Forever and Always
Forever and Always
Sungyeol awoke to blinding lights. White, blurry figures ran all around him. He tries moving. Hands stop him.
"Stay still please." A woman's voice says.
Her hands are cold on his shoulders.
Why are his shoulders bare?
He tries looking around, but his head pounds like he's been hit by a train and he feels dizzy. A groan escapes his lips.
A man is talking to other figures. Not all of them are in white, some are in green and blue.
A hospital? What am I doing here?
"No, no honey." Cold hands restrained him again. The same hands then move and rub his forehead in soothing motions. A man is touching him. He can't seem to feel anything though. Another person is poking him and then something digs into his arm. He whimpers.
Why is he here?
He can't remember how he got here. His head pounds with every thought. Red. The doctor hovering over him is covered in blood. His white coat ruined by the splatters and patches the seem to spread everywhere. Sungyeol's eyes widen. There can be only one person the blood belongs to. As if on cue, pain shoots through his entire body. He arches off the table screaming in agony. Tears burn his eyes and through the watery images he sees a familiar man scurry into the room.
"Put him under! Hurry." The man looks down at Sungyeol. His eyes are sad. The last thing Sungyeol remembers is the man saying that he'll go call Sungyeol's family.
Nana.
* * * * *
"Where is he?" Kim Nana said.
It had to be the fifth time she'd looked out the window. Still no car pulled into the lot down below. Again she checks her watch. He was usually there by 5 o'clock.
I've got a stop to make after work.
It was now six thirty. She'd called his secretary but had been told he'd already left.
"Why is anything wrong?"
"No, everything's fine. Thank you." Nana said. Was everything fine?
Was his stop taking longer than expected? No. Nana was certain he'd have called her and told her if that was so. She walked to the window, again checking for his car.
Suddenly the phone sounds. It pierces the silence like a knife. Catching her off guard.
"Hello?" She says.
"Nana, something's happened. You need to come to the hospital right now." Sunggyu said. His voice shook and he sounded worried, perhaps a bit frantic.
Her heart seems to stop. Her breath catching in her chest.
"W-what? What is it?"
"It's Sungyeol. There's been an accident. Please hurry. There isn't time to explain."
The phone line immediately cuts off. She runs to find her shoes and keys. Crying out in frustration when she can't remember where she last placed her keys. Time seems to be slowing down as she takes a deep breath.
Remain calm Nana.
After finding the keys on he bed she flies out the door. Not wanting to wait on an elevator she ran down the four flights of stairs, two at a time. Her mind goes back to December as she pulls out onto the highway.
Familiar hands cover her eyes. A smile spread to her cheeks as she takes in the scent of these wonderful hands.
"Hello beautiful." Sungyeol whispers in her ear.
His breath tickles and she giggles. He spins her around and pulls her in close, placing a kiss upon her forehead.
"Hello handsome."
He looks behind him and then back at her.
"Oh goodness, you were talking about me?" He acts bewildered.
She laughs. "Of course you, silly."
"Are you cold?"
"A little, but I love the snow."
He grabs her hand and puts it in his pocket with his. His thumb runs over her hand constantly. It's both adorable and comforting to her.
"Follow me my flower."
He pulls her down the busy streets. They pass food vendors surrounded in steam, the delicious smells following them everywhere. After winding down so many streets, Nana can't figure out where they are anymore. Finally they are walking through a park. The sun has set completely, draping the snow covered park with a grey blanket. Somehow the snow still seems to sparkle in the low light. The paths are surrounded by trees and bushes. Nana can't help but think of how wonderful it would look in the spring.
She can feel Sungyeol's eyes on her so she turns to him.
"What?" She half smiles.
His gums show as his eyes don't seem able to leave her.
"Oh nothing. Just looking at the most gorgeous being on this planet."
She blushes. "Stop."
"I can't tell a lie." Sungyeol states. "So I've got a surprise for you."
"What is it?" She asks ecstatically.
"Close your eyes." He demanded.
"Okay." She is unsure of what he's going to do but listens anyway.
She can hear the snow crunching from under his feet as he walks away.
"Open." He says.
She opened her eyes and immediately gasped. Even her eyes smiled, the strings of lights on the trees illuminates in the reflection of her eyes. The whole place is lit up in gold lights. She slowly turns, taking it all in. Her eyes fall on Sungyeol who is holding a single red rose. He walks over to her and hands the rose to her. His eyes gleam with joy but seem to go serious for a moment. Grabbing her other hand he suddenly kneels down. She covers as he pulls a small box out from his coat pocket. He looked up at her, a smile plastered to his face.
Then he said, "I want you forever, forever and always. Through the good and the bad and the ugly. We'll grow old together, forever and always." He stopped and took a deep breath.
Tears now brimmed Nana's eyes.
"Kim Nana." He starts. "Will you marry me and spend the rest of our lives together?" He asked.
She sees hope and joy in his eyes.
"Yes." She cried. "Yes, I will."
Once again his gums showed as he stood up and squeezed her. He wipes her tears away as he leans in and then kisses her. Nana couldn't help but let more tears fall as her heart seems to burst with love for this man.
"You're not suppose to cry." He said, when the parted.
"I know. I'm just so happy." She stated.
He laughed and held her close.
"You make me happy Mrs. Lee Nana." He put emphasis on the Lee and she laughs as well.
Nana pulls up to the entrance. The guard says something about not being allowed to park there. She ignores him and walks up to the front desk.
"Nana?"
She whirls around at the sound of her name. Sunggyu stands a few feet away along with a doctor. The man looks familiar.
"Sunggyu. Where is he? What's happened?"
"Hello Nana. I'm Dr. Nam Woohyun. I'm a friend of Sunggyu's. Sungyeol has been asking for you since he woke up."
"Where is he?" Her voice wavers with her emotions.
"This way." Woohyun said.
They lead her down a million halls. She can feel Sunggyu's eyes checking on her as Woohyun talks about what happened. She can barely hear him though. The halls begin to feel like a maze that's never ending. She tries to keep a straight face when she see's the other boys outside Sungyeol's room.
Sungjong is walking back and forth down the halls. Dongwoo for once is sitting down. Even his legs aren't shaking like they normally do.
Nana's eyes are drawn to Hoya and Myungsoo though. The elder of the two is blinking tears back as he hugs Myungsoo. The younger can barely stand and is in a fit of hysterics, as he clings onto Hoya.
"When did Myungsoo arrive?" Sunggyu asks Dongwoo.
"A few minutes ago." Dongwoo says. His eyes don't hold the laughter it normally does. "It's bad Sunggyu, he blames himself."
They look over at Myungsoo. Hoya's tears are falling freely now.
"I shouldn't have been on the phone with him if he was driving." Myungsoo sobs.
"You didn't know." Hoya says.
But Myungsoo doesn't seem to hear him.
"It's my fault, it's my fault." Myungsoo chants.
"Nana, you can go in now." Woohyun opens the door.
"I'll have the boys come in after you've had a few minutes alone." Sunggyu says.
Nana only nods. The door closes behind her and the only sound she hears now is the steady rate of a heart monitor. She sits by his bedside and squeezed his hand.
He smiles. "Hello my love." His voice is low.
She only smiles, knowing that her voice will betray her.
"Don't cry honey. It doesn't suit you." He says.
She lets out a breathy chuckle and wipes at her eyes. It's takes everything she's got to keep from crying as they talk about the kids they're gonna have and the good life. The house on the hillside, where they would stay. Stay there forever, forever and always. Through the good and the bad and the ugly.
"We'll grow old together and always remember, whether rich or poor or for better. We'll still love each other, forever and always." Sungyeol's voice cracks and he begins to cough.
Nana looks away so that he won't see her worried face. Her eyes trail to the blue hospital walls. She always hated hospitals. There was no warmth and the blue walls seemed to ice over with her emotions.
Then she gets an idea.
"I'll be right back."
She gathers the boys and they smile, nodding in agreement with her plan.
Fifteen minutes later Nana sits by his bedside again. All the boys stand around as a judge says a couple of verses. Rings, that Nana borrowed from the couple next door, are put on. Everybody's laughing as the tears fall to the floor.
Nana looks into Sungyeol's eyes and says, "I want you forever, forever and always. Through the good and the bad and the ugly. We'll grow old together. And always remember whether happy or sad or whatever, we'll still love each other, forever and always." She bites her lip, willing the tears that burn in her eyes to not fall. "Forever and always." She repeats.
Sungyeol beckons her to him and captures her lips in his.
She can't help but think that she's going to miss moments like this.
I'll never get to feel these lips on mine again. She thinks.
And a tear rolls down her cheek. The boys all give him a hug and their congratulations to both.
Sungyeol whispers something to each of them.
The beeps are getting to slow. His voice is almost too low.
He squeezes her hand as he says, "I love you forever, forever and always. Please just remember even if I'm not there, I'll always love you, forever and always."
Nana's chest swells with anger as a long, eerie beep seems to pierce the silence in the room. The grasp Sungyeol had had on her hand is no longer there. Her own hand still clings onto his, shaking as reality is setting in.
A long, breathy, cry forces its way from ; her hand flies to cover her lips, not believing that he is really gone.
* * * * *
"You said forever." She yells, more at the floor than at Sungyeol.
Someone pulls her away from Sungyeol. It's Sunggyu. He turns her around and pulls her in, trying to comfort her in the only way he knows how. Burying her face in his chest, she finally lets go. Sobs rack throughout her body. Her hands clutch tightly onto his back, grasping for the comfort, for the safety she isn't finding.
"He said forever." She whispers.
Her eyes follow the nurses as they roll Sungyeol away. She has to physically turn her head away.
Sunggyu smooths her hair. "I know, I know."
Sungjong joins the hug. But whether it's to help comfort Nana or himself, Sunggyu doesn't know. He looks over at the others. Myungsoo avoids the others as he stares at the wall, bites his lip and then looks up. Almost as if he's looking for Sungyeol up there. Dongwoo leans forward in his chair, his head is in his hands. Sunggyu can hear his whimpers, as Hoya continues to pat Dongwoo's back. Hoya's eyes meet Sunggyu's. Hoya's jaw tenses and he nods.
Sungyeol is really gone.
Although Nana has stopped crying, Sunggyu can still feel her trembling beneath his finger tips.
She looks exhausted and he leads her to her car.
You're stronger than the others hyung. Take care of her for me..until she's able to stand on her own, please take care of her.
Sungyeol's last words to him echo in his head.
"Let me drive." He decides.
Nana's eyes are glazed over and Sunggyu is glad she isn't driving.
He unlocks her door and leads her to her bed. She curls up into a fetal position and he pulls the blanket over her. He closes the blinds and then shuts the door. Looking around he begins cleaning what he can. He can hear her crying through the door and decides it might be best if he stays the night.
Not until almost midnight does he realize no sounds come from her room. Getting up off the couch he checks on her. Used tissues scatter the floor and bed. He sighs and picks up the trash can, throwing them all away.
Nana stirs in her sleep. The moonlight shines on her tear stained cheeks. Her brows are furrowed and he can only hope that her dreams are more pleasant than she looks.
He jumps as his phone goes off in the next room.
"Blast." He quickly shuts her door and picks up the phone. "What's up Sungjong?"
"H-hyung. I can't get them to go home." The younger croaks.
"Who? Where are you?" He asks but somehow he already knows. He's already getting his shoes back on and walks out the door.
"At the Infinity Blue Bar. Myungsoo and Hoya have been drinking for hours. I can't get a hold of Dongwoo."
"I'll be there in a few."
He shuts the car door.
Nana won't mind me using it.
A half hour later he arrives at the bar. It doesn't take him long to find them. A crowd has gathered and Hoya is in the center of it. In the midst of a brawl with another guy. He yells and curses at the man he's punching.
"Sungjong! What's going on?"
"I'm so glad you're here Sunggyu."
The younger begins to explain what happened.
Hoya's Busan temper had gotten the best of him when the other man had decided he was sick of hearing them talk about their dead friend. Saying that no one cared about it. Sunggyu himself felt like hitting the guy.
Sunggyu grabs Hoya's shoulders, dragging him to the exit.
"Let's get them home. Where is Myungsoo?"
Sungjong points behind him. There at the bar, Myungsoo is downing an entire bottle of vodka. Every now and then he pours some of the alcohol into the glass next to him. He doesn't drink from the overflowing glass.
"We we're going to celebrate today." Myungsoo is talking to himself. "Now, now I drink in remembrance. Drink up Sungyeol."
Myungsoo clings the bottle against the glass. Perhaps a little too hard as the glass falls to the floor and shatters.
"Aish. Piece of ." Myungsoo throws the nearly empty bottle at the wall. "Why? Are you rejecting my drinks too?"
Myungsoo scoots away from the counter. His chair toppling down from under him. He swears as he gets up, kicking at the chair.
"Easy man." Sunggyu grabs the younger.
"Gyu." Myungsoo plasters a goofy grin on his face. The grin doesn't last long. His eyes seem to be looking through Sunggyu, who leads him outside.
"Sunggyu? Do you think Nana hates me?" Myungsoo looks at him with sad, serious eyes.
"No, why would she?"
Myungsoo's head falls.
"I would if I was her." He whispers. "I killed my best friend. I heard it. He yelled out on the phone and then it..it went dead. If I hadn't called him, he'd still be here, he'd get all his dreams with Nana."
Myungsoo looks like he is pain. Tears are b his eyes. He genuinely thought it was his fault and Sunggyu had no idea how to convince him otherwise.
Sunggyu doesn't arrive back to Nana's til three in the morning. After checking on her once more, he drops onto the couch and instantly falls asleep.
* * * * *
"Sungyeol was always my best friend." Myungsoo started. "He knew how to have fun and when to be serious. He went on and on about his love he had for you, Nana. I remember when he had called me and said he needed my help on his proposal. I swear he must have stressed it for a month." Myungsoo chuckled. "He made me promise to have you're wedding gift, knowing you'd find it if he had kept it. Before he passed, he asked me to give it to you. I figure now is the time. Myungsoo grabbed the case at his feet. Taking out a portfolio and handed it to Nana.
She opened it up and gasped. Pictures of Sungyeol proposing to her. She hugged the photos as she cried.
"I always told him you guys were my favorite to photograph." Myungsoo tried smiling, but it faltered.
Nana squeezed him. "Thank you so much."
Myungsoo only nodded and then walked a few feet away to collect himself. Sungjong tried comforting him but was ignored as Myungsoo walked farther down the beach.
"Sungyeol, my friend, my brother." Myungsoo cried.
He fell to his knees in the sand.
"I thought I'd never lose anyone again."
Myungsoo trust's you the most after me. I know he acts tough and like nothing bothers him, but he's always really needed someone. You be that person. No matter how much he rejects you at first, don't let him.
Hoya knew that Sungyeol would be able to comfort Myungsoo at this moment but how could he? He had never been that close to him. It was Sungyeol who had taken Myungsoo in as his kid brother. Sungyeol who had always been there. Sungyeol who had gotten Myungsoo to open up about his parents death. Sungyeol who understood him the best.
"Let him be for now." Sunggyu said, when Hoya started for the fallen figure.
Hoya nodded.
They waited til Myungsoo was ready and then Dongwoo poured Soju into cups and passed one to each of them.
"To Sungyeol! Who believed in remembering to take a step back in life and to not be so serious all the time." Dongwoo said.
"To Sungyeol." They echoed. Lifting up their cups and then downing the alcohol in one go.
Dongwoo poured another cup for each.
"Sungyeol til we meet again." Hoya said.
"And for showing us that even you know how to snag a girls heart." Sungjong joked.
They all laughed. Nana had tears in her eyes again.
"To Sungyeol! Who I will love forever and always." Nana raised her cup.
Right now they felt as if the pain would last an eternity. But the months and years to follow would show them that although they would never forget Sungyeol or how he had impacted their lives, the pain would lessen and become bearable. They still had each other and more to live for.
All the boys smiled and raised their cups.
"Forever and Always." They echoed.
∞Gah, that was kind of hard. But I hope you guys like my first one-shot! And MissSparkles? I hope you are satisifed..If not I'm sorry and hopefully I'll do better next time I try a one-shot.∞
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