“One is loved because one is loved. No reason is needed for loving.”
― Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist

She couldn’t block the bright lights as well the murmuring that was growing louder by the minute. She felt hardness beneath her head, or she felt her head getting heavier because of all the tears that had escaped her system last night.

Last night.

She opened her eyes and winced immediately.

The murmuring had stopped as her eyes focussed on two figures who were now watching her intently.

She watched with puffy eyes, his dongsaeng sat with a plate of fruits and was feeding his brother.

She felt her cheeks go hot as memories of her lost composure came flooding back, she knew he heard her every word. If that wasn’t true, he wouldn’t be looking at her with that gaze.

He knew.

The eldest one dismissed the younger brother with a slight smile. Jonghyun gave Seohyun a slight smile and closed the door behind him. The air in the ward was heavy and Seohyun felt suffocated as well as the tears that had missed their entry last night, were beginning to threaten. She stood up, making sure to avoid any attention and any further embarrassment.

But his eyes trailed her every movement. Her trembling fingers, her frantic eyes, her drooping chin.

“Leaving?”

Her hand froze on the doorknob as she heard his voice. She turned back and saw his direct gaze.

As he felt her shocked attention back on him, he again asked, “Leaving again, are you?”

“Yes, I was going home. I’m not needed here.” , she replied back slowly and carefully.

“You stuck around well for four days for somebody who was not needed. Why leave now?”

“I see. Now that you are awake, I can leave.”, she gave him a small smile and turned, “Get well soon oppa!”

The doorknob was stuck, the door had been locked from the outside. She continued jerking it when she heard him sigh and address her willingly.

“Sit Seohyun”

She surrenders to her own vulnerability and sits on the chair besides the bed, face swollen and hair unkempt.

“Eat some apple, might help with that face of yours” , he jokes darkly and pushes the plate in her direction.

When she doesn’t touch them, he sighs.

“I’m sorry Seohyun”-

She looks up at him.

“I wasn’t supposed to fall in love. It was never meant to go that way. We were supposed to be professional but I never planned it. I was happy with you, pretending or for real. Texting each other, staying up nights, secretly watching concerts and broadcasts, your habits were rubbing off on me. I didn’t plan it, it happened. I poured my energy in writing about you. You were my inspiration and I loved you-“

“Were?”

“I let you down, didn’t I?” , he looked at her with a sad smile, “ I was supposed to be your best friend, but I dared to take the plunge. I had no right to love you”.

“Jung Yonghwa! It was me, I wasn't supposed to do what I did. I let you down, I broke both of us. I wasn’t worth your love-“

“Yes you were. And you always will be!”

“I don’t understand.”

“You should have believed me and us. Even if Shinhye asked you to do what you did, you should have left it to me. You can’t take decisions for me. I’m furious at you for thinking that your actions would not affect me in the slightest. Forget about me, what about you? How could you live with what you did to us? You called me your best friend? If yes, then how could you lie to me and run away like that?”

Yonghwa was angry, his eyes were hard and steely.

“Why now Hyun? Why love me now?”

Her eyes moistened at hearing the familiar endearment.

“Don’t call me that” , her voice broke as she stared at him watery eyed.

“Why? It didn’t hurt you yesterday. It didn’t hurt you when you said you love me. It didn’t hurt you when you left me. It didn’t hurt you when you stayed here, despite my hostility. Then why now?”

He attempted to touch her fingers, to connect with the reality of her, and them. She didn’t flinch, she let him, only her face wore the pain she actually felt.

“It hurts me because I don’t deserve this”, she looked at him squarely, “Or this”, she looked at his fingers trying to marry into her own, “I love you , and this is why I did what I did. Yes, I was being selfish, I ejected myself out of our familiar surroundings because I was escaping the pain and difficulty. Yes, I wronged you, I took life into my own hands and lost two very precious years.”

“Seohyun, I looked for you everywhere. Nobody could give me any answers. I lost a piece of myself”

“Have I lost you forever?”

“Hyun!”, Yonghwa cupped her left cheek and wiped the wetness on her cheeks, his fingers exploring her face, “You are my forever.”

On hearing the words from him, she couldn’t contain herself and embraced him, not minding the hospital equipment.

“Ouch you pressed my needle”, he winced and then half smiled at her embarrassed mortification, “Why do you keep on causing me pain Seo Joohyun?”

He meant it as a tease, but Seohyun felt guilty enough to move at the farthest end of the bed.

“Great, why do you keep on going away?” , he tried to match her lowering gaze but smiled when she came closer, knowing he was being serious.

When she came close enough, he grabbed her by the wrist and locked her into a gentle embrace.

“Oppa, I might hurt you again”

“You won’t, because we will stay this way”, he looked at her fondly as she pressed her cheeks to his chest, “Forever”.

She pecked at the base of his throat and looked up at him, “Forever sounds right”.

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A/N :

It's been more than a year since I updated and I sincerely apologise for the absence. Life happened.

This is the last for maktub, It was originally a very sad story. I wrote this series when I was in high school for a local magazine :P

But, our OTP does not deserve a sad ending, hence the appropriate change of events.

I'm hoping you guys will still support this story :)

Please comment, subscribe and upvote :)

ps: I will be updating everything else real soon :)