Missing your presence | Yeongyu | Beomjun |

16 | End |

He talked to Beomgyu endlessly, his voice laced with desperation. "Gyu, it's me. I'm here. Please, open your eyes. I can't lose you. I won't..." His fingers trembled as he held Beomgyu's lifeless hand, willing it to squeeze back. But it never did.

Each passing day brought less hope. Beomgyu's condition didn't improve, and the doctors began to speak more cautiously, their words slicing through Yeonjun's heart like daggers.

_____

One fateful morning, Yeonjun sat slumped in the hospital chair, his head resting on the edge of Beomgyu's bed. His eyes burned from lack of sleep, and his voice was hoarse from endless pleas. The steady rhythm of the heart monitor was the only sound in the room, a cruel reminder that Beomgyu was still there but so far away.

A nurse entered quietly, her expression somber. "Yeonjun," she began hesitantly, "can I speak with you outside for a moment?"

Yeonjun shook his head immediately, clutching Beomgyu's hand tighter. "No. Whatever it is, just tell me here."

The nurse's voice cracked slightly as she spoke. "Beomgyu's condition has deteriorated. His organs are beginning to fail, and... we've done everything we can."

Yeonjun's world shattered. His ears rang, and he felt as if the ground beneath him had collapsed. "No... no, you're wrong," he said, his voice trembling. "He's going to wake up. He just needs more time."

The nurse placed a hand on his shoulder. "I'm so sorry, Yeonjun. It's time to start preparing yourself..."

Yeonjun didn't want to hear any more. He turned back to Beomgyu, his vision blurred by tears. He leaned close, pressing his forehead against Beomgyu's.

"Gyu," he whispered, his voice breaking. "You can't leave me. You promised we'd always be together. You promised..." His tears dripped onto Beomgyu's face as he sobbed, his chest heaving with grief.

The hours that followed were a blur. The doctors informed him that Beomgyu's body was shutting down. The machines that kept him alive would soon be turned off.

When the time came, Yeonjun held Beomgyu close, his arms wrapped around him as if he could shield him from death itself. "I love you," he whispered through his tears. "I always will. Forever, Gyu. Please, don't go..."

The heart monitor's steady beeping slowed... then stopped.

Months Later

Yeonjun sat on their shared bed, staring at a photo of them from one of their happiest days. Beomgyu's radiant smile stared back at him, and it felt like a cruel joke. The apartment was too quiet, too empty. Beomgyu's absence was everywhere.

Every corner of the home held a memory. The kitchen, where Beomgyu would dance while cooking. The couch, where they'd cuddle and watch movies. Even the closet still smelled faintly of Beomgyu's cologne.

Yeonjun ran his fingers over the photo, his heart aching. "I'm sorry, Gyu," he whispered. "If I'd just been more careful, you'd still be here. This is all my fault..."

He blamed himself every single day. The guilt was suffocating, and the pain never dulled. Beomgyu's laughter haunted his dreams, and his absence crushed him when he woke.