That was the very last memory Myung Soo had of conversing with Sung Jong. He remembered the moments that followed afterwards – the moments when two friends became strangers once again. Their conversations, their moments, their laughter, and their tears had all amounted to nothingness. All that remained was pain.

 

After weeks passed, Myung Soo was back to immersing himself in one of his textbooks. Now that Sung Jong was out of his life, he was able to focus back on his studies. Lately, he had been spending too much time with the guy anyway. Maybe this was for the better. He had to maintain his status as the highest ranked student and make his own parents proud – that was Myung Soo’s purpose.

 

As he walked down the busy hallway after lunch hour, he noticed a familiar figure approaching. It wasn’t hard to spot the tall and skinny guy. He noticed how Sung Jong’s skin looked a little paler than before. There were bandages over his body that weren’t there before. This could only mean that he had obtained new scars and wounds.

 

Myung Soo’s heart dropped. Though he wanted to leave the boy alone even after those harsh words, a part of him just couldn’t stay away.

 

“Sung Jong…”

 

Before he could approach the guy, Sung Jong had hastened his footsteps. He gave Myung Soo one small glance that unveiled the same coldness as it did back then on that wretched day. He then brushed past Myung Soo and intentionally kept his face lowered towards the ground.

 

No greeting. No eye contact. No memories.

 

They were strangers.

---

 

Time passed by as quickly as the changing seasons. Before they knew it, it was graduation day. Being the top student, Myung Soo was asked to make a valedictorian speech. He got up from his seat and slowly walked up to the front of the stage. His hands were tucked inside his long black gown – fiddling with the cue cards he stored inside. Though he managed to look cold most of the time, Myung Soo was a little nervous. Sung Jong would’ve said something to encourage him, but he would never hear those words again.

 

Myung Soo stood right in front of the podium and gently adjusted the microphone closer towards his lips. He took the few cue cards from his pocket and firmly held it in his hands. The spotlight was shone on him and he managed to stand out among the dark auditorium. The light was blinding, but he used this as a chance to look for Sung Jong. This might be the last time they could see each other.

 

“My fellow graduates. Over the last four years, we have learned a lot,” he began with a soft voice. His eyes kept scanning the different rows and sections, wondering if he could find that one person.

 

“We have learned the knowledge that will help us succeed in our future…”

 

No matter where he looked, he could not find the bright lean boy. His eyes were frantically searching through the people as his mouth kept reciting his speech. Could it be that Sung Jong did not attend their graduation ceremony?

 

“There is nothing in this world that is as valuable as wisdom...”

 

Myung Soo’s eyes came to a halt as he focused on one particular corner. It was one of the darkest and most hidden corners towards the far left side of the big auditorium. Even as everyone wore similar black gowns, Sung Jong still stood out.

 

Unknowingly, his lips curved into a small smile.

 

“Except for one thing; and that’s friendship,” Myung Soo spoke as his eyes never left the spot. He placed his cue cards down and grabbed the microphone using both his hands. Even if Sung Jong hated him and decided to continue to ignore him, this was the last chance he had to tell Sung Jong about his importance in his life. Even if they would never meet each other again, he wanted the boy to know about his silent emotions.

 

“From the time I was born, my life only revolved around books. I distanced myself from other people on purpose, because wisdom was my only friend. But one day, someone managed to change me for the better. This person taught me the valuable lesson of friendship.”

 

Myung Soo paused a moment as he noticed Sung Jong staring at him with an intense glare. His face looked very stiff as he sat straight in his seat. He was listening, but Myung Soo couldn’t tell how he felt.

 

“Sometimes, friends come and go, but the memories will stay. Sometimes, holding on to those memories are more painful than letting go of them.” Myung Soo continued as he tucked in his lower lips momentarily. He lifted his head and directed the message directly to the guy. “Which is why you don’t have to.”

 

Sung Jong finally moved out of his statue-like position. His lips trembled as if he was fighting the urge to reply to that statement. He lowered his head down towards the floor. His shoulders moved up in an exaggerated manner before it was released all at once.

 

Myung Soo couldn’t tell whether Sung Jong was annoyed or touched at his speech. At least he had managed to give his final message. No matter how much Sung Jong hated him, or used him, Myung Soo didn’t care. He treasured the short moment as friends.

 

That was his last parting message.

---

 

When years passed, the two naturally grew apart. He had respected Sung Jong’s decision to stay away and to break off the friendship. Though he did not understand why, he did not ask, or attempt to ask. He just let it be.

 

So it broke his heart when one day, he received a call from the hospital regarding Sung Jong. The doctor sounded rushed and told him to come over immediately. Though he hadn’t seen Sung Jong for several years, he quickly made his way there.

 

“Kim Myung Soo?” the doctor asked as Myung Soo managed to find his way to the room. “Are you Lee Sung Jong’s guardian?”

 

Myung Soo was still panting from being out of breath. He looked at the doctor as if he was speaking nonsense. “No,” he shook his head.

 

The doctor looked confused as well. “Mr. Lee wrote your name as his emergency contact,” he said.

 

“He did?” Myung Soo was baffled at the unexpected information.

 

This did not make any sense. Why did Sung Jong write his name as the emergency contact if they haven’t even seen each other for more than a year? Why was he appointed for such an important position if their friendship had ended? Why didn’t he write down his parents’ name?

 

Myung Soo glanced towards the unconscious boy who was unable to answer his questions. It had been ages since Myung Soo saw Sung Jong in such a serene state without bandages all over him, though several IV tubes were attached to him.

 

“We called you in, hoping that you can talk to him. Sometimes, patients regain their consciousness when hearing the voices of their closed ones,” the doctor said as he patted Myung Soo’s back. He then took out a familiar looking brown notebook from his white coat and handed it over. “This belongs to Mr. Lee. We thought it’d be better if you kept it.”

 

“This is…” Myung Soo uttered silently to himself as he accepted the book. The memories were so vivid in his head. He could mentally picture Sung Jong next to him as he was writing in the book with those trembling arms. He had always wondered what this secret diary was all about it.

 

“We hope you can bring Mr. Lee back,” the doctor told him.

---

 

Days turned into weeks, and weeks turned into months. Even so, Sung Jong never woke up from his coma. Day and night, Myung Soo had gone to visit him after he got off work as a lawyer. It became a routine to just keep talking to the empty air, hoping that somewhere down his unconscious state, he was listening.

 

“I’m back,” Myung Soo spoke softly as he placed his coat and bag on an empty couch. He then grabbed a small chair and placed it next to the bed. With a deep sigh, he sat down on the chair and kept staring at Sung Jong in stillness.

 

There was no reply.

 

Myung Soo’s eyes went towards the brown notebook on top of the bed-side table. It had been lying there covered in some dust. He wanted to respected Sung Jong’s privacy and never dared to touch the book. But what if the answer to regain Sung Jong back lied in there?

 

Curiously, he stretched his arm out to grab the book. It felt very rough and light to him. As he opened the book, he noticed the flimsy paper that was almost torn up on every edge. The words Sung Jong had written were barely readable. However, there was something about the entry that caught his eyes. He quickly skimmed through the other pages and noticed a similar pattern.

 

 

 

 

 

Myung Soo was in disbelief as he read the entry on the early pages. The abundance of information in that single writing alone overwhelmed his feelings. He recalled how Sung Jong had never talked about his family members. And he never questioned about them either. It slowly began to make sense.

 

This was indeed, not a regular diary. These were letters to his deceased mother.

 

 

 

 

 

His hands were already trembling every time he tried to flip the page. He did not know about Sung Jong’s tragic family condition, but he could only make assumptions he wished were not true.

 

His eyes quickly scanned over Sung Jong’s fragile body. He noticed those deep wounds and faint purple cuts that decorated his pale skin. He suddenly understood that those bruises were marked by Sung Jong’s father.

 

Why didn’t Sung Jong talk back to the bullies when he was being tortured? Could it be that he was used to those aggressive behavior? Did his father torture him more whenever he talked back?

 

 

 

 

Myung Soo felt an indescribable twitch in his chest. He knew the entry was talking about him this time. It was the day when Sung Jong revealed he was writing about his favorite hyung – the day when they freely talked to one another as the friends they once were.

 

 

 

 

 

Myung Soo could feel the tears creeping up his eyes. It was unbelievable how the young boy had so much faith in those bullies. Even though they kept giving him nothing but pain, Sung Jong believed they would turn good someday.

 

He rapidly kept on skimming through the pages and realized how more and more entries were written about him. Sung Jong lied. If their friendship was fake, why would he have written so many entries about their times together?

 

Then, his eyes finally stopped to one particular entry. It was the longest entry yet. And as he studied the date of the entry, he recognized it as that dejected day when his world had fallen apart.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Myung Soo was unable to hold back any of his tears. He released them all at once as a river streamed down his eyes. He placed the notebook back to the bedside table as he turned to Sung Jong.

 

The reason why Sung Jong told him to go away and claimed their friendship meant nothing was all a lie. He behaved so coldly as strangers to repel him away. For he knew that whoever was associated with him would become another victim. So he was willing to bear all the burden on himself and became the sacrificial lamb.

 

“You idiot!” Myung Soo uttered as he stared at Sung Jong with gritted teeth. His hand balled into a fist as he felt his entire body shudder, unable to contain the bursting emotions. He wanted to scream at Sung Jong and get mad, but he couldn’t. He wanted to cry his heart out and get him back, but he couldn’t. He wanted to thank the foolish guy for his thoughtless actions, but he couldn’t.

 

“You don’t have to help me,” his shout dissolved into small whimpers. He placed both hands against Sung Jong’s white gown and started to lightly shake him, hoping that he could hear those familiar words. “You don’t have to help me, you hear me? You… You don’t have to…”

 

He gasped for air in between every word, but his hands never released Sung Jong’s gown. His shoulders continued to bounce heavily with every sob. His eyes became a water work as rivers rapidly flew downwards.

 

The words became too difficult to utter as he had troubles breathing. But it wasn’t as hurtful as the inability to hear the reply.

 

“Tell me that you know,” Myung Soo’s voice became a soft plea. “Tell me that you won’t… Just… Answer me…”

 

In defeat, Myung Soo released his hands from the white hospital gown. He buried his head against Sung Jong’s chest, feeling the steady heartbeat against his ears. Feelings of remorse, desperation, and regret consumed him from the inside out. Knowing that Sung Jong wouldn’t answer him felt like someone had taken his heart from his chest, and burned it down into a pile of ashes.

 

Would it have been different if he had managed to speak up? Would it have been different if he didn’t keep his silence? If only he had reported the incident to the instructors, Sung Jong wouldn’t have been in this devastating state. If only he asked Sung Jong for an explanation about his weird behavior. He would’ve known that Sung Jong was lying and wouldn’t have given up on their bond.

 

But it was all too late, just because he couldn’t find his voice.

 

In the midst of his internal battle, he turned to pick the book up again, wondering if Sung Jong was back to the depressing state afterwards. He flipped the pages back to where he left of. Rereading those words was like mentally stabbing himself with a thousand knifes. And it still wouldn’t be enough to kill off his guilt.

 

He noticed how the rest of the pages were empty. His eyebrows furrowed into a knot as he roughly kept flipping the pages. He went through the entire book and only saw blank papers, until he arrived at the very last page.

 

His movements slowed down as his hands gently fixed the crumbled paper. There was a certain hollowness in his eyes as he absorbed the words that were written there.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“You were crying?” Myung Soo questioned as he turned to Sung Jong with the sadness protruded through his eyes. “I thought you hated me so much you had to look away.”

 

Another pain pricked unto his chest, feeling how his entire soul was being ripped apart. If only he could rewind time, there were so many things he would’ve done differently. He wouldn’t have been such a coward and kept his stillness – thinking that was the best way for Sung Jong. He would’ve roared out his silence.

 

Maybe then, Sung Jong would be fine.

---

 

Though time could not rewind, pain could not unwind, and memories remained in the mind, there was one thing Myung Soo could do. He had gathered all of his resources to track down all of those campus bullies and invited them to come to the hospital. Using his connections and his position as a lawyer, he managed to make them all come.

 

The five bullies stood at the doorway, afraid to come inside. They were afraid to confirm that the person lying in bed was their victim, Lee Sung Jong. On top of that, Myung Soo had been giving them an icy glare for the past five minutes. The fact that he had kept his silence made everything more suspenseful.

 

“Why did you call us here?” Sung Gyu was the first one to speak up.

 

“Why don’t you come inside, and we’ll talk?” Myung Soo asked. He was far different from the way he was years ago. There was no reason for him to hide anymore. There was nothing else to lose.

 

“What do you want?” Sung Gyu asked again as they had taken a baby step to enter the room.

 

Myung Soo didn’t say anything, but simply stretched out his arm to show the dark brown notebook. His eyes were still fixed on them with a deathly stare.

 

“What’s that?” Sung Yeol asked as he stepped forward to take the book from his hands.

 

“Sung Jong’s diary,” Myung Soo answered.

 

“Why are you giving this to us?” Hoya questioned.

 

“I want you to see what Sung Jong wrote about you guys every time you tortured him,” Myung Soo answered as he crossed his arms. Just saying those words felt like taboo to him and he replayed the scenes in his mind.

 

“Why should we read some childish things this guy wrote? Won’t it all be about taking revenge and all that nonsense?” Sung Yeol asked.

 

“The only childish people in this room are you guys!” Myung Soo raised his voice, as the others flinched a little. “He has written nothing about paybacks. He never mentioned the word revenge. He calls you guys hyungs instead of monsters!”

 

“Impossible,” Dong Woo muttered as he came up to Sung Yeol to look through the pages.

 

 

 

 

 

The other five kept looking into the notebook. Their expressions slowly changed by as they read that one particular life-changing entry. At one point, Dong Woo’s eyes seemed to shimmer along in the light. Everyone else was at a loss.

 

Myung Soo scoffed a laugh. “Sung Jong is actually foolish enough to believe that there will be a day when you will all repent and see how wrong you were. And he doesn’t even hold any grudges.”

 

“He forgives us?” Woo Hyun asked as he stood motionless. His eyes kept facing the ground, unsure of what to do.

 

Myung Soo shrugged. “If it were up to me, I’d put all you in jail by now. You have endangered a person life and caused him to be in this unknown state of limbo.”

 

“Wait, this is not because of us,” Hoya defended himself.

 

Myung Soo could feel his anger rising as he clenched his fist, but he knew he was not up to par physically. “The doctor said that Sung Jong hit his head against a hard cement, which caused his brains to stay in this unconscious state. Plus, he is physically weak because of all the torture you have put him through.”

 

Hoya flinched, knowing that they were at fault. He felt especially guilty since he was the one inflicting most of the physical damage.

 

“I have been keeping my silence the entire time. And I know Sung Jong has been silent as well, as he used this diary to become his channel of communication,” Myung Soo said. “That was our biggest mistake.”

 

“We never knew it would come down to this,” Woo Hyun said apologetically. “If we had known…”

 

“We’re sorry,” Sung Gyu apologized with the most remorseful look on his face. “We were indeed foolish.”

 

Dong Woo was already in the midst of his tears as he held onto Hoya for support. He tried his best not to let his emotions get the best of him, but he failed miserably.

 

Myung Soo was at a loss for words as he rapidly blinked his eyes. For a moment, he could feel how they were all emotionally and mentally connected. Everyone was able to feel Sung Jong’s pure heart and felt the stinging pain that came with his sacrifice.

 

This was unbelievable – was Sung Jong right? Could a small act of forgiveness really change people so drastically? He didn’t think it would be able to make such a difference. But this proved how having faith in people’s good sides – no matter how bad they were – was able to slowly change them from the inside out.

 

Myung Soo couldn’t help but let out a small scoff and turned to the unconscious boy in bed. “You knew all along, didn’t you? You knew everything would be fine…”

 

As he spoke those words, he realized how the heart rate monitor started to beep a different rhythm. The constant high pitched beeping that indicated Sung Jong’s existing heart rate was slowly fading. The pace became slower as the graph on the monitor showed an irregular pattern.

 

“What’s wrong?” Sung Yeol immediately asked, noticing something was wrong.

 

“Sung Jong! Sung Jong, wake up!” Myung Soo called as he held Sung Jong’s hand in his. Out of panic, he couldn’t control his own mind or actions. So he rapidly shook Sung Jong’s hands, causing the unconscious body to shake along with him.

 

“Myung Soo,” Sung Gyu called, seeing how the other was starting to go berserk.

 

“Sung Jong! Wake up!!!! You don’t have to protect me anymore! You can wake up now. You can open your eyes now…” Myung Soo spoke as he clenched the pale cold hands in his. He squeezed his fingers together, hoping that it would bring his life back. Tiny droplets of water formed in his eyes, and he no longer cared. He only wanted to see Sung Jong open his eyes.

 

“You don’t have to pretend we’re strangers anymore… It’s going to be all right,” Myung Soo uttered desperately as he forced a smile on his face. His hands made way to Sung Jong’s cheeks as he gave some slow pats to him. “Wake up now, okay?”

 

The heart rate monitor’s voice was withering into a deafening silence. Myung Soo’s desperate pleas and cries were the only sounds that kept others from hearing the patient’s pulse.

 

“Here it is, doctor!” Dong Woo said as he had quickly called for the doctors and nurses as soon as something was out of the ordinary.

 

The man in the white gown went to stand next to Sung Jong’s bedside. He saw how Myung Soo was trying his best to talk to him. “Mr. Kim, it’s best if you leave this to us.”

 

“No! I won’t let him go for the second time!” Myung Soo spoke as he desperately hung unto those icy cold hands. “I’m not going to make the same mistake twice!”

 

“Myung Soo,” Sung Gyu called again as he placed an arm around the guy and used force to get him away from the bed.

 

By this time, Myung Soo was struggling like a mad man. He wriggled his entire body to the point where the others had to quickly hold unto him as well.

 

“LET GO OF ME!” Myung Soo cried as his eyes were only fixed on Sung Jong. The more he yelled, the more he got hushed. The more he rebelled, the tighter he got held back.

 

He could only watch as the doctors and the nurses brought out a defibrillator, the device that could revive a person by bringing their heartbeat back. The doctor held the two paddles in his hand and brushed it against each other to warm it up. He then placed the two pads against Sung Jong’s chest and gave a cue for the nurse to activate the electrodes.

 

Sung Jong’s body bounced upwards in one quick motion before he roughly landed back unto the bed.

 

“Sung Jong!!!!” Myung Soo cried. Seeing his friend in this condition was heartbreaking. He tried to escape the hyungs’ grip to come to Sung Jong’s aid, but they all managed to hold him back using their strength.

 

“Clear!” the doctor yelled.

 

The machine was activated again, the electrodes were being transferred, and Sung Jong’s body responded dramatically. However, there was no sign of life.

 

“Clear!”

 

The same process repeated again, and again, but the results never changed. In the end, Sung Jong’s body remained still in the hospital bed. After several tries, the doctor took the pads away from the unconscious boy and let out a deep sigh.

 

“Doctor, you need to keep trying!!!” Myung Soo exclaimed. He finally struggled his way out as he ran to the doctor, and clenched unto his white coat hopelessly. “Sung Jong is going to wake up. He will… Cause he knows he doesn’t have to protect me anymore... He will come back!”

 

The doctor had the most apologetic look on his face. He slowly placed his hand on top of Myung Soo’s and directed his hand away. “I’m sorry, Mr. Kim. We tried everything we could.”

 

“No! NO YOU HAVEN’T!” Myung Soo started screaming in agony. He turned back to Sung Jong and once again attempted to awaken him from his comma. His movements were uncontrollable as he swayed the unconscious boy in his hand. “Why did you befriend me if you’re going to leave me all alone in the end?”

 

“Mr. Kim, it’s better to just stay quiet,” the doctor told him.

 

“No, I’m tired of staying quiet!” Myung Soo gritted his teeth together as he made one final attempt. “LEE SUNG JONG! Come back!!!! You don’t have to go!!!”

 

The others could only watch in pain. Seeing the desperation to hold on was tragic. They could only watch as the heart rate monitor lost its voice. The silent room was filled with poignant tears and anguished cries.

At one point, silence consumed the solemn room.

 

Exactly one year had passed after the incident. It was a cold autumn evening when Myung Soo went to visit the cemetery. The weather closely resembled the iciness of December, and he wore thick layers to keep himself warm. In his hands, he held a bouquet of white lilies that was majestically tied together with a red ribbon. He made his way through the land of death, as his feet took steps that he had already memorized by now.

 

Finally, his movements came to a halt. Being at this place again made him feel so indifferent, even if he had been coming back every single month. He felt a heavy burden protruding against his chest. His eyes kept a steady glance towards the beautifully designed marbled gravestone. Bright hopeful eyes stared back at him from behind the engraved picture.

 

“I’m back again,” Myung Soo spoke as he knelt down to carefully place the flowers on top of the grave. He stayed in that position momentarily as he was deep in thoughts. He then got back up on his feet, and stared back at the photo with a pained smile.

 

“I’m sorry we didn’t have the time to know one another more,” he said with a guilt-ridden voice. “I’m sorry I never managed to protect you.”

 

With the ache in his heart, Myung Soo exhaled deeply, seeing how a puff of smoke was formed in the coldness. He placed his hands back into the warmth of his pockets as he shuddered a little. He gave one small bow towards the grave and got ready to make his leave.

 

As he swiftly turned his body around, he came face to face with a familiar figure. The tall slender guy was staring at him in surprise as his big eyes widened even more. He cocked his head sideways in an adorable way as a smile crept up his face.

 

“Hyung, what are you doing here?”

 

“I was just visiting your mom,” Myung Soo answered.

 

“You should’ve told me. Then we could’ve gone together,” Sung Jong smiled at him. He made his way forward and placed his own bouquet of white lilies on top of the grave, right next to Myung Soo’s.

 

“I didn’t want to disturb you.”

 

“Hyung, you should know better than that by now,” Sung Jong said as he playfully gave him a nudge. “Don’t you remember what happens when you stay silent?”

 

“Mental defeat,” Myung Soo spoke.

 

“You’re making it sound more dramatic than it is,” Sung Jong laughed.

 

“You almost died! What part of it is not dramatic?” Myung Soo asked with slight annoyance. Sometimes he wondered how Sung Jong managed to easily joke around this kind of stuff.

 

“True,” the younger one answered with a small shrug. “I was at a point where I had given up on life. But somehow, I felt like I could hear you call my name. It was strange, but it triggered me to hold on to my consciousness.”

 

Myung Soo gave him a faint smile.

 

“Thanks hyung, for not keeping your silence,” Sung Jong said. “I don’t know what would’ve happened if I didn’t hear your voice.”

 

“Thank you for not keeping your silence either,” Myung Soo imitated him.

 

“Hm? I didn’t do anything though.”

 

“You wrote your voice in that book, didn’t you?” Myung Soo smiled. “If you didn’t write the truth about your actions, I would not have helped you.”

 

Sung Jong remembered how he had written every entry as a letter to his deceased mother. It was his way to keep telling himself and his mother that everything was going to be fine. It started as an odd habit to keep his mother’s love alive, but in the end, it managed to save someone’s life.

 

“You don’t have to help me,” Sung Jong said.

 

“I know,” Myung Soo slightly rolled his eyes after having said those words a thousand times.

 

“But you still do it anyway,” Sung Jong remarked.

 

Myung Soo could only smile at his friend, feeling the dejavu in the conversation. He placed a hand on Sung Jong’s head and playfully tousled his hair in a mess.

 

“It won’t be the last time either.”

 

 

 

 

 

Thank you  for reading. It really means a lot to me.
I didn't expect this many people will read it since it's a two-shot, but I'm very touched nonetheless.

Since most of you requested a happy/unexpected ending based on the poll, I hope this lived up to your expectation.
I reaaaaally hope you enjoyed it and will leave one final comment (and maybe upvote? :D)

For now, the story shall be marked complete. Cause I have to make it for the deadline of the contest. LOL..
BUT, if a lot of people want a sequel, I might consider it. (Subscribe to stay updated).

In the meantime, I want to promote my other fanfic: Trapped in a K-Drama.
It's super different from this and is all about romantic comedy. Sung Jong could use some love there~
So do check it out and I shall be eternally grateful to you~ Hehehe..