"The master says:

“You are together because a forest is always stronger than a solitary tree,” the master answered. "The forest conserves humidity, resists the hurricane and helps the soil to be fertile. But what makes a tree strong is its roots. And the roots of a plant cannot help another plant to grow. To be joined together in the same purpose is to allow each person to grow in his own fashion, and that is the path of those who wish to commune with God.”

Paulo Coelho ; The Alchemist

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3 days later~

The receptionist smiled at her as she walked in the hospital with a pink guitar. She had rescued it from her parent’s house. 

Seohyun gave small smile back to her and  exchanged greetings..She walked towards his ward and saw him gazing outside. He had woken up but was disoriented and a wave of melancholy had washed over him.

HE hadn’t exchanged even two words with her , ever since he opened his eyes.

Nevertheless, this wasn’t going to be a problem for her at all. Being roommates with Hyoyeon, she had learnt to be fearless.  

The door clicked opened and his eyes changed , but he still kept his gaze outside the window. Not looking at her, not even acknowledging her presence.

Yeah, see what she means about being fearless ?

She had always seen him charismatic, and full of life on stage and everywhere. He was a ball of energy and not a person who was pallid and dull.

‘’Good morning oppa! I see you’re awake. The nurse told me you already had your breakfast. Well , when you get discharged I’ll be nice for a day and let you have coffee’’.

Her cheery voice trailed off when she saw his expressionless gaze shift to the ceiling.

She pulled the curtains away some more, so that daylight could trickle in and warm the room. She turned back and gave him a smile.

Waiting for him to say something.

For him to look at her.

But she didn’t expect anything more. Closing her eyes, she continued tidying his space , making space for everything . In the end, she sat down on the chair next to the bed and put the pink guitar on her lap.

As she strummed the first cord, she felt herself being watched. Smiling, she strummed it unsurely, getting into the feel of it.

Yonghwa POV :

As I heard an alien bustling next to my ears, I stirred.   I almost thought it was Jonghyun who had barged into my room again to look for a guitar pick, when I felt someone sticking something in my ear. Like a reflex, I opened my eyes to see a kind middle aged woman taking my temperature.

No sign of her.

Even when I was in my comatose state, I had felt safe and warm. It nearly broke my heart to see she wasn’t next to me.

As if my heart was capable of anymore cracks !

I wasn’t sure how she had found me, I was even embarrassed to be like this in front of her. Helpless and  pitiful. But not once, did she try to lecture me, or tell me off for being so careless.

It was more like she was trying to be a ray of yellow sunshine to drive away the darkness I felt in my heart.

When I woke up, I resented her. I resented her every move, her word.

The way she would tell me take care.

Care?  As if she cared anything about me.

If she had, she wouldn’t have left me without any warning. 

I don’t think I love her anymore.

Because my heart  hurts. It hurts to even look at her.

But It hurts more when she’s not around me.

I havn’t spoken a word since I woke up from my slumber, the doctors and my dongsaengs keep prodding me to say a word, but i simply shake my head and bury my head in the pillows again. I texted  my parents that I was on the mend and they need not visit me. I don’t think I can see my mother right now.

I would breakdown at the sight of her.

And the sight in front of me is giving me the determination to fight on.

To keep myself together.

She sits in front of me and strums the guitar I gifted her. I had even engraved our initials on the back of it, as a secret surprise.  She strummed the first C chord unsurely, she always had troubles with that one. I try hard to not look at her directly, but I can’t help but give her a glassy eyed stare. With each strum, and her pouting to get it right I feel better, like my mind is healing. 

She is humming a familiar tune-

Wait  is that the Banmal song?

She is sitting at the end of my bed with her hair loos-

I don’t want to tear my gaze away from her.  But that song makes it harder to look at her. This is OUR song, nothing could have slowed the fluttering of my heart as she would mouth the lyrics while strumming the guitar.

I think my cheeks are wet.

Secretly I pat them dry, not noticing the human girl who was in close proximity .

‘’Oppa, I can’t play the chorus  on my own, will you help me play’’ , she asked me, hope and anxiety dancing in her eyes as she waited for my reaction.

The words I want to say are stuck somewhere in my chest as I can’t give her an answer.

No One’s POV :

She looked at him hoping he would answer, hoping that he would break that vow of silence he had been harbouring ever since.  Seohyun had been in high spirits , or it was better to say that she was keeping up the facade so he would feel human. Shinhye had left him even more broken,  trying to patch him up with her obsessive love, but instead tearing him apart day by day.

It had hurt Seohyun a lot when she had noticed his glassy stares , his nonchalance and the lack of response.  The mornings in the ward began with her coaxing him to do something , and the day fell with her looking at disappointment yet again.

She would read him the L.A. Lakers news every morning, while hearing keroro theme songs playing mildly in the backdrop or specially defy the nurses and bring him kimchichigae instead of drab hospital food.

Jungshin and other members would visit for an hour and then leave for their schedules, knowing that their hyung was unwillingly in safe hands.

If only he would respond!

One afternoon Seohyun decided to bring out her pink guitar that he had gifted her.

After deliberately strumming the C chord incorrectly, she looked at him .

‘’Oppa, I can’t find work the chorus on my own, will you help me play?’’

Several minutes passed as they looked at each other, both engulfed in the silence between them.

‘’It’s the second finger with the thumb’’ .

She blinked as she heard his voice , trying to not let her chest get heavy with emotions, she kept her gaze down as she concentrated on the chord.

‘’Like this?’’

She asked him again, prodding him to talk. But he turned his head towards the right, avoiding eye contact with her.

‘’Oppa?’’

She sighed.

Something was better than nothing. 

Right?

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A/N :

Firstly thank you for the subscribing , and secondly sorry for the long wait. The next update is last for this one.

I updated in a hurry so it might not be a perfect chapter :)

Thank you xo