AN: First of all, THANK YOU SO MUCH for subscribing. I never had 44 subs before, I'm really happy. It really means a lot to me when people subscribe and comment. It's the fuel that keeps the writer going, so thanks ;___;

Second - this chapter is kinda... you'll see. But I just want to assure everything is going to be alright, okay? So don't go being mad at me right now.

Chapter 6


He opened one of his eyes and groaned. He heard a knock from the door distantly, but stayed in bed whining, placing a pillow on his head to muffle the annoying sounds. The noise continued, so he tried opening both eyes, but the light that came from outside seemed to burn his iris.

“Go away,” he shouted, eyes closing on their own.

“Open the door, Wooyoung,” came a muffled voice from the other side of the door. Outside his room, the city worked at full speed, vespas honking, people walking hurriedly, the sun shining brightly. Some people would complain about the sounds, but he loved it. The city noises made him feel alive.

“Please, Wooyoung,” Junhwa said it lightly. He sighed, getting up sullenly to answer the door. He didn't bother wearing anything else other than his pants, after all it was only his sister.

“Wha-” Before he finished his sentence she hugged him tightly. He patted her head, calming her nerves.

“Don't take too long to answer the door, you fool,” she said, a pout on her pretty lips.

“I was sleeping, Junhwa.”

“Anyway,” she added, suddenly cheery. “The day is so beautiful. What are we going to do today?”

“Yah, I thought it was important. Why don't we go back to bed and just do something later?”

“Are you tired?” she asked, suddenly alarmed.

“No, not that kind of tired. But we stayed up late last night, thanks to you flirting with some guys at the pub. Remember?”

“Yah, I did not flirt.” she slapped him lightly, but probably regretted because she bulged her eyes. “I'm sorry, Wooyoungie,” she added in a small voice.

“I'm not gonna crack, noona.”

“I know,” she said, still uncertain. But seconds later she was babbling again about the stuff they could do, all the places they needed to visit. While she talked, he dressed himself in a white shirt since he was only wearing his pajama pants.

He went to the small balcony they had in their penthouse hotel room. What faced him was something that has been taking his breath away for a week now. The Firenze Duomo. It stood big and grandiose in front of him, with its gothic style and dark marble. He loved waking up to it everyday, it made him invigorated like he hasn't been for so long.

Recently he took a liking to history and architecture. Florence was one of the places he was studying deeply. Not only visiting the main spots, but walking through its mazes, smalls churches and unknown spots. This city breathed history and he wanted to breathe on it too. Every tiny space he touched or walked on was such an interesting piece of humanity. It blew his mind.

Inside the hotel apartment he could hear his phone ringing. Now that was one noise that annoyed him more than the noisy vespas and a crowd of ignorant tourists. It usually rang a lot, but he never had time to answer, always busy sightseeing and trying to take his mind off things.

“Why do people call so much,” he muttered, still looking at the cathedral. His sister approached him bringing his phone.

“Why don't you answer it?” she asked. By now the phone stopped ringing, so she looked at it and added, “20 missed calls, Woo.”

“Why are they calling so much?” he said it again, but now loud enough for her to hear. Maybe she had answers he didn't know. It’s quite possible that she knew better than him.

“Well, Chansung was marrying yesterday. Maybe something related to that.” His heart stilled. What did she say? He turned to her, scaring her a little.

“What?” he asked, voice incredulous. She was probably out of her mind. It couldn't be, please God tell me it isn't so. Please don't tell him he didn't forget this.

Junhwa looked sad, but not entirely surprised. She approached him and put a hand on his shoulder for support. He couldn't forget, not something like this. He put his hands on his head in exasperation, but what he wanted was to sit down and cry.

“Okay, I will tell you something, but please try to stay calm,” she said carefully, her tone carrying a sweet tenderness only mothers have for their kids. “Chansung was supposed to get married yesterday. But I just read on the internet that the marriage didn't happen,”

“What?” he said defeatedly, his hands shaking. A small tear fell from the corner of his right eye, but he wiped it off. He wanted to shut down and sob, maybe forget it all, but he battled the desperation inside himself because he needed to understand what happened.

“Yeah, Jia didn't show up.”

“That, that. Aish,” he rambled, his speech slurred. He felt nervous and anxious, but couldn't talk properly, so he kept walking, not staying idle for long. “How could she do that with a guy like Chansung? Is he not good enough for her? Aish.” He kept muttering words, not knowing what to do with himself. He was mentally cursing Jia, but the one he was deeply mad with was himself.

He looked at his sister and realized she looked frightened. “Calm down, please. You don't look so good,” she said in a condescending voice, moving towards him to make him sit. What would she do when she found out that his vision is blurry and that his arms felt numb? He wouldn't tell her though, otherwise the day would end up with him locked in a hospital.

“We talked about this a week before, you decided to not go, thought it was best because you could have an episode. You were afraid they would find out about you.”

An episode - there it was - the biggest fear of his life. “I need to walk, noona,” he said, dodging her arms. With every word she spilled he got more restless. He need to think, to be alone, to lose himself in the immensity of the dark cathedrals and beautiful marble statues.

“Ok, let me grab my purse and we will walk,” she was about to leave the room, but he stopped her.

“I need to be alone, Junhwa,” he confessed, his arm still holding on to her elbow.

“No way. You are very agitated.”

“Please.” There is probably something on his eyes that made her waiver, until she decided he could go.

“But take your phone,” she ordered pointing her finger at him. He nodded and she turned to leave.

When she left, he closed the door and changed his outfit. He grabbed the first pants and shirt he saw, and left the hotel. He had a habit to walk for hours in the little streets of Florence. He would check the small stores, the street fairs, the tiny churches. He would document every tiny bit of the city with an old film camera. Photography was his newest passion, so he usually walk around wearing only his camera around his neck and his curiosity to learn new things. But today his mind wasn't on it. He just need to walk, to get tired, to get all this sad energy out of his body.

His lovely Chansung. He wanted to hold him like he did so many times before. There was a time they were inseparable, always holding hands, always hugging each other. When he cried, Chansung would be the first to engulf him in a tight embrace and made him feel better. He was the youngest, but he always carried this maturity few of them have. So many times Wooyoung was the maknae, always behaving like a kid and Chan was the one to take care of him like a hyung. And now that's how he paid him back. Not even calling, forgetting something he shouldn't have.

Looking around, he realized he was so lost in thought, he was actually lost in the city. Yet he didn't care. He walked a little more to realize he was near the Uffizi gallery. He walked through the beautiful museum with its marble serious statues to see the Arno river. It was a beautiful morning, the sky was at its bluest which make the hills and the water seem more lively.

For a while, he stayed by the railing watching the calming waters, the beautiful hills and the flock of tourists walking around with the brightest smiles he could see. He wished he could be like one of them, to live their life without any fears, only joy in their hearts.

With his eyes on a pair of dancing birds and his elbows on the brick wall, he sighed and called. But Chansung wasn't picking up. He tried Nichkhun and his friend answered on the first ring.

“Finally, Wooyoung. I was getting worried,” Khun said, clearly agitated.

“Sorry, hyung. I was a little busy,”

“Where are you? I missed you.” The usual question, followed by the usual greeting. But Wooyoung never replied to either one. His travels around the globe were something he kept hidden, a part of him no one knew. And admitting he missed Khun hurt his chest, so he kept quiet.

“It doesn't matter. How is Chansung?”

“I didn't talk to him,” he confessed.

“Hyung,” he reprimanded. “You didn't go either? You didn't even call him?”

“No,” he replied in a tiny voice. “I was busy with stuff and couldn't get a hold of him either. And I was a little embarrassed of being a bad hyung.”

“So you are still in Thailand?”

“Ye.. yes.”

“What are you waiting for to go to Korea?”

“I, I don't know...” he trailed, certainly uncertain of what to do. But not Wooyoung. He kept his distance for so long, hoping people would forget him eventually. Hoping he would forget them eventually. But none of this happened, he is sure it would never happen. It’s time to face his fears.

“Well, I'm going to Korea. What are you going to do?”

“Going to Korea? Where the hell are you?”

“I'm in Italy. And hyung, I missed you too,” he said lightly and hung up.

For more than 2 years he tried to spare people of his situation. He didn't want to be a burden to anyone so he kept his distance, getting treatment and therapy in silence, seeking only the comfort of his family. He kept running away, never telling his whereabouts to his bandmates. But he also had his selfish reasons to run. When you were sick like he was, you suddenly realize how life was fickle, tiny like the little birds he was watching.

So he did things he always wanted to do but never could. JYPE, aware of his situation, let him go. So he camped, went to the beach, visited museums, went to parties, parks, canyons. Latin America, US, Europe, Asia. He was all over those places taking what life had to offer, seeing the beautiful world that he only saw in postcards and could never touch.

But now, it’s time to stop. There’s the corner of him that could only smile when he was by their side. Now is time to see his second family, his beloved brothers, his Nichkhun and no disease would stop him now. Even if he had to die.

AN: And that wraps up the first round of point of views. It was an emotional rollercoaster, wasn't it? It's not my intention to make people sad, but I want this fic to be about facing adversity. Life really throws curveballs at people sometimes and what matters is how you deal. So bear with me because these guys love each other in real life AND here, so they will make it through. And remember not to kill your writer about Woo. I got special things in store for him, so please anticipate it.

And ahh, this is where I imagined Woo to be:

UP NEXT: Minjun