Chapter XXIII.

Goodbye My Love

Kyungsoo is patient.

It’s two in the morning when Jongdae decides to check on Jongin’s current condition. He brings his clipboard, maneuvering his way on the silent hallways just to stop in front of the private ward that they had chosen to place the sick man with all the needed medical apparatus still connected to him. Halfway inside the room, the doctor isn’t entirely surprise when he sees Kyungsoo still awake and animatedly speaking to the unconscious man in the bed who’s sadly kept alive only by the tubes that are injected to his skeletal form.

Jongdae then clears his throat, obviously beckoning for the other man’s attention before he’s met with tired eyes that match the weariness that the latter is exuding.

“You should sleep Kyungsoo. You’re bound to get sick if you continue staying up for days.” Jongdae casually advices the redhead though he knows that it’s no use.

Kyungsoo coughs, “I want to be able to talk to him when he wakes up. I need to do this Jongdae.”

“You’re so stubborn. Do you think he would appreciate waking up to a man who’s as good as a living corpse sitting right besides his bed?” The doctor remarks with a frown while he writes with precision about his observations on Jongin’s state.

He doesn’t hear an immediate response from the redhead and he secretly reliquinshes in the thought that he had finally knocked some sense into him. Jongdae contemplates for awhile, staring at the silent form of Kyungsoo before he finally decides to leave, believing that the other male would at last try to put himself to sleep.

However, with his hand awkwardly a few inches just away from the doorknob, Kyungsoo turns to him with a pleading gaze.

“Just one more hour Jongdae, one more hour before I go to sleep.”

Almost at once, the confidence in the doctor’s face falls and turns to that of displeasure as reluctance reflects in his orbs. He gives up though, just nodding his head sadly and agreeing to the male who he also refers to as his friend. Closing the room’s door with a heavy heart, Jongdae walks back towards his office with concern overpowering him and desperately willing for Jongin to just wake up no matter how small the chances are.

It doesn’t happen though, and Jongin remains asleep for months.

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Nothing lasts forever.

Changes are always bound to happen no matter how small or insignificant it maybe to a certain cycle or routine. It’s the tenth month of the year, the cold winter air slowly making its presence noticeable once again.

Kyungsoo sips on his coffee, tightening his scarf around his neck as he watches the sun’s light falter into the distance while the darkness of the night slowly crept in and colored the skies into a hue of gray and black. He closes the curtains not long after he finishes his drink and puts back his attention on the smiling lad at the hospital bed.

Jongin pats the empty space beside him, signaling the redhead to sit before he speaks. “I miss you hyung.” He confesses, a fond look taking over his face.

“I miss you too.” Kyungsoo responds, coming near him only to realize after a few minutes that the younger male keeps getting farther from his reach.

The redhead starts to run, feeling confused at the sudden turn of things before a familiar voice wakes him up.

“Hyung! Hyung, wake up you’re having a nightmare again!” Sehun shakes the older male’s shoulder and Kyungsoo shudders at the firm touch. He wakes up eventually, taking in his surroundings and realizing that he was still indeed inside Jongin’s hospital room, sleeping with his head leaning against the unconscious man’s hospital bed.

“Thank you.” He mutters to Sehun in return while the man whose hair color is now dyed to bubble gum pink, pats his back.

“Try to get more rest hyung, you look awful.” Sehun bluntly says with concern oozing out from his tone. He walks away from the redhead after, placing the foods and medicines he bought on the table near the room’s window, exhaling in surprise when he notices that Kyungsoo had been staring at him for awhile now.

“What hyung?” He deadpans, feeling a little intimidated with those huge white orbs.

Kyungsoo fidgets in his seat. “Do..d..do you think he’ll still wake up? It’s been six months Sehun, six long months of waiting.”

“Don’t tell me you’re giving up now hyung, you’ve come this far. You can last longer than this.”

“But what if I can’t?”

“You can hyung, just think positive. You’ll get through it.”

“I hope so.”

“Oh and you should really get a haircut hyung, the black strands of your hair are already showing.” Sehun comments off handedly making the atmosphere lighter.

Kyungsoo agrees, watching as Sehun goes out of the room to fetch Luhan. He stares at Jongin, just studying the man’s features while holding his hand tighly when out of nowhere, he feels a sudden flinch.

His eyes goes wide at the unexpected movement and freezes.

Another flinch, Kyungsoo gasps and immediately calls for assistance hoping with all his heart that Jongin is finally about to wake up.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It’s one in the morning when Kyungsoo decides to sing for Jongin, his voice dry and sore from crying in frustration the whole night. He tightens his grasp on the younger male, wishing and expecting at least another small movement from his still figure but nothing happens.

He coos him, singing a song as he clutches onto Jongin with silent prayers of what could have been and what should be if only the latter would open his eyes. Except it doesn’t really happen, and his wishes only remain as the collectively spoken string of words that had vanished into the dust of impropable tomorrows and broken todays.

“Jongin,” The redhead helplessly wails and muffles his cries against the sheets of the other male’s hospital bed.

It was as if he was on a constant ride on life’s special train of depression, always teetering to fall into the edge of a cliff that withheld nothing but the black hole of desperation and false hopes, ready to swallow anyone or anything that falls within its curse pit of darkness. And with everything going out of balance in his life in just a matter of a year and a few months, he feels as if the ride he’s into isn’t just a simple train anymore, but one that’s like a bullet, functioning all too fast that it’s rarely even possible to take a glimpse of it before it just hits its point and ignites a light of destruction and plain sorrow.

Then suddenly there’s a jolt.

A ing jolt, Kyungsoo thinks before he tilts his head in a fluid motion, eyes sharp and watchful as he waits for oth