Chanyeol ran towards the Emergency Measures room. Jisoo by her side also jogged. Until they came to a green room. Chanyeol tried to catch his breath.
His stomach hurt, maybe because he was tired from running fast from the parking basement. With trembling legs he walked over to the waiting chair and sat down slowly.
His hands were shaking. He was really scared.
Hearing the news of Joohyuk's streak of accidents made his whole mind shatter. His anger and doubt were defeated by great worry.
"Calm down..."
Jisoo held Chanyeol's hand and smiled thinly. Chanyeol smiled and nodded. "Thank you" he whispered softly.
They waited four hours. Until a doctor came out and walked over to them.
"Joohyuk is fine. He has gone through a critical period. However, a hard impact on his chest cavity made his lungs bruised. He has to be hospitalized for a few days because we have to monitor his lung injuries."
Chanyeol nodded. "Is he-
"He's still on drugs. But he hasn't fallen asleep yet. He's been calling Chanyeol's name ever since. There seems to be something bothering him so he can't sleep well."
Chanyeol looked at the doctor who was wearing glasses. "May I see?"
"Yes, please..."
Chanyeol stepped into Joohyuk's room. Leaving Jisoo who has now switched to taking care of the administration so that Joohyuk will move to the VIP ward.
Chanyeol entered Joohyuk's room. And when he saw Joohyuk's body in bandages here and there made him cry. Holding back her tears she covered her mouth, smothering it.
"No... Sob, I'm sorry..."
Joohyuk looked at Chanyeol with unfocused eyes. Smiling faintly, he moved his index finger,
Chanyeol approached him quickly and grabbed Joohyuk's index finger. Sitting beside Joohyuk, in a chair beside his bed.
"I'm here"
Chanyeol rubbed Joohyuk's hand, then his hand moved to grab Joohyuk's hand and lifted his forearm. Hugging her with her face pressed against the back of her hand. Kissed the back of his hand.
"Sorry if the other day I-
"Hyung..."
That weak voice made Chanyeol cry even louder. Blaming himself.
Joohyuk's accident must be because of him. Because he made Joohyuk unfocused. He shouldn't have said bad things that irritated Joohyuk. He should be more mature-
"It's OK"
Chanyeol's heart seemed to jolt with a million volts of electricity hearing that word. Also the smile that appeared on Joohyuk's face.
"It's okay, I love you..."
◕◕
An artificial lake became the subject Chanyeol looked at. It's a dream, Chanyeol knows it's because he's never visited this place before.
"Baby!"
Chanyeol flinched when his hand was grabbed. He turned. That face again. Chanyeol looked at him with deep eyes. He wanted to recognize himself but as if not given the opportunity, he looked down.
"Don't come to my mind, you're bothering me!"
Chanyeol withdrew his hand forcefully. "Do one!! Show yourself or leave me!! You make me fall in love, you make me feel alone and miss you so much, even though I don't know who you are!!"
Chanyeol looked at the man who was still smiling at him. He let out a long sigh and pushed the man's broad chest.
"I, will give up on you!!"
"I won't think about you anymore!"
"I won't care about you anymore!!! You hear?!! I WILL FORGET YOU!!!"
Chanyeol pushed the boy away and walked away from him. But not yet five steps away, the man grabbed his hand.
Chanyeol pulled him forcibly, struggling to let go but he just held on tighter.
He walked over to Chanyeol. Stand in front of him. He rubbed Chanyeol's face with his thumbs.
"I'm confused, I-sob, I don't understand what's going on... I feel lost. I don't have anyone to talk to!! I'm frustrated here!!! Sob, I don't understand, sob.. I don't understand what's going on."
Chanyeol hugged him tightly. The hug was really warm. Chanyeol was crying profusely. He poured out all his disappointment, fear, longing and even her love for this man he couldn't remember.
"I need you.. sob, not only in my unreal imagination... no matter I'm already owned by Joohyuk or even pregnant with his child, sob.. I want you to come and hug me in reality, sob.. I need you..."
Chanyeol cried even more pitifully when he felt a stroke on his head. He was crying non-stop until he sobbed. And the man still hugged him tightly and rubbed his head.
"I don't want to love you, because all that comes is pain..."
"I want to love Joohyuk who is by my side and never leaves me..."
"I don't need your excuses, I don't care why you're not by my side right now."
"I've done a big mistake to Joohyuk"
"He loves me very much, but I love you"
Chanyeol gripped the jacket the young man was wearing. He took a deep breath. The man still didn't say anything. He was still silent and stroked Chanyeol's head gently.
Chup~
Chanyeol's body jerked when the man who was hugging him kissed the top of his head with a light kiss. But managed to fly millions of butterflies in Chanyeol's stomach.
Chanyeol pushed him away. He shook his head quickly. Tears fell from her eyes, but this time without sobs.
"Joohyuk is a person who really loves me. He was willing to sacrifice everything for me. But I, for the sake of the one I love shed tears with a broken heart..."
"Who should I eliminate? You two are variables that I don't clearly know the value of..."
Chanyeol sighed. "Before I was confused, but now I'm sure," he said.
"I will erase you"
"Because you're just an imaginary variable that isn't real"
"I won't waste any more time on you"
"You, are a pain. I don't want to fall in love and then feel the pain of loving you."
"This is the last time you appear in my subconscious, I will not remember you again. I will hate you if you appear in my memory again"
Chanyeol stepped back, not wanting to be caught by his hand again. His eyes met the eyes that looked at him with deep and sad eyes, but he did not stop stepping back.
"Chanyeol-ah"
"!!"
In one blink, the man was behind Chanyeol and grabbed his right and left arm. Chanyeol fluttered in surprise. His breath caught.
Just calling his name and Chanyeol already felt his body swell from the many feelings that came out of just one name being said.
The young man looked down. He kissed Chanyeol's neck from the right and kissed his ear. The wind blew when the young man whispered words that made Chanyeol cry again.
"It's okay. I understand. You can leave...."
◉◉
Sehun and Jongin returned to Suho's residence. Sehun didn't express, nor did he speak. Even when his papa asked him what he just played with Jongin.
Waiting for dinner, Jongin is busy helping his mother. Sehun stepped out of the backyard and sat on a park bench.
Kris looked at his different son. His feeling was strong that his son wasn't doing well.
He stepped to go to him but Lay held his hand. Lay's gentle eyes looked at him, then he smiled faintly.
"Let me" he said then rubbed Kris' arm and walked out to little Sehun who was sitting quietly with his eyes staring at the empty night sky.
"Hi Hunnie"
Sehun looked at Aunt Lay then smiled. Lay crouched in front of him and held his hand.
"Umma will not force Hunnie to tell stories, because there are many things that cannot be easily expressed in words"
Sehun bit his lip and shook his head. Tears fell from his eyes, without sobs.
"How can one be the source of so much pain?"
"Chanyeol?"
"Eung! Now I think, he was the source of Mama's pain. He is the source of papa's pain. And now, because I love him, he is the source of my pain! I catch my breath heavily every time I remember it. I had bad dreams about him! I- I get into trouble every time"
Lay looked at Sehun with the look of a hurt mother. Because Lay knows, a child as small as Sehun shouldn't think about this.
"I don't know how I could be so eager to meet Chanyeol. Maybe, because I feel papa doesn't love mama, they can't be together and love me, that's what causes me to wish if Chanyeol who was by papa's side and loved me, loved me and cared for me... surely I would be the happiest child in the world"
Lay knows. The source of the problem initially was Sehun who found Kris smiling happily and warmly just thinking about Chanyeol. Makes little Sehun think that;
Chanyeol was the one who made his father smile sweetly, so he wished that if Chanyeol were by his father's side, his father would smile so warmly at him and would love him deeply.
Sehun is just a child who wants to be loved. He was just a child who wanted his father to smile sincerely warmly when he looked at him.
But because the one who made his father smile like that was Chanyeol. Now his focus is on finding Chanyeol, keeping him by his father's side so he can smile warmly at him and love him.
Lay rubbed Sehun's head gently. He wiped away his tears and kissed his forehead.
"Does love always hurt like this? Mama loves papa, but papa doesn't love him. They were forced to be together, forced to have me. I'm not even sure when these two say they love me, is it real? Is it sincere? Or is it just a manifestation of their mature mind telling them to act that way as a form of responsibility for possessing me?"
Lay blinked. Sehun knows a lot of vocabulary. He grabbed Sehun's hand and kissed the back of his hand.
"How many books has Hunnie read? Hunnie can read fluently?"
"Ne... I can read since I was 3.5 years old. Grandma taught me"
Lay smiled, "Has anyone ever said that Hunnie is a genius?" he asked.
"Yes. Everyone said Hunnie was a genius, smart, clever and wise."
Lay laughed seeing how Sehun's voice sounded arrogant and proud of himself.
"Umma is not a smart person, but umma will say this to answer Hunnie's question"
Lay rubbed the back of Sehun's hand, praying that he could treat his small heart wound.
"Everyone says love hurts, but that's not true. Loneliness hurts. Rejection hurts. Jealousy hurts. Abandoned and forgotten is painful. Everyone is confused and equates painful things with love. In fact, love is the only thing in this world that covers all pain and makes a person feel strong and happy again. Love is the only thing in this world that doesn't hurt."
Sehun processed Lay's words then looked at his brown eyes. "What makes Hunnie sick is jealousy with other families, longing for Chanyeol who Hunnie has never met, jealous of Chanyeol because he can see Papa smiling warmly and feeling Papa's great love?"
"Yes"
"Does that mean that love is beautiful?"
"Yes"
"Papa Mama loves Hunnie happily too?"
"Hunnie, this is their first time becoming parents. They also do not understand what to do. They're immature, and maybe they'll grow up while raising Hunnie."
Sehun nodded in understanding. He hugged Lay tightly. Lay rubbed Sehun's back. His eyes looked at Suho, Jongin, and Kris who were at home looking at him expectantly.
"Umma"
"Yes dear?"
"Thank You..."