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“People are screwed up in this world. I’d rather be someone screwed up and open about it than somebody perfect and ready to explode” – It’s Kind of a Funny Story, Ned Vizzini.

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CHANSUNG

When I first met Junho, I knew there was a huge chance of this happening. I could help him only till an extent. I tried my best to change his thinking but he was very stubborn. I felt like a jerk because I couldn’t prevent this.

His eyes were red as he registered the current flushing through him. Minjun’s face was white and he was holding himself back.

Junho’s heartbeat became normal and I heaved a sigh of relief. Taecyeon wiped the sweat off his forehead and gave an encouraging smile. He patted my shoulder and said “It’s alright”

Junho’s eyes slowly fluttered. He tried lifting his hand but he fell asleep.

“You can call this a normal sleep. Like the one you have after an exhausting day at work” Taecyeon said.

“No need to worry anymore. He’ll wake up soon” he said and left the room.

I glanced over at Wooyoung and Minjun. Their faces were white and pale and they were scared. I reassured them once again.

“He’ll be okay” I said.

“That’s what he said before. And then this happened” Wooyoung snapped.

“Relax. He must have got a panic attack. He’s fine now”

Minjun looked at me with moist eyes. He was close to breaking down. I gently made him sit down and he automatically held Junho’s hand. He was still shivering.

Wooyoung scratched his head in frustration and confusion. I had a hard time making them relax.

MINJUN

I felt so numb at the moment. I was just going to lose Junho. Forever. And after this incident, I just valued his unconscious state also. I couldn’t even imagine him dead.

“Minjun, go home and rest” Chansung said.

“There’s no way I’m leaving him now”

“You need rest”

“All I need to do is be next to him right now”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes”

“How did this suddenly happen?” Wooyoung asked. He was also terribly moved by the incident.

“He isn’t unconscious, he’s sub-conscious, which means he can get nightmares. I guess he must have got a really bad nightmare which is why he reacted like that. I’m not sure”

“How can we stop his nightmares?”

“He just needs to receive a lot of love. That’s all”

I looked down and bit my lip to stop tears. I could taste the metallic taste of blood. The Junho I knew from my childhood had disappeared. He used to be someone who was always happy no matter who loved him and who didn’t. Now, he needed someone’s love to survive. Otherwise he’d die…

I felt Wooyoung comforting arms around my shoulders. He stood next to me, trying to calm me.

JUNHO

My head felt terribly heavy as I slowly opened my eyes. It felt like my eyes were glued together. It took me a while to register my surrounding. The smell of medicines. I felt soft skin touching on my hand. I slowly turned my head to the side to see who it was.

I went blank as I saw Minjun. He was sleeping with his hand was on mine and his head rested on the bed. I blinked in confusion. Was…was he really here? Or was it just one of my dreams? Soon my foster parents would barge in through the door and turn this peaceful place into hell…

I waited for that to happen. But it didn’t. Minjun’s face was just a few inches away from me. If I leaned a little, I could really kiss him. But what was happening? Shouldn’t I be dead? How did they find me?

I was staring at Minjun. The only time I had seen him this close before was in the lift. When I was squashed between him and that lady. Just that now he looked more like the Minjun I knew. He had had a cold expression in the lift.

With great effort, I turned myself sideways to look at him clearly. I don’t know how we both got here. But I’d never get this opportunity again. To gaze at him from such a close distance.

His skin had become slightly pale. But he still looked beautiful. His sharp lips and strong jawline made my heart flutter. His thick brown hair which covered his forehead in bangs. I almost leaned in and kissed him.

But I reminded myself I couldn’t. He was probably here because he couldn’t leave me to die. Maybe he’d leave once he realized I was awake. He probably came for the sake of me as the senior interior designer of his company and not his childhood love.

A tear dropped down my eye and I unknowingly tightened my grip on his hand. His eyes shot open and he stared at me. I couldn’t move a muscle as his eyes bore into mine.

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WOOYOUNG

I stood on the terrace with my hands buried in my pockets. It was colder than usual. I looked up at the sky trying to swallow the lump which formed in my throat. It felt miserable to see Junho struggling like that. And the fact that I wasn’t the one next to him to be there for him. It was Minjun. The right person.

Why was it hurting so much?

I realized there was no point holding back as a few tears flowed down my cheek. They left a warm trail on my cold skin. I rubbed the tears off as I heard my phone ringing. It was Nichkhun. I took a deep breath and cleared my throat before picking up the call.

“Hey” I said.

“Hey, is Thursday okay with you? We’ll be back by Saturday. I want to roam around that place more.”

“What