The days where counting down, I just knew it by the fact that Sung Yeol seemed to get worse each passing day. And I couldn’t do anything but watch as he slowly faded away. He’d been in the hospital for two months now. Two months of daily examinations that not only made Sung Yeol suffer, but me as well.

“Please Da Sol, can we do something on my birthday” he pleaded as he looked at me with those eyes that two months ago belonged to someone who didn’t even know that he was going to die within a year’s time. Still, I wondered how he could remember his birthday when I sort of had forgotten it, well; I guess living inside this room day and night disturbed any idea of what day it was.

And even though I wanted to do lots of things with him before he passed away, I didn’t know if I could. Since he was in such a critical state that I doubted that the doctors would let him out. I glanced at the calendar hanging over his bed; a circle had been drawn around the date, August 27.

It was two days until the 27th and thus also his twentieth birthday that I hoped he would be able to survive through. I practically spent my entire days wondering how many more days he had left, since that was the only thing left. Because I knew he was going to die.

“Oppa let’s get married” I smiled brightly despite that my heart was in a total mess, because I didn’t want to make him worry more than he already did. “Really” he’s eyes shined as the sun watching over us when he spoke and I nodded in reply terrified that I would do something that hurt him.

There was a light knock on the door before a nurse slid the door open and strode inside; it was time for the second of eight examinations. He had to do one every third hour, to see if something had changed. Like a miracle.

Ten minutes later and no signs of Sung Yeol getting better the nurse walked off. It was surely no turning back. He was going to leave me.

Tears trickled down my cheeks, before they feel and hit the hospital bed, and thus sprinkling it with small droplets of saddened tears. Mine. The ones that steadily appeared every time they doctors said that his state weren’t getting any better, only worse.

“O-oppa, I’m sorry” I managed to stutter out as my breath faded away into a sob. My bottle was soon filled; I didn’t know how much more I could take. I didn’t even want to know how I was going to react when he disappeared into the light. How could I ever continue with my life when knowing that my other part, my other half was missing?

I didn’t know. How could I?

“Da Sol” Sung Yeol’s voice was so low that I almost missed it, how weak could a human being really get? Could you really fade away just like that? “Hm?” my hand was still entwined with his as he told me that my phone was ringing. My brain had a hard time copy with what he just said. I hadn’t left this room for two months. Except when using the bathroom and getting something to eat.

School, I had put it on hold. I couldn’t risk that he passed away when I weren’t present. I couldn’t take it, if he died when I was at school.

I picked up the phone from my bag and answered.

“Da Sol, you need to get home. You can’t stay there forever. You have school to take care of” it was my mother’s voice and she wasn’t happy. It wasn’t like she – my parents disliked Sung Yeol. They cared about me, just like any other parent would. Of course they wanted me to take care of school, but. I needed to be here, for Sung Yeol.

“Mom, I can’t. I need to stay here” I didn’t spare with my voice; I needed them to understand that I loved Sung Yeol. He was my first love, the only one I had in my life. He played a huge roll in my life, maybe even bigger than my own parents.

“Don’t use that tone with me”

That’s when it broke, tears streamed like no tomorrow, why couldn’t they understand. There where actually more important things in the world than school. People, the ones you love.

Aren’t they the most important in your life?

At least they where for me, treasured the relationship Sung Yeol and I had higher than anything else in this world, because he was my everything. The only one that’s made me think ‘he’s the one I want to spend the rest of my life with’.

But that was long gone.

I pressed away the call; it was no use in trying to convey my parents. They where strict, just like the average Korean parent. They where never going to listen. I was younger, less familiar with life and how it worked. How come? This, wasn’t this a lot more than most people went through? To watch the love of their life slowly fading away.

I doubted it.