“Tick tick tick tick...”

 My love life has a time limit.

“Tick tick…”

It was spring and the beautiful states of Korea were decorated with colourful flowers and bright green leaves. The country looked astonishingly beautiful at this season. The calm breeze blew as birds’ tweets filled the sky.

My time is shorter than others.

Many couples were by seaside. Some were enjoying the fantastic beauty of the sunset while others having fun or a tea time picnic together.

So I have no time to waste.

I have to shine brightly like fireworks in a summer sky.

A couple sitting next to each other, talking about god-knows-what making the girl slap her partner playfully. While another couple were their enjoying their favourite hobby of surfing together.

I found out about this when I was eight years old.

*****

A cute young girl with two ponytails with a pinned fringe placed the base of a stethoscope on a boy’s bare chest. Judging by the boy’s innocent face, he was about the same age as the girl. She placed the other end of the stethoscope in her ears and listened patiently while the other sat still in silence.

“Amazing! Your heart’s beating really fast.” She told the quiet boy.

“Wow. Doctor, I’m not sure why but ….”

“What? What’s wrong?” the eight-year-old girl got closer towards the boy.

“I’m nervous and have a pain on my chest.” The boy hesitated but he told anyways.

“That sounds bad. Let’s have a look.” She said without backing off.

The boy nodded in response.

“K now, take off your pants.”

“Eh?”

“Take off your underwear too.”

“What?” he asked.

“Don’t be shy. I’m a doctor, so I’m used to it.”

The boy didn’t respond but just stared at her with his two big innocent eyes.

“So off they go!” she pushed and tickled the boy causing him to fall and laugh out loud on the hospital bed.

“Woah, wait a minute!”

“Hurry up!” she yelled playful as she pulled his pants.

“What are you trying to examine!?” he asked tugging his pants upwards preventing the other to do god knows what.

“I said take them off!”

“Nurse! Help!”

And all of the sudden due to a loud booming sound they heard from the outside. The both of them looked out of the window and immediately rushed outside.

“Minhee-ah! Fireworks!”

“That’s so pretty!”

“Minhee, I’ll go get my dad and mum to see this. I’ll be right back!”

“Mm! Go grab some snacks on the way!”

“Okay!” and with that the boy ran back inside in search of his parents. He went downstairs and headed to Minhee’s dad’s office. His parents were always there anyways and it was true, when he reached there, Minhee’s father was talking to them. He hesitates to enter but since the boy didn’t want his parents to miss the beautiful view, so he opened the door.

He just opened it slightly when he heard his mother asked.

“You mean Baekhyun won’t recover?”

“Of course we haven’t lose hope yet.” The doctor told.

“But please understand that currently there is no known cure.” He continued.

Baekhyun froze.

“This isn’t really a cure but an advice. His diet and physical abilities must be controlled.” The doctor said again after some silence.

“But that’s just to prolong his life, right?” Baekhyun’s father questioned.

“If we control his physical activities and diet, how much longer would he live?” he asked again only to be stopped by his wife.

“Don’t…” she whispered.

“No, it’s better if we know now.”  He told and turned his attention back to the Doctor Kwon.

“Baekhyun’s heart won’t be able to withstand his body’s growth… At this rate,” he paused, “Baekhyun won’t able to reach twenty.” 

Silence. No one said a thing. Nothing can be heard except for the sound of the clock ticking and the quiet sobbing heard from Baekhyun’s mother.

Baekhyun never seen his parents that sad and depressed before. Now he knew what had really been the cause of the pain he felt on the left side of his chest. He turned behind to leave and saw a figure with a shocked face standing there, panting slightly.

It was Minhee.

She looked at the other with a pained expression while Baekhyun just smiled back at her.

Like I said, my love life has a time limit.

Let me rephrase that.

Our love life has a time limit.

*****

“Stop that! It hurts!” the young boy protested as the nurses tied him up roughly on the hospital bed.

“Yah! Let me go!” he continued yelling, only to be ignored.

“It seems cruel but if he moves, he might pull out the catheter and bleed.” Dr. Kwon informed Baekhyun’s parents and Mr. Byun could only nod in response.

“Let me go! I can stay still!”

“I know you can, Hyunnie. Good boy.” Mrs. Byun responded as she caressed her beloved son’s hair.

Dr. Kwon smiled for a second as he observed the family. He then excused himself and left. He still had other patients to deal with. Walking out of the ward, later closing its door, he saw a very familiar figure standing in front of Baekhyun’s ward.

“Minhee…”

The girl stood there, holding her favourite story book with an angry pout. She tried her best to look angry and scary but to her father, she looked as cute as ever.

*****

“Mianhe, Baekhyun-ah…” the boy’s father’s words broke the pregnant silence.

“If I could take all the pain away, I would. I seriously would.” He paused then continued.

“I’m sorry you have to endure this…”

Baekhyun didn’t really understand why his father was sorry, but his judging his mother’s controlled sobs, it was pretty meaningful.   

Boom! 1st chapter done!

-dreamteamace