October 23 starts off like any other day.  Minhyun wakes up and sends a text to his precious Minki.  It’s simple.  Good morning, Minki!  Let’s have a good day today.  It’s the same text he sends every day.  And Minki always replies, Good morning, Minhyun.  We will because we’re together.  But this morning, Minhyun finds himself staring at his phone for just a little too long with no missed messages.  Did Minki ignore him?

Minhyun goes to school today, but, as he later discovers, Minki does not.  The lunch table seems so lifeless without him.  Jonghyun and Dongho speak amongst themselves, but neither mentions the fact that Minhyun looks like a puppy that’s just been kicked.

The boy finds himself checking his phone every five minutes to see if the blonde has replied.  But each time his hopes are shattered just a little more.  By the end of the day, he’s convinced himself he’s overreacting.  His lover is probably sick.  Just a little cold.  Certainly he’ll message back tomorrow.

October 24 passes by in the blink of an eye and October 25 slaps Minhyun in the face.  He wakes up in a depressed state.  He sends the normal text but doesn’t get a response.  With a sigh, Minhyun forces himself to get ready for school.

Right after first period, while Minhyun is at his locker, his heart nearly stops.  Minki is walking through the halls.  Minhyun laughs at himself because he was clearly being overdramatic the whole time.

“Minki, I’m so glad to…”

He stops mid-sentence, watching Minki pass by without as much as a glance.  He’s with another guy.  Minhyun didn’t know that he could feel any worse, but now that was fact.

The next week, Minhyun continues sending his good morning texts along with a few others.  Sorry to bother you.  I just want to make sure you’re alright!  Have you eaten?  I don’t want you getting weak.  Hope you’re doing well.  Each one yields no response.

This behavior spills into the week after, and on November 4, Minhyun’s heart shatters into a million pieces.

Everything begins at lunch.  Minhyun is scooting rice around his plate with chopsticks when Aaron mutters, “Here comes trouble.”  Minhyun looks in the direction Aaron gestures to and sees the Minki’s new toy coming in their direction.  He looks furious.

“I’m only going to say this once, understand?  Leave.  Minki.  Alone.  He doesn’t love you anymore – never did, really – and now you’re just getting on his nerves.  So how about you stop living in your delusions and–“

Minhyun stands up and brings his fist forward, feeling pain as it collides with the stranger’s jaw.  In an instant, his friends are holding him back.  “Don’t you ever say that about Minki.  He’ll always love me.”

The entire cafeteria is looking at the group in shock, but when the other retreats, everyone goes back to what they were doing.  Minhyun watches him leave, followed by a red-haired Minki.

His friends can’t clean up the shards.

It’s that day that Minhyun gives up.  Minki obviously wants nothing to do with him, so why should he care?  Every day feels empty without his former love, and Minhyun knows that he still loves the now-brunette.  Feelings like that just don’t go away, so he wonders when exactly Minki stopped loving him.  Maybe the whole thing was a fabrication.

November 20 comes around eventually.  To Minhyun those few weeks feel like an eternity.  It is also this day that Minhyun decides to give Minki a call.  He needs to know what happened.  Minhyun suspects that somewhere along the line the younger boy was dishonest.

“Hello?”

“Minki?  You answered.  Thank goodness.”  Minhyun breathes a sigh of relief.  Even with just one word, he’s almost happy.  Almost.

“Minhyun, I thought Jason told you to leave me alone.”

“Jason?  So that’s the boy you left me for?”

There’s hesitation on the other side.  “It’s not like that.”

“Then why don’t you love me anymore?”

“Minhyun, we don’t have to talk about this.  Not now.”

“Then when?  You haven’t spoken to me in four weeks.  Time is only ticking by and you haven’t bothered texting back.  You don’t even look at me anymore.  I just want to know where I want wrong.”

“It’s not your fault.”

“Then whose fault is it?”

“Mine.”

There’s sniffling on the other end of the phone.  Minhyun’s heart aches, knowing he was the one who caused it.

“Minki, who are you on the phone with?”

“Who is that?” Minhyun asks.  He has a feeling he knows the answer.

“It’s no one.  Go away.”

“You’re not still talking to your boyfriend, are you?  You’re only making it harder on yourselves.”

“I know, but…  Minhyun, we can’t talk anymore.  I just can’t do this to you, no matter how much it hurts me.”

Click.

“But you don’t understand.  You don’t understand how much you’re hurting me when you’re like this, jagiya.”

Minhyun hasn’t cried in years.  But that streak has been broken, much like he finds himself.

On the evening of November 22, Minhyun pounds his fists against the white door of Minki’s house.  His least favorite person answers.

“Hey, you’re being too loud.”

“My apologies,” Minhyun spits.  “Why didn’t Minki answer?”

“He can’t.”

“Why not?”

Jason sighs.  “Minhyun, you’re just leading yourself to depression.  It’s better if you just go home and never come back.”

“You don’t know what’s better.  You don’t know what it’s like being alone every day and wondering what you’re doing wrong.”

“It’s cold.  Why don’t you come inside?”  He moves out of the way and beckons Minhyun in.

Minhyun takes a deep breath, inhaling the familiar scent he’s missed so much over the past month.

“Have a seat in the living room.  I’ll get Minki for you.”

Jason disappears and Minhyun sits down on the loveseat in the living room.  The man returns with a sullen Minki.  His hair is still brown but his roots are starting to turn brown.  The old Minki would never let that happen.  He sits down across from Minhyun, and Jason sits beside him.

“Minhyun, I’ve been less than honest with you.  I’m really sorry.  I thought it was for the best, I really did.  But seeing you hurt like this isn’t fair.”

The older of the two clenches his fist.  “At least tell me why.  Then I promise I’ll disappear.”

Minki’s eyebrows furrow.  “That’s not what I want at all.  I was trying to protect you.”

“Protect me from what?”

Minki lets a tear roll down his cheek.  Jason wipes it away with his thumb.  They exchange looks, and Jason begins speaking.  “Minki’s time is limited.  The doctors gave him six months on October 22, and we don’t think he’ll be able last that long.”

Minhyun is silent.  His brain can’t wrap his head around the idea of Minki dying.  One month ago he was running around as healthy as can be, and now he’s about to die?

“How long do you think he has?”

“A few weeks, maybe.  I think you two have wasted valuable time, but that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy the last part.”

Without thinking, Minhyun gets up and pulls Minki into his arms.  “Do you love me again?”

“I never stopped.”

The next week, Minhyun spends all of his time with Minki.  He practically moves in, which his lover does not object to.  It turns out that Jason is hospice nurse and that Minhyun was being ridiculous this whole time.  He regrets the way he acted, but there’s nothing he can do to change it.  He can only look forward.

Over those seven days, Minki finds himself getting weaker and weaker.  By the end of the week, he’s stuck in bed with his eyes closed while he’s awake.  Minhyun avoids sleeping and lives off of coffee.  Every time he drifts off, he jolts awake and checks to see if Minki is still breathing.

On day eight, Minki can’t open his eyes.  He complains he’s too tired and drifts in and out of sleep constantly.  Minhyun calls for help, and soon an ambulance is there.  They take the trio to the hospital.

“How are you feeling?” Jason questions while they’re sitting in the waiting room.

“Oddly calm.  I’ve almost prepared myself for this over the past week.  I knew it was coming.”

Jason nods.  “That’s a good way to look at it.  Sometimes people are angry, and that leads nowhere.”

They’re silent for a few minutes before a doctor calls them in.  Minki has his eyes cracked open as he lies on a hospital bed in the ER.  “Minhyun, do you forgive me?”  His voice is raspy.

“For what?”  Minhyun grabs his lover’s hand and Minki’s hand with the back of his thumb.

“Lying to you.”

“I never had any reason to be mad.  But even if I was, I’d forgiven you by now.  I love you.”

“I love you too.  Don’t forget me, okay?  And when you remember me, don’t remember my hair being like this.  It’s too messy.”

They share a laugh and Minhyun kisses the younger’s forehead.  “Of course.  You’re so beautiful either way.”

“It’s cold.”  Minki’s eyes are now shut all the way.  “I think I’m going now.  I love you, Minhyun.  Find me again someday, somewhere.”

“I love you too.”

The bony hand in Minhyun’s hand relaxes and Minhyun knows it’s time.  He carefully places the boy’s hand on his heart and lets the tears blur his vision.  Jason is in the back with a sympathetic gaze.

November may be over, but I love you.  I promise we’ll meet again, jagiya.  Someday.

Thank you for reading!  Any and all comments are appreciated.  It took forever to get this to actually paste from Word, but I finally did it and I feel like a champion.