EDITED: 7/20/16

Jongin walked into school with his shoulders slouched and his head hanging low. It's been three days since he's had contact with Kyungsoo and it terrified Jongin more than he'd like to admit, not knowing what was going on and walking the lines of uncertainty.

He stopped in front of his locker and reached for the lock. As the locker's door swung open, the sound of something hitting the linoleum floor startled him out of his reverie. Looking down, he noticed a now cracked CD case splayed on the floor with 'LOCAL CONNECT' written messily. Jongin knew who it belonged to the moment he laid eyes on the rushed handwriting.

Kyungsoo.

Hastily reaching down to retrieve the object, Jongin flipped the case open with desperation for some sort of news regarding his best friend. A neat little note tucked underneath the CD grabbed his attention and Jongin took the piece of paper out with trembling fingers. He tucked the CD into the small pocket of his backpack before reading the letter that Kyungsoo left him.

Hey Jongin,

Assuming that you've found this note in your locker (along with a CD of the Local Connect songs we've listened to together), you probably know that I moved.

Jongin in a harsh breath, his emotions becoming unstable as his eyes scanned the first lines of the letter. Kyungsoo left Jongin without any prior indication. He couldn't help the despair that squeezed at his heart. His eyes continued scanning the letter with a new sense of dread.

I'm sorry that I didn't tell you earlier. I'm a terrible person, I know. I just didn't think I could've told you if I were to tell you in person, so I figured a letter would be better than nothing.

Except it wasn't. Kyungsoo leaving him out of the blue hurt like hell. If he would've just told Jongin prior to his leaving then maybe he would've had some time to prepare for the departure.

It's hard to express how I feel since I was never any good with words, but I'll do my best for you Jongin. First off, I want to tell you how grateful I am to have befriended someone like you. You're the first friend I've had in five years and words can't describe how amazing you've managed to make me feel with our short time together. I was lonely and closed in before you came along. You taught me so much about friendship that I never knew before. Jongin, you've brought a lot of happiness in our time as best friends.

Jongin could feel himself shaking against his will. The frail paper in his hands began to crumple at the sides, his grip unconsciously grabbing tightly onto the paper as if his life depended on it.

You've taught me how to break out of my shell and live life a little. You've taught me that one person can make such a large impact in my life. Hell, you even taught me how to ride a bike. I struggled and I fell a lot of times, but you were patient and encouraging.

But most of all, you taught me how to love.

Jongin shut his eyes tightly as he forced the pressure in his eyes to go away because , that hurt.

I'm glad I didn't push you away Jongin. When you said the sadness that came with leaving would be worth it with the memories made, you were right. I don't ever regret having met you. In fact, I would do this all over again if I have the chance. Maybe I will one day. I'll take the memories we've made and I'll cherish them forever.

Thank you for teaching me how to be a friend and what it feels like when a person falls in love.

. Kyungsoo was in love with him this whole time? Even while he was dating Soojung? Jongin let out a shaky breath, praying to God he won't lose control of his emotions. There were only a few lines left of the letter, so he pushed down his inner turmoil to read through it.

Although it was painful knowing you never loved me the way I loved you, your love of our friendship is more than I could ever ask for.

I'll miss you. I hope you'll miss me too.

With love,

Do Kyungsoo.

--o--

Jongin was a mess.

He fell into an abyss of sadness as weeks passed without Kyungsoo. It was as if the older male completely wiped his existence from the universe, but it's more likely that he cut off all ties from Jongin. There were no more calls, texts, emails, or even letters coming from Kyungsoo. The lack of contact drove Jongin into a mess of unstable emotions.

He broke off his relationship with Soojung, finding no happiness in such a thing. All Jongin could think about was how Kyungsoo loved him and how hurt he must've felt. Jongin couldn't pursue his relationship with the girl after receiving such knowledge because every kiss, every touch, and every hug that Soojung offered didn't feel right anymore. The guilt ate at him until he decided to end it with Soojung.

As the end of the school year was fast approaching, Jongin couldn't keep Kyungsoo out of his mind. Until one day, pain coursed through his chest, causing him to jolt up in agony. Jongin could feel something like bile rising up to his throat, almost forcing his way out. He dashed out of the classroom and down the hall to the nearest washroom, locking himself in a stall. The boy heaved and gagged, expecting his lunch to come back out and into the toilet.

It wasn't.

A burst of something light and yellow burst from his mouth, scattering the floor and the surrounding stall.

Jongin's eyes widened in disbelief as tears spilled down his cheeks against his own will. He stood frozen in his spot. Seconds passed in silence as he tried to come up with a reasonable explanation for this. He crouched down, still in bewilderment, and picked up a piece of the foreign object.

A yellow daffodil petal cradled in between his thumb and his index finger.

Unrequited love.