wrong seat | jaeyong

# ten !¡

10:36 PM | Seoul, South Korea

Taeyong let out a yawn, dragging his luggage with him out of the airport. They already had a taxi booked, which would take them to a hotel for a two-night stay.

Taeyong wanted to be happy, that he was finally back in his hometown and could see his friends again, but he couldn't bring himself to be so.

The fact that Jaehyun doesn't remember him anymore, was still like a fresh wound in salt. Donghyuck kept squeezing his shoulder from time to time.

He was so exhausted, that he fell asleep in the taxi itself until his mother woke him up. He fluttered his eyes open and got out, following his family inside the hotel.

His father did the talking, as they sat in the waiting room. Soon, they were being taken to their rooms. Getting inside his room, Taeyong plopped on the bed without changing.

He was about to go to sleep again when he decided he should probably inform his friends about his whereabouts. For the first time in more than twenty-four hours, Taeyong turned on his mobile phone.

Two missed calls from his mother the day Jaehyun awoke. And plenty of unread messages from his friends in Korea. He replied to them all, before reaching their group chat, where he announced his arrival.

0.1 BRAIN CELLS

TAEYONG
Guess who's in Korea
rn?

NERDY BUNNY
omg, fr?

TAEYONG
yup.
So, at our usual
spot tmrw?

LIVING ANIME
YES.
same time?

TAEYONG
Yes

MOON
finally

Taeyong smiled, turning off the device and dozing off to sleep.

-

Taeyong walked inside the park, feeling the cool autumn breeze hit him. He shoved his hands inside his jacket's pockets, as he jogged towards where his friends are.

As soon as they all saw him, they all ran up to him and hugged him. When they all finally pulled away, Doyoung checked Taeyong's wrist for their friendship band, which they swore never to lose it.

And it was still there. The neon green band with we will be together written on it with white. Doyoung's handwriting. Doyoung couldn't express his gratitude.

"So, does it feels weird to be back here after so long?" Yuta asked as they all sat down near a river.

"No, cause it feels like home. It feels like coming back home after a long, exciting and exhausting journey." Taeyong told with genuineness.

"Are you already fluent in English?" Taeil raised a question, to which, Taeyong nodded.

"Not completely, but enough to understand what others are saying around me." Taeyong cleared.

"Tell us more about there!" Sicheng pleaded.

"The people there are sweet, though some can be really rude too. My friends, there are very fun to be with. Seems like Donghyuck has also gotten a boyfriend there, who has Korean parents."

"What's the guy's name?" Doyoung asked.

"Mark Lee. His Korean name is Minhyung."

"Oh, another Lee." Taeil nodded, totally not surprised.

"And what about you?" Yuta teased.

"Mine doesn't even remember me anymore." Taeyong bit his tongue for letting this slip out. Before coming to Korea, he had decided not to say a single word about Jaehyun to his friends, but he ended up doing the same thing.

"What do you mean he doesn't remember you?" Sicheng asked. Taeyong sighed, thinking about whether he should tell them or not. Well, there was no use in hiding anymore, as they will eventually find out from Donghyuck.

"His name is Jung Jaehyun. A Korean shifted to the USA just like me. On the first day of school, I was made to sit with him cause I didn't know English."

"He's a nice guy indeed, and maybe I started to like him in another way until he completely stopped coming to school. I asked his friends, but they said that he was just sick."

"But I didn't believe them, cause it was obvious they were hiding something. I often tried going to his house, but found no one, nor even his parents."

"When at last, I made his friends spill the beans. Turns out, he has gotten into a severe accident and was in a coma. I kept visiting him, talking to him, though I knew he wouldn't respond anytime soon."

"And then, just a few days ago, he woke up. But half of his memories are gone, and he doesn't remember me." Taeyong explained to them the whole thing, with a dead expression. At once, they all jumped to hug him.

"That must have been tough for you, but it will be okay soon. At least, there's hope. If you will go back and spend time with him, maybe he will start remembering you." Doyoung patted Taeyong's back, as he nodded.

They talked and hung around a more, before waving goodbye and going on their ways. The sun has already settled down, but there was still enough light to walk around.

He was lost deep in his thoughts, about what Doyoung said to him. Can it be possibly true that Jaehyun will remember him? The moments and memories they spent together?

The streets were busy, everyone either heading for their night shift or coming back from the work. The roads, as always, were busy. He felt a wave of nostalgia. Everyone seemed to be moving in life, except for him.

Everyone had a purpose and destination, except for him. He felt like a lost puppy, wandering around, trying to find shelter. He sighed, trying to bottle down the feelings before it starts to flow out of his eyes.

He was looking down and didn't see it coming. He tried crossing the road, but never crossed it. Cause in the middle itself, he was hit by a car, sending him flying.

He landed on the pavement, blood oozing out of the different parts of his body. His mind was dizzy, and his body numb, and soon, he closed his eyes.

But at that very moment he wished, he could close his eyes forever.

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