t say that! Don’t! Please…”

“I’ll be just fine. Don’t worry about—“ “Idiot! It’s my job to worry about you! You’re my….my… you can’t ruin your health like this, Mingyu-yah. Please consider stepping down as the chef. Please…”

“How could you even say that?! If I asked you to stop doing what you loved, would you?!” Only silence follows And Mingyu blinks his eyes open. He doesn’t make an attempt to sit up and continues to stare at the ceiling above

This is the first time an unpleasant memory has resurfaced Of course Mingyu knew things weren’t always great between him and his….lover But this memory somehow leaves a bitter taste in his mouth Mingyu sits up finally and drinks some water.

As he gulps down the water, the door opens and— Mingyu’s jaw drops to the floor when Joshua walks in, followed by Soonyoung, Seungkwan and Chan. “Hyung!” Mingyu almost leaps out of the bed but Joshua stops him, hugging him tightly, “it’s good to see you, Mingyu-yah,”

Mingyu feels a rush of emotions, but more importantly, tears begin to trickle down his eyes as memories of his time with Joshua resurface with great intensity When Joshua pulls back, he chuckles upon seeing tears streaming down Mingyu’s eyes

“Ah, why are you crying?” Joshua laughs as the others watch them with soft smiles on their faces Mingyu shakes his head He’s missed his Hyung so much

— “How’s the restaurant, Shua Hyung?” Mingyu asks once they’ve all settled down. Joshua smiles, “it’s going great. You don’t have to worry about it. There have been no hiccups as of now, thanks to Seungkwan helping me out,”

Mingyu smiles at Seungkwan who shyly accepts the compliment. But a grim reality remains within Mingyu’s mind that there was a point where Mingyu was against Joshua joining their business Now that Mingyu’s recollected some memories, he remembers all the times he fought with…

Mingyu sighs Lover? Wonwoo? Mingyu shakes his head. “I’m glad it’s you and Seungkwan, Hyung,” Mingyu says. Perhaps there was merit to the worries cited about Mingyu’s health dilapidating from stress

Though Joshua and Mingyu have known each other since culinary school, Mingyu didn’t want Joshua to join them because that would mean Mingyu would need to take a step back. That wasn’t acceptable and…. He has to admit those were some stressful times.

But he’s glad that things turned out this way. Perhaps, his lover’s — won’s — whatever — concerns weren’t silly after all. When passion becomes a chore, it does more harm than good Mingyu only wishes he’d realised sooner

“They still don’t give me a discount when I go there,” Soonyoung sulks and Seungkwan rolls his eyes, “because if we start giving you discount, we’ll start losing money!” Mingyu laughs, and his eyes turn to Chan sitting quietly beside Soonyoung He doesn’t seem bored though

Rather, he seems enchanted By Soonyoung Mingyu smirks, “Have you guys talked?” Mingyu asks his friends, pointing at Chan. Chan breaks out of his daze and turns to Mingyu, “ah, oh. No. I ran into them outside your room is all,”

Mingyu smiles. “This is Chan. He was admitted in the hospital because of an injury and we became friends,” Mingyu tells Joshua. Joshua smiles, “hello. Thank you for keeping our Mingyu company,” Chan bows, “the pleasure was mine!” Joshua laughs, “cute,”

“Chan is actually uh, a dancer,” Mingyu says, which catches Soonyoung’s attention, “oh right, Mingyu told me that once,” Chan tenses and nods, “yes! I am. I uh, I am a huge fan of your dance. You’re an amazing dancer, Hoshi-nim,” he blabbers and laughter erupts.

Chan is so adorable Soonyoung chuckles, “thank you, Chan-ssi. Actually, we’re looking for dancers right now, to go on tour. Would you be interested?” And Mingyu sees Chan’s soul leave his body. “Yes!” He stands up, “I will send you an addition tape. Thank you so much”

Audition**

Perplexed and amused by Chan’s reactions, everyone begins to laugh merrily. Mingyu scans his friends, and he smiles. He’s missed them…so dearly..so much… It brings tears to his eyes. Their laughter is interrupted by the door opening to reveal Mirae.

“Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t realise you had guests over,” she says and steps back, closing the door. Mingyu and Chan exchange a glance. Chan smiles, “I’ll go talk to Ajhumma,” Chan excuses himself and Mingyu gets back to chatting with his friends

— “I was surprised,” Ajhumma says when they meet later that day “Surprised? By what?” Mingyu asks. They’re seated on a park bench as the sun sets Wonwoo should be joining them soon, for dinner “Your friends. You all seemed…happy,” she says

Mingyu hums He spots Wonwoo walking towards them from the distance It gives him a sense of déjà vu Mingyu could recognise that silhouette from anywhere “No one visits me,” Mirae says and Mingyu turns to her, “I thought you didn’t want visitors,”

Mirae sighs “I don’t. I made sure no one is allowed to visit me. My siblings and I haven’t spoken to each other since my marriage with YoungTuk-ah. And my children, all they care about is money and my will,” Yikes

“So, yes, I don’t want visitors who stand to benefit from me. I wish that I had someone in my life who genuinely liked me and would visit me with no ulterior motive,” The mood turns sombre. “I like you,” Mingyu says and Mirae chuckles, “you’re not a visitor, Mingyu-yah,”

Mingyu would take Chan’s name but he knows Mirae will shoot that down as well. Mingyu watches Wonwoo walks over to them, smiling. Mingyu sighs. “I loved being a singer. But I regret that it, in one way or another, deprived me of people that I love and those that love me,”

Mingyu swallows. Work huh… “I guess, I’m also partly to blame for that. For denying myself happiness,” Mirae says, standing up as Wonwoo approaches them. Mirae clasps her hands behind her back, “we should learn to let go,” she says, eyes locked with Wonwoo who just arrived

Wonwoo holds eye contact for a moment before turning to Mingyu and smiling “I’ll see you two for dinner,” Mirae says and walks away. Once she’s gone, Wonwoo turns to Mingyu, “what were you guys talking about?” Mingyu simply smiles. “What do you want for dinner?”

— two weeks later — The clock ticks slowly as Wonwoo sits in his car in the parking lot. He can’t bring himself to peel his hands off the steering wheel. He can’t bring himself to look away from the wall in front of him He can’t look away He’s too afraid to

Wonwoo takes deep breaths, staring at the wall illuminated by his headlights Locked in his car, he hears nothing of the outside world He’s isolated He’s alone He’s — A knock startles Wonwoo and he turns to his window, seeing the watchman smiling at him

Wonwoo collects himself and lowers his window, smiling as well. “You drove here? I’ve always only seen you come in cabs,” the elderly man says. Wonwoo swallows, fingers finally letting go of the steering wheel. “Yeah. It’s been a while,” Wonwoo smiles.

The Watchman grins and nods, “have a good day!” He says and leaves. Once gone, Wonwoo’s smile drops and he takes a deep breath. He quickly steps out of his car and locks it, hurrying upstairs.

He shakes his hands as he goes up the stairs and into the building, calming his nerves Once he steps into the harsh hospital lights, he halts. He looks around the setting he’s all too familiar with and swallows. He dusts off his clothes and walks over to Mingyu’s room

“Wonwoo,” a voice calls as he’s passing by rooms, making him halt in his tracks. He turns to see the owner of the voice sitting on the bed in a room he’s passing by Mirae She’s watching him, a soft smile on her face. Wonwoo gulps, “Yes, Ajhumma?” he walks into her room

Her weak eyes look him up and down, and she cocks a brow, “dressed in all black, huh,” she says, gesturing at Wonwoo to take a seat by her bed Wonwoo gulps, “I guess,” She smiles, “grim reaper,” Wonwoo sighs into a smile, “I told you not to call me that”

Ajhumma chuckles, taking Wonwoo’s hand, “you’re right. I’m sorry. I won’t call you that again,” Wonwoo’s surprised by the genuine apology. “Not feeling well?” He asks. She sighs, “I feel dizzy. I think I’m coming down with a cold,” Wonwoo nods, “it’s been chilly lately,”

Mirae sighs. She turns to look outside the window, her hand locked with Wonwoo’s, “have you caught up with Mingyu?” “Uh, no. I just arrived,” Wonwoo replies. “Where are you coming from?” Mirae asks, voice silent Wonwoo purses his lips. Mirae knows where he’s coming from

“Mingyu’s waiting for you,” Mirae says, eyes fixated on something outside the window. Wonwoo leans in to take a look at what he’s looking at. He’s pleasantly surprised to see Mingyu in the distance, seated on his usual bench in the park. Wonwoo smiles. Mirae turns to him.

She studies his face as Wonwoo watches Mingyu stretching his upper body. Wonwoo giggles. But he stops when he feels a squeeze on his hand. He turns to Mirae. She’s smiling at him. She raises her hand and cups his cheek, “you’ve been so brave, Wonwoo-yah,”

A soft gasp escapes Wonwoo’s lips and his eyes widen. “Ajhumma—“ “I know no one’s told you that yet. But you needed to hear it,” Mirae says as Wonwoo’s lower lip quivers. He lowers his gaze, swallowing the thick knot in his throat

Mirae takes a long, deep breath. She closes her eyes and sighs. “Wonwoo-yah,” she calls softly, like a mother calling her child. Wonwoo looks up at her with misty eyes, “Yes, Ajhumma?” She smiles, “I’m glad it was you,” Wonwoo blinks, confused, “huh?”

She laughs softly. “I don’t want you to lead a life of regret, Wonwoo-yah. Don’t become like me, okay? You should chase your happiness,” Mirae says, “you should let your wounds heal. You’ve suffered enough,” she runs her fingers through his caramel hair. Wonwoo sniffles.

Ajhumma’s words Her touch… It makes Wonwoo’s heart twist painfully Words he’s longed for Comfort he’s craved Ajhumma she… “Please be honest, Wonwoo-yah,” Mirae says, “with yourself and…him,” Wonwoo gulps. “I don’t want you two to hurt anymore,”

Wonwoo let’s out a shaky breath. He nods, holding her hand tightly, kissing her knuckles, “okay,” She giggles. Wonwoo’s never seen Mirae so chirpy. “Wonwoo-yah, can you do me a favour? I’m thirsty. Fetch me a bottle of water from the vending machine please,” she smiles.

That’s Wonwoo’s cue to collect himself. He stands up and nods, “right,” He walks out to the vending machine and inserts a note. He takes deep breaths. Ajhumma really… She’s old and wise indeed. She… she’s loving too, despite the cold exterior she puts up

Wonwoo shakes his head. He grabs the water bottle and walks back to her room. But when he walks in, the bottle slips out of his hand at the sight in front of him.

— “Harabeoji, what’s the time?” Mingyu asks the man sitting on the bench beside him. The Harabeoji checks the time in his pocket watch. “3:40” he says and Mingyu smiles, “thanks for letting me know!” He should head back. Wonwoo must be arriving soon.

“Harabeoji, I’ll see you tomorrow!” Mingyu says as he slowly begins his descent down the small hillock The Harabeoji glares, “I don’t even know you!” he huffs. Mingyu laughs. ‘You do’ he thinks in his mind.

But as he’s heading down, he hears screams “The nightingale is dead! The nightingale is dead!” A man yells, a patient, elderly And while Mingyu dismisses that without a thought, it clicks to him who the nightingale is “Mirae is dead! The nightingale is dead!”

Elderly patients scattered around the park rush towards the entrance to the building, crowding it. Mingyu just sits there in his wheelchair, frozen, catatonic. Mirae is… Ajhumma is… The Harabeoji Mingyu jsut spoke to rushes past him to join the herd of patients

Mirae Mirae Ajhumma Ajhumma She… no…. The need near the entrance begins to move, coming towards the hospital exit on the other side of the park They’re flocked around something They’re… Mirae Is that Mirae? “I…I can’t see,” Mingyu’s throat runs dry

He tries to peek into the crowd, tries to catch a glimpse of..Ajhumma from above here but… “I can’t see!” He yells, growing frantic, “I want to see her!” He yells loudly, overwhelmed He turns his wheels to race down the hillock, to tear through that crowd and see Mirae

However, Mingyu doesn’t anticipate the speed with which he’s racing down as the crowd passes by He loses control and the wheelchair flips, the forces flinging him across the lawn. He lands on his face, just a few feet behind the loud crowd that wails the death of their idol

Mingyu pushes himself up with his hands, he wants to crawl, to creep his way to her one last time He wished his legs would miraculously work That he’d run to Mirae and.. “I can’t see!” He yells at the procession.

Darn his legs! Darn his life! “Ajhumma!” Mingyu yells, his voice drowning in the chants and wails. And just when he thinks all hope is lost, he feels his body being lifted. “Won—“ Mingyu’s manoeuvred onto Wonwoo’s back and the man carries towards the moving crowd

Mingyu holds on as Wonwoo jogs towards the crowd, silent. Wonwoo knows Wonwoo he… Once they reach the crowd, Mingyu begins to tear through it with his hands, pushing people out of his way It’s them he realises the situation There’s Mirae, resting peacefully in a glass case

In a glass case being carried by hospital security through the park towards the ambulance at the end For people to see her one last time Wonwoo and Mingyu finally get to the middle, to her, sleeping, finally in peace. It’s suffocating, they’re being pushed around by others

They’re going to get pushed out “Rest well, Ajhumma,” is all Mingyu can bring himself to say as he touches the glass case before the crowd overcomes them Mingyu and Wonwoo pop out of the herd and stumble onto the soft grass, Wonwoo on top of Mingyu, the two staring at the sky

For the longest while, the two say nothing For the longest while, they listen to the chaos of the crowd And when it finally dies down, when they hear the ambulance drive away, Mingyu speaks up. “She…she knew, didn’t she?” he asks, swallowing thickly

Wonwoo doesn’t reply “She knew she was…that she… today, soon…” Mingyu’s sentence breaks. Mirae knew her time was up. Wonwoo rolls off Mingyu, burying his face in the grass, silent Mingyu turns to him, “she just…we— just this morning we talked and…”

Wonwoo remains silent “And now she’s…she’s gone…” a tear trickles down Mingyu’s eye Mirae’s gone Just like that She’s just gone… forever “I didn’t even…get to say goodbye,” Mingyu chokes on his words

He turns to look at Wonwoo, who’s saying nothing Who hasn’t uttered a single word “Say something,” Mingyu whispers, “please,” After a while, Wonwoo speaks up “It’s important… to see them atleast once before…. Once before they’re gone,” he says, his voice breaking

Mingyu’s heart twists Wonwoo’s voice … It’s never been so… “Wonwoo—“ Mingyu rolls Wonwoo over to see his face and… There are tears smeared all over his face “You should get a good look at them before they’re gone, forever,” wonwoo sobs, trying to wipe away his tears

But the tears keep coming “If you don’t, you’re going to regret it your whole life,” Wonwoo cries, hiccuping hopelessly Watching him breakdown like this, Mingyu can’t help it either He pulls Wonwoo into his embrace, letting the man cry into his shoulder as much as he wants

— Mingyu gets off the call as Wonwoo steps out of the bathroom, a towel around his neck. Mingyu purses his lips, “that was Chan. He’s devastated,” Wonwoo only nods, dazed, hair wet. He settles down on the bed and leans down to grab his shoes. Mingyu takes his wrist

“You should sleep over tonight, Won,” Mingyu says, rubbing his thumb against Wonwoo’s knuckles. Wonwoo swallows, zoning out. His hollow eyes dart to their locked hands. “I can’t,” he whispers, “I should go home,” Mingyu sighs. He’s a stubborn one.

“And be sad alone? Why that when you can be here with me…” Mingyu reasons. Wonwoo shakes his head, averting his gaze, “I’m no stranger to being alone, Mingyu-Yah,” And that sentence completely breaks Mingyu’s heart. He feels partly guilty. Because he, after all…

“Then think about me,” Mingyu reasons, “I don’t want to be alone after…” he takes a deep breath, trying to hold back tears. And that seems to convince Wonwoo, who lets his eyes glaze over their laced hands. “Okay,” he answers softly, “but what if your friends come over?”

Mingyu shakes his head, “Seungcheol Hyung is on a business trip. My friends are busy with their own lives. No one’s going to come. So please just stay, okay? I-I dont want to be alone,” Wonwoo nods, “okay,” And they fall silent Mingyu’s never seen Wonwoo cry like that

Hasn’t there always been a sort of animosity between him and Mirae? Mingyu didn’t know they were close… “I want to sleep,” Wonwoo says, voice hoarse “Don’t you want anything to eat first?” Mingyu asks. Wonwoo should eat something. He must be tired. It’s been a long day

But Wonwoo’s determined. He shakes his head, “no, I want to sleep,” Mingyu doesn’t want to fight him on this anymore. So he agrees. “Okay. I’ll ask them for some extra blankets. You can take the couch,” he says Wonwoo nods, “alright,”

— It’s only 10:45 and Mingyu’s nowhere near sleeping. How can he close his eyes and just fall asleep after everything that has happened today? It’s not that easy, is it? It’s just…. Mingyu takes a deep breath and turns his head to the side

He doubts Wonwoo is asleep Mingyu swallows. He has a lot of things on his mind. Who else but Wonwoo to share them with? “Do you think she knew that she was leaving soon?” Mingyu asks, breaking the silence that lasted about 2 hours Wonwoo doesn’t reply, he doesn’t react

Mingyu’s about to give up and close his eyes when Wonwoo speaks up “I heard she requested the glass case last week, and to be carried through the park so everyone could see her one last time,” he says. Mingyu’s eyes widen. Mirae knew How can she know?

How do you know you’re going to die and live on? How can one be so brave? “Oh…” is all Mingyu can say without bursting into another bout of tears A moment of silence passes “I heard it was you that…found her..” Mingyu tries to phrase it sensibly

Wonwoo’s still turned away, his back facing Mingyu. But he nods, “yeah,” Mingyu swallows. Is that why Wonwoo’s shaken up? “I spoke to her before she…” Wonwoo’s voice trails off, “all she wanted was a bottle of water,” his voice breaks, “and I couldn’t even give her that,”

Mingyu swallows thickly “Won—“ “Before she passed on, she told me she was glad it was me. I just, I don’t understand what she meant by that,” Wonwoo whispers It saddens Mingyu that though there are so many things weighing on Wonwoo’s mind, he’s reluctant to share the burden

But perhaps, that’s how it is Not just with Wonwoo but everyone Mingyu wishes he could ease Wonwoo’s a mind a little though “I think she meant that she was glad it was you that was seeing her off into the afterlife,” Mingyu says.

Wonwoo turns to face Mingyu at that, face relaxed, “you think so?” Mingyu shrugs, “it’s possible. She likes you, Won,” Wonwoo swallows and lowers his gaze, “she did call me grim reaper,” Mingyu frowns. Grim reaper? How…odd

“You know she doesn’t mean it in a way that…yknow…she doesn’t mean you’re the messenger of death, Won,” Mingyu knows now Wonwoo’s quick to jump to conclusions so he wants to get that out of the way “She doesn’t?” Wonwoo asks. Mingyu knew it

“Even if she did mean it, calling you grim reaper that is, I think she meant it in a way that…you’re a person who sticks to someone’s side and guides them by the hand onto a brighter path,” Wonwoo only blinks. But Mingyu spies a soft smile on his face, “that would be an honor,”

Mingyu smiles gently, “I want you to be kind to yourself, Won,” Those words take not just Wonwoo but also Mingyu aback.He didn’t mean to say them out loud

Wonwoo’s eyes grow, and his lips part. Mingyu thinks he’s overstepped but Wonwoo smiles, “will you keep reminding me then?” “Forever,” Mingyu wants to say but the word doesn’t leave his mouth He settles for saying something else altogether “I will,”

— One week later — Chan sniffles, wiping his tears as Mingyu pats him on the back. “I wish I’d visited that day,” Chan remarks and Mingyu sighs, “do you know what Mirae wanted, Chan-ah?” Chan shakes his head, “what?”

Chan wasn’t able to visit them all week since he was out of town but he ran here directly from the train station “She didn’t want any regrets. So since it was something you couldn’t help, you should forget about it and move on,” Mingyu consoles

It’s as if all the things Mirae ever said to him are deeply ingrained in his mind All her wishes, all her aspirations… Mingyu can’t seem to forget them, and a part of him wants to live by them in her Honor Starting with having no regrets And moving on

“She lived a life of regrets and I don’t think she would’ve liked to see you this way, hm?” Mingyu says and Chan nods, wiping his tears Mingyu sighs. He pulls Chan in for a warm hug. It’s undeniable that he, Chan and Mirae had grown incredibly close And now she’s…gone …

When Chan seemingly feels better, he pulls away. “Do you know where they buried her?” Chan asks, “I will go visit,” Mingyu shakes his head, “they didn’t say. I’ll pull some strings and find out, hm? You can go then,” Chan frowns, “and you?”

Mingyu sighs deeply, “I…I’ve decided to not to go there until I’ve completely healed,” Chan’s eyes enlarge. “Mirae told me that my thinking limits me from healing. And she wasn’t wrong. Once I set my mind to it, I began to make quick progress. I will visit her on my legs,”

Chan smiles, patting Mingyu’s thighs, “I hope you heal soon, Hyung, so you can go see her,” Mingyu smiles. He’s always been a sweet kid.

“That’s a noble ambition,” a voice says, and a smile plasters onto Mingyu’s face. He turns around to look at Wonwoo, but his smile drops fast. His eyes widen as they rake over Wonwoo’s appearance.

“Oh, Hyung, you look good,” Chan stands up and goes to hug Wonwoo tightly, leaving Mingyu with his jaw on the floor Wonwoo smiles shyly, “how have you been, Chan?” And as the two exchange pleasantries, Mingyu tries to process this….this change in…appearance

Where is the suit? And why is his hair black? What happened to the caramel? Where are his glasses?? Just..just what is happening… Wonwoo finally turns to Mingyu and the latter closes his mouth, lowering his gaze. Wonwoo walks over to him, “what’s wrong?”

Mingyu swallows, “you…you changed…everything….” Mingyu gestures to Wonwoo’s body with his arms Wonwoo bites his lip, “you didn’t like it?” “No! That’s not it!” Mingyu’s quick to correct, “it’s just that…I’m used to the caramel hair and suits so…”

Wonwoo purses his lips, “oh I…I wanted to move on too, like you. So I…” Mingyu nods, still very affected by this sudden change. It’s not that Wonwoo doesn’t look good He looks ridiculously handsome and it makes Mingyu’s heart somersault for some reason But it’s so sudden..

“Moving on from what?” Mingyu asks and Wonwoo swallows. “Just…moving on,” he says Mingyu doesn’t question him further.

— one week later — “Do you think of my hair was longer, the flowers would stay?” Mingyu asks as Wonwoo picks out small flowers and places them in Mingyu’s hair Wonwoo pouts, an action Mingyu finds ridiculously endearing up close. “Maybe if it was wavier it would help,”

Mingyu sighs. But he doesn’t let that keep him down. “I’ll take it as a compliment. My hair is too silky for the flowers to stay,” he crosses his arms and Wonwoo giggles. Somehow, with Wonwoo’s careful fingers, the flowers were beginning to stay put on Mingyu’s head

However, Mingyu does enjoy when flowers roll off his head and fall down to the ground, because it makes Wonwoo giggle every single time “I was worried you’d find this activity pointless,” Mingyu says Wonwoo frowns, continuing placing flowers on Mingyu

“Pointless? Isn’t it a fun experiment to see if butterflies will land on you?” Wonwoo hums, tucking a bigger flower on top of Mingyu’s ear Mingyu places his palms under his chin, cupping his face, “or is it an experiment to see if I’m as pretty as a flower?” He flutters his eyes

Wonwoo’s smile drops and he watches Mingyu with a disapproving gaze, “yeah it’s not fun anymore,” Mingyu clicks his tongue, “yah, you—“ Wonwoo just giggles. “Now don’t move! Let me put some more. There’s plenty butterflies today” Wonwoo says

Mingyu purses his lips and patiently waits as Wonwoo adorns his head with flowers. “By the way, Seungcheol Hyung came by this morning,” Mingyu says Wonwoo nods, “I know,” “How?” Wonwoo averts his gaze, “I check the visitor register everyday. I don’t wanna run into him,”

Mingyu chuckles. “That’s smart,” Wonwoo smirks, “thank you,” he continues, “what did he say?” Mingyu exhales. “He said he would bring some of my stuff for me. Since I’m beginning to remember,” Wonwoo pauses for a second before continuing his task, “I see,”

They fall silent after that. It was a sensitive topic anyway — Mingyu recollecting his memories. Mingyu’s sure there are things of the past Wonwoo wishes Mingyu wouldn’t remember but….it’s inevitable

Mingyu wants to reassure Wonwoo but he can’t exactly do it without giving away his own position of the fact that he’s 80% sure he and Wonwoo were lovers before the accident Mingyu, however, is on the lookout for some conclusive proof. Dreams aren’t reliable

Mingyu just watches Wonwoo and studies his features. Up close, Mingyu can see the pores on his skin, stray hair that evaded the razor nestled on Wonwoo’s chin, and he can even spy the mole on the tip of Wonwoo’s ear. “Cute,” Mingyu mutters and Wonwoo’s hazel eyes turn to him

“What?” Mingyu realises he’s said that out loud. “Oh nothing,” he swallows, face warm as Wonwoo pulls away and dusts his hand. “All done. Now sit still,” Wonwoo says, patting Mingyu’s shoulder

Mingyu does as he’s told, freezing like a statue. Wonwoo freezes too, just watching butterflies from nearby fly closer to Mingyu, hovering around his head Wonwoo’s eyes widen, and he smiles, “oh my god, oh my god,” he whispers and Mingyu’s hopes skyrocket

“Are they coming??” He whispers and Wonwoo shushes him, nodding. Mingyu’s heart picks up. Oh my god!! This is actually working!! Mingyu rolls his eyes upward and catches a glimpse of two butterflies flapping around his head

Mingyu looks down at Wonwoo and decides to study his face instead x Wonwoo has his fists clenched and his eyes widen, pupils tracing the movement of the butterflies excitedly Like a cat Cute Wonwoo’s eyes widen and his lips part and oh my god, Mingyu can hear the butterflies!

He can almost feel their weight on his head and— Wonwoo’s expression falls and Mingyu turns his head around to see the butterflies flying away The two look at each other. Neither utter a word, far too disappointed.

Mingyu swallows and slouches, “guess I’m not as pretty as a flower,” he says and Wonwoo begins to laugh. Seeing him laugh makes Mingyu laugh too. “Idiot,” Wonwoo says, laughing. But Mingyu’s too distracted by a butterfly perched on top of Wonwoo’s head. Mingyu smiles

— one month later — “Where’s the order for table 5?” Mingyu asks, scanning his kitchen. A junior chef raises her hand, “Plating it, Chef!” “I need it out in a minute. Hurry up,” Mingyu orders, stirring the vegetables in his pan. “Yes chef!” The junior replies

“Chef, this came for you,” a busboy walks over to Mingyu and hands him a small box. He examines the box, and the packaging seems a little clumsy. He bites his lip. Mingyu dismisses the busboy and hands his pan over to a sous chef. He retires to his cabin for a moment

He carefully undoes the packaging and finds a note inside. “I’m sorry about what happened before. I’ve been meaning to give you this for a while now and what better time than now, eh? Truce? Love, Won,” Mingyu grins. Idiot. He opens the box

And his eyes open. He awakens from the dream. And this time around, there’s a huge cheeky smile on his face. — Mingyu’s browsing through Instagram, reading recipes online. But he can’t bring himself to pay attention, distracted by the thought of whatever was in the box

Also, Mingyu’s 90% sure Wonwoo was his lover. But he still has his doubts. He shouldn’t jump the gun. Anyway, it makes him wonder just what was in the box. What did Wonwoo gift him back then? A watch? A ring? A pendant? It can’t be anything other than jewellery, right?

It jogs Mingyu’s brain cells a little It’s super frustrating when his dreams get cut off before the juicy part. Now he can’t quell his curiosity. But he earns momentary distraction from the problem when the door opens to reveal Seungcheol, carrying a box.

“Hey Hyung,” Mingyu grins, excited to see the contents of the box. Seungcheol had told him a while back that he would fetch some things for Mingyu from his apartment. Of course, only those that wouldn’t send him into a trauma shock blah blah blah

“Hey, Mingyu-Yah,” Seungcheol smiles, taking a seat as Mingyu vibrates intensely, unable to control his excitement. Seungcheol chuckles. He doesn’t deny Mingyu the right to grab the box from his hands. Mingyu just digs into his belongings, excited to feel the past.

“How are your legs?” Seungcheol pats his feet and Mingyu looks up at him dumbly, “uh..they’re fine,” he brings his attention back to the contents of the box. But his eyes eagerly search only for a certain type of items. Jewellery.

“Uh, is Jeonghan here?” Seungcheol asks quietly. “Uh, no. I think he’s going to be transferred back to this ward tonight though,” Mingyu replies mindlessly, hands searching for watches, rings, necklaces, bracelets… “Oh,” disappointment is evident in Seungcheol’s voice

Mingyu looks up at him, “are you going to ask him out again?” and Seungcheol gasps, face warming up, “I— what— “ Mingyu loves moments like this where Seungcheol’s rendered completely speechless. It’s also hilarious that Jeonghan’s always involved one way or another

Seungcheol chooses to fall silent and Mingyu giggles inwardly. He loves teasing his Hyung. However, after a few minutes of intense searching, Mingyu doesn’t find what he was searching for. “Hyung, is there no jewellery?” he asks. Mingyu knows Seungcheol selected these items

But he wouldn’t lie about an item’s existence. He’d rather explain to Mingyu that he’s excluded certain items to prevent any surprises. “Nope,” Seungcheol shrugs, “did you even wear jewellery?” Mingyu purses his lips. “Maybe a ring, or a chain…”

“Sorry, Mingyu-yah, I didn’t come across anything,” Seungcheol says and Mingyu sighs. But he doesn’t let it keep him down. “It’s alright, Hyung. But thank you for getting me these,” Mingyu says, browsing through the items Wallets, phone cases, pairs of tickets..

Mingyu remembers these items. They’re what he saved as memoirs. Especially the tickets To waterworld, to the movies, to Disneyland — all in two Mingyu smiles Did he go to these places with Wonwoo? What did they do? Are there photos? Did Wonwoo wear cat ears?

“How are you, Mingyu-yah?” Seungcheol asks and Mingyu looks up at him, “I’m great, why?” Seungcheol bites his lips, as if wondering how he should say whatever he wants to say “I heard your friend passed away. Mirae, was it?” Mingyu’s expression falls.

“Ah…yeah. She did. A while back,” Mingyu says Seungcheol nods, “I’m sorry about her passing. And that I couldn’t be here when you needed me,” Mingyu scoffs, “Hyung, you know I don’t hold that against you. I understand, okay?”

Seungcheol sighs, as if feeling guilty, “I just don’t want you to be alone in this process, Mingyu-yah,” Mingyu takes a deep inhale and settles for nodding, “I’m okay, Hyung. Trust me, hm?” Seungcheol purses his lips.

“You sure?” Mingyu can’t tell Seungcheol that he’s not alone at all. “Yes,” he smiles He’s not alone He has Wonwoo.

— Mingyu nearly jumps out of the water when he hears the doors open. “Fuck!” He curses when Wonwoo walks in, smiling cheekily, “it’s only you,” Mingyu relaxes, rubbing his face Wonwoo giggles, “did you think the watchman busted you? Or worse, Jeonghan Hyung?”

Mingyu scoffs, “okay I wasn’t even thinking of Jeonghan Hyung. So a new fear unlocked I guess?” Mingyu says, swimming closer to the wall of the pool, to where Wonwoo is Wonwoo chuckles, placing a bunch of clothes on the ground.

“How did you know where I was?” Mingyu asks, slicking his wet hair back. Wonwoo shrugs, “it’s past 9. Where else would you be?” Mingyu smirks, “true,” Mingyu’s been sneaking to the pool every now and then. Apart from physiotherapy, he’s learned that swimming calms him down

“How come you’re so late today?” Mingyu asks, swimming closer to Wonwoo, who’s squatted on the dry surface, looking down at Mingyu. “Meetings,” Mingyu hums. About his book . Cuz Wonwoo’s a writer And it’s one of the aspects of his life that Mingyu knows nothing about

Mingyu wishes he could just outright ask him. ‘What do you write? What is your pen name? What did you gift me that day? Why won’t you tell me who you are? I already know who you are. When will you come clean? Will you ever come clean?’ But he refrains .

Mingyu peeks at the clothes laid down on the side. Mingyu spots his own clothes, but two pairs. Mingyu glances at Wonwoo, “are you planning on getting in the pool?” Wonwoo’s face flushes red, “not planning. But in case I need to jump into save you if you drown so..”

Mingyu snickers, “Please. That won’t happen again. I’m all better now. I can even swim the length of the pool, yknow?” Wonwoo raises his brows, impressed, “I see. How’s the progress on your legs then?” Mingyu swallows, “oh, Doc said I can walk in a month or two,”

Wonwoo gasps, “that’s great!” Mingyu licks his lips, “it is,” he swims away, heart racing. He floats around for a while, and then then turns to Wonwoo, “i can walk without the support of the rope now,” Wonwoo smiles, “that’s great, Mingyu-yah,” Mingyu gulps, “wanna see?”

“Sure!” Mingyu clears his throat, “you’re gonna have to come in though. To hold my hands. You know, for safety,” Wonwoo’s expression falls and Mingyu realises perhaps it’s too cruel a joke, considering Wonwoo’s fear “I was just joking,” he quickly corrects, “you don’t have —“

Wonwoo surprises him by standing up and pulling his sweater over his head. Mingyu looks away for some reason. They’re both men but it makes his heart race. He tries not to peek as he hears Wonwoo shuffle out of his clothes. And then, he hears a soft splash.

He turns to Wonwoo who’s slowly paddling through the water towards him, like a cat. Mingyu bites back a smile as Wonwoo reaches him, extending his hands, “show me,” Mingyu huffs, “tell me you have boxers on,” Wonwoo blushes, “of course I do!” He whines and Mingyu laughs.

They lock their hands tightly, both worried for each others safety. “Here we go,” Mingyu says and takes careful steps forward. Wonwoo’s eyes widen and a smile graces his face, “oh my god, you’re walking!” Mingyu chuckles. Wonwoo’s so excited for his progress. It feels..nice

As the two move towards the wall, slowly, step by step, Wonwoo speaks up, “you should thank Doc, Mingyu-yah,” Mingyu smiles, “trust me, I have. Without her, this wouldn’t be possible,” Wonwoo giggles, nodding, “you’re right,” They near the wall

Mingyu tightens his grip on Wonwoo’s digits, eyes admiring the wet strands of Wonwoo’s hair, and his warm skin. Wonwoo’s so handsome. He smells nice too. Is that cologne? Or body wash? Maybe shampoo…

“I have you to thank as well,” Mingyu says, voice quiet. He can’t remove his eyes from Wonwoo, trained on his face. Wonwoo looks up at him, frowning, “what?” Mingyu licks his lips, “you were by my side, Won. And I’ve come so far. Without you, I’d have been so lonely,”

Wonwoo gasps, not just because of Mingyu’s words but also because his back touches the wall. “Mingyu—“ “You stayed by me despite it being an inconvenience, despite having reservations. How could I ever thank you for this?” Mingyu steps closer to Wonwoo, cornering the man

Wonwoo straightens, turning his face to the right. Mingyu’s gaze falls on the moles adorning his neck. Pretty. They’re almost hypnotising. “You don’t have to thank me,” Wonwoo whispers as their chests touch. Mingyu swallows, and his eyes dart to Wonwoo’s lips.

Those lips part in surprise and when Mingyu looks up, he realises Wonwoo caught him staring. But Mingyu can’t bring himself to look away from those eyes. “I have to,” Mingyu laces their fingers, “tell me how to,” he whispers Wonwoo swallows, chest heaving, up and down.

Something’s pulling Mingyu towards Wonwoo. Like they’re magnets, drawn to each other. Mingyu can hear his heart beat ring in his ears. He can feel his body thrumming. “Won…” he lowers his gaze, and he happens to see something. On Wonwoo’s chest.

A tattoo Mingyu can’t stop himself from raising his hand and placing it on Wonwoo’s torso, sliding his thumb against the words tattooed there “What does it say?” Mingyu asks softly. Wonwoo swallows, eyes half lidded, faves inches apart. “Souls don’t meet by accident”

Mingyu looks back up at Wonwoo, their eyes locking. Who knew eye contact could be so…electric “Won…” Mingyu leans in. But he feels a palm on his chest, resisting.

Mingyu stops, looking up at Wonwoo, who won’t meet his eyes. “We should go,” Wonwoo whispers, and Mingyu pulls away. He lowers his gaze, too scared to look at Wonwoo, his heart racing, “yeah..”

— Mingyu just watches Wonwoo slide Mingyu’s shirt onto his body, his broad shoulders that narrow into a tiny waist They’ve dried themselves , surrounded by silence , alone in Mingyu’s room Mingyu’s shirt is incredibly loose on Wonwoo’s frame “Stay,” Mingyu says

He doesn’t know why he says it But he feels the need to A part of him thinks Wonwoo will resist But Wonwoo surprises him “Okay,” he says without a word, “I’ll stay,” Mingyu’s heart swells. Wonwoo tries to set the couch but Mingyu takes his hand, “not there. Here,”

Mingyu pats the bed, and Wonwoo gulps. “Okay,” he lets go of the towel and let’s Mingyu pull him into the bed. Mingyu shifts inward, allowing Wonwoo to crawl in next to him. Mingyu’s nerves are on fire, but he’s trying his best to keep his cool as Wonwoo turns away.

When Mingyu wraps an arm around Wonwoo’s waist, the latter doesn’t say anything. And the two fall asleep. With Mingyu embracing a strangely familiar heat. He falls asleep to the sound of Wonwoo’s soft breaths. He doesn’t want this night to end.

— “Maybe this was all a mistake,” “What?” Mingyu asks “This, us… we were a mistake…” “How could…how could you say that?” “I don’t know, okay?! We..we’ve been together since college and… you’ve …you’ve changed, Mingyu-yah,”

“Changed? How have I changed?! You’re the one who wants to leave!” “Because I don’t see the point in staying in a loveless relationship!” “I love you!” “Do you?! It doesn’t feel like it anymore. It’s like you don’t even care about me anymore..I…I can’t take it,”

“Where are you going?!” “Just…don’t follow me, Mingyu-yah,” And Mingyu’s eyes shoot open. He’s sweaty and his heart is racing as he blinks away the blurry vision. But when he sees the face in front of him, he relaxes Wonwoo’s looking at him, with his beautiful hazel eyes

Mingyu doesn’t say anything. He just…watches Wonwoo too. “Nightmare?” Wonwoo asks. Ah, his morning voice is so… Mingyu nods, “I think,” he says, taking Wonwoo’s hand. He raises it to his face, nuzzling his cheek in the palm

Wonwoo swallows. He softly begins to pull his hand away but Mingyu holds it in place, “don’t,” Wonwoo licks his lips, “Mingyu…” Mingyu doesn’t know what to make of his dream. It’s clear that they had a big fight and.. But Wonwoo’s here now. With Mingyu. So..

“I want to say something,” Mingyu begins, trying to gather the courage to…. To come clean To confess That he’s madly in love with Wonwoo and wants to make things right between them To start over

“What?” Wonwoo squeaks, nervousness written all over his face. Mingyu smiles to reassure him. This should be easy. “I..I love—“ Lost in the moment, neither Mingyu nor Wonwoo hear the sound of the door opening or the angry gasp that leaves Seungcheol’s lips

And before they know it, Wonwoo’s being pulled away from where he was, and Mingyu can’t quite process what just happened Until Seungcheol’s voice roars in his ears “What the fuck are you doing here?!” Seungcheol grabs Wonwoo by the collar, questioning him angrily

Wonwoo’s trying to free himself from Seungcheol’s grip, just as perplexed as Mingyu “Cheol! Let him go!” Jeonghan emerges from the corridor, intervening. But Seungcheol doesn’t let go of Wonwoo, red in his eyes.

“how dare you?! How dare you get in bed with him?! How dare you— what have you done to him?! You have no right to talk to him! To be here! Everywhere you go you cause misery! Haven’t you had enough?!” Seungcheol yells, causing a scene Wonwoo gasps at the words, face falling

Mingyu finally gets a hold of the situation, that they’ve been made, that Seungcheol’s angry, that he’s… Mingyu gasps as Seungcheol lands a punch on Wonwoo’s face, making the latter plummet to the ground. “Get the fuck away from Mingyu!”

“Seungcheol!” Jeonghan yells, but before he can do anything, Seungcheol’s on the floor as well, perplexed by the pain in his jaw. He looks up at Mingyu, who’s surprised everyone in the room by punching his best friend and…standing on two legs. The commotion dies down

Seungcheol, Jeonghan and Wonwoo watch Mingyu with wide eyes, he’s hanging open as Mingyu walks over to Wonwoo and helps him up. “Are you okay?” Mingyu asks, trying to look at Wonwoo’s busted lip. Wonwoo does his best to avoid eye contact, to not let Mingyu see.

His gaze is focused on Mingyu’s feet, string and sturdy, holding his weight, quick, quick enough to intervene “When..how…” Wonwoo murmurs, tears forming in his eyes. Mingyu’s about to answer when Seungcheol gets up and pushes himself in between them

“Why the fuck is he here?!” Seungcheol shoves Wonwoo “Stop hurting him!” Mingyu tries to help Wonwoo up again, who for reason jsut won’t fight back! Jeonghan rushes to Wonwoo’s side thankfully

“You have no idea who he is! He should be the last person you should be getting close to! All he does is cause misery to everyone he meets! Do you even know what they call him around here?! A grim reaper! Because all he’s done is—“ “Shut up! Shut up!” Mingyu yells, overwhelmed

Tears trickle down his eyes and he turns to where Wonwoo was, only to realise he’s…gone Mingyu turns back to Seungcheol, reeling with anger, “I know who he is! I know! So just fucking back off! This is my life, my feelings that I—“ something on the floor catches Mingyu’s eye

“You know?” Seungcheol falls silent, and Jeonghan gasps. Mingyu’s gaze zeroes down on that shiny piece of metal on the floor… Mingyu’s inexplicably drawn to it.. and he when he kneels to pick it up, he gasps He grabs the pedant and inspects it and…

Mingyu stumbles, eyes spinning and heart racing He settles down on the floor, having lost the strength in his knees as blood rushes to his brain He remembers.. He remembers… a fight, no… a breakup. He remembers running, and then…the road and..a car

Mingyu struggles to breathe as Jeonghan kneels to his side, “Mingyu, breathe, deep breaths,” he tries to calm a clearly disoriented Mingyu down. Seungcheol watches with worry written on his face. Mingyu catches his breath, processing the fact that Wonwoo…had this necklace ..

— The events that followed weren’t so nice Kim Namjoon, the Head of the department, personally came to visit the patient who had caused a scene in the wing. Doctor Kim listened to their situation patiently.

As Doctor Kim gently scolded Mingyu for acting the way he did — for hiding the fact that he could walk and causing this mess — Jeonghan could only glance at Seungcheol who wouldn’t even look at him Regret was smeared all over Jeonghan’s face. He had gone behind Cheol’s back

And though no one explicitly said it out loud, it was clear that Mingyu was the only one to blame here. His curiosity and his stubbornness had led to this situation. “As for Yoon Jeonghan, you will be suspended for a month,” Mingyu gasped, “Doc—“

“He must be punished for breaking protocol. It’s the least I can do. If this matter becomes any bigger than it already has, the higher ups will intervene and Jeonghan’s future might be at stake. Understand?” Mingyu swallows and nods.

He glances at Jeonghan, who’s still waiting for Cheol to look up at him. “Hyung—“ Mingyu calls out and Jeonghan swallows. Jeonghan just bows, and without a word, exits the room. This.. this sucks Everything sucks And it’s all Mingyu’s fault

Once Doctor Kim leaves the room, Mingyu’s left alone with Seungcheol They don’t speak for a long while “You shouldn’t have said that to Wonwoo. Those were very hurtful words, Hyung,” Mingyu says Seungcheol smirks, “I know they were hurtful. It’s what I intended,”

Mingyu clenches his fists as Wonwoo’s broken face comes to his mind “Why the fuck is he even here, Mingyu?” Seungcheol questions “I asked him to stay by me once I heard he visited me everyday for 18 months when I was in a coma” Seungcheol scoffs, “you’re easy, Mingyu,”

“What the fuck does that mean?” Seungcheol springs to his feet, “you don’t know anything about him and yet you punched me, your best friend of 10 years, for him. What is your relationship between you two, huh? Did he force you into anything?” “Just shut up!” Mingyu yells

Seungcheol doesn’t speak like this He’s never this crass, this hurtful, so why… “He had nothing to do with this! He didn’t force me into anything! Whatever I did, I did on my own. Won, he…” Seungcheol laughs, “Won? You’re calling him Won, now?”

Mingyu hates how Seungcheol is being right now “If only you were honest with me from the beginning, this wouldn’t have happened. Whatever happened, we could’ve talked it out like adults but you all chose to keep me in the dark!”

“Didnt you just see what happened to you when you saw that pendant?! We’re trying to protect you from that! From bigger shocks and revelations and you…all you talk about is Wonwoo. does he even matter, Mingyu?!” Mingyu clutches the pendant tightly “He does. He matters to me,”

— Seungcheol left after that, without a word Perhaps it was for the best Mingyu doesn’t want to fight with Cheol anymore. He doesn’t want to cause a scene. More importantly, he doesn’t want to lose his best friend. Maybe they can talk this out when they’ve cooled down

“I’ll miss you, you brat,” Hyerin says, hugging Mingyu tightly Now that he’s recovered, it’s time to get discharged. Mingyu didn’t really have many belongings here. Just a suitcase and some clothes. It took him about 30 minutes to get packed up. He has to leave now

With Jeonghan and Seungcheol gone, Mingyu had to ask Seungkwan to send him the address of his house Mingyu probably just going to catch a cab. “Thanks for everything, Doc,” he hugs her back and she smiles, patting his back before pulling away, “take care, okay?”

Mingyu swallows. “Really. Thank you for everything. Without you I—“ Hyerin chuckles and shakes her head, “it was a team effort, right? You, me and.. Wonwoo?” She winks. Mingyu purses his lips. Of course she’s figured out his feelings for Mingyu.

“Thanks for not telling anyone I’d recovered,” Mingyu says and Hyerin shrugs, “no problem. I didn’t get into any trouble so,” Mingyu smiles. He grabs his suitcase. “Take care, Mingyu-yah,” she ruffles his hair and he giggles.

Mingyu bows and he’s about to leave when Hyerin stops him. “You should call him,” Hyerin says, and though it surprises Mingyu, he smiles. “I will,” And with that, he walks away.

— Mingyu doesn’t go to the entrance jsut yet. Instead, he’s in the parking lot, waiting for his call to be picked up. He’s called Wonwoo 5 times already, and Wonwoo has yet to answer it. Mingyu’s not going to stop until he answers

He needs to talk to Wonwoo, he needs to chase him down because something tells Mingyu that he didn’t fight for love enough before the accident He wants to show Wonwoo’s he’s changed Its the 7th time when Wonwoo finally answers the call.

“hello?” Mingyu gasps, springing to his feet, “Won?” Wonwoo remains silent and Mingyu gulps, eyes brimming with tears. He keeps thinking about how hurt Wonwoo looked when Seungcheol said all that He wants to comfort Wonwoo, he wants to hold him in his arms

“I want to see you,” Mingyu says, “there are things I want to tell you, in person. Can you come back to the hospital? Or can I come to you? Tell me how to come to you, Won,” Wonwoo sighs on the other end. “I’m at the hospital. Where are you?” Mingyu gasps. At the hospital?

“I— I checked out an hour ago. I…you’re in the hospital? Did you come lookin for me? I…I’m in the parking lot,” “Heading there now,” Wonwoo says and cuts the call, leaving Mingyu to release the breath he had been holding. Wonwoo’s here already? He came looking for him?

Mingyu waits impatiently, continuously glancing at the elevator, waiting for the doors to open and reveal Wonwoo. He waits for 3 whole minutes, and it feels like a thousand years because. But when the doors finally open to reveal Wonwoo, Mingyu’s heart thumps loudly

His feet take him towards Wonwoo, and he pulls him in for a tight hug, holding Wonwoo’s neck in his hand softly. “I missed you!” He sighs, as Wonwoo remains frozen in place. He doesn’t hug Mingyu back, gaze lowered. Mingyu pulls away, “Won—“

“When did you start walking?” Wonwoo asks softly Mingyu gulps, “I…a few weeks ago. I wanted you to be the first to know and didn’t say anything to others. And…” he sighs, taking Wonwoo’s hand, “I didn’t know how to tell you because if I did, ..we…this..would come to an end,”

Wonwoo would leave Mingyu He doesn’t have to stay with him anymore Mingyu’s healed Wonwoo would leave and that’s why Mingyu couldn’t Wonwoo swallows, nodding as he tries to wriggle his fingers out of Mingyu’s grasp

Mingyu holds on. He cups Wonwoo’s cheek to raise his face, to see better. This time around, Wonwoo doesn’t resist and Mingyu gets a good look at Wonwoo’s busted lip, now healing since a few hours had passed by Mingyu runs his thumb along the wound and Wonwoo hisses.

“Sorry,” Mingyu whispers, eyes licking with Wonwoo’s finally, “I’m sorry. About what Seungcheol Hyung said,” Wonwoo scoffs, voice heavy, “there was nothing false in what he claimed. He was 100% correct about—“ “No! He wasn’t! He doesn’t even know you!” Mingyu interrupts

“And you do?” Wonwoo asks, “huh?!” Wonwoo’s raises voice takes Mingyu aback. Wonwoo’s angry, sad, confused, anxious… Mingyu swallows, “I know nothing about you, I admit it. But I’m very deeply in love with you,” Wonwoo’s eyes widen. Mingyu finally said it

He’s finally said it out loud but Wonwoo’s silence terrifies him “Won..” “No,” Wonwoo steps back, “you…we can’t… I’m…” “Wonwoo—“ “I’m…I’m not…everything Seungcheol said was right. I..I cause misery, I’m the…fucking grim reaper. Death..follows me and..I..we can’t..”

“Wonwoo—“ “Mingyu! No! We..I’m not the one for you I… I—“ And Wonwoo’s interrupted by a kiss to his lips. Mingyu’s lips rest gently yet firmly agaisnt Wonwoo’s revelling in the feeling he’s craved for ages now. Wonwoo seems to melt against his lips, reciprocating

Neither make an effort to pull away and the kiss deepens, with Mingyu’s arms looping around Wonwoo’s waist and Wonwoo’s around Mingyu’s neck They keep pulling each other closer and closer, till there’s no space left between them, till they can’t breathe

Mingyu bites on Wonwoo’s lower lip, making the latter gasp and gaining access to his mouth. When Mingyu’s tongue slides in, Wonwoo moans, fingers clutching the hair on the base of Mingyu’s neck Fuck, this feels exhilarating Mingyu’s nerves are on fire

It’s only the lack of oxygen that makes the two break the kiss, their lips swollen and faces red. They catch their breaths, limbs tangled. But Mingyu can’t contain himself.

He kisses Wonwoo’s cheeks, his eyes, his nose, “won, my lovely won, I’m sorry I forgot about you, I’m sorry I left you alone,” Wonwoo swallows thickly and pulls away, “Mingyu…” Understanding his confusion, Mingyu retrieves the pendant from his pocket.

The one with the dandelions Dandelions that Wonwoo loves “I know…” he says, showing Wonwoo the pendant, whose eyes widen in shock, “I know what we were, Won. I’m sorry I..I’m sorry for everything. I just… I love you, okay? I want to set things right between us,”

And it seems like all of this is too much for Wonwoo. “I love you, I—“ But Mingyu feels himself being shoved and suddenly, Wonwoo’s gone Mingyu follows the sound of footsteps and turns to find Wonwoo running up the ramp and outside No. Mingyu’s not going to let him go

With Mingyu’s legs all recovered, he’s going to chase after Wonwoo, no matter where he goes Wonwoo’s surprisingly fast, and Mingyu struggles to catch up with him. Once Mingyu runs up the ramp, he sees Wonwoo running out the hospital gate, the guards watching curiously

Mingyu chases after him onto the street, rushing past people, apologising for bumping into them all the while as his eyes stay glued to Wonwoo’s figure “Sorry, excuse me, coming through,” and Mingyu panics when he sees Wonwoo trying to cross the road.

But perhaps the universe is on his side today because the signal turns green and the cars block Wonwoo’s escape. And before Wonwoo can turn around and run elsewhere, Mingyu catches up to him, “stop running!” He grabs his arm, catching his breath

Wonwoo tries to struggle out of his grip, and it’s only now that Mingyu sees the tears in his eyes, threatening to fall “Just talk to me, Won—“ Mingyu’s voice gets cut off by a car racing past them, and he loses his grip on Wonwoo’s arm His fingers let go, weak all of a sudden

Mingyu sees spots , all the noises around him get louder and weaker at the same time He’s in the crowd, but at the same time he’s not He looks around, disoriented, but all he sees are cars, and all he hears are sirens and honks and… Mingyu’s knees turn to jelly

“Mingyu,” a voice calls, and he turns to Wonwoo, who’s just a blur now Mingyu can’t breathe, it’s all too much for him He can’t… “Mingyu,” Wonwoo calls again as Mingyu lowers himself to the ground, shaking. He can’t get up, he can’t feel his legs, he can’t think.. he…

It’s all…it’s all coming back to him Everything everywhere all at once Mingyu sweats from his brows, he feels hot and delirious “Won…Won…” he calls desperately as he finds himself leaning onto someone , someone’s arms holding him “Won…” Mingyu remembers Everything

It’s all coming back It’s all coming back! Mingyu turns his head and blinks away the moisture in his eyes to look at the person holding him up Wonwoo “Won…” This view of Wonwoo’s face, his tears, his panic, his warmth holding him…it’s all so familiar

“Won…Won…” there’s only one name in his mind, on his lips It’s struggling to come out, fighting hard to resurface Wonwoo’s crying. He’s sobbing as Mingyu struggles to speak, his throat dry and mind..rebooting

“Do you…like dandelions..?” Mingyu asks, overwhelmed, and Wonwoo sniffles. To Mingyu’s horror, he shakes his head, “I’m allergic,” And the name that had been fighting to resurface finally rolls off his lips as his eyes begin to shut. “Won..young…” Wonyoung

— Sometimes Wonwoo finds it difficult to even get out of bed Sometimes, it all feels so…pointless. Most days, as he lays alone, he just stares at the ceiling for a few good minutes before forcing himself to sit up and start his day

But starting his day is something he’s come to dread He’s frightened to face what lies ahead of him Wonwoo hears a tiny meow, barely even there. More like a squeak. He turns his head to the side, blinking away his sleep to spot a black mass and green googly eyes

It’s staring at him, settled quietly on the window sill “Do you want food, Nero?” Wonwoo rasps, and hears another squeak in response. He sighs and sits up He has to start his day one way or another

— “When can I expect the manuscript by, Hyung?” Hansol asks as Wonwoo turns the corner “End of this week?” Wonwoo sounds unsure. He’s had so much on his mind and he can’t bring himself to do anything about his work. “I thought you were done with it last night,”

Wonwoo sighs. “Yeah but…” Hansol says nothing. “End of the week it is. Please do that without fail,” Hansol says and Wonwoo’s glad his editor is more understanding than the previous one. “Hansol-ah,” Wonwoo says as he pulls into the parking lot, “can I ask you a favour?”

“Yeah?” “You’ve my key, right? In case I don’t go home today, can you check up on Nero for me?” Hansol hums, “sure thing!” There’s suddenly life in his voice, “Anything for Nero!” Wonwoo giggles. “He keeps biting me so you be careful too, okay?” Wonwoo warns

“Nah, Nero and I have an understanding. He’s the sweetest little ball of fluff,” Hansol’s voice gets progressively higher with each word and Wonwoo smiles. “So that gremlin bites only me, huh?” “Take it as a sign of affection, Hyung,” Hansol says and Wonwoo sighs

“Anyway, I’ll talk to you later,” Wonwoo says, parking the car. “Alright,” and Hansol disconnects the call. Wonwoo turns his engine off and melts into his seat. His body feels like lead and he can’t bring himself to move. But he has to He takes three breaths and steps out

“Good morning, Ajhussi,” Wonwoo greets the guard, who waves back at him, “Good Morning,” he says, pleased to have been greeted. Wonwoo smiles and steps into the elevator. He tries to shake off this horrible feeling that’s creeping up to him and shakes his head.

Once the elevator doors open, the smell of disinfectant invades his senses. He finds himself traversing the familiar halls with ease, greeting the nurses as he goes to the room he’s visited every day for the past few months. “Good morning, Wonwoo-yah,” a voice calls

Wonwoo halts in his tracks, turning to spot the lady inside her room, waving and smiling. Wonwoo smiles, “Ajhumma, good morning,” he bows. Mirae smiles, “Just in?” She asks and Wonwoo nods, “yeah. How is he?” Mirae’s smile falters a little, “he’s fine. He misses you,”

Wonwoo purses his lips and blushes, “I should get going then, huh?” Mirae’s eyes sparkle, “Yeah. He’s been waiting eagerly,” she winks at him and Wonwoo giggles. “I’ll see you later, Ajhumma,” Wonwoo says, heart beat picking up. Now he’s both worried and excited.

Wonwoo’s destination is only a couple doors down and when he walks into the room, he spots the taller man sitting on his bed, staring out the window. Wonwoo knocks on the door to alert him, and when the man turns to him, his lips pull into a wide smile.

“Good morning, Hyung,” Wonwoo says, walking over to DongHo, tucking his hair behind his ear and mentally fussing over how he looks DongHo extends his hand, smiling at Wonwoo, “Good Morning, my love,” he takes Wonwoo’s hand and presses his lips to his knuckles.

Wonwoo’s let’s out a squeak. What is he, a teenage girl?? Embarrassed by his reaction, he purses his lips into a thin smile, pleasantly surprised that even after years of dating, seeing DongHo gives him the butterflies “Have you eaten yet?” Dongho asks

Wonwoo glances around the room and quickly leans in to leave a peck on Dongho’s lips, surprising the older man. Wonwoo pulls away, shy and fuming red, as DongHo laughs. He pulls Wonwoo in for a proper kiss, holding him by his cheeks. Wonwoo smiles against those lips, content

Wonwoo breaks the kiss, opening his eyes slightly, “hey,” he whispers and DongHo smiles, “hey,” Wonwoo bites his lower lip and pulls a chair to sit down, their hands still locked tightly. “You didn’t answer my question,” Dongho says Wonwoo sighs, “not yet. Not hungry,”

DongHo frowns, “you shouldn’t miss meals, Wonwoo-yah. C’mon, grab something from the cafeteria,” Wonwoo inhales deeply, fidgeting with Dongho’s fingers. They’re so frail now, slender. “You miss my potato hands, don’t you?” DongHo speaks up.

His effort to lighten the mood cannot shoo away the elephant in the room. Wonwoo smiles sorrowfully and presses Dongho’s palm to his face, “I miss all of you,” DongHo can only blink dumbly at Wonwoo, not knowing what to say. Wonwoo’s eyes rake over Dongho’s weak body

Sharp collarbones and sunken cheeks. Tears brim to Wonwoo’s eyes and DongHo clicks his tongue, “hey, you can’t come over here every day and cry,” there’s only softness in Dongho’s voice as he wipes away a tear from Wonwoo’s cheek. Wonwoo nods. He’s right.

“I uh, I got this,” Wonwoo says, retrieving a file from his duffel bag. When DongHo sees what it is, his eyes sparkle, “the last chapter?!” He excitedly takes the file and flips through it. Wonwoo chuckles. “Can you read it and let me know?”

DongHo nods, “sure thing! But first, grab something to eat, please,” Wonwoo smiles, “okay,” — “How’s Nero?” DongHo asks, looking up from Wonwoo’s manuscript. Wonwoo gulps down his gimbap, “he keeps biting me,” DongHo laughs, “he’s doing it out of love, don’t worry”

Wonwoo rolls his eyes “Does he still play with that toy I got for him?” Wonwoo snorts, “the teddy bear?” He asks, unlocking his phone. He scrolls through the gallery and shows DongHo the photo, “he loves it,” Wonwoo says DongHo laughs at the photo.

“He loves it because /you/ got it for him,” Wonwoo says and DongHo smiles, “Nero doesn’t hate you, Won,” Wonwoo pouts, “say whatever. He does,” and DongHo chuckles, caressing Wonwoo’s face. Wonwoo nuzzles in his warmth, eyes falling shut.

“If you have sex, I’ll call the cops,” a voice startles them, and Wonwoo turns to see Jeonghan in the doorway, walking in with a tray of medication “We weren’t!” Wonwoo says, blushing as DongHo and Jeonghan laugh. “You’re so mean, Hyung,” Wonwoo says and Jeonghan winks

“Here,” Jeonghan places the trey in front of DongHo and Wonwoo watches the man take numerous tablets. “Dongho’s parents are coming to visit,” Jeonghan speaks up, and Wonwoo gasps, “what?!” he turns to Dongho DongHo rolls his eyes, “I don’t want to see them,”

Jeonghan sighs and leaves the room, and Wonwoo turns to DongHo, “Hyung, they’re your family. They have a right to see you,” DongHo sighs, “once they apologise for the way they treated you, us, I’ll speak to them,” Wonwoo purses his lips. “Hyung—“

“You can’t fight me on this, Won,” Dongho says and Wonwoo bites his lips “Just consider, okay?” He says. Dongho’s expression remains firm. Wonwoo sighs as his phone buzzes. He answers the call, “Hansol-ah, I’m a little busy. The manuscript—“

“Hyung, the Director wants to see you,” Hansol informs “Oh?” “Yeah. Can you meet for lunch?” Hansol asks and Wonwoo checks the time. “I— “ he turns to DongHo, who’s urging him to go “Hyung—“ “This is important, right? Go and come back,” DongHo smiles. Wonwoo gulps, “ok”

— “I can’t believe the meeting ran so long, Hyung,” Hansol stretches and Wonwoo cracks his knuckles “But we finally arrived at a conclusion so… it was fruitful atleast,” Wonwoo says, looking out the elevator window. It’s raining

Hansol smikes, extending his hand for a shake, “so we’re partnering up for the sequels too, eh?” Wonwoo smiles, shaking Hansol’s hand, “seems like it, parter,” Hansol scoffs airily, delighted. Wonwoo’s phone buzzes as they step out of the elevator.

“Ah, I’ll be home late. Can you swing by and check on Nero?” Wonwoo says, answering the call. “Sure thing,” hansol nods and Wonwoo smiles, “thanks, Hansol-ah,” and then he speaks into the phone, “Ah, Jeonghan Hyung, what’s up?” Wonwoo halts suddenly. “What?”

— Wonwoo honks incessantly at the cars in front of him, wiping his foggy windshield as he courses through traffic, Jeonghan’s words echoing in his ears “It’s not looking too good, Wonwoo-yah. You…you should hurry back,”

It’s not looking good. You should hurry back It’s not looking good. You should hurry back “MOVE!!” Wonwoo unroll his window and screams at the car that refuses to move out of the way. He honks relentlessly, he’s sure he’s violated various parking laws But he needs to hurry

Wonwoo wipes the tears from his eyes He refuses to assume the worst He’s going to see DongHo and everything is going to be fine Maybe it was just a little seizure Maybe he just fainted That’s all Nothing bad has happened But the tears don’t stop as Wonwoo drives

He sees the signal in the distance. He sees green, and it transitions to yellow. His windshield wipers make it hard for him to see, the rain is particularly torturous today, like the universe hates Wonwoo And Wonwoo thinks he can make it before the signal turns red.

He thinks he can make it just in time even as the signal turns red But he never anticipated that he would hit a human being. Wonwoo hears a thud, he feels the thud and hits the brakes. He can only see the silhouette of a body that gets flung a few feet across the road

Terror fills him but it doesn’t dull his senses He gets out of the car and rushes to the body, praying to god that he didn’t just kill this man He hears sirens, he hears people getting out of the car and talking, someone’s calling an ambulance.. Blood

Wonwoo sees a pool of blood that refuses to get washed away by the rain And between all that blood is the source… A body. A man, motionless Wonwoo’s heart stops and his jaw drops. Wonwoo rushes to his side, holding him up in his arms, looking at his bloodied face

“Hey…” Wonwoo’s voice is weak, “hey.. wake up,” Wonwoo calls, and the man’s head simply falls to the side, but he’s awake Barely conscious “Hey—“ “Won,” and Wonwoo startles “Won..” another weak murmur, “won..” the man calls “what are you—“ “Won..young..” Wonyoung

— “Move out of the way!” The nurse yells as the stretcher bursts through the door, rushing to the OR Wonwoo’s eyes are trained on the man lying unconscious on the stretcher, covered in blood, scathed and covered in bruises and wounds

And Wonwoo can only pray he didn’t just kill this man That he didn’t just take a life That this man lives

That when he wakes up, Wonwoo can apologise to him, fall to his feet and explain to him that the only reason he was speeding was because there was a life hanging by the thread waiting for him Wonwoo can’t quite see his face, vision blurred by tears and terror

“Sir, you can’t come past this point,” the nurse says, and Wonwoo looks up. They’ve reached the Operating Theatre. “I…” The nurses and the Doctors couldn’t care less about Wonwoo’s guilt or his association with this man

They rush into the theatre, leaving Wonwoo stained with blood, literally and figuratively He stares at his hands, he watches as they tremor, he feels the sticky blood as it begins to dry up, as it begins to seep into his being like guilt and regret

Wonwoo tries to even out his breathing, but there’s no time because it finally clicks that Wonwoo should be elsewhere right now He musters all the strength in his body and runs across the hospital, all the way across,all the way to the far end, till his legs threaten to fall off

He can hear his heart beating in his ears, he can feel his stomach twisting unpleasantly And as he approaches the nurses’ station,he sees Jeonghan standing there, looking at Wonwoo who’s racing towards him “Hyung, what, Dongho Hyung” Wonwoo catches his breath,sweating profusely

Jeonghan purses his lips and lowers his gaze, “I’m sorry, Wonwoo-yah,” he says, trying to take Wonwoo’s hand but Wonwoo yanks it away, eyes widening, “no..” Jeonghan licks his lips and swallows, “Wonwoo—“ Wonwoo just runs past him, hoping Jeonghan’s playing a cruel joke on him

He pants exasperatedly as he approaches Dongho’s room, he sees spots from exhaustion, and he wants to throw up, unable to digest the fact that— When Wonwoo walks in, he’s faced with a crowd. A crowd of….people, family, surrounding the…bed And they’re all.. crying ..

Wonwoo’s heart explodes in his chest, his stomach sinks as he makes his way closer to the bed, nudging people out of the way Dongho Dongho Hyung Hyung Wonwoo’s Dongho Wonwoo’s … Wonwoo’s everything “Excuse me,” he forces out, tears brimming to his eyes

He sees a weak hand hanging off the side of the bed, limp, lifeless. And it’s all he’s able to see before he’s being yanked and pushed out of the crowd “Get away from him!” A woman yells, presumably Dongho’s mother, “you did this!”

Wonwoo can’t quite process their words, still trying to walk towards Dongho, trying to see him, see him one last time “You bastard!” Wonwoo feels a punch land on his face

he plummets to the ground, but his eyes are still glued to that hand, searching for its owner hidden behind the people “Hyung,” Wonwoo calls, eyes wide and throat dry, “Dongho—“ he tries to crawl to his beloved, in hopes of seeing his face. Just once He wants to see him

But Wonwoo’s yanked away yet again and shoves out of the room. He lands on his butt as Jeonghan rushes to him. “You did this! You separated us from our son! He’s dead because of you!” Dongho’s father yells as the family members watch with disdain Dongho’s dead ? Dongho..

No he…he can’t be… Dongho can’t be dead Dongho can’t… He was just smiling this morning He said he would talk to Wonwoo about his book He said he…he wanted to see Nero He… “Wonwoo-yah,” Jeonghan tries to help Wonwoo up

Wonwoo springs to his feet and tries to force his way to Dongho, he wants to see him, he needs to him “Just once,” he begs, “please let me see him,” Wonwoo falls to his knees, clasping his hands together, “I want to see him, please,”

But Wonwoo’s pleas fall on deaf ears and he’s escorted out the room by two men and as Wonwoo attempts one last time to crawl in, the door is closed on his face, slamming into his fingers that he’d placed there to steady himself He groans loudly and falls back, now alone

Silence surrounds him as the devastating realisation dawns upon Wonwoo that he didn’t get to say a proper goodbye to his lover That he didn’t get to kiss him one last time, touch him or even see him That he couldn’t tell him just how deeply he loves him It’s too late now

Dongho’s… gone Footsteps approach him, and he looks up to see the Harabheoji who sits in the room next to Dongho’s The Dementia patient Harabheoji points a finger at Wonwoo and says just one thing, loud and clear “The grim reaper!”

Wonwoo’s eyes widen slightly as the Harabheoji simply walks away. Jeonghan kneels to Wonwoo’s side, “Wonwoo-yah,” he hugs him tightly, but Wonwoo doesn’t respond, shocked. “I’m so sorry, Wonwoo-yah,” He retrieves something from his pocket, “there was an accident,”

Wonwoo looks down at his hand and sees a pendant, bloodied. He remembers picking it up from the crash site. “That man…” Wonwoo murmurs, dazed and Jeonghan pats his back, “what accident?” “I…I hit a man…” he says and Jeonghan gasps, “what?”

“Is he..dead? Is he..did I kill him? Is he also dead like.. Dongho Hyung? Did I kill him too?” Wonwoo asks and a tear rolls down Jeonghan’s eye Jeonghan pulls him in for a tight hug. But Wonwoo…he can’t bring himself to even shed a tear He feels… nothing

— When Wonwoo gets home, he’s greeted by silence and darkness He doesn’t bother switching on the lights and tosses his file and a book onto the table “Dongho left these for you,” Jeonghan had said, handing over a book and Wonwoo’s file to him

Wonwoo had taken them without much thkught. “He said he’d been meaning to give you that book for ages. And that..he wrote some things in your manuscript,” Jeonghan had said And in all honesty, Wonwoo’s too scared to read what Dongho had written for him

When he enters their— his bedroom, he finds Nero settled on the window sill, staring out the window Wonwoo stares at him, mind empty How should he tell Nero that the one he waiting for is now…no more Wonwoo’s knees feel weak and he sits down on the floor, gasping

Nero notices his presence and hops off the window sill. She runs towards him, and crosses him, going into the living room, as if to check if Wonwoo’s came alone or… got Dongho back with him. It’s what Nero does, every single day Wonwoo’s lower lips quivers as Nero returns

It watches him with soulless eyes , as if reprimanding him for returning alone yet again. Wonwoo extends his hand to pet him, but she hisses and bites him. Wonwoo recoils and Nero disappears into the darkness, and Wonwoo’s left looking at the injury on his finger

He scoffs, resting his head against the wall He shuts his eyes, only to open them almost immediately when he feels movement next to him He sees Nero hopping onto his lap, but what ultimately breaks him is the teddy bear Nero carries in his mouth.

He places the teddy bear on Wonwoo’s lap and settles down on it, clawing at it before curling up against Wonwoo’s warmth Wonwoo doesn’t know how to react, but when he reaches out to pet Nero, he begins to purr And tears begin to trickle down Wonwoo’s eyes

Partly because he’s happy that Nero’s finally embraced him but mostly because he has no one to share his happiness with Dongho’s gone Dongho’s gone forever And all Wonwoo can do is cry into the night, knowing he’s all alone in this world.

— “We believe that Mingyu’s brain imposed Wonwoo into his dreams, which led him to believe Wonwoo was his lover,” Doctor Kim says as Mingyu stares out the window, silent Yeah. That happened. It hurts to be called an unreliable narrator but it is what it is

Mingyu swallows, clenching the pendant tightly in his hand The doctors told him that the hustle bustle of the traffic outside triggered his memories from the day of the accident. It overwhelmed Mingyu, who passed out pretty much immediately. And remembered..everything

And everything includes the fact that Jeon Wonwoo and Kim Mingyu were complete strangers,until of course the accident, which Wonwoo caused That’s a hard pill to swallow considering the fact that Mingyu’s irrevocably in love with the man who hit him with his car Twisted, right?

As if Mingyu’s suffering wasn’t enough, he was thrown into another coma, for a week this time. Thankfully, it was temporary and … triggered his memories Now, Mingyu can tell that the person he once loved wasn’t Wonwoo but…Wonyoung Lee Wonyoung Mingyu’s girlfriend since uni

Also the person that is nowhere to be seen When Mingyu awoke an hour ago, he was confused and delirious not just because he was back in the hospital room he had been discharged from but also because Wonwoo…wasn’t there by his side this time

And the fact that Mingyu only has himself to blame for his state makes it all the more worse Apparently, Mingyu wanted to find his lover so bad that he clung to the nearest person he could find and imposed him onto all the memories he shared with Wonyoung

“Mingyu-ssi?” Doctor Kim calls and Mingyu turns to him, angry, frustrated— though it’s not his fault at all. “Where’s Jeonghan?” Mingyu’s in a room full of strangers. No Seungcheol, no Jeonghan, his parents are on the way and…No Wonwoo Mingyu takes a deep breath

“Yoon Jeonghan was suspended,” Doctor Kim says and Mingyu grits his teeth, “I don’t like you all surrounding me like this!” he yells, “I want to call my friends!” Unfamiliar faces stare at him like he’s crazy

They stare at him with pity, with confusion and it’s like his coma all over again where they’re tiptoeing around him, walking on eggshells Mingyu hates this! He hates being treated like this! “Your friend, Choi Seungcheol is on his way now,” Doctor Kim says, “he should be—“

And as if on cue, the door slides open and Seungcheol appears. Mingyu feels relieved at the sight of his friend, but the awkwardness remains because the last time they were together, the words exchanged weren’t exactly nice

“Hyung!” Mingyu calls and Seungcheol envelops him in a hug, “you idiot! How could you go into a coma again?” Mingyu pulls away, tears pooling in his eyes, “I’m cursed at this point,” he chuckles and Seungcheol clicks his tongue. Seungcheol studies Mingyu’s face and sighs.

“Mingyu-yah, about Won—“ But before he can finish his sentence, the door opens yet again and when Mingyu’s gaze falls on the familiar frame walking towards him, his jaw drops. Lee Wonyoung’s standing in the middle of the room

Her hair is shorter now. Her skin paler than he remembers But she still has that smile on her face, of never-ending positivity She has emotion in her eyes, but her trembling fingers say otherwise She’s nervous She’s excited And Mingyu springs to his feet to hug her

Wonyoung drops what she’s holding and melts into his embrace as warm tear smear her shoulder. For some reason, Mingyu can’t hold back the tears, he can’t not cry. He’s just…he doesn’t know what he feels But he’s just so glad to see Wonyoung

“I missed you, so so much,” Mingyu says , sobbing. He feels embarrassed but the familiarity of Wonyoung’s embrace comforts him. “We’ll give you the room to talk,” Doctor Kim suggests and everyone leaves the room one by one, leaving Mingyu and Wonyoung alone.

When they pull away, Wonyoung claims Mingyu’s lips with a firm kiss, tears trickling down her eyes. Mingyu kisses back with equal vigour, looping his arms around her body. “I didn’t know,” Wontoung pulls back, cupping his cheeks, “I didn’t know you were …” she cries

Mingyu giggles, wiping her tears, “how could you? You were in Afghanistan,” Mingyu remembers the day Wonyoung left The day they broke up The day Mingyu was rushing towards the airport to let her know that they could work things out The day he… And wonyoung …left

Wonyoung continues to sob, hugging Mingyu tightly, “had I known I’d have rushed back!! You…I didn’t know you… I’m so sorry, Mingyu-yah. I’m so sorry,” she sobs and Mingyu swallows thickly “You’re here now,” he comforts her, “now that you’re back, it’ll all be alright” Right?

— Clutching the pedant tightly in his hand, Wonwoo makes his way to the hospital. It’s been a week since… Wonwoo had been cooped up in his apartment the whole time, crying frequently, at random times of the day because everything reminded him of a future he could never have

Of a past that doesn’t want to let go of him And a present that’s shattered to pieces “Pull into the parking lot please” Wonwoo instructs the cab driver, his voice hoarse. His fingers are wrapped tightly around a book

The book Dongho left for him. One he hasn’t mustered the courage to open yet. But he can’t seem to go anywhere without it. Wonwoo sighs, fighting the urge to cry. Once the car is pulled into the parking lot, Wonwoo gets out. He watches the car leave and jsut stands frozen

His feet won’t listen to him They won’t take him inside the hospital He’s not ready. He chooses to lean against the pillar, trying to calm his nerves. No. He needs to return this pedant to that man.

The man’s relatives were generous enough not to send Wonwoo to prison. But the law did oblige him to pay a fine of 20 million won Not a small amount but Wonwoo could manage it by pulling a few strings. But his guilt couldn’t just end with the fine.

It continues to go deeper and deeper into him each day. He…he needs to talk to that man and.. apologise for… everything But his nerves are on fire right now and… Wonwoo swallows. His nervousness prompts him to open the book. Dongho …always knew what to say.

He opens the book, fingers trembling as he reads what has been penned on the front page ‘A poem for each day that I’ve loved you’ Wonwoo shuts the book close and slides down the pillar, tears spilling out of his eyes. He shuts his mouth with his hands, crying in silence

— Once Wonwoo recovers, he makes his way up the stairs and down to the nurses’ station. He finds Jeonghan there, who feels conflicted to see him. “Wonwoo-yah, you okay?” He hugs him when Wonwoo walks over. Wonwoo nods, “yeah,” Jeonghan sighs.

Jeonghan has a lot to say, he knows, but he spares him this one time. “Wonw—“ “The man I hit that that day. Is he okay?” Wonwoo asks. Jeonghan swallows. He takes his hand and guides him towards a room. Wonwoo finds a person slumbering on the bed.

He gasps when he realises its the same man, now devoid of blood and injuries, eyes closed. Wonwoo’s relieved to see the soft rise and fall of his chest. “Hyung he—“ “He’s in a coma,” Jeonghan says and Wonwoo’s eyes widen, “huh?” “Wonwoo, he—“

“You” someone calls, “what are you doing here?!” an angry voice makes Wonwoo turn around, and he’s suddenly being grabbed by the collar and pushed. “Seungcheol! Stop!” Jeonghan interjects, pushing himself between Wonwoo and the man he recognises to be the patient’s friend

“Why is this bastard here!? You! Get the fuck out!” Seungcheol says, and Wonwoo gathers himself, holding onto that pendant “It was an accident!” Jeonghan says “That could’ve been avoided! And now.. now we don’t when Mingyu will awake!” Seungcheol says Ah So his name is Mingyu

“Seungcheol, please—“ “Why are you here?! What more do you want? Haven’t you caused enough misery?!” Wonwoo flinches, lowering his gaze. “Seungcheol! You know he too lost someone!” Jeonghan yells “That doesn’t excuse what he did! You! Tell me, why the fuck are you here?!

Wonwoo swallows, glancing at Mingyu, “I came here to apologise to him but…” Mingyu’s in a coma Jeonghan swallows. “Wonwoo, I think you should leave,” Jeonghan tries to usher Wonwoo out but the man steps back, “no I…I want to apologise. I want to talk to him,”

Seungcheol scoffs, “yah, you bastard. Do you think you deserve to be forgiven?!” Wonwoo shakes in his boots, gaze glued to the ground. No. He doesn’t deserve to be forgiven. For anything. For Dongho’s death, for Mingyu’s…accident “Please,” Wonwoo says, “I just..”

“Mingyu’s not going to wake up! What do you want from him?!” Seungcheol questions, his voice breaking at the state of his friend. Wonwoo swallows. “I…I want to stay till he wakes up. I want to…I have something I want to give to him. And I want to apologise to him, please,”

Seungcheol doesn’t seem to budge “I..I want to pay half of the hospital expenses. I want to—“ Seungcheol scoffs, “do you think you can buy us?!”

“That wasn’t my intention!” Wonwoo’s adamant, “I want to…contribute to his.. betterment. Please let me. I want to be here when he wakes up. I want to stay by his side and build up the courage to apologise to him. Please,let me,” Wonwoo gets on his knees, surprising the two

Seungcheol and Jeonghan exchange glances at that. Wonwoo stews in uncomfortable silence for a good minute before Seungcheol speaks up, “fine. But once he’s awake, I want you gone!”

Wonwoo releases the breath he’d been holding and bows, “thank you, thank you so much,” Seungcheol clicks his tongue. “What are you going to do here anyway, huh?” Wonwoo swallows, staring at his book, “I…I want to read to him,” “Everyday?” Wonwoo nods, “everyday”

— As the sun sets and a orange hue bleeds into Mingyu’s room, he’s not alone for the first time in a while Because Wonyoung’s sitting by his side, their fingers laces tightly All Mingyu can do is take a deep inhale as countless thoughts flood his brain

“What are you thinking?” Wonyoung asks and Mingyu turns to her, a soft smile on his lips as he studies the features of Wonyoung’s face. He raises his hand to slide her bangs behind her ear, and she giggles. Mingyu knows she’s sensitive there.

“I’ve missed you,” Mingyu says, sighing and she purses her lips. “Me too,” she presses her forehead against his, shutting her eyes Wonyoung smells the same as she did two years ago A little sweet with a hint of lime. Mingyu’s yet to figure out if it’s her perfume or shampoo

Either way, he’s always loved the way she smelled. “Sorry about before,” Wonyoung opens her eyes, “we kissed and..” she bites her lip, turning a bright shade of red. Mingyu smiles. “Heat of the moment, right?” Mingyu whispers and Wonyoung huffs, smiling shyly

They stare into each others eyes, exchanging a million little words and emotions It’s always been this way for them. Mingyu and Wonyoung have always understood each other. There was never any need for words. “I didn’t know,” Wonyoung says

Mingyu smiles. “If I knew, I’d have come running,” Wonyoung says, teary eyed. Mingyu shakes his head, “don’t think about it, hm?” Wonyoung’s a frontline journalist and an activist. It had always been her dream.

A few months before Mingyu’s accident, Wonyoung was given the opportunity to go to Afghanistan and other countries with her Human Rights Organisation Mingyu opposed it, worried about her safety. It caused a rift in their relationship and, well….

“With what happened last year, communication became an issue. We were unharmed but we were under strict watch. We couldn’t risk sending letters or calling—“ Mingyu shushes her, “Won, you don’t have to explain yourself to me,”

Wonyoung sighs, lowering her gaze. “Us along with other organisations were allowed to leave the country after negotiations between the Governments. I came back to Seoul last week. I…I wanted to call you, but I never got a reply to my letter so I assumed.. you didn’t want me,”

Mingyu frowns, “letter? What letter? I never got one..” Wonyoung’s face shifts, “what? I sent one a month after I…after I left. I never heard a reply so I assumed you didn’t want to talk to me after everything that happened. And I…” Wonyoung sighs, “Mingyu, I—“

Mingyu takes her hand and kisses her knuckles, “don’t think about it. I’m not blaming you or anything, okay? I’m just glad you’re back,” Wonyoung’s gaze softens and she exhales gently, “I…what now?” Mingyu swallows. Yeah. What now? He’s been thinking that for a while now

What now? What now that he has recollected his memories? What now that he has been reunited with his one true love, Wonyoung? What now that Mingyu can leave the hospital? “I…I wanna go home,” Mingyu says, fingers trembling a little. Wonyoung notices and rubs his fingers

“We can do that,” she hops off the bed and tugs at Mingyu’s hand. He hesitates to stand up and she smiles. “I know it’s daunting. This place was your home for 18 months. So many memories, so many friends, right?” Mingyu gulps, tearing up, “so many..” he whispers

Wonyoung cups his cheeks gently, “are you afraid?” Mingyu gulps, “very,” She smiles with her eyes, tiptoeing and hugging him tight, “what are you afraid of?” Mingyu hugs her back He takes deep inhales and exhales “I just…” An image of a certain person flashes in his mind

Mingyu’s heart twists uncomfortably in his chest and he pulls Wonyoung close. “Won-ah, what are we?” He asks, anxious. Wonyoung hums, “we can be anything you wants us to be,” her hands roam Mingyu’s broad back, squeezing and patting , reassuring him

Mingyu’s heart beats loudly in his chest. There’s so much uncertainty facing him. Wonyoung probably doesn’t know about… Wonwoo. Mingyu doesn’t have the heart to tell her. He doesn’t know how she’ll react when he tells her he accidentally fell in love with a man

But underneath it all, it was always Wonyoung, right? The only reason he fell for Wonwoo… was… Wonyoung “What do you want, Gyu?” She pulls away and Mingyu gulps. “I wanna go home,” She grins. She laces their hands and tugs, “come on, let’s go home,” Home Finally

~~~~~~~~~~ It’s surprising just how much of an effect Dongho has on Wonwoo, even after his departure from this realm Because when Wonwoo wakes up, the thought that crosses his mind is : Day 9 without Dongho Wonwoo turns to his side to find Nero asleep, curled into his side

Wonwoo takes a deep breath, letting his fingers idly comb through Nero’s fur, making the latter purr loudly. Even after Dongho’s passing, Wonwoo’s routine is going to remain the same He’s going to get up and…go to the hospital. Only, Dongho isn’t going to be there

It’s time to start the day — Once dressed, Wonwoo heads down to the lobby “My answer is still no, Hansol-ah,” Wonwoo says Hansol groans on the phone, “Hyung. You just had one chapter left! We can’t publish the book without it. So just hand over the manuscript to us, please,”

Wonwoo sighs, tightening his hold on his phone. “Sorry, Hansol-ah. I can’t do that. Please try to talk to the director about this,” Wonwoo says, walking out his apartment building. There, he sees the cab he had booked. Hansol only sighs as Wonwoo gets into the cab.

“Fine,” Hansol says, “but you’re going to have to talk to the Director later too, okay?” “I understand,” Wonwoo says. “Alright then,” Hansol says, and Wonwoo’s about to cut the call when — “Hyung,” Hansol calls and Wonwoo hums, “yeah?”

“Are you okay?” Hansol asks, and all of a sudden, all and any noise dies down, leaving Wonwoo in a state of silence. He takes a deep breath, “Yeah I am fine. I’ll talk to you later,” “Okay. Take care, Hyung,” Hansol says and cuts the call

Wonwoo holds his phone against his ear for a few seconds and then lets his hand drop, eyes peering out the window As tears begin to build, he shuts his eyes, vowing to not open till he reaches the hospital

— Wonwoo feels several eyes looking at him as he walks down the familiar hospital hallway They must all be wondering why he’s here even though his has companion passed away already Wonwoo tries not to let those gazes faze him. He turns the corner and walks into the room

He finds the nurses checking up on the patient, Mingyu. When they notice Wonwoo’s presence, their expressions fall and they usher out of the room in silence — pity evident in their gaze. Wonwoo smirks. Everyone in the hospital probably knows what went down with Wonwoo

Not only did his lover die, Wonwoo also managed to send someone into an indefinite coma Wonwoo’s hands tremble and he pats his chest lightly, reassuring himself that this is okay. He’s allowed to be here. He’s here to.. read to Mingyu.

Wonwoo pulls a chair and settles down beside the bed, eyes studying Mingyu’s face. The bruises have subsided, and so have the scars Mingyu looks like he’s sleeping, his chest rising and falling gently. Wonwoo sits in silence for a while, unsure of what to do, how to proceed

“You should introduce yourself to him,” a voice says, and Wonwoo turns around to see Mirae leaning against the door frame Wonwoo swallows, “Ajhumma,” Mirae Ajhumma and Dongho were friends. They spent every day with each other.

Wonwoo hasn’t had the chance to talk to her after everything that happened Mirae doesn’t utter a single word and leaves just like that. Wonwoo purses his lips and turns to Mingyu. “Hi,” he clears his throat, “I’m…I’m Jeon Wonwoo and I…”

“And I hit you with my car,” It’s daunting to confess to even a person who’s sleeping “I have something of yours, a Pendant. And I want to return it to you and apologise to you once you wake up,” Mingyu doesn’t respond of course

Wonwoo exhales shakily “Until you wake up, I will..” Wonwoo opens his book and flips through the pages, “I will read to you till you wake up, Mingyu-ssi. I promise,” Maybe then, Wonwoo can move on from this chapter to his life He parts his lips and speaks, “today’s poem is..”

A/N : To clarify, yes those poems were written by Dongho (for the purpose of this fic ofc haha. Otherwise, all credit to the OG creators!)

— Distance makes the heart grow fonder Perhaps Mingyu’s a chronic patient of this quote because even though he has his life back on track, even though he’s surrounded by loved ones, even though he has been pursuing his passion — he feels empty because of Wonwoo’s absence

It has been a month since Mingyu decides to move on from that chapter of his life To leave behind memories of the hospital and get back to civilisation, to his real life and friends and work But he can’t get Wonwoo out of his mind

There are still a lot of unanswered questions in his mind All he knows is that it was Wonwoo that… hit him that day, and essentially put Mingyu in a 18 month long coma Put Mingyu out of society, stole 18 months of his life, not to forget the 6 months he spent in the hospital

Mingyu has a lot to blame Wonwoo for For not telling him the truth, for hitting him, for ruining his life Mingyu was furious initially, he despised how the circumstances had played out. He despised that he fell in love with the man who put him in the hospital

And he hates the fact that his heart continues to long for that very man For his gentle voice and adorable smile For his habit to push his glasses up his nose, or his tendency to slouch, like what is up with his back? “Chef!” Someone yells and Mingyu turns around

The noise from his busy kitchen pours into the silent bubble he was in, making him snap back to reality. “What is it?” Mingyu asks as he slides the mussels into the pan. He adds cognac to it , stepping aside as it lights on fire.

“Jeonghan Hyung is here to see you,” Seungkwan informs as Joshua ushers to his side, “Mingyu-yah, I’ve got this, you go ahead,” he says, trying to take the pan from Mingyu’s hand But Mingyu retreats his hand, “No I’ve got it,” he says, not allowing Joshua to take over

Joshua doesn’t say anything, but his and Seungkwan’s glances send a clear message Mingyu’s always had trouble letting others take control And it caused him a lot of stress “Right,” Mingyu clears his throat and hands Joshua the pan, “just uh—“ “I’ve got it,” Shua smiles

Mingyu purses his lips and nods, “alright,” He undoes his apron and leaves the kitchen to go find Jeonghan. — “So, how does it feel to be back?” Jeonghan asks, taking a sip of his wine. Mingyu looks around the dining area, smiling, “I don’t know,”

“I don’t know?” Jeonghan frowns, “I was sure you were going to say you’re happier than ever,” Mingyu smiles, lowering his gaze, “I thought so too but…it’s not the same,” Jeonghan hums, “it’s cuz you’ve had a long break. You’ll bounce back in no time,”

Maybe. Maybe not The zeal that Mingyu once possessed is missing Cooking feels like a chore now — a chore he can’t help but do, not out of interest but out of obligation This place he built from scratch feels foreign to him. The people he worked with? strangers

“How are you enjoying your suspension?” Mingyu asks, “I thought you wouldn’t want to see me,” Jeonghan rolls his eyes, “what I did, I did on my own and not because you told me to. I have to take responsibility,” Mingyu smiles. “Have you spoken to Seungcheol Hyung?”

That seems to be a sore spot because Jeonghan momentarily pauses and then averts his gaze, “no,” Mingyu purses his lips. He feels responsible for that too. “I’ve apologised to him. But he owes me an apology too. He behaved like a dick the entire time,”

Mingyu laughs, “I guess so,” Jeonghan nods, “he’s been quite a hothead lately. He even hit Won—“ Jeonghan stops himself before uttering that name but Mingyu catches onto it, tensing. Jeonghan takes another sip and Mingyu sighs.

“Have you spoken to Wonwoo?” Mingyu speaks up, and hates how the name feels almost foreign on his lips Jeonghan nods, “Yeah,” Mingyu’s eyes light up, “how is he?” Jeonghan cocks a brow, “why? Still in love with him?” Mingyu’s face falls and he shrinks in his chair, “no I..”

“No what?” “I was never in love with him. I was in love with the idea of him that reminded me of Wonyoung,” a Jeonghan raises his brows, as if impressed by the realisation. He takes a deep breath, “Wonwoo’s fine. Or not. I don’t know. We don’t talk as much,”

Mingyu swallows thickly “How’s Wonyoung?” “She’s good. Like me, she’s getting back to the society as well, you know. She has night terrors sometimes, but she’s fine mostly,” Jeonghan hums, “so you’re back together?” That would be logical. That’s how it should be but..

“No,” Mingyu says, “not yet,” Jeonghan nods, dropping the topic effectively. Silence befalls them as their food arrives. “Hyung I…can you tell me about Wonwoo?” Mingyu finally dares to ask. Jeonghan stares at him, as if wondering if he should tell Mingyu. He sighs “Ok”

— “Boss,” Seungkwan calls as Mingyu enters the kitchen, “Hyung!” But Seungkwan’s cries fall in deaf ears as Mingyu walks across the kitchen and into his office Mingyu heads of the wash basin, splashing some water on his face before staring into the mirror “Dongho, huh,”

Mingyu splashes some more water onto his face, and again, and again, till his tears become one with the water that trickles down his cheeks “Fuck,” he curses, wiping his face with the towel as he recalls Jeonghan’s story, as he recalls Mirae’s words that finally make sense

Mingyu stumbles onto his chair and places his face in his hands, letting it collect the tears he sheds, like a grade schooler “Fuck, you’ve been through so much, Won,” Mingyu utters, unable to hold back his tears Since when was he a cry baby?

“Idiot,” Mingyu curses, “fucking idiot, Jeon Wonwoo!” He yells, “why did you keep it all to yourself?” And for once, Mingyu let’s himself cry openly “I…fucking hate you, Jeon Wonwoo,” he sobs.

~~~~ As Wonwoo approaches the room, he sees Jeonghan Hyung practically storming out of there. Wonwoo doesn’t get a chance to call out to him so he simply walks into the room, only to get startled by Seungcheol sitting there. Before Wonwoo can speak up, Seungcheol turns

“Oh, sorry,” Wonwoo tries to leave but Seungcheol clicks his tongue, “it’s okay just..come in,” he sighs. However awkward as it may be, Wonwoo chooses to go inside and take a seat beside Mingyu’s bed. He sits in silence, a little scared of the man beside him.

“Jeonghan Hyung seemed pretty mad,” Wonwoo states and Seungcheol scoffs, “yeah. I think I might get dumped soon,” Wonwoo purses his lips. “We were fighting about you, actually. So if I get dumped, you’re to blame,” Wonwoo tenses, “I see,” Seungcheol exhales.

“I’m sorry about your lover,” Seungcheol says, surprising Wonwoo. “Thank you,” Wonwoo bows. Seungcheol sighs, turning to Mingyu. Seungcheol doesn’t look like he’s planning on leaving anytime soon. So Wonwoo just opens his book to read. “Have you been coming here everyday?”

Wonwoo nods, “yeah. To read to Mingyu-ssi,” Seungcheol scoffs, “the idiot hated reading, or listening,” Wonwoo’s eyes widen. A tiny piece of information about the man he visits everyday. Wonwoo…wants to know more

“Can you tell me what Mingyu-ssi is like?” Wonwoo requests, and Seungcheol smirks, not in the mood to spew hurtful words at Wonwoo. “Well, he hated reading for sure,” Wonwoo smiles. “He took two years to read a book Wonyoung suggested to him,” “Wonyoung?”

Seungcheol’s expression falls, “Wonyoung is…was Mingyu’s lover, since college,” Wonwoo’s eyes widen “Where..is Wonyoung now?” Wonwoo has been coming here every day for a month now — and he has yet to come across a Wonyoung. Where are they?

Seungcheol swallows and shrugs, “I dont know,” his voice shakes. This Wonyoung person must’ve been important to him… “Were you all close?” Seungcheol smiles, “Wonyoung, Mingyu and I have been friends since college. We were very close. Mingyu and Wonyoung… were in love,”

Wonwoo can’t help but notice how Seungcheol tenses at the last part “And now, Mingyu’s in a coma and Wonyoung’s nowhere to be found and I’m here — all alone, waiting for my friends to come back to me,” A wave of guilt surges through Wonwoo and he gulps

“I—“ Seungcheol laughs, “had you paid attention to the road, perhaps Mingyu wouldn’t be here. Perhaps I’d know where Wonyoung is. Perhaps, you would’ve been able to see your lover one last time,” Wonwoo’s eyes widen as a painful pang emerges in his chest.

Seungcheol stands up and leaves, with nothing more to say. And Wonwoo it’s there, stewing in guilt and regret. He turns to Mingyu, pursing his lips, “Will you be able to forgive me when you wake up?” he asks, scared for the future

— 2 months later — “Ah, pride and prejudice. A classic” Mingyu says, pulling the book out of the shelf. It takes Wonyoung by surprise, and she squints suspiciously at Mingyu, “I thought you hated reading,” Mingyu licks his lips and shrugs, “it’s not so bad,”

Wonyoung smiles and turns back around, walking down the aisle as her eyes rake through the book titles Mingyu follows her silently, hands behind his back. “Are you not needed at the Restaurant today?” Wonyoung asks and Mingyu swallows, “uh, no,”

Now that Mingyu remembers everything from before the accident, he’s been trying to make an active effort to better himself. Wonyoung and Mingyu broke up over the fact that Mingyu was far too consumed by his work and that it was stressing him out.

The trigger was Mingyu’s yearly check up which showed that he was prone to high blood pressure and other cardiovascular diseases if he continues on with his stressful lifestyle Wonyoung and Mingyu fought — Mingyu prioritised his prison over his health and Wonyoung walked away

He’s been so consumed by his work that relinquishing control of his kitchen to someone as capable as Joshua terrified him, adding to his stress But now… Mingyu wants to be better. Not just for Wonyoung but for himself. That’s why he’s stepped back from the restaurant a bit

Wonyoung seems to have picked up on his train of thought and smiles. “That’s great. Well done, Mingyu-yah,” she tiptoes to ruffle his hair and Mingyu giggles. Wonyoung continues to walk down the aisle, still exploring the shelves. Mingyu sighs. She’s a lot frailer now

Mingyu hasn’t asked Wonyoung about her time in Afghanistan yet because she’s oddly cagey about it. But it’s clear that the conditions weren’t good there. She’s lost weight, her smile doesn’t come as naturally as it used to and… she’s been a little distant

And yet, she never has any complaints about her like of work and continues to better herself. Mingyu feels obligated to speak up, “Won-ah, you should take care of yourself, hm?” He grabs her arm, his fingers wholly wrapping around the fragile limb, “I’m worried,”

Wonyoung smiles, taking her arm out of Mingyu’s grasp, “I’ll be fine,” she says, “I’ve been offered to go abroad but I’ve chosen not to. I’m worried about my health too,” Mingyu’s relieved to hear that and she smiles.

“Thanks for worrying about me, Mingyu-yah. It’s nice to have someone worry about me,” she giggles Wonyoung’s parents died in a fire long ago. She has no other family. Naturally, over the years, Seungcheol and Mingyu became her family. Of course they worry about her

‘Its nice to have someone worry about me’ Mingyu swallows as Wonwoo’s name comes to mind. Wonwoo’s…alone too, isn’t he? He has no family, Dongho’s gone and… Who worries about Wonwoo? How is he? Is he eating well? Sleeping well?

Why does Mingyu keep thinking of Wonwoo? Wonwoo’s gone. They’ve parted ways. Mingyu’s back to his life, he’s back with his friends and family Wonwoo shouldn’t even be in his mind but somehow he is even though what Mingyu felt for him was all fake

“There’s something on your mind, isn’t it?” Wonyoung asks, and Mingyu bites his lip There is. He’s worried that he can’t get back to cooking without stressing himself out. He’s worried he’s going to be a man without passion.

And he knows he cannot balance his health with his passion. It just scares him. Mingyu shakes his head. He can’t bring himself to open up to the people he loved anymore. Wonyoung shrugs and walks away, choosing not to pester Mingyu about it

If Wonwoo were here, he’d probably be able to give Mingyu a middle ground. Perhaps something like taking up the profession of a private chef, or catering Mingyu halts and Wonyoung turns, “Hm?” Mingyu smiles “Just remembered that I confessed to you in a library,” he deflects

A soft blush creeps up on Wonyoung’s cheeks “Right,” she clears her throat, looking oh so adorable Mingyu smiles. He takes her hand, making her gasp. This..feels right. He wants this. “Wonyoung-ah, can I buy you a drink sometime?”

~~~~ Wonwoo halts outside Mingyu’s room when he hears voices from inside It’s Jeonghan and Seungcheol “You can’t be serious, Cheollie. There’s no postage stamp either! How are you going to find her?” Jeonghan argues

“I don’t know!” Seungcheol yells, “but I need to! I need to find her!” “Why?! You know she’s safe! She’s alive! Why do you need to—“ “I just have to, Jeonghan-ah,” Seungcheol says , “I just..” “You still love her, don’t you?” “Just shut it, Yoon Jeonghan!”

“You can’t even deny it, can you? Why are you even dating me, Choi Seungcheol? Isn’t it time we end this? This was never real, atleast not from your side,” “Hannie—“ Wonwoo sucks behind a corner as footsteps approach the door

Ducks*

He peeks out the corner to see Jeonghan storm out of Mingyu’s room with Seungcheol on his tail. Yikes Seems complicated Once they’ve gone, Wonwoo makes his way to Mingyu’s room. From what he heard, they’re probably going to break up.

Wonwoo walks in and softly shuts the door behind him He pulls a chair for him to sit on and get on with his daily routine when a letter catches his eye Opened and placed beside Mingyu Wonwoo knows it’s not his place but curiosity gets the better of him

He picks up the piece of paper and begins to read “To Mingyu,” Wonwoo gasps “I’ve reached my camp fine and well. How are you? I’m fine and hope you are too. Truth is, I didn’t know if I should even send this letter in the first place considering how things ended between us”

This must be Mingyu’s ex lover “I’ve loved you for many years now, and it pained me to see you in that state of suffering,” Something in Wonwoo’s heart aches “It was hard for me to help you. I felt helpless as your health began to deteriorate,” Wonwoo swallows. This..

“I didn’t want to leave. I wanted to stay by your side and support your dream. But somehow we couldn’t work this out. We’ve known each other a long time, as friends and as lovers, so I want you to know it was really difficult for me to walk away from everything, from us,”

Wonwoo takes deep breaths. He glances at Mingyu, who has no idea about what’s happening. He doesn’t even know how much he’s- “I’m sorry, my love,” Wonwoo decides to read out, so Mingyu can hear, “I’m sorry I left you like that, like a coward. I should have fought harder for us,”

Wonwoo’s voice begins to tremble “What I regret the most is that—“ Wonwoo gasps, eyes brimming with tears for some reason, “what I regret the most is that not getting to see you one last time before I left,”

A tear trickles down Wonwoo’s cheek as the words become blurry He soldiers through his tears “I’m sorry,” Wonwoo says, “I’m so sorry, that things happened the way they did,”

“I’m sorry that I hurt you, Mingyu-yah. I miss you ….” A sob escapes his lips, “everyday. And I…I want you to know that I…” Why is he crying? Why can’t he stop crying?? Why does it hurt?

“I love you, with all my heart. And it has been my biggest regret to not have been able to say it to you one last time,” Hyung Dongho Hyung Dongho Hyung I…

“I love you. I love you. I’ve loved you… and I wish I could hear you say it back to me one last time. Our separation pains me, because it feels…permanent. I wish things had turned out differently, for the better. I wish…I wish we had more time, my love,”

Wonwoo drops the letter and tries to wipe his tears, but they keep coming and coming “Dongho Hyung,” he sobs, “I miss you, I miss you so much, I love you,” he cries “Did you know I loved you? I hope you did. I love you, Hyung. I love you, I love you..please..say it back”

A/N : does this clarify why Mingyu “remembered” Wonwoo confessing to him?

— 2 months later — Seungcheol doesn’t expect it to be Mingyu standing outside his door at midnight “Oh, hey,” Seungcheol clears his throat and Mingyu smiles. He raises his hand to show Cheol the pack of beers, “can I come in?” Cheol swallows. “Yeah”

For the first 10 minutes or so, the two just sit there, opening a can of beer each and drinking it in silence Truth be told, things haven’t been the same between them since Mingyu got discharged and that entire fiasco Neither can look each other in the eye

That’s why it makes Cheol wonder why Mingyu is even here “I want to start a catering business,” Mingyu says out of nowhere, taking Cheol by surprise “So suddenly?” Cheol clears his throat and Mingyu gulps, “no I’ve been thinking about it for a while now,” he says

“Why catering? What about the restaurant?” Cheol asks “The restaurant, even before the accident, it was stressing me out and the doctor told me it made me susceptible to Hypertension. I’d become too obsessed with my work and even..neglected Wonyoung,”

Right before the accident, Mingyu and Wonyoung fought a lot. They were both busy with work, especially Mingyu. He couldn’t find the right balance and it promoted Wonyoung to prioritise her work too. They inevitably broke up. Their relationship couldn’t stand the pressure

“And why catering?” Cheol asks Mingyu sighs, “I can still cook and it won’t burden me as much. And I can be with Wonyoung as well,” Cheol swallows, “you and Wonyoung are back together now?” Mingyu smiles, “Yeah. It’s been 2 months I guess. It just…it just felt right,”

Cheol licks his lips. “What about Wonwoo?” Mingyu’s heart skips a beat at the mention of that name. But he keeps his composure, “what about him?” Cheol takes a deep breath, “I thought you l—“ “Loved him? No, I didn’t,” Mingyu denies

Cheol purses his lips, “I was going to say ‘like’,” Mingyu freezes, averting his gaze, “like, love, it’s the same,” “You know it’s not—“ “Why are you bringing up Wonwoo, Hyung?” Mingyu questions. “I just..dont want you to jump into anything because you—“

“Respectfully Hyung, I don’t think I need you to interfere in my life anymore,” Mingyu snaps, “I’m not dependant on anyone now, I’m not a kid now!” Mingyu half expects Cheol to fight back but the latter remains silent, surprising Mingyu. His shoulders sag and he sighs

“I should never have interfered in the first place,” he says, voice dripping with guilt. Mingyu doesn’t understand what’s going on. “Is everything—“ “I have something to tell you, Mingyu-yah,” Cheol says and Mingyu straightens. “Yeah?”

Seungcheol falls silent for a moment, as if trying to figure out where to start. “I…I’ve had romantic feelings for Wonyoung, in the past,” And Mingyu’s eyes widen, “w-what?” “It was long ago. Before you guys got together and…I don’t lover her like that now because…”

Mingyu swallows, “because?” Cheol smirks, “because I love someone else,” he confesses, “and because I’ve been such a dick, he won’t even talk to me,” Jeonghan. Mingyu swallows. “Why are you telling me this, Hyung?”

Cheol shakes his head. “Us three have always been like a family. Wonyoung doesn’t have anybody other than us and I’ve grown protective of her. So when you ended up in the Jisoo and she just disappeared, I…I became resentful and…” Cheol closes his eyes

Mingyu listens patiently “Jeonghan thought I was still in love with her and it made things complicated between us. And then…I just…I’m not trying to justify my behaviour in any way. Things I’ve done and said are horrible. I’m just…I’ve hurt a lot of people in the process,”

“I hurt you, Jeonghan and…Wonwoo,” Mingyu gasps “I was really harsh with Wonwoo because I blamed him for everything. I just…I said things to him which I wish I could take back,” Cheol’s voice trembles.

“Wonwoo bore the brunt of everyone’s frustration and yet he…never once fought back, not because he can’t but because he didn’t want to. Wonwoo is…like a lone pillar holding the burden of the world on his shoulders. I’m scared that one day it might break,”

Mingyu shuts his eyes, taking deep breaths. “Wonwoo never said anything. He absorbed all the hate spewed at him. I wonder if he also thinks he’s the one to blame for everything. I just..I want to tell him somehow that he’s not,” Cheol confesses

“I was so determined to protect you that I didn’t realise I hurt the people I loved, like you and ..Jeonghan,” Mingyu swallows “Jeonghan…I want to tell him that what I felt for him was real. I want to apologise to everyone I’ve hurt. Starting from you,”

Mingyu gulps, “Hyung—“ “Please, I…I need this,” Cheol says and clears his throat, “Mingyu-yah, I’m sorry for hiding so many details of your life from you. In the end, you got even more hurt than I could’ve ever envisioned,”

“Hyung—“ “I’m sorry,” Cheol kowtows and Mingyu leaps onto him to prevent him from doing that. He pulls him in for a tight hug, “yah! Are you crazy!?” Cheol doesn’t respond and simply hugs Mingyu back, “can you forgive me, Mingyu-yah?” Mingyu sighs.

It’s true he hated Cheol for certain things but Mingyu experienced first hand how painful recollecting those memories was. Cheol should’ve treated Wonwoo and Jeonghan better — but Mingyu’s not the one to forgive him for that “You should apologise to Jeonghan and Wonwoo first,”

Cheol nods and Mingyu sighs. “I hope you can forgive Wonwoo, Mingyu-yah,” Cheol says and Mingyu gulps. That’s… That’s just… “I..I don’t think I ever even resented him in the first place, Hyung,”

~~~ “You’re still here,” Jeonghan says as he enters the room and finds Wonwoo sitting there Wonwoo hums, checking the time. He hadn’t realised it was 10 pm already. “Yeah,” Wonwoo sighs, “lost track of time,” Jeonghan takes a seat beside him and hands him a juice carton

“Lost track of time doing what?” Jeonghan asks and Wonwoo exhales. “Just…” Wonwoo was just thinking. Or not. He doesn’t remember what he was doing. Only that there was silence as this is probably the first time he’s spoken in atleast four hours Jeonghan hums

“Why are you here?” Wonwoo asks and Jeonghan shrugs, “this brat used to hear me out whenever I fought with Seungcheol so…” Ah. Wonwoo swallows. “Are you guys—“ “We broke up like two months ago,” Yup. On that same day then. They fall silent

“How long have you known Mingyu?” Wonwoo asks. Jeonghan inhales, “as long as Cheol. We used to meet up every now and then,” Wonwoo purses his lips, “I see,” he’s itching to ask one question though, “what about Mingyu-ssi’s lover?”

Jeonghan freezes. He lowers his gaze, “I didn’t make the effort to get to know her much. And I don’t know where she is now, so,” Wonwoo swallows. “Was she…a bad..” Jeonghan scoffs, “no. She was wonderful. Polite, genuine, caring, brave,” he smiles, “just wonderful,”

“But—“ “She was so wonderful in fact that not one but two men were head over heels for her,” There it is. “Seungcheol—“ “I don’t know anymore,” Jeonghan huffs, “he says he doesn’t love her anymore but he keeps thinking about her and…” Jeonghan purses his lips

“And what?” Jeonghan shakes his head, “he’s never once told me he loves me so…” Wonwoo gasps. “So that’s why it makes me wonder if he still has feelings for her,” Jeonghan smiles, a failed attempt to mask his misery

“Was he good listener?” Wonwoo asks, gesturing at Mingyu. Jeonghan smirks, “for someone who couldn’t stop chatting, yeah, he was,” Wonwoo hums, “I can tell,” “Why’s that?” Wonwoo shrugs, “I speak to him sometimes. I feel like he can hear me,”

“What do you say to him?” Jeonghan asks Wonwoo takes a deep breath. “I talk to him about my day. About Nero, about my book. Sometimes I talk to him about .. Dongho Hyung. Do you think they’d get along?” Jeonghan giggles “Well, Mingyu’s loud and noisy. Dongho was calm so,”

Wonwoo smiles, “I see,” Jeonghan hums. “What do you plan on doing when Mingyu wakes up?” Wonwoo’s heart twists. “Fall on his feet and beg for forgiveness?” Jeonghan smiles softly, “I don’t think he would even hold it against you,”

Wonwoo purses his lips, “I wish he would,” he speaks up, “I’ve caused him so much trouble after all,” his voice becomes quiet with guilt Jeonghan doesn’t say anything. “Don’t punish yourself, Wonwoo-yah. You’ve been punished enough. I wish you’d go more easy on yourself,”

Wonwoo clenches his jaw and lowers his gaze. “I’m sorry about your breakup, Hyung,” Wonwoo says and Jeonghan shakes his head, “it’s okay, forget about it. I’ll move on,” “Yeah it’s..good to move on,” Wonwoo says. Jeonghan just stares at Wonwoo

“When Mingyu wakes up and you apologise to him, will you move on, Wonwoo-yah?” Wonwoo gulps, “move on from what, Hyung?” “From Dongho, from guilt,” Wonwoo smiles, “I don’t think I want to move on from Dongho, Hyung,”

— 2 months later — Mingyu’s eyes stir open ahead of the alarms when he feels Wonyoung moving around in her sleep, groaning painfully He blinks away his sleep and turns around to his lover, “Won, Won, are you okay?” he calls

Wonyoung’s sweating and breathing heavily. Is she having a nightmare? “Wonyoung,” Mingyu calls, gently shaking her awake and her eyes shoot open, filled with horror. She takes deep breath, trying to make sense of her surroundings.

Once she realises she’s safe, her expression falls and she relaxes, snuggling into Mingyu’s embrace, shaking Mingyu combs his fingers through her hair, “it’s okay, you’re at home, it’s okay,” Mingyu takes a deep breath and the two fall back to sleep.

— “Gyu, Mingyu-Yah, why didn’t you wake me up?” Wontoung stumbles into the powder room as Mingyu ties his tie He smiles, “hey, go back to sleep,” he takes her hand and guides her back to bed. She can barely keep her eyes open, “but you said it was important—“

“For me. Not for you. You should rest, okay? I’ll be back soon,” he kisses her forehead and she begins to drift back to sleep “Are you sure you’ll be okay?” She mumbles Mingyu nods, “I’m not going alone, so,” She hums, “right. Your dancer friend from the hospital,”

Plagued by night terrors all night, Wonyoung finally succumbs to sleep and Mingyu smiles. “I’ll be back soon,” he says and kisses her forehead — “As expected, there are a lot of flowers,” Chan says, staring at the tombstone. Mingyu purses his lips into a thin smile

In the end, Mirae Ajhumma chose to be buried right next to her husband. It’s a little disheartening to see that while her grave is clean and flowery, her husband’s is empty and dusty. Mingyu and Chan don’t utter a word for a while.

“I promised myself I’d visit her when I could walk again,” Mingyu says, taking a deep breath. He wanted to show her that he had the will to want to get healed. That he finally did it. But… Sigh. “She would’ve been super happy for you, Hyung,” chan says

They don’t have much to talk today. It’s a little awkward to since it’s the first time in months that they’ve spoken. “Let’s go get some flowers for Ajhumma’s husband’s grave,” Mingyu says and Chan nods, “sure thing,”

As the two walk to the on-site florist, they engage in small talk. “I heard you’re selected to be on Soonyoung’s team,” Mingyu says and Chan’s eyes light up “Yes! I can not choreograph! Isn’t that cool?” Mingyu smiles. He’s missed that childlike enthusiasm of his

“Very cool,” Mingyu says and Chan grins, “what about you? How’s your restaurant?” Mingyu shrugs, “it’s in good hands but I’m not the head chef there anymore. I’m opening a catering business soon,” In the last few months, Mingyu’s gathered funds and found a place too.

It’s been exciting as well as a little scary. But he’s on the right track. All he needs to do now is to recruit people. Mingyu’s kinda thrilled about moving onto this chapter of his life “That’s great! If you ever need any help, call me, Hyung,” and Mingyu laughs

— The two head back to Mirae’s grave with flowers in hand. “Have you heard from Wonwoo Hyung?” Chan asks, an innocent question, but Mingyu tenses. “No I….” Mingyu doesn’t have the courage to get in touch with Wonwoo. He doesn’t know if Wonwoo would even want that.

“No, Chan. I haven’t,” Chan hums, “that’s too bad. He would’ve wanted to visit Ajhumma as well,” Chan’s right. Mingyu always thought that Mirae and Wonwoo didn’t like each other, or know each other

But now that he knows that they were acquainted way before Mingyu was even in the picture, he can imagine them being close. Mingyu shakes his head. As they walk back to the grave, Mingyu falls into deep thought

“It’s a shame her husband’s grave isn’t decorated. I heard their marriage wasn’t approved of by their families,” Mingyu nods, “Yeah. But I bet Ajhumma sent flowers here every week,” he smiles Ajhumma truly loved her husband She…never moved on. Not even in death.

Is…is Wonwoo the same? Every now and then Mingyu finds himself wondering about that kiss. Why did Wonwoo kiss him? Did Wonwoo ever move on? Will he ever? Does he even want to?? The two men stop in front the grave and Mingyu kneels to clean the tombstone a little

But as he does so, his gaze falls upon an object on Mirae’s grave, one not previously present when they were here 15 minutes ago A water bottle Mingyu gasps and springs to his feet, looking around the vast expanse of the cemetery, searching for..searching for…

“Hyung!” Chan calls as Mingyu dashes towards the entrance of the cemetery, his heart racing tremendously He’s dizzy as he makes it to the entrance, only for there to be no sign of life around He looks around, catching his breath. Fuck! Mingyu…just missed Wonwoo

~~~~~~ “Here, Ajhumma,” Wonwoo hands Mirae a bottle of water from the vending machine outside. She takes it from his hands gently and smiles, “Thanks, dear,” she says as Wonwoo settles down beside her. Mirae and Wonwoo sit in silence, watching Mingyu sleep.

Ever since Dongho passed away, Mirae and Wonwoo haven’t really been able to talk like they used to. Perhaps Dongho’s absence exposed the lacunae of their relationship. He was their buffer since they’re both rather shy and reserved people.

“Aren’t you hot in that suit?” Mirae asks and Wonwoo looks down at his outfit. “It’s not so bad,” he replies Mirae hums, “Are suits all that you own? Why are you always in suits?” Wonwoo purses his lips, “Dongho Hyung said he liked when I wore suits so,”

Mirae hums again, “so you’re going to wear suits till you die then, huh?” Wonwoo smiles“I guess that’s the plan,” Mirae looks him up and down and turns to watch Mingyu “I’ll befriend this kid when he wakes up. He’s very handsome,” Wonwoo giggles, “he’s very handsome indeed,”

Mirae cocks a brow, “speaking of handsome men, there are a lot in this world. You’re handsome too. I’m sure they’d like to date you,” Wonwoo purses his lips, “as flattering as that is, I don’t think I can love someone else, Ajhumma,”

Mirae sighs. “I suppose you still think about him, hm?” Wonwoo smirks, “I do. I think of him when I read. I think of him when I write. I think of him when I laugh, when I cry,” he lowers his gaze, “I just…kiss him so much,” he whispers, holding back tears

Miss*

Mirae doesn’t say anything for a while “It always hurts when they leave before us,” Mirae speaks up, and Wonwoo turns to see sorrow written all over her face

“Are you also holding onto someone?” Wonwoo asks. Mirae smiles painfully, “just like you, I can’t move on either” Wonwoo swallows. Ajhumma must be in pain too

“But I hope you can, Wonwoo-yah,” she begins, “moving on doesnt mean forgetting. It means locking those precious memories deep inside your heart to make space for new ones,” Wonwoo gulps and turns to Mingyu, “I wonder if…I’ll ever find someone to make memories with,”

A/N : if it wasn’t clear, Wonwoo visited Mirae’s grave and left a bottle of water in her grave when Mingyu and Chan were at the florist’s!

— 2 months later — After retrieving the box of albums from the attic, Wonyoung heads down to Mingyu’s bedroom, where she finds Mingyu staring at the computer screen Wonyoung places the carton down and smiles, “no mail yet?” Mingyu turns to her, lips pressed shut, “no,”

She walks over to him and leans down to kiss his head, resting her arms on his shoulders, “you’ll get it, babe. Don’t worry,” she reassures and Mingyu sighs. His hands run down her arms and their fingers lace gently. Mingyu looks up, “what’s in the box?” he asks

Wonyoung grins and tugs at Mingyu’s hand, “I found our old albums,” she chirps and Mingyu raises his brows, “what?” Wonyoung guides him to the bed and settles down beside him, grabbing a dusty album from the box. A delightful smile graces Mingyu’s face when she opens the album

Mingyu bursts out laughing at once when the first photo he sees is of Wonyoung, Seungcheol and Mingyu drunk and in a Photo Booth Wonyoung giggles, just excited to be with Mingyu. “Ah, we were so childish,” Mingyu says, flipping over the pages for more pictures

There’s a picture of Seungcheol in a karaoke bar A picture of Wonyoung in the library However one picture catches Mingyu’s eye. “When did you take this?” Mingyu asks, eyes wide at the picture of Mingyu holding a burnt tray of cookies, his first attempt at baking

Wonyoung chuckles and leans onto him, “I figured you’d look back at it in the future and realise how far along you’ve come,” Mingyu smiles softly, “I still can’t bake cookies though,” and Wonyoung snorts, “that’s not the point. You’ve come so far, Gyu. You’re a successful chef,”

Mingyu smiles and pecks Wonyoung’s lips, “and you were by my side all along,” Wonyoung bites her lips and says nothing. This is Mingyu’s success and no one else’s. They move onto the other pages, pictures ranging from their college to the time they were dating.

Wonyoung sighs, leaning onto Mingyu’s shoulder. Wonyoung met Mingyu on the first day of college and they’ve been inseparable since. Well, not completely, given their 2 year long separation recently Wonyoung runs her eyes up Mingyu’s face, studying his handsome features

Wonyoung regrets leaving to this day Tensions were high between the two after that one visit to the doctor. The Chef’s job is no walk in the park. After Joshua’s return from the States and Mingyu’s reluctance to work together with him, stress took a toll on Mingyu’s health

Mingyu built his restaurant and brand over several years. So to suddenly work along somebody proved challenging Mingyu was too stubborn to let go of control. Of course it led to fights between them. At the same time, when Wonyoung was offered a job abroad

With how things were between them, Wonyoung decided to walk out on their relationship. That has been her biggest regret to date. Because not only did she miss out on 2 years together, the Mingyu that’s sitting beside her isn’t the Mingyu of the past

This Mingyu is different. He’s not the stubborn Mingyu from before. He’s making efforts to improve his condition. Heck, he’s decided to start a catering business as well. But most importantly, this Mingyu harbours sadness in his heart that Wonyoung can’t tap into

“Tell me about your time in the hospital,” Wonyoung says, lowering her gaze to their locked fingers. For some reason, she’s a little scared to hear about it It might look like they picked up right where they left but it’s not the same anymore

Mingyu seems taken aback by the question, and also seems hesitant to even answer the question. Wonyoung can see the cogs in Mingyu’s brain turning. “It wasn’t bad,” Mingyu begins, “it was a luxurious hospital. I had everything I needed there,” he says, voice dying down

Wonyoung hums, playing with the once familiar fingers of her lover, tears brimming in her eyes for some reason “Cheol said you had amnesia. What was that like? You’ve never mentioned anything about it to me,” she says, voice constrained with emotion

Mingyu hums, his chest vibrating, “it was hard,” he begins, “I had lost 18 months of my life and had no answers about the thousand questions in my mind. But it was okay because…I wasn’t alone,” Wonyoung chuckles airily, “you weren’t?”

Mingyu shakes his head, “no I…I made friends. Chan, Mirae Ajhumma, and…” Mingyu trails off, gulping nervously. “And?” Wonyoung asks, knowing very well that there’s someone Mingyu’s omitting, someone he wants to move on from, to forget. “Seungcheol and Jeonghan Hyung,”

Wonyoung smiles sadly. Of course Mingyu isn’t going to open up to her They’re not..what they were before Mingyu and Wonyoung aren’t Mingyu and Wonyoung anymore

A sort of sorrow seeps into Wonyoung‘s body, because it feels like she’s in love with a ghost Perhaps, getting back together was a mistake “I love you,” she says, voice a mere whisper. Mingyu remains silent for a second. “Me too,” She closes her eyes. No you don’t.

~~~ “Yes. It’s done, I’ll send it over to you in a bit,” Wonwoo tells Hansol as he steps out of the elevator. “Okay, thanks,” Hansol chimes, “also, I’m obligated to ask you about /that/ manuscript,” Wonwoo sighs. “My answer is still no, Hansol-ah,” Wonwoo says

There is no way he can submit that manuscript He’s too scared to look at what Dongho Hyung wrote inside. And he doesn’t want anyone else to read it before him. But it’s a little annoying how hung up the firm is on that book, despite them already working on a new book

As Wonwoo turns the corner, he sees the door to his apartment open, his neighbour Harabeoji peeking in “Hansol, I gotta go,” Wonwoo disconnects the call and runs towards his apartment “Harabeoji, what—“ but what he sees inside shocks him Dongho’s family

“What are you doing here?” Wonwoo rushes in when they see them rummaging through his belongings, stashing things in a box They’re startled by Wonwoo, but keep their heads held high, “collecting our son’s things,” they says

“Wonwoo-yah, you don’t know them? They said they knew and asked to be let in,” Harabeoji says, concerned Wonwoo quickly begins to unload stuff from the box, “you need to leave before I call the cops,” Wonwoo warns.

This is his home He will not stand by as homophobes ransack this place The mention of cops seems to spook them and Dongho’s parents exchange a nervous glance. “This is trespassing and breaking in,” Wonwoo warns, “Harabeoji, call the cops”

“Stop!” The mother yells, “we’re here to take our son’s stuff. This has nothing to do with you. This is not your home,” “This!” Wonwoo raises his voice, startling the intruders, “this is my home. This is our home, mine and Dongho Hyung’s. You have not right to be here!”

The parents fall silent. “Wonwoo-yah, should I dial the number?” Harabeoji asks and Dongho’s father steps forward, “just give us our son’s stuff and we’ll be on our way,” Wonwoo glances at the box he’s guarding Looks like they’ve been through all rooms for their apartment

Dongho’s books, Dongho’s stationery, his clothes, his watch, his accessories, his … everything Wonwoo swallows, standing firmly between Dongho’s family and what they desire. Dongho’s family never accepted Wonwoo, neither were they fully supportive of Dongho.

They tormented Dongho for years, not shying from using various slurs to humiliate him in public, over phone, in gatherings… They’d practically banished Dongho from the family. So why do they keep coming back and pretending to care for their son?! Wonwoo will not tolerate this

“Leave. Or I’ll call the cops and oress charges for trespassing and breaking and entering,” Wonwoo’s determined to hold onto Dongho, “this stuff stays here with me, the one person who actually loved Dongho Hyung,” Rage ignites in Dongho’s Mom’s eyes

But the two know better than raising a hand on Wonwoo. They know it will land them in trouble. Good. “Let’s go,” Dongho’s father says, walking past Wonwoo towards the door, their gazes vengeful and filled with rage Dongho’s mom however stops beside Wonwoo.

“It’s a little pathetic that you’re holding onto a dead person’s belonging. But if being in love makes you this miserable, I curse you to never be able to move on,” And with that, she walks away as if she didn’t just spew poison onto Wonwoo’s face It’s okay It’s going to be ok

— 2 months later — “Hyung! There are a lot of good reviews on our website and Google!” Seungkwan exclaims, referring to Mingyu’s first catering gig. “Oh my god!” Wonyoung turns to Mingyu and hugs him, “Mingyu! I’m so proud of you!” She cups his cheeks

Mingyu is a flustered mess, grinning like a fool, so childishly excited, so elated He’d missed this feeling. Mingyu was a little nervous catering for a wedding for his first gig but he’s thankful to god that it turned out well

“We’ve already got 5 more emails!” Seungkwan turns to Mingyu, “should I schedule them?” Mingyu licks his lips and turns to Wonyoung, who gently pats his back. Mingyu takes a deep inhale and turns to Seungkwan, “do it,” Seungkwan huffs, “sir yes sir!”

“Ah, Seungkwan, make sure they’re not back to back. If they are, cancel them. Having them back to back might be a little hectic,” Mingyu says and Seungkwan nods, “got it!” Mingyu’s chest swells, he can’t believe his business is taking off already!

Perhaps months of preparation paid off indeed With a foolish grin on his face, Mingyu turns to Wonyoung, who’s watching him with tender eyes, smiling to herself. “What’s up?” He asks and she shakes her head, chuckling, “I’m so proud of you, Mingyu-yah,” she hugs him