After 20 minutes, he ran inside the hospital and rushed to Kai's room. A familiar person is also running towards them.
Loud footsteps are coming closer to them, revealing Yeonjun, holding the plushies that Kai left behind. "What's happening? He peacefully left, and I'm hoping that he is back." He feels down when he saw the pained and sad expression of the two best friends.
"He is dying! It's his last day as a grim reaper, isn't it? Does it mean that it's also his last day in this realm?" Beomgyu asked.
Meanwhile, Soobin keeps on looking at the plushies that Yeonjun has dropped from shock. "That belongs to him, isn't it?" Soobin knows his boyfriend's favorite plushies.
"Yeah, it's yours now. Kai said that he is sorry for what he did. He told me to give this to you." Yeonjun lends the plushies to Soobin, who began tearing up.
"I know that he hurt me for the sake of his responsibility. For that, I'm hoping that he could still live!" Soobin keeps on staring at the plushies, and he could reminisce a lot of good memories about his boyfriend.
Kai was comfortable sharing his favorite things with him. Kai's shining eyes every time that he sees adorable plushies. He will miss everything to him, his expressive eyes, and his mesmerizing smile, even for the simplest moments. Kai is too kind, simple, and innocent to hurt anyone's feelings, and Soobin could recall the times that Kai made him feel the butterflies in his stomach. The thought of losing his first love hurts a lot.
"His mission might be done already, and he didn't abide anything, so he has to live! Why do they have to take away his life? He doesn't deserve any of this!" Soobin shakes his head, pulling his hair in frustration.
Yeonjun feels sorry if ever his gut feeling of Kai's happy ending with Soobin turns out to be a false hope. Beomgyu can't help but shed tears when he saw how hurt his best friend is. "He will come back! He is not dead!" Soobin yelled, and he cried harder.
Beomgyu kneeled in front of his best friend, hugging him as he can't do anything to comfort his grief. "I'm so sorry," Beomgyu hugged him as he let Soobin cry on his shoulder.
The sound of Soobin's sobs is painful to hear, and he knows that his best friend will be more than broken once destiny ended his life. He feels more than sorry to not be able to stay on Soobin's side forever.
Yeonjun could imagine that Beomgyu will react the same once Yeonjun left this world. He won't let Beomgyu die, but he has to sacrifice himself for that, and he can't control it.
Deep down, Soobin's words are also accurate for Yeonjun's situation, and it made Beomgyu cry silently with his best friend. Beomgyu felt a hand on his hand, and he saw that Yeonjun joins the hug, forming a group hug.
They waited, and later on, Beomgyu helped his friend to sit on the chair. They all stood up when the doctor came out.
"He is really a strong kid, isn't he? He miraculously survived, and when we tried to remove his life support machine, we found out that he could breathe now." The doctor said with a teary-eyes.
Beomgyu decided to speak up when he saw that his best friend is in a daze. "T-then is he awake?"
"Not yet. What happened a while ago means that Kai could wake up soon if he is in a stable condition. I will take my leave now," the doctor smiled, walking away from them.
Soobin hurriedly ran inside the room, and he sat beside Kai. "Thank God, you're alive!" He touched Kai's hand as he cried.
Beomgyu feels happy, and he can't help but shed tears of joy. Yeonjun also did teared up, feeling glad that his friend was granted a second chance to live.
When Kai's parents arrived, Beomgyu and Yeonjun bid a farewell to Soobin, who is now hugging the plushies. "See you again. Thank you for not making him feel alone, Yeonjun. I'm hoping for your better future with my friend, and I know that you will take care of him."
"I hope you're right, and I'm glad that Kai came back for you. I wish you all the best." Yeonjun smiled a bit, trying not to be sad that his fate is the opposite of Kai's destiny of second chance.
~~~
"Beomgyu's issue is already settled, plus our band's anniversary is coming, so the school administration allowed us to perform on Friday. We only have three days to practice, and all of us can sing one song each! Jaebeom happily announced.
Their following days will be busy, but they enjoy what they are doing because it is their passion.
"Feel free to choose the song that you want to sing, and just like what I'm always saying, let's give our best like it's our last performance!"
It is usual to hear it for everyone, except for Beomgyu, who is affected differently. He only has less than a month, maybe a week, and it is literally his last chance to perform with the band. He looked around, appreciating the moment with his smiling members.
Beomgyu decided to perform his favorite song because picking a sad song could make him break down. It is his way to express that he is thankful for every memory that he had with people.
Everyone becomes busy with their studies and band rehearsals. For days of rehearsals, it's not just Beomgyu who felt different and worried about Taehyun, who seems gloomy all the time. The band members can tell that Taehyun is hiding his emotions by pretending to be happy. Until one time, Jaebeom decided to open it up to help their bandmate.
"Do you have any problem, Taehyunie? We would like to help you as best as we can." Jaebeom said in their break time.
"I'm going to announce something on the day of our performance. Is it okay? I'm not yet ready to say it here." Taehyun said, and his eyes are obviously conveying sadness like it's not good news.
"Alright, don't pressure yourself, and don't hesitate to ask any help from us." Jaebeom patted his shoulder. All members could tell that Taehyun is about to announce something sad, and Beomgyu feels nervous for an unknown reason.
In the times that Beomgyu is not in the rehearsal, Yeonjun is always there with him. Beomgyu would go home tired, and he just wanted to lay down in bed since he has no energy to prepare his dinner.
He is used to be welcomed by darkness every time he goes back home. He has no one to wait for him, but today is different. He opened the door and his eyes adjusted to the light. Beomgyu could smell something mouth watery, and he could hear the sound of someone cooking in the kitchen.
He walked inside the house, seeing the broad shoulder, the back of the person he recognizes. It feels as if his parents are waiting for him to come home after a long, tiring day. Yeonjun turned off the stove as he walks toward the kitchen table with a bowl of curry. Other side dishes are already on the table, along with the bowl and utensils for two people.
"Welcome back, little bear! Change your clothes so that you can eat your dinner!" Yeonjun is wearing a brown apron with a design of a bear.
Beomgyu froze on his spot, and he can't recall when is the last time that his parents waited for him to come back. The homemade foods that are made for loved ones, comforting for the hearts of young people.
Yeonjun quickly cleaned up the kitchen, and Beomgyu immediately came back to hug him. "I'm home. Thank you for the meal!" Beomgyu buried his face on Yeonjun's shoulder as he can't control his emotions.
His lips are trembling, and Yeonjun could feel the hot tears soaked on his shirt. It is hard for Beomgyu to recall some moments when he thought that life is unfair for him. From how his classmates from school would come home or hang out with their parents. Then his members would go home immediately after rehearsals from excitement.
"I got to leave! My mom cooked my favorite meal!"
"Dad called me because my relatives are there for a family dinner!"
"I'm so excited to slurp a hot soup in this rainy season!"
Yeonjun is now his newfound home, and he feels afraid that it will be only temporary. Just like his parents, his boyfriend will also disappear without coming back, and he's back from being alone again in the night.
"I know how it feels to have no one to wait for you at home. It will never be easy to lose parents at a young age." Yeonjun caressed his head.
"I already found my new home. Thank you, my love," Beomgyu whispered, and his hug got tighter.
Yeonjun smiled, and at the same time, a hint of sadness is visible in his eyes. "You know that I will always choose you wherever I go. Even if I'm not right beside you, you will always have a place in my heart."
"I hope there's a way for you to stay here," Beomgyu lifted his head, shaking his head to stop himself from overthinking.
"Let's eat before the food gets cold. You need to rest early," Yeonjun said, ruffling his boyfriend's raven hair.
Beomgyu nodded, and he went back quickly as he had his dinner with Yeonjun. His nights aren't cold and empty anymore, and he is hoping that it will always be like that.
.........