“I’ll be waiting, jonghyun ya”

“always………..”

Changjo’s eyelids opened so rapidly it hurts while his chest was moving up and down faster each heavy breath he took. His head was spinning and he was sure all his blood had shot up to his brain so fast he could feel his own veins pulsing.

It was that dream again. A dream that had haunted his mind ever since the accident happened. A voice, warm and gentle calling him. Repeating those exact words again and again while everything was either so black or so bright. It was unsettling, disturbing even for jonghyun. The fact that it wasn’t a nightmare neither was it a good dream. But each time it came, all changjo could feel was suffocation and pain filling each gap of his chest. Tears would casually flood his eyes and each time he would shout and cry. What hurt most was the fact that there no reason for him to hurt like this. What was it that he had left behind that it would haunt him each night.

Pulling his hair back, changjo peeked at the clock. He overslept. The young boy ran as fast as possible, opened the veranda and immediately searched for ricky. A bitter smile slowly carved on changjo’s face. It was a mix of disappointment and pain. It was past eight and ricky was nowhere to be found. Not even his shadow. Changjo stared blankly at changhyun’s window, huffing and puffing. Sprinting in the morning was something he should not have done.

“aishh I really need you now. Ricky ya, it hurts.”

Another drop of tear fell on the floor. Changjo was yearning for ricky’s shining smile, one that it is gentle enough to heal his pain. Then suddenly a sharp pain from the crown of jonghyun’s head broke the young lad’s gaze from the window across his building. Gasping for air, changjo collapsed. The pain was so intense his sight went blur. Aching and writhing on the floor, Jonghyun looked desperately at ricky’s window.

His sight was poor but still changhyun’s window looked as if they were shining. Even in so much pain, jonghyun could not help but to stare into those glasses when suddenly…

“r…ricky?”

He saw a familiar figure inside the empty house. It was impossible, ricky was never home on weekdays. Changjo kept on blinking his eyes repeatedly, slightly groaning, bearing so much pain. But its real. It was ricky, walking around looking restless and uneasy. Then the young boy stopped, holding a picture frame he froze in the living room.  changjo slowly stood up, using every single strength that was left. He needed to see better. Then his breath froze, his grip tightened.

Ricky was stumbling, as if he too was in pain. The boy’s hand slowly made its way to his chest, rubbing it gently to ease what seemed to be pain. Then exactly what jonghyun had feared , changhyun collapsed. Racing towards the ground, completely off of changjo’s sight.

Cold sweats dropped on jonghyun’s jaws as he silently watches the boy he loved faint, crashing on the floor. The pain on his head was excruciating but the fact that he was helpless was unbearable. Bearing each pulses of stinging pain, he stood up straight, took a deep breath and started to run. Changjo was desperate; he needed to save the boy who had a shining smile.

“wait ricky ya. Im coming!”

He jumped over fences and dodged a few collisions on the road as he raced to ricky’s apartment. He had no time no figure out where changhyun’s house was, the boy was running with just a rough idea of where the house was. But miraculously, wherever his steps were headed, it was correct. Somehow it was as if he knew exactly where to go. With no hesitations changjo banged on the door. Shouting and screaming desperately calling his dear friend. But there was no answer, obviously the apartment sounded nothing but silence.

He took another deep breath and braced himself, with all his might he crashed against the door with hopes of an entrance. Apparently his well built muscles and height worked perfectly and all he needed was just to walk in.

Staggering, he held onto the broken doorknob for support as all his strength had disappeared. Even his lean muscular foot was failing him. In fact his sanity was the real reason; he just couldn’t digest what he saw. It was a sight of horrid.

The house was dead empty. It looked as if there was not a single living creature had lived inside it. The furniture were wrapped perfectly with white cloths and the floor were covered with thick dust. But still somehow it felt warm, just like home. Changjo slowly walked around when sound of glass shards below his foot grabbed his attention. He lifted the plain cloth off the floor and found something familiar to what he saw just then.

Shock by shock had slapped jonghyun that day. His eyes widened as tears flooded his eyes, whereas his fading pain seemed to have moved to his chest. Nothing made sense. It was the same picture frame that ricky had held and inside it lays a picture of someone he knew very well of.

It was himself.

It was a picture of himself with ricky. Smiling just as bright.

"what is this... this is me and ric..ricky. but how, we were never together. i just met him"

"a...a picture?!"