withering bloom | TXT

9 | soft.

[THE DISEASE(S) MENTIONED ARE
FICTIONAL AND IT IS NOT REAL!!]

YEONJUN laid his head on the wall, as he stood near the waiting room benches where the other three were seated. they hadn't gotten any information from the nurses, so they patiently waited for anybody to come out from beomgyu's door.

he paced, still comforting and taking care of the
other three who were going through the verge of losing their best friend in a surgical situation. but it wouldn't even matter...it's not like beomgyu will remember any of them. or their memories. as long as beomgyu will come safely and recover well, the other four would be content.

a sigh escaped his mouth as the other four's eyes fell upon yeonjun, who was looking out of the window, laying his head on the glass frame. the snow fell as he smiled at the winter wonderland. the first time he's smiled in a while.

yeonjun had always been the protective of the four younglings, who he always thought of as his younger brothers. he used to have an older brother, but now he was an only child. moreover, his parents were never home. he never knew the reason to it, but the thought never failed to sadden him.

he never let his guard down, in any situation that was thrown at him. when the tragedy of his eldest sibling occurred, yeonjun couldn't bare the pain. he ignored all his messages or calls and refused to open the door to his best friends. he slid their message contacts and tapped the moon icon, utilizing the do not disturb function on his cell phone.

he was in a state he would never let his friends see him in. he was strong to them, he was the older brother to them. but if only he knew, you have to be soft to be strong.

his friends entered that house that day, as their eyes
all fell on the figure who was in the corner of his kitchen floor, sobbing. from that day on, yeonjun let himself become softer in front of the others, there's no shame in crying.

he'll never forget the words they told him that day, it's okay to not be okay.

yeonjun knew how all his friends felt in the hospital, he felt it too. they felt broken... are they the reason for beomgyu's illness? was this was why beomgyu was against letting them know what was going on? why he would ignore their messages, distance himself? for the sole reason of not wanting to lose them or himself?

yeonjun's head arose from the window, bringing himself back to reality, as the sound of beomgyu's hospital door opening and closing, a sign that allows them to see him. the four of them looked at each other before rushing into his hospital room, afraid of this will be the last time they'll see beomgyu.

———

"beomgyu's surgery was successful. but you have to understand what that means now, as his closest best friends. former best friends."

the four of them slowly nodded, as they thank the nurse repeatedly for keeping beomgyu alive, even if it means that he'll never remember soobin, yeonjun, taehyun, or hueningkai.

the nurse left them, as they carefully opened the door to beomgyu's hospital room. the boy was silent as he was also sound asleep. the x-rays were set on his night stand. they show that the flower that almost killed him in his lungs, was now gone. so were his
memories of the people who "caused it". the room was dark as they walk their way over to the stools and couches near beomgyu's hospital bed.

"this feels...somewhat...nostalgic.." taehyun quietly says, dryly letting out a laugh.

"coming to this hospital every day after school to see you...yeah, not the good type of nostalgia" soobin added, smiling.

"yeah, our innocent minds had us thinking your dog had you stuck in the hospital for years." hueningkai softly says, as it eases the tension in the room, as the others join him in small laughs.

the boys felt at ease that beomgyu wouldn't have to go through that pain again, like he had to for so long. but at the same time, they lost their closest friend. the friend they went to when they needed to vent or to talk, when they were bored and wanted to hang out, or somebody who would win hueningkai a plushie from the claw machine. the friend that would play virtual reality and learn how to cook with yeonjun, the friend who would be studying with taehyun, the friend who would do art with soobin.

it was always beomgyu. but now, even if he's here... he won't remember them. but they'll never forget the impact that he had on their lives.

soobin feels his warm tears trickle down his face as the others begin to fill their eyes with tears. soobin kneels down to beomgyu's view, as he held one of beomgyu's hands, the others holding the other one of beomgyu's hands collectively.

"i-i know you can't hear this but... we're sorry..." soobin wipes the bottom of his nose with the sleeve of his sweatshirt. "i-i don't think the rest of us are able to speak right now...but after you're fully recovered....please come back to us" soobin stands up, walking to the wall to wipe his tears.

the others turn away from beomgyu. their hearts kept aching with pain.

taehyun stood up, pulling the drawer of nightstand and grabbing a pen and paper. "since we can't....speak right now..we'll write it as a last memory of us..."

yeonjun feels his tears about to fall, as he shifts his gaze to the ceiling, refusing to let the others see. hueningkai nudges his shoulder, as yeonjun looks at the youngest, as if he's allowing him to cry with the rest of them. yeonjun placed an arm around the two youngest' shoulders, joining soobin on the ground.

a tear trickles down his pale face, as they each look at beomgyu's rested face.

"let's write in the waiting room...i don't want him to wake up from the ruckus, thinking four strangers are in his hospital room.."

they all sadly nod, before leaving the room. yeonjun was about to leave before shifting his gaze to the snow falling outside of the window. the night sky type of snow was always so beautiful, how it was the light in the dark of the world. although the snow was rather light, as yeonjun smiled.

"thank you for staying with us till the end of winter."

before yeonjun could walk out, feeling hurt from the empty silence in the room with him and his resting brother, he hears a call coming from the hospital bed. yeonjun looked behind him to see beomgyu's light and drained face, his mouth stained from the petals he spit out earlier. yeonjun's face dropped, as his eyes widened, before he heard his friend utter four words:

"y-yeonjun? are the other three here too?"

                                      ———
 
           (i must've surprised you guys with the
                       obvious plot twist lol)