“Can you hear me?”

~

Jeonghan forced his foot down on the pedal, his car speeding up beyond the city’s speed limits. He was exhausted. A long day at work, packed full of meetings, presentations and a mountain of papers to sign. He had grown tired of working at his job, grown tired of waking up at 5:00 AM every morning and staying overtime to only repeat the same cycle the next day. He had grown tired of living.

The man’s sighs were all that could be heard in the soundproof walls of his car. He couldn’t remember the last time his sighs had been replaced with laughter. No; he could remember, precisely. The last time he had ever smiled and laughed with carefree demeanor was seconds before his husband had passed away.

His black car pulled up into the small driveway of a small building, the yard was wild and chaotic, giving off the presence of an abandoned building. It wasn’t, of course; he just didn’t care enough to maintain the ever growing weeds or water the shriveled up flowers. Jeonghan never cared much for gardening, however, he did - Joshua.

Without effort, Jeonghan opened the door to their home, kicked off his shoes and headed directly to the end of the hall. He had dropped his jacket and briefcase on the floor midway and was empty handed when he reached the end of the hall. On the table, besides the random belongings, was a single picture frame. The picture of his husband.

“Dear… I’m home,” Jeonghan mumbled wearily, his eyes already beginning to spill tears. It hadn’t been long since his husband’s death after all. Four months hadn’t left much room for his heart to heal; if it ever would.

No one had anticipated his death, especially not Jeonghan. They had only recently bought their home, the rooms decorated with new furniture and their photo albums empty, awaiting new adventures. Those hopes had been crushed instantly with a single phone call while Jeonghan was at work.

That day. October 4