Baekhyun walked into the sterile room with flowers in his hands. To be more specific, they were Daisy’s, Chanyeol’s favorite. He set the bright yellow flowers on the dresser, never leaving taking his eyes off of the white bed his friend laid on. He was breathing calmly. If not for the respirator, the room would be quiet enough to hear Chanyeol breathing…but Baekhyun knew that was the only thing keeping him alive.

                        He edged closer to Chanyeol’s bed, almost touching the crisp white sheets that wrapped Chanyeol up like a cocoon. His eyes fluttered for a moment and looked up at Baekhyun. It looked like a struggle to keep his eyes open, but the anesthetic was wearing off. He gave a light smile and sighed, “Thanks for coming.” Baekhyun noticed his eyes were a little red.

                        “You’re my best friend. Of course I’d come.” Baekhyun smiled in reply as he grabbed a small chair to sit on.

                        “Can you lift my bed up a little? I want to sit up. The doctor says I can’t do that on my own yet.” Chanyeol asked. His company nodded and pressed the automatic button, lifting Chanyeol closer to Baekhyun’s height. “Thanks again.”  Chanyeol opened his eyes wider, “Flowers for me?”

                        Baekhyun nodded, “Just for you.” He examined Chanyeol’s state without any more words: his lip was busted, back broken, bruises and contusions, and a heavy heart. “Are you doing better?” it was a silly question to ask.

                        “Yeah, the doctor said I’ll need a lot of physical training. I can still rap! I practice when it gets dark out. I can’t practice my dancing, though…and I need a lot of that.” Chanyeol chuckled. “A broken back limits you…” his gaze went down to his legs.

                        “You’ll get better quick, I know it!” Baekhyun flashed a reassuring smile and put his hand on Chanyeol’s. The gesture brought a smile to his face for a brief moment. Seconds later, Chanyeol’s face turned worrisome.

                        He looked at Baekhyun with wet eyes, “Have you talked to Kai yet?” You could tell he was frightened of the answer, “They haven’t told me what was wrong. They said…exploratory surgery was needed to determine something…I can’t remember but have you seen him? Is he okay?” His lips began to quiver.

                        Baekhyun put on a fake smile, “He’s alive, don’t worry.” He knew Kai was alive but…that was the only upside. Kai, the dancing machine of EXO-K…paralyzed. From the neck down. He’s been lying in been staring at the TV, watching reruns of dance programs…emotionless. The want that was in his eyes was gone. He was confined. He hasn’t spoken since.

                        “That’s good…I hope they find what’s wrong with him…” Chanyeol’s eyes were beginning to flood with tears, “What have I done?” his throat was bobbing up and down, trying to force the sobs back down into his lungs, “It’s all my fault and everyone knows it. Lee Soo Man hasn’t sent a letter, Sehun hasn’t come back to Seoul yet, and my own sister won’t come to visit me. Do you know how much it hurts to know that you basically murdered your brothers? They're dead, Baekhyun. And I’m the one to blame. Look at me and tell me it wasn’t my fault!” his voice became louder. Tears ran like rivers down his cheeks as he still struggled to keep the sadness down.

                        Baekhyun stared at the ground and looked for an answer. “How can you even look at me? Suho and D.O. are DEAD. I KILLED them. They are never coming back. The dates on their grave haven’t even reached a span of 30…” Chanyeol yelled.

                        “It wasn’t your fault!” Baekhyun struggled to find the words, “It was icy…you couldn’t control it, you panicked…if it wasn’t for Suho, Sehun would be dead. You didn’t see what happened!”

                                                _________

                        The car spun out of control. The members screamed as Chanyeol kept his eyes fixated on the steering wheel. Two headlights were coming closer to the side of the car…the intersection was packed. There was no stopping. Suho grabbed Sehun by the wrist and pulled him under his arms. Suho’s back was against the glass, sheltering Sehun with his body. Sehun felt the slam of the car hit, as well as the warm, lifeless protector hanging around him.

                        He lifted an arm and stared at Suho’s emotionless face, now covered in blood from the gash upon his forehead. He froze and started to shake, pushing the dead body off of him. In less than five seconds, another car rammed into the vehicle, throwing Sehun into the rear of the passenger’s seat. He took a quick glance at Chanyeol, whose head was hanging and blood running from his mouth.

                        “Sehun!” He heard a loud yell and almost couldn’t make it out. He turned to see Baekhyun, who was a mix of skin, glass, blood, and tears. “Please help me…” He motioned toward D.O., convulsing on the floor. “H-he’s going into shock…I don’t know what’s happening, please help me or just…or just kill me please I don’t know what’s going to happen…call 911 or anyone who’s outside just help me please!” His pleading was so fast, it sounded like one sentence. Sehun was at a loss for words. He slowly crawled to the back with Baekhyun. “What am I…going to do…?” Baekhyun’s hands started to tremble. Sehun heard a call from the distance, not too far from outside the van.

                        He heard long and painful screams. Sehun quickly looked around the vehicle and counted the people…”Kai!” he opened the door and limped his way to the other side of the van. He saw Kai lying on his stomach, trying to crawl with his arms. Sehun couldn’t make out which part of his leg was which…”Sehun! Help me! I can’t move…I can’t do anything, my legs aren’t working. Why aren’t they working, Sehun? It hurts, please just make it stop…” his sobbing was powerful and his screams continued.

                        “Is this…a…drea—“ Sehun’s legs gave out, lying him out beside Kai. He put his hand on Kai’s shoulder and reassured him “Y-you’re gonna be fine. Trust me…”

                                                __________

                        “I went to Suho and D.O.’s funeral…D.O.’s was open casket…” Baekhyun gulped, “Suho’s was closed.” Baekhyun couldn’t handle the fact that the last time he had seen one of his best friends, was when he was dead…with glass in his body…hovering over someone he considered a little brother to him.

                        “Can you close my casket?” Chanyeol said, thinking about the best friend’s he has lost.

                        “What? What do you mean…?” Baekhyun was frightened by the sudden question.

                        “Kill me. Take out my respirator. Tell Suho he can come back…tell D.O. he has another chance…” Chanyeol hung his head and slammed his fist into the bed. “I’ve lost everything I’ve ever loved…and they lost everything ahead of them…”

                        Chanyeol was wrapped in an embrace. He felt the tears slide onto his scrubs. He slowly lifted his arms to tightly squeeze Baekhyun, but he wasn’t strong enough yet. “I love you. You are my best friend. We can get through this together I promise…we can find Sehun and…”

                        “I’m sorry. Visiting hours are over. We’ll be starting treatment soon.” A doctor in impeccable dressings announced. Baekhyun hesitantly let go of his dear friend, letting one last tear drop on his forehead.

                        “Don’t leave me please…” Chanyeol begged. He shook his head and began to whimper. “I can’t live knowing I’ve killed my two best friends…”

                        “Call me whenever you need me. I’ll be right there. Please stay strong. I’ll be in your heart. Goodbye.” Baekhyun started to tear up again, and left before anything could take place.

                                                ________

                        It had been two weeks since Baekhyun had last seen Chanyeol. He thought he would get a phone call. Or maybe just a small text saying how he was doing…and today he got what he had wished for. Baekhyun sped as fast as he could to the hospital, dodging all of the traffic. He glanced at the text over and over: Three best friends.

                        He didn’t know what it meant and he had to find out. At the hospital, the secretary guided him to room 446. “This…isn’t Chanyeol’s room. His room number was 435…did he get moved?”

                        There was a long pause until the secretary spoke, “Kai wants to see you first.” She opened the door and let Baekhyun in, and closed the door behind him. In the room, he saw a still Kai—his eyes glazed over and his lips chapped. He had the covers pulled up to his neck and a piece of paper lying on his serving tray. His head slowly pivoted to Baekhyun’s direction, “Hi.” Kai’s lips hardly moved. His expression nonexistent.

                        Baekhyun was confused as to why Kai would specifically want to see him. He visited him every other day…because he promised him that. “Hey, Kai. Has Taemin visited you today?” Kai nodded his head and the corners of his mouth managed to creep up his mouth into a slight smile. “Ah, I see…what are you watching?” Baekhyun already knew the answer. He had MNET Countdown and Inkigayo on repeat.

                        “Baekhyun, grab this paper and read it for me.” Kai didn’t answer Baekhyun’s question and instead answered with a demand. He walked over to Kai’s side and gently grabbed the paper. “I told the nurse you would rather it be old fashioned…” Baekhyun gave him a confused look.

                        He gazed at Kai one more time and saw a hint of sadness coming from his eyes. His breathing was choppy…like he was trying to cry, but he just couldn’t. “Sit down and read it to me.”

                        Baekhyun nodded in his request and grabbed a nearby chair. He felt the page between his fingertips and read the title: Three Best Friends.

                        He remembered the text exactly. He received it in the morning. Baekhyun looked at the clock—noon. He cleared his throat as Kai gave him some encouragement, “Please…start.”

                        Baekhyun took a deep sigh and began.

                        Hello Baekhyunie. Do you remember when you were added to EXO-K? You were added last…I thought it was funny. But you were alone, remember? And I came up to you and offered you some of my food. We became close that night. We’re still close, right? I can always go to you when I’m sad. You’re my brother. All of EXO are my brothers. I wrote them each a letter, too. I don’t know when you’ll read this, but I needed you to read one thing from me before I went…I’m shutting off the respirator today. I guess you could say I’m pulling the plug. I can’t live with myself. But I can live with Suho and D.O. up where we will be. I think this is the best…I’ve already talked to Lee Soo Man. He’s continuing your contract and placing you in EXO-M…I figured you would like that.

                        After these two years of being with you all, I’ve come to learn what it feels like to have a family outside of home. You guys are my everything…and I just feel like I destroyed it. Please take care of Kai. Find Sehun…do anything it takes to make things feel normal again. I know things can’t be normal without all 12 of us standing on one stage, but you can make it. Be the person I’ve always wanted to be. Hold our dreams together. Live out your dreams…for me, for Sehun, for Kai, D.O., and Suho…just remember that I’ll always be in your heart. I’ll be watching over you when you feel down. I’ll make sure everyone is safe. Don’t read this with a heavy heart…think of it as a goodbye…but one with a new beginning. I’ll always be known for my smile, my personality, my voice, and my tragedies…please let all the fans know that I love them. And I will be with them forever. I’ll be gone at around 12:30 PM. It takes about 15 minutes for someone to die once they’ve been taken off of the respirator…I love you Baekhyun. Take EXO to where we are destined to go. Live in place of me, Park Chanyeol…and be the person you’ve seen in me.

                        Never forget our friendship; I won’t.

                        The letter was signed with Chanyeol’s name. Tears were staining the black lettering. The ink was almost about to smear. Baekhyun tried to look at the clock with cloudy eyes. It read 12:20. He hurriedly dropped the letter onto the ground and stormed out of the room, as Kai watched with a tear down his cheek.

                        “Chanyeol!” Baekhyun yelled, racing down the hallway. He glanced at the door numbers until he found 435. He pushed the door open and saw the white face of his best friend. The face looked up at him and tried to smile. This caused a tear to run down Chanyeol’s cheek. Baekhyun ran to his side. “No, no…you have to plug it back in you have to. I can’t live without my best friend!” Baekhyun searched for the right plug, but to no avail.

                        “Stop…please.” Chanyeol laid a hand on Baekhyun’s shoulder, making him stop and look into his eyes. “You read the letter,” his breathing became shorter, “and you know what’s best for me. I know this is hard for you but—“ Chanyeol’s chest heaved as he got weaker. Baekhyun held onto his waist and cradled him.

                        Baekhyun rocked back and forth, “Please don’t go, please don’t go…” he couldn’t stop crying. He wiped the sweat off Chanyeol’s face with his shirt sleeve.

                        “Do what I said in the letter and I’ll be happy. But I have to leave…don't cry...please,” Chanyeol lightly smiled once more.

                        “No you don’t…” He couldn’t think of anything to plead with anymore. All he did was cry. Cry for his best friend. The person he loved like a brother. He hugged him one more time, hearing Chanyeol’s breathing falter.

                        “Visiting time is over, Baekhyun. I love you.”