~*~

Chapter XV

A Final Lullaby

1년 후: 6월 9일:  

To Infinite, June the ninth was a strange day.  It was the day that marked the day when they started their journey as Infinite together.  Today marked the day when Myungsoo left to finish his infinite journey. 

On the hills of the quiet cemetary, six young men walked through the rows of gravestones, walking towards a familiar place.

The resting place of their last brother. 

Finally, they stopped in front of one of the headstone.  The farmiliar letters speaking out to them as if the owner of the name just told them his name again. 

Kim Myungsoo

Sunggyu knelt down and bowed, his forehead touching the ground in the traditional bow.  The others knelt beside him in the same way.  “Myungsoo, it’s been a year,” Sunggyu whispered, speaking for all of them, as he sat up again so that he could see Myungsoo’s headstone again.  “We’re here again.”

“A year has passed since you closed your eyes for the last time.  Your family misses you. You would know that right?  They come here and talk to you often.”

“We miss you too.  We’re sorry that we can’t come more often, our schedules always gets in the way.  But every year, we’re going to make room on this day to come here and talk to you.”

“I’ll catch you up with the things that we’ve been doing,” Woohyun said.  “We had a comeback in December last year, you already know that, we had before come back to tell you that.  Everything that we made on that album was donated to research so that someone else won’t have to lose their loved one.  Infinite H had another comeback in January and Jungyeop-nim is planning to have Infinite F version 2.0 with Sungyeollie and Sungjongie.  Sunggyu-hyung and I haven’t been up to much, though Sunggyu has been begging Jungyeop for a new solo comeback.  Kibum said that his CEO mentioned a ToHeart comeback later this year, but that might not happen.” 

“I wish that you could see everything here, Myungsoo,” Sungjong said quietly.  “I wish that you could see how much the others have grown.  They’ve all grown so much.  Woohyunie-hyung... Sungyeollie-hyung... Howon-hyung... Dongwoo-hyung... Sunggyu-hyung...  they’ve all grown so much and I’m so, so, so proud of them.  They all miss you a lot.  Even if none of them admit it that often, but we all miss you.  There’s so many words that we could say, but all of them would end in ‘we miss you so much.’”

With a smile at Sungjong, Sunggyu pulled out the letter that Myungsoo had written them before his death.  “Myungsoo, we’re going to read your letter now.” 

He looked around at the others.  “Are you ready for this?” he asked quietly. 

Hoya nodded for all of them, though most of them didn’t look ready.  Sunggyu smiled and opened the letter, smoothing down the creases in the paper before starting to read. 

Dear Infinite. 

One year... it must feel like such a long time for you. 

You must be okay.  I’m sure you’re smiling.  I wonder how much you have grown.  You must have grown a lot since I have last saw you, but does growing mean that you’re okay?  Are you taking care of each other? Are you still worrying about me? 

If you’re worrying about me, don’t worry.  I found peace.  I’m okay.

But what about you?

Remember when Woohyun said, “Kim Sunggyu without me is like chopsticks without a spoon, thread without a needle!”?  I asked myself, what is Kim Myungsoo without Infinite?  I would be a just a boy with dreams that would be distant as the stars.

“Infinite without Kim Myungsoo… all we are is six boys.  It isn’t Infinite without Myungsoo,” Sungyeol said quietly.  Dongwoo reached over and took Sungyeol’s hand, gently wipping off the tears on Sungyeol’s cheeks. 

Sunggyu laughed shakily before starting to read the letter again. 

I’m already starting on my infinite journey.  Don’t come and join me too soon.  There’s still time on your journey, walk on that path for me. 

You still miss me, right?  I would’ve done anything to stay by your side.  Even though everything is a memory that you can keep forever, it hurts a lot. 

Abruptly, Sunggyu stopped reading, trying to control his tears. 

“You okay, hyung?” Woohyun asked.  “Do you need me to read this?”

Sunggyu shook his head, running a finger under his eyes to catch his tears.  “It’s okay, I can do it,” he said steadily. 

Still, Woohyun held onto his hand as Sunggyu read the last part of the letter. 

You always call to me.  I’m sorry that I don’t answer, but remember, I still hear you.  I’m answering with the voice of my heart.  Do you hear me?

I’m calling to you, “I’m coming home soon. 

“The whole world is waiting for you.  Can you hear it?  They are out there.  The world is waiting. 

“Infinite, stay strong.

“From the beginning to the end to infinity, I’ll always stand beside you. 

“Always.  Until infinity ends.

“Infinite, fighting!”

Forever, for infinity,

Your Myungsoo.

Silence took over the boys once more, quietly listening to the words from Myungsoo and the echoes of the past. 

Quietly at first, so quietly that nearly none of them could hear, Sunggyu started to sing a farmiliar song, singing the song that took Myungsoo away from them to his place in the stars. 

I stood upon a hill,

Stared up at the blue sky,

And drew a lovely person from my heart

Woohyun coughed slightly to cover up his tears and drew sky lanterns out of the bag he had carried with him.  “Myungsoo, if you see these where ever you are now… they’ll make a path for you and continue to guide you wherever you go.”

After a little bit of fumbling, each member of Infinite, stood in a semi-circle around Myungsoo’s headstone, each of them holding a lit sky lantern in their hands. 

“Kim Myungsoo, you are infinite.”

They all let go at the same time, guiding it up to the sky to float away. The sky lanterns drifted off into the night sky to follow the stars in the sky and join Myungsoo up in the heavens.

As they watched, the silence was suddenly broken by Sungyeol. 

“MYUNGSOO!” Sungyeol screamed at the top of his lungs, facing the heavens.  “Myungsoo-yah!  Myungsoo!  We’re right here!” 

Sungjong laughed at Sungyeol and turned to look at the sky.  “Hyung!  We miss you a lot!” he cried out.  “Hurry up and come back home to us soon!”

“We promised you that you’ll be infinite, we’ll keep that promise!” Hoya yelled. 

“You’re always going to be with us here, Myungsoo,” Dongwoo called.  “It doesn’t matter where you are.”

“You’re going to be Infinite forever, do you hear me, Kim Myungsoo?” Woohyun shouted, a wide grin on his face.  “Forever!  You’re going to be Infinite forever!”

Sunggyu laughed at his dongsaengs with a warm smile.  The others smiled back at him, expecting him to add something.  Looking up at the sky, Sunggyu took in a deep breath and yelled at the top of his lungs,  “Myungsoo!  We love you so much!” 

“One, two, three.”

“INFINITE FIGHTING!”

~*~

What the others didn’t see as they talked and laughed together was another young man standing further away, watching over them. 

Myungsoo smiled as he listened to them talking, missing the moments when he was able to talk to them without worry about anything.  Those moments were long lost, gone forever. 

Looking up at the sky to stop the tears tht were collecting in his eyes, he smiled as a sky lantern floated up into the sky, gliding into the heavens.  Another one floated up to join it and soon there was another, and another…

Myungsoo smiled softly, somehow, he knew those lanterns were dedicated to him.  A path leading him back home from the sky, the place where he called home now, to Earth, the place where he missed so dearly. 

Glancing back, the others were getting up, walking away towards another life.  Myungsoo stood up too, turning back towards the last candles, ready to return to the heavens, but before he did, he cast one last glance at Infinite’s retreating backs. 

“Infinite!” he called out to them.

His heart twisted with pain as none of them turned around.  In his heart, he knew that the wouldn’t turn back and that they couldn’t hear him.  This was merely an echo.

“Infinite!  I miss you so much.  I’m right here beside you.  I can always hear you even if you can’t hear me.   Thank you so much for your songs.  I’ll be back to sing with you again, I promise…”

For the last time, Myungsoo waved goodbye to Infinite. 

“Goodbye, Infinite.  I love you.”

He closed his eyes, a tear falling down his cheek.  With a sad smile, he finished the song, the same song that Infinite sung to him, the song that would take him up to the heavens. 

I want to fly up to the ends of heavens,

Hug the breeze in the air,

And whisper with the winged angels…

And as the song ended, Kim Myungsoo faded away into the night, joining the stars in the heavens to finish his infinity.

Myungsoo lived forever because Infinite promised he’ll be infinite.  That small promise truly made him infinite. 

They were Infinite, just like their name. 

They are Infinite.  

~*~

동산 위에 올라서서 파란하늘 바라보며

I stood up on a hill, stared up at the blue sky

천사얼굴 선녀얼굴 마음 속에 그려봅니다

And drew a lovely person from my heart.

하늘 끝까지 올라 실바람을 끌어안고

I want to fly up to the ends of heavens, hug the breeze on the air

날개 달린 천사들과 속삭이고 싶어라

And whisper with the winged angels.

~*~

End

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hello everyone!  

We have reached the end of the road.  

It's been two years since I first came up with the first drafts for Down the Road.  I didn't expect this fic to go over 20k, but all three together have passed 175k.  I wasn't very sure how many people would read this because it doesn't have a set pairing, I'm very happy that all of you have subscribed to this story.  

Now that I finished this one, I have a new fic.  It's called 무한대 (infinity).  It's a OT7 fic, I hope that you'll read it and enjoy it.  

Thank you everyone who supported Down the Road and Sea of Gold.  I've met so many wonderful people while writing this story.  All of you guys are so wonderful and I love you guys so much.  

Thank you for letting me share this story with you.  

And now, this is...

the end.  

tokkeiko 

151011

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