"Jongdae? Kim Jongdae! Are you okay?"

        A voice snapped me out of my daze. I had been going over the news again and again in my head. It wasn't new to me that I had feelings for the stranger, but the fact that those feelings were returned shocked me more than anything. I hadn't even realized he had known my name. He was a stranger to me and I had thought I had been a stranger to him. The tables had turned and now I was struggling for my thoughts. I didn't know what to do.

        That was when reality finally began to sunk in. It was all in that final sentence. The writer, Minseok, had revealed that he was dying and him collapsing only finalized that, didn't it? I shot out of my seat once more, clutching the laptop in my arms as if it were more valuable than life itself.

        I looked at the barista -who had been the one calling me moments ago- and quickly explained to her that I would be fine. She didn't seem pleased by my reply and wanted to call the paramedics to check me over, but I waved that thought away and took my leave.

        I arrived at the hospital in a short time. There wasn't much traffic so I was able to weave my way through the vehicles and head to the hospital's parking lot. However, inside was a different story. Doctors and nurses whizzed by like there was no tomorrow. I figured, with a sinking feeling, that there probably wasn't going to be a tomorrow for some of these patients; possibly including Minseok.

        "Excuse me," I called to get the woman's attention at the front desk. "I'm here to see Kim Minseok."

        The woman looked me over and began searching the list of patients. Once she was satisfied with her find, she returned her focus to me. "I'm sorry, but Minseok will not be taking any visitors any time soon."

        "But I need to see hi-"

        I was cut off as someone stepped in front of me. A tall man dressed in the regular blue doctor's uniform had approached me without noticing. "You're looking for Kim Minseok? Are you Kim Jongdae?" His voice was calm but it didn't reassure me.

        I nodded in reply, still holding the laptop close.

        "Follow me." Without waiting for my answer, he turned around and headed straight down the hall. I followed, having to quicken my pace to a light jog to keep up with the doctor's long strides. He unexpectedly stopped in front of one of the doors, causing me to nearly run into him. "Are you a friend of Minseok?"

        A friend? I didn't exactly know what I was to the writer. I didn't even know if he actually returned my feelings. All of the feelings in his story could have all been fabricated just to write. The thought made me wince as if I were in pain. Finally, I nodded. "Yes, I'm a friend."

        The doctor seemed relieved by my answer and opened the door. "We normally don't allow visitors with a patient like this, but because he has been asking for you it seems more like we'll look past the rules."

        Asking for me? My eyes widened at this new information. The doctor gestured for me to go inside and I began to feel nervous. My stomach twisted in anxious knots. I wanted him to be okay, but as soon as I stepped inside the room all of my hope dissolved.

        I don't know what I had been expecting, but I had not readied myself for what I seen. The room didn't have any other patients and I was thankful for that. Minseok was laying on one of the hospital beds, his face extremely pale. Although it had only been a few hours since the last time I had seen him, he looked worse. His face was thinner and he looked out of energy. His eyes were closed and I feared that he was already gone, but upon hearing the doctor and I enter, his lids opened and searched the room. Once he found me, he smiled weakly. "You came."

       The sound of him being so tired tore at my heart. I nodded and stepped closer. He tried to gather enough energy to sit up, but it was a feeble effort. Instead, the doctor reached from something on the side of the bed and slowly the bed slowly started to incline. "Thank you," Minseok whispered his gratitude. His gaze fell back onto me, but slowly trailed down to notice the device held tight in my grasp. "You brought it?"

        "I thought I would return it." I set the laptop onto the table beside the bed. "I-I..." I trailed off, trying to scrape together some courage. He was patiently waiting for me to finish what I was saying, and my cheeks immediately flushed red. I looked down at my hands. "I read your story."

        There was silence for a couple of heartbeats, but it seemed like an eternity. I slowly looked up to meet his warming gaze. "I'm glad you did. It makes things easier for me," he supported another smile. "Jongdae, I want you to keep my laptop." His request took me by surprise. "I don't have much time to live anymore. I knew as a child I wouldn't live past twenty-five. I don't know what's wrong with me and neither do the doctors. It has been like this from the time that I was born." He looked at the doctor. "Do you mind giving us a minute?"

        "Of course." The doctor dipped his head and disappeared out of the room.

        Minseok continued. "I'm not scared of dying, but I am sad. Through the months of sitting in that coffee shop every day I have noticed you. From the first day you caught my attention. I'm sorry if this all makes you uncomfortable. I know it's foolishly unrequited, but I needed to at least let you know before my time comes. I am thankful for your increased visits to that coffee shop. You made these recent days become the best moments of my life."

        I had had enough. I didn't want to hear him talk about his ever decreasing time. I stepped forward and leaned in. I didn't wait for his reaction as my lips met with his. I could tell he was surprised, but I didn't want to pull away just yet. His lips were soft and inviting and I had been waiting for this moment for a while. I wanted to deepen the kiss, to let our tongues meet, but I pulled away. I would not take advantage of his loss of energy.

        "J-Jongdae," he stammered as his cheeks ran red. "W-What was that for?"

        I let a smile play on my lips. "It's not unrequited. My visits increased because of you. I don't want you to leave when you don't know how I feel." I slid my hand under his and intwined our fingers. "I'm late, but I love you Minseok." My eyes began to sting, but I didn't bother fighting. I let the tears slide down my cheeks. "Losing you scares me, but I want you to at least know that I love you. For the longest time I thought my feelings weren't returned. I thought I was a stranger to you."

        Minseok had tears running down his face too. He was undoubtedly surprised about my sudden confession. "I want you to stay with me. I don't want to be alone when I have to go." I gently squeezed his hands as I pulled the chair close to his bed and sat down. "I promise I won't leave your side," I told him as I leaned forward and planted another gentle kiss against his soft lips.

        That night I had been resting my head against my arm. My eyes were heavy and I had figured I had been close to sleep when a sudden beeping sound startled me. Just as soon as it began, the doctor bursed into the room. I whipped my head around, trying to figure what was wrong. That was when I noticed Minseok. His breathing had been alarmingly low as the end of the day approached, but now it was completely undetectable. The doctor spoke up, "I'm sorry. He's gone." The beeping I had heard was the heart monitor stopping.

        I looked up at the man in utter shock. I turned to Minseok and searched for any sign of movement. None. My fingers were still intwined with his. "H-He can't be!" The salty liquid started to slip down my cheeks once more and my bottom lip began quivering as realization hit. He was no longer here. I leaned forward, sobbing into Minseok's chest.

        The doctor shifted awkwardly before leaving. "I'll give you a few moments to gather yourself together."

        Puffy white clouds painted the bright blue sky. It seemed almost sickening for the day to be this beautiful while Minseok was no longer living. I in a deep breath before exhaling. Minseok, from what I knew, didn't have any family members left. I had been left with his hospital bill, but I didn't care. I would work to repay it, as long as Minseok was in a better place.

        Bending down, I kneeled on the dry grass. Minseok had been buried in the mountain, a request from him, and I had taken this day to visit him. It had been a week since he had passed away, but it didn't hurt any less then it had the first night. Every other day I would come here after work and let him know that I loved him. Today was no different. "Kim Minseok, it's officially been a week. I miss you more than you could  believe." Once more the tears made themselves welcome. "I love you now and I'll love you forever."