Half of Sunggyu’s world had ceased the day he had removed the bandage on his left eye. A jagged line of scar had crossed on top of the eye, somehow now a reminder for him that he had just survived a death or life situation. But the scar wasn’t what had made him broken and empty. The blank page on one side of his vision did. His mother had cried endlessly that day when Sunggyu had told the doctor that he couldn’t see— that at least half of his vision was void of objects, of people, of anything. None. It was a total blank on one side. His poor mother had shed streams of tears for him but no, Sunggyu hadn’t cried. He was trying to stay optimistic. He had told himself that it would only be temporary, that it would definitely come back. He had believed so, but it had already been three weeks since he promised himself that. Yet the hope was still left unanswered even when he was being discharged home.

It’s okay, he had thought. He still had The Eyes. He had told himself again and again. He will be fine. He had tried to convince his wavering heart. He did everything he could to believe, to stay strong, to hope, but another week had passed since then. Yet there was still no vision, no rolling pictures in his head, no foreseeing. He had foreseen nothing, saw only a hazy future he had no grasp on. He had tried. He had forced himself to focus, to concentrate. Maybe he would see one then.

Useless.

His effort had only dumped reality on him. There was no The Eyes. Sunggyu was scared. He feared the change that it would bring. His entire life, he had had The Eyes to lead him, to help and guide him and the others. So when the thought that he could have lost the one thing that had made up his entire life, what else could he feel other than fear, anguish and pain?

No, he would be alright. He still had The Eyes. He forced himself to believe it this time. He’s going to be fine. He wanted himself to believe that so bad, but he just couldn’t. He was feeling restless, his chest was heavy and grave that one particular night. He didn’t know why and he hated that dread feeling of the unknown. That night, he had felt the need to speak what had been crawling in his head. So he had called Sungyeol over.

Sungyeol had been sleeping over at his place almost every day ever since he had returned home. That night, he came over again with a huge bag pack full of only junk foods and only a small portion for clothes. He had wanted them to get drunk, but he knew that they shouldn't considering Sunggyu had his right hand casted. He could’ve re-injured himself while getting wasted and Sungyeol did not want to be held responsible for that because he had had enough of Sunggyu’s spoilt attitude with his reason of “I can’t use my right hand. Bring me food please.” Sungyeol swore he wouldn’t have complied to his annoying requests if not because Sunggyu was still struggling with his limited eye field, because “dammit, Sunggyu! You’re left-handed!”

But Sungyeol was glad nonetheless because Sunggyu hadn’t shown any signs of weakness despite just losing one of his eyes. Sunggyu had been nothing but a bundle of strength and smiles as he gladly received help from those around him. But it was wrong of him to decide that that early. Sunggyu was nothing but strength right then. The words that suddenly left the elder’s mouth had guided a knife straight to Sungyeol's heart that night when tears finally broke through.

“Sungyeol-ah.” His voice was of a whisper when he had called for the younger, splaying his limbs lazily on the couch. Sungyeol only hummed back a response then, too lazy to even pronounce a word as he had his eyes fixated on the television.

“I can’t see my future.” Sunggyu’s words were simple. Sungyeol wouldn’t have understood the meaning behind that if only he were someone else. But he was Sungyeol, Sunggyu’s one and only best friend so he couldn’t do anything but understand the meaning behind them.

Sungyeol had chuckled to dismiss what he had thought he understood. Sunggyu could be playing a joke on him and he wouldn’t know, because sometimes, Sunggyu could be unpredictable as well. “Funny, hyung. That’s too deep coming from you.” Sungyeol laughed a little too forced this time. He wished he had been wrong this time.

“Yeol. I can’t see my future. I can’t see yours. I can’t see anything anymore.” Sunggyu had sobbed this time. The tears that fell down had proved how dire the situation was for Kim Sunggyu. Kim Sunggyu’s heart had long turned to stone. He hadn’t cried for two years even with the news of the death of his cousin because he had foreseen it. He had prepared himself for it, every single time bad or good things happened. So the tears that had broke through surely had told them that no, Sunggyu wasn’t joking this time.

Sungyeol had risen from the couch. He sat there quiet, his hand holding the other’s tight. He had no words to return. He had nothing to comfort the elder.

“Sungyeol-ah. What if The Eyes never return? What if it had really been lost in that accident? What if I lost both my eyes and The Eyes, Sungyeol-ah?” Sunggyu had sobbed hard.

“It’s okay, Sunggyu. It will come back. It will. You only need to wait.”

“But if it didn’t? How would I live my life then? I already lost an eye, I can’t lose The Eyes too, Sungyeol. I can’t live without them. They are my life, my world.” It almost sounded like he wanted to beg Sungyeol to give him the answer he had wanted to hear, but Sungyeol had nothing like that. He didn’t have the power to know if The Eyes would return to him one day. He wasn’t gifted.

“Sunggyu, it’s just The Eyes. You are alive and breathing. You still have half your vision. You can survive this, Sunggyu. You can.”

“But Yeol, I can’t. I need The Eyes. I can’t go on living and not knowing what would happen in the future. I can’t sleep like this. I’d rather die in that accident than having to live blindly like this—“

A fist had pounded on Sunggyu’s face and silence caught the elder’s throat. The air was too still; only ragged breaths were filling it. He brought a thumb against his broken lips, wiping the rusty taste liquid before he bit his lips. The punch had stung him, but the pain was not comparable to the pain in his chest. He looked up at Sungyeol whom was fuming with anger and shut his eyes tight when Sungyeol had lurched towards him and grabbed his collar.

“Sunggyu! You were in coma for one week! Your mother and your father cried every single day watching you fought for your life! You went pulseless twice in that week! How did you think we felt when the doctor had told us that they almost lost you?! We almost lost you twice, Sunggyu!” Sungyeol had screamed his lungs out, his face completely reddened in anger. He had wanted to stay mad, to stay angry at him, but the look of desperation in Sunggyu’s small but sharp eyes had told him that whatever Sunggyu had been feeling all these while, they were real. Those feelings, those thoughts in his head must have been painful enough to even seep the thought of death into his mind. The on-going tears against his pale skin were enough of a proof for him.

He carefully let go the grip on his collar and rested his hands on his shoulders instead. The grip there was desperate however. He was just desperate enough to relay to Sunggyu the message he had wanted him to understand.

“Sunggyu, please. We were just glad enough that you had won the battle, that you had fought for your life. Even if it had meant that you would have to give back your eyes for it. We were just really really glad that we’ve got you back with us. You came back to us, Sunggyu. You came back.” Sungyeol had pressed on his last words. He had wanted him to understand.

“I’m sorry, Yeol. I’m sorry.” Sunggyu muttered, yet they weren’t really sure what it had meant. The sobs then gradually melted into the cold, quiet air. The emotions they had let out were definitely intense, heavy. And they needed time to sink all thoughts away. Seconds turned to minutes before Sunggyu was suddenly reminded of the reason, or for a better term, the person he had given up his eyes for. What had happened to him after that? He never knew the answer to that. So he just did what he thought could give him the answers to his question.

“Hey, Yeol?” His voice snapped Sungyeol out of his daze.

“Yeah?” The other had responded, quiet and careful.

“What happened to the guy I saved?” Sungyeol looked antagonized at that.

“He was fine. Came out with scratches but nothing as bad.” He answered still, reluctance dripping from his voice.

“Didn’t he come to visit me? How come I never really saw him?" Sunggyu was curious. He had saved his life, lost his eyes in return and he never came back for him? Maybe he just didn't see him. He had his eye bandaged after all.

Sungyeol huffed and crossed his arms against his chest. “He came once when you were in coma, but that’s it.” Sunggyu's eyebrows knotted at the answer.

“That’s it?” He asked back.

“Yeah. I was actually quite pissed off myself. I was stupid to actually think that he was a tad bit handsome. A guy with that attitude doesn’t deserve a compliment from this majestic Lee Sungyeol! If I ever see him once again, just see what I'll do to him.” He had threatened. The look in his eyes had told Sunggyu that he wasn't exactly joking. No, it almost looked like he was planning a murder with just a fork.

Sunggyu had only chuckled quietly listening to him. He was thankful that the younger had gotten angry for him. He wanted to feel angry but he couldn’t. That night, Sunggyu could feel nothing but grief, pain and anguish. Kim Sunggyu was just so very grateful to have a Lee Sungyeol by his side.

It was the week after, when Sunggyu finally deemed himself ready to return back to his college. He had rested for almost a month and a half, and he thought it was enough time for him to get over the world-splitting accident and moved on with his life. Well, he thought wrong. Kim Sunggyu was nothing but ready for what had awaited him in his college. He almost regretted his decision the instant he had stepped a foot on the college ground. Those pairs of eyes that were watching him, staring at him—they had almost felt like they were scrutinising him. Scrutinising him for being disabled, for being scarred, for losing half of his world for a stranger, for being stupid, for being weak. Or just for being Kim Sunggyu. The looks of curiosity and whispers of pity had floated and swam through the cold air. And those had gone straight through his heart. He almost immediately shot his hand to his left eye, hiding the visible scar that stretched across the skin the moment he had heard “Look, his eye.” Sunggyu hated it. Sunggyu hated how insecure he had felt even with just a small insignificant scar.

It wasn’t even a second later when Sunggyu had felt a firm grip on his slumped shoulder. He didn’t have to turn his head to know that it was Sungyeol, concerned and furious at how oblivious a person could be. The younger had glared at those students who once bore a look of admire towards the older and they could only scramble away with just one look from the giant guy.

Quietly, Sunggyu had pulled Sungyeol away with him, eyes casted down as he avoided any possible eye contacts. Everyone had heard of the news. Everyone had already come to know that he had lost one eye the very same day he had just found out about it. It was amazing how fast news could travel, but at least Sunggyu was glad that no one seemed to know that along his eye, he had also lost the gift of The Eyes. No, they didn’t need to know that.

Sunggyu entered his class with an oddly quiet step; different than the way he always did before—proud and eye smiles. Sungyeol wasn’t there with him. He had different classes to attend—after all, it was Sunggyu who decided to major in Art & Music when Sungyeol had asked him to join Musical & Acting. For once in his life, he had wished that he had accepted and joined Sungyeol. Going in alone into the class had proven to be the worst decision he ever made. The gush of people and the questions that had bombarded him was a little bit too much for him to take in. He wasn’t exactly in the best mental state still to just smile the questions away.

Sunggyu had kept his lips sealed amidst the questions thrown at him. He had wanted to leave the storm of people but he just couldn’t seem to do that. Yet remaining silent didn’t seem to faze his college friends when they kept shooting questions that Sunggyu had hoped they wouldn’t bring up. "Are you alright?", "We heard you were in a coma, are you okay to come back to school?", "We heard you injured your eye, is everything okay?", "Is it true that your left eye is blind now?" Oh, if only they knew how hurt he was with those words.

As if it wasn’t enough that his heart was being repeatedly jabbed with words that he didn’t want to hear, a group of people had tried to force themselves forward and pushed a poor girl onto Sunggyu. Sunggyu’s casted arm however failed to catch the tumbling girl and he growled in pain when she had grabbed onto his wounded arm instead.

The crowd quieted down and all had remained silent and guilty when they noticed the look of pain engraving the male’s feature. “Sorry!” She had apologized, releasing and pulling back the arm that was holding onto Sunggyu’s. Sunggyu could feel the anger boiling up. The pain on his broken wrist, the pain on his wounded heart, the anguish he had tried to bury, everything he felt had tried to break free. He had almost exploded. He had wanted to scream and told the world that—

“Yes, it is! I’m blind! I can't see half of what you guys can! I'm disabled now! There you got the answer! Satisfied now?!” He had wanted to let them all out, but he didn't. He couldn't.

"Sunggyu-ssi!" A voice had interrupted him. The voice held a strong tone to it yet when Sunggyu trailed his eyes to the sound of his name, the face he saw was all but stern. The guy had looked very concerned as he watched the sling on his hand slipped through. "Your sling, it was undone." He continued and stepped closer. Sunggyu narrowed his sharp eyes when he recognised that face, that familiar sharp feature with the very same brown locks. He knew this guy. That handsome guy.

"We should get that fixed." The male had said as he picked up the sling and stood right in front of Sunggyu. Sunggyu creased his forehead. Why would you care? He wanted to retort, to get angry with him because damn it, why are you showing your concern and remorse now when you hadn't done so when you should have? Yet the words were stuck at the back of his throat when the guy had pulled on his broken arm and he had hissed instead.

"What are you doing?!" He growled, a mix of pain and anger had featured on his face as he scowled at the other.

"Stabilising your broken arm again. Your arm was at a weird angle just now. It could've gotten worse."

"So? Leave me alone. I don't need your help." Sunggyu could only groan in pain though when he had retorted by pulling his arm out of the other's gentle grip. The guy chuckled softly when he saw Sunggyu clasping his wounded arm tight against his chest. He didn't say a word though. He took Sunggyu's other hand firmly and tugged the other to walk with him before he turned to a quiet guy who had sat alone by the window.

"Myungsoo, tell the professor that we're going to the infirmary." He had said and pulled the other with him.

Sunggyu dragged himself along unwillingly as he walked to the infirmary with the guy who had stolen part of his world away. He had tried to struggle and break free, but it was a futile effort when the grip on his wrist was anything but firm and final. The guy knocked on the door as they arrived before they excused themselves into the infirmary when no one had answered his knock.

"Hello?" He still tried again as he glanced around the room, but the nurse wasn't anywhere visible in the room. So he just shrugged his shoulders and dragged Sunggyu to the huge table close to the framed window.

"I guess the nurse it out then." He finally broke the silence. Sunggyu just huffed in annoyance and shifted his eyes away. The other could only smile weakly before he tugged on the hand that was still in his—guiding him towards the chair and motioning him to sit. Sunggyu had grunted and looked reluctant, but had still sat himself on it. It was then when he finally noticed that the other's hand was still clasped onto his, so quickly, he had struggled and shoved the hand away.

"Since the nurse isn't here, then I guess I'll have to re-do your sling then. Are you okay with that?" Sunggyu heard the other asking but Sunggyu still didn't feel like talking to him. He turned his head away and let his gaze fell onto the huge tree residing just outside the window. Taking Sunggyu's silence as an "ok", the male begun doing his work diligently and looked somewhat pleased when Sunggyu said or did nothing to pull away from his touch.

"Just say something if I hurt you, okay, Sunggyu-ssi?" He spoke, lifted Sunggyu's arm slightly before slipping in the sling under the casted arm. Sunggyu raised his eyebrows and turned to look at him.

"You know my name." Sunggyu had started, watching his hands moving fluently as he fixed the sling again before letting his working eye set on the handsome guy.

"I do." He didn't return the stare though, focused.

"You're helping me." He stated again and the other just smiled.

"I am."

"You're not asking or saying anything."

"I'm not."

"You're annoying."

"I am." He had chuckled and nodded.

"Sungyeol doesn't like you."

"What about you?"

"I hate you." He had smiled again.

"I know." He held Sunggyu's hand in his. "And I'm going to change that." He had answered this time with a press of a hand. Sunggyu wanted to ask him why? But the question remained hidden when he saw him standing up.

"Your sling is all set now." He said and patted his palms on his jeans. "I'm going back to class now. Why don't you stay here until the next class?" He suggested.

"Why would I?" Sunggyu frowned at the suggestion. But he hadn't answer Sunggyu’s question. He instead just nodded his head, walked back to the door and turned.

"Then, can you just wait five minutes before you go back to class?" The frown on Sunggyu's forehead dug even deeper this time.

"Just five minutes." He repeated, waved and rushed out. Sunggyu had almost called him back when he finally noticed—

"I didn't get to know his name."

Thankyou for all the comments and subscribers! I was surprised to see quite many of you actually read and even liked this story! I hadn't expected this! So here's another chapter for you! I hope you like this one as well! Do drop a comment pls! ^^