Today Sunggyu finally dared to hold his guitar in his hands again. It had been ages since he touched that  beautiful instrument, which, once upon a time was his life.
He bends down and picks up his guitar from the storage room which he had once thrown away in a fit of anger. He blows away the dust accumulated on the guitar because of keeping it unused for too long. Memories rush through his mind and involuntarily his eyes brim with tears while his lips curve into a smile. He realizes that the memories he was trying to erase were actually beautiful and instead of distressing over it, he should be treasuring them. He decides that he won't hide in the darkness anymore, he will face the truth with an open-heart.

"Gyu? Where are you going?" Dongwoo asks from the couch on seeing Sunggyu walk out of his room, all fresh and clean.
"To meet him" Sunggyu replies.
Dongwoo shifts his gaze and looks into his best-friend's eyes. He dreads to find any hint of aversion or emptiness in it. The moment he looks into the dark orbs, he finds it to be filled with hopes, expectations and few other positive emotions that had been absent for a quite time now.
Dongwoo's  tensed face softens and he gives him an angelic smile "That's a good decision Gyu. It's going to make him happy."
Sunggyu nods "Instead of inflicting pain on both of us, I should have done this earlier, right? I'm stupid, am not I?" he says with a light chuckle while tying up his laces.
Dongwoo gets up from the sofa and walks to his best-friend "It's better late than never."
Sunggyu lifts his head and gives him a sad smile.
The moment Sunggyu gets up from his crouched position, Dongwoo engulfs him into a hug "I'm proud of you Gyu" there's a tremble in Dongwoo's voice which makes Sunggyu feel guilty.
He returns the hug with a pat on the other's back "Thanks Dongwoo, thanks for always being there by my side" he hears a sniffle against his shoulder "Yah Paboya, don't ruin this shirt" he scolds him playfully "It's his favourite shirt" he says while rubbing the other's back.
Dongwoo retracts from the hug and nods with a small laugh. He wipes his eyes with the knuckles of his index finger.
"Ok then; I'll be going. And yes, stop wasting your time on those stupid dramas."
"Yeah, yeah. Now go" Dongwoo replies with another sniffle.
Soon enough Sunggyu finds himself walking on the snowy streets of Seoul with a destination in his mind. How long had it been since he finally walked out from his self-made cocoon? It seems it had been quite long. Because the last time he was out here; the leaves were in the state of changing their colours and the aroma of apple and fresh pears along the market steet was strong and now the market was full of knitted mits and hot street side foods which managed to attract many customers.
Winters were the favourite season of couples. It gave them a reason for some public display of affection for example- sticking close to each other for protecting their lovers from the harsh cold.
Sunggyu watches the couples passing by him with a knowing gaze.
Couples around his age were considerate towards the public and didn't show much skinship whereas the teenagers were shamelessly all over each other. Hormones, Sunggyu thinks. A smile crosses his face when his mind plays that beautiful moment, where he had his special someone so very close to him.

"H-hyung, what are you doing?" Woohyun asks, a bit flustered by Sunggyu's action.
"Keeping you warm?" Sunggyu answers nonchalantly as he brings the others hands into his sweater's pocket and entwines it with his own. He loves the blush that blooms across the other's cheeks.
"People might take a wrong a-assumption" Woohyun whispers and bites his lower lip.
"Does it matter to you Woohyun-ah?" Sunggyu asks softly. Woohyun shakes his head with his gaze fixed on the ground.
"Then it's not a problem. Your hands were freezing" Sunggyu reasons, which was actually the truth.

Shivers run down his body as several memories fill his head.
Woohyun.
The name itself was 'world' for him. And today he was finally going to meet him. His Woohyun must have missed him.
He fastens his steps in order to reach his destination as soon as possible.

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

"How are you Hyun?" he asks with a meek voice.
"Happy"
Sunggyu gulps down thickly.
"Hyung?"
He hums for him to continue
"Can you sing that song at least today for me; the one that you wrote for me?"
For a moment Sunggyu is speechless "H-how do you know?"
"I know everything Hyung."

And so he clears his voice and starts humming the starting melody. The scenes play through his mind, as if the whole ordeal had just happened yesterday.

Picking up my old guitar,
The confession that I couldn’t make
Pretending I made one song, I’m about to tell
Just listen, I’ll sing for you

"Woohyun-ah can you come to Hyung's concert today?"
"But hyung, dad?"
"Don't worry I'll get his permission for you, but promise me that you won't miss my today's concert?"
Woohyun puts his right hand forward and makes a pinky promise with Sunggyu.

I love you a lot but I don’t say the words,
It’s awkward that pride doesn’t allow me
Today I will take courage and tell you, but just
Listen to it carelessly, I’ll sing for you

That evening before the concert, Sunggyu's bandmates calm him down from his nervousness and asure him that Woohyun would surely be present in the crowd.
He did get successful in convincing Woohyun's dad after several hours of pleading but he was still doubtful. Throughout the concert, his gaze roams around the crowd of people who were cheering for them. He becomes restless as the concert nears it end and yet he couldn't spot him. Tonight he had planned to dedicate his self-composed song to his special person. But that special person was no where to be seen; atleast from his view.

The way you cry, the way you smile
I wonder how much they mean to me
The words I want to say, but missed the chance
I will confess but just listen,
I’ll sing for you, sing for you
Just listen once and smile.

Heartbeats frantic and palms sweaty, he dares to call Woohyun on the stage, still unsure whether the called one was present in the crowd or not. When he does so, 4 people named Woohyun walk onto the stage. Among the 4, none of them was Nam Woohyun.
To not disappoint his fans, he holds a surprise event for the 4 people. When the other fans whine in disappointment, all he says is "That name is a special one."

It’s a bit funny to me, although you’re everything
To me, sometimes I am no better than a stranger
Actually I want to rub my hair
And be hugged in your arms

After the concert, the first thing he does was -calling Woohyun.
"I-I'm so sorry" a long breath "hyung" Woohyun's voice strangely came out very strained, as if speaking was a difficult task.
"Hyun? Where are you?" he asks totally worried.
"Sorry I couldn't make it"
"Hyun where are you?"
"Its s-so dark here, hyung I'm sca" a long breath "scared."
"Hyun please tell me where are you" asks Sunggyu his heart beating anxiously against his ribcage "Around your house? Near the concert place?" 
"Somewhere behind the backstage. I, I don't know hyung" comes a meek reply.

The way you cry, the way you smile
I wonder how much they mean to me
The words that I regretted when I looked back
I will appologize but just listen,
I will sing for you, sing for you

"Hyung, its hard to breathe."
"Hyun, please, please, please be safe" he sobs into the cell while running here and there frantically "Hyung will find you very soon so please be safe baby" he says in a trembling voice.
"Come soon hyung, I-I'm feeling cold"
"Hyun!" he shouts in the darkness of the forest-like place "Could you hear my voice when I shouted Hyun?" he says into the mobile.
"Very clo-se. Hyung I'm feeling slee-sleepy."
"Hyun please stay awake for me."
"Hmm"   
"Hyun" he cries while trying to look through the darkness.

Everyday I am thankful that you are with me
My gift that God gave to me
After today, I might act awkward again
But today I really want to say
So listen just casually

He reaches Woohyun but it was too late. Woohyun was lying on the ground. Lifeless. He wants to cry but it seems worthless now. The mixed emotion of guilt, loss, despair, regret flood inside him and make his heart constrict in pain. He walks closer to him and falls to his knees. Bringing the lifeless head onto his lap he starts caressing his hair.
"Woohyun-ah, you bad boy, didn't hyung ask you stay awake?" he whispers. The lump in his throat making his voice hoarse. "Why Hyun? Why?"
Getting silence as his reply, it hits him. Hits him hard like a rock. His Woohyun left him. Not to a place where he could woo him to return back. He went to a place where returning could never be an option.
He really wished that his Woohyun could return. Return back and pester him to teach him new notes of piano. Return back and ask him to stay by his side during rainy nights, becuase "Hyung, thunders are very scary and I feel lonely".
But Woohyun was not going to return how-much-ever the prideful Sunggyu pleads him to. He wouldn't be returning to listen to Sunggyu's confession.
Throwing his head back and he lets out a scream.

The way you cry, the way you smile
I wonder how much they mean to me.
The words I want to say, but missed the chance
I will confess and it’s a bit awkward, but
Just listen I will sing for you, sing for you
Just listen, I will sing for you

The last wordings come out totally broken. Tears keep running down his cheeks and his breathing rate shallows.
He lets his eyelids open but there's no Woohyun in front fo him. Only the big black tomb facing him.
It had been 3 years since that beautiful soul had left this cruel place called earth. Sunggyu hoped that he was at least happy up over there.
He had so many things to tell, to share with the younger.
"How could you .." he sniffles "you leave me... even before listening to my... confession?"
Putting his head on the cold surface of the tomb, he lets his mind finally to come in par with the cruel reality. He had shut off his mind the moment Woohyun's dad blamed him for Woohyun’s death.
And maybe Woohyun’s dad was right. Only if he hadn't invited the younger that night, he would have  been by his side.
Woohyun was his muse for writing songs and composing new songs. So when his muse left him, he left his singing too.
To be honest, he was so traumatised by the other's death that for few months he didn't even speak up to anyone. The regret slowly killing him from inside.
How would have Woohyun reacted to his confession? Would he had turn him down by saying "Hyung, dad will be mad if he got to know" or would he take risk and be with him?
His answer wouldn't have mattered that much since he knew that Woohyun loved him. Woohyun had no one beside his dad and Sunggyu. He was an introvert and wouldn't have talked to Sunggyu too, but god had its own ways of making people meet, right?
So why was god so cruel?
God snatched away so much beautiful things that were supposed to happen between him and Woohyun.
He snatched away his opportunity. Opportunity to make new memories with Woohyun and treasure it to death. Opportunity to see Woohyun turn into a successful singer and proudly stating to the world that he was his tutor.
Someday they would eventually have been together; that he was completely sure of, because "Hyung you know, Nam Woohyun is the peanut butter to hyung's bread"
But now, the bread is going to be forever tasteless.

// Yet another beautiful story! Please send all authors your love and comment :)