Hongjoong sat in the wooden
chair, he hated. Here he was
back again.
As a child, Hongjoong used to
get very sick, which is why
his parents became very health
conscious, not allowing him to
even eat food from outside.
And then it started.
Hongjoong used to have a lot of
pains, persistent coughing, shortness
of breath. But he didn't tell anyone.
DOCTOR:
“hongjoong, nice
to meet you.”
HONGJOONG:
“nice to meet you too.”
DOCTOR:
“where is your mother?”
HONGJOONG:
“i told her to sit this one
out.”
DOCTOR:
“rightfully so.”
DOCTOR:
“you have been experiencing
chest pain, persistent coughing
and that too with blood, absolute
shortness of breath, is that correct?”
HONGJOONG:
“yes.”
DOCTOR:
“weight loss?”
HONGJOONG:
“eight kilograms in a week.”
DOCTOR:
“right.”
DOCTOR:
“and since when have
you been having these
symptoms?”
HONGJOONG:
“last month or so but
they've gotten worse with
time.”
The doctor fell silent.
HONGJOONG:
“just give me the news doc.”
HONGJOONG:
“i know you know.”
DOCTOR:
“well, with all the scans
we've run– it's stage
four of lung cancer.”
DOCTOR:
“stage four of small cell
lung cancer which is
very rare but it accounts
for thirteen percent
of all lung cancers.”
DOCTOR:
“its very aggressive in
nature and the cancer
cells spread more quickly.”
HONGJOONG:
“any cure?”
DOCTOR:
“its not curable.”
DOCTOR:
“i would offer palliative
care options but we can
also try chemo.”
DOCTOR:
“since chemotherapy is the
primary treatment for
small cell lung cancer.”
DOCTOR:
“we’ll need to start chemo
immediately because
it spreads much faster
and can be fatal with in a
few weeks.”
HONGJOONG:
“how much time do I get
with chemotherapy?”
DOCTOR:
“its stage four cancer.”
DOCTOR:
“its terminal.”
DOCTOR:
“but we can still try.”
Hongjoong thinks for a minute.
HONGJOONG:
“no.”
HONGJOONG:
“i don't want it.”
HONGJOONG:
“i already have less time
and I'm not going to
spend it with chemo.”
DOCTOR:
“it might prolong
your chances to live.”
HONGJOONG:
“and at what cost?”
Hongjoong gets up and leaves.
He had made up his mind.
He wasn't going to tell anyone.
Suddenly his phone started to ring.
It was Yunho.
Ever since the incident happened
about a three weeks ago, yunho
had been staying at hongjoong’s
house.
Hongjoong hadn't met yunho for the
past two weeks. So that yunho
wouldn't notice his decline
in health.
but how long could he run away
from everything?
He picked up the call.
YUNHO:
“hey um the guys wanted
to come over but I told them
you were sick.”
YUNHO:
“so we’re going out.”
YUNHO:
“do you want to come?”
YUNHO:
“if you're feeling better
of course.”
HONGJOONG:
“you can call them over.”
HONGJOONG:
“i’ll come meet everyone
when I'm feeling better.”
YUNHO:
“are you sure?”
YUNHO:
“i wouldn't want to impose.”
HONGJOONG:
“yunho– i’ve told you, this
house is mine as much as
it's yours.”
HONGJOONG:
“we’re brothers, c'mon.”
YUNHO:
“i hope you know that
it means a lot to me,
hongjoong.”
YUNHO:
“everything you've done.”
HONGJOONG:
“i didn't do anything, yunho.”
HONGJOONG:
“you deserve the best.”
YUNHO:
“you know–”
YUNHO:
“i’m happy with whatever
I have.”
HONGJOONG:
“don’t get all sappy on me.”
Yunho chuckled.
YUNHO:
“i’m trying not to”
HONGJOONG:
“i’m going to bed.”
Hongjoong was lying. He didn't tell
yunho he wasn't at home.
YUNHO:
“okay, sleep well.”
YUNHO:
“i’ll wake you up when
they come.”
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Everyone had gathered at
Hongjoong’s house.
He could hear them.
Seonghwa’s useless attempts
at flirting, san’s laughter, Mingi
giggling, Wooyoung yelling, yunho
quoting vines, elysia snorting,
Yeosang talking.
He was sure that Jongho was
breaking apples.
And y/n. Her beautiful laughter.
The one that had thrown Hongjoong off the first time he heard it. He knew he couldn't be hers. It was impossible given his situation. So he just imagined what it'd be like and kept his feelings to himself. Maybe that was what was best.
He knew this was coming
but this was still hard.
He had told his parents and
they had become a sobbing
mess, despite knowing for years.
His mind was a spinning mess.
This people didn't even know that Hongjoong was sick.
They were so close to his heart,
how could he do this?
A loud noise snapped Hongjoong
out of his thoughts.
It was a gunshot.
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