It took Gary about 5 days to recover. Throughout the week, Jihyo stayed by his side, looking after him patiently. His heart ached when he saw her work so hard for him.

It was a little past 3am when he woke up on his 5^th day of 'illness'. Jihyo was snuggled beside him, sleeping peacefully. Her long hair fell over her face and she hugged his arm tightly. He smiled as he bent over to kiss her forehead. His movements woke Jihyo up. Usually, she was an extremely heavly sleeper, but with Gary so sick, she had to be constantly on alert.

“Oppa, you ok?” she instinctively asked, propping herself up with her elbows.

“Hm, I’ll just go get a drink. Do back to sleep.” He patted her cheeks gently.

“I’ll take it for you,” she said, getting ready to get down the bed.

“Aniya, it’s ok. I’m well enough already,” he insisted as he got down himself. Jihyo was really tired, so she let him be and went back to sleep within seconds.

Confirming that she’s really asleep, he packed his bag. There wasn’t much to bring, just a few sets of clothes and his passport. He knew he could get the other things he needed at Dylan’s.

Before he left, he kissed Jihyo again.

I’m so sorry… I love you, but I’m so sorry…

With tears in his eyes, he took a cab to Ha Ha’s house.

“Dong Hoon ah, it’s me. Open up.”

It took a few minutes before the door was opened. Behind the door stood a grumpy, messy haired HaHa. His eyes were half opened.

“Wae, hyung?” he asked with his raspy voice.

Gary sighed. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

“I need to tell you some things.”

HaHa frowned, becoming more alert.

“Okayyy… come it first,” he gestured.

They sat down on the sofa, face-to-face.

Gary scratched his head. He didn’t know where to begin.

“So?” Ha Ha sensed his hesitation and probed.

“Ahh…” Gary his lips nervously. “Uh, I need to get away,” he said bluntly. “I need your help.”

“Mweoya? Did you commit murder or something?” HaHa joked, although deep down he was worried.

“Yah, stop joking. Are you going to listen a not?”

HaHa gave a guilty face and nodded.

Gary passed him an envelope. “This is the payment for breaching of contract, you know. Running man. It should be enough.” He paused. “If it isn’t… you help me pay first. I’ll contact you again.”

“Wait, what?” HaHa was confused. Gary always had this problem of being incoherent when he is nervous. “You aren’t making sense.”

Gary sighed. “I won’t be coming back. I’ll be going overseas. Canada. I have a close friend there. I’m going to develop my career there.”

“Really hyung, you expect me to believe you? Believe that you would dump us behind just for your career? Leave Jihyo behind? Leave so suddenly without a word? Hyung we’ve been buddies for almost 20 years already.”

“I…” Gary began. He already planned to tell HaHa everything. About him and Jihyo being telepathic. But when facing him, he realised it isn’t as easy as it seems. To tell your friend that you’ve been hiding something from him all this while.

“I’m special ok? I have special powers. Telepathy. And reading energy. I know, it sounds ridiculous but…” he looked up at Haha to observe his response.

“Hyung stop joking.”

Then he realised something strange. Haha’s energy was calm. As it, it didn’t display fear or shock or anything.

“You knew it all along, didn’t you?” he finally breathed. HaHa avoided his gaze. Gary grabbed his cheeks and made HaHa face him. “Didn’t you?” he repeated.

Haha brushed his hands away and looked on the ground, ashamed. “I knew you had something special, it’s just… I didn’t know what.”

“How… why…?”

HaHa sighed, his eyes getting teary. “Do you remember how we became friends?”

Of course he remembered.

When he was 12, there was a new transferee in his school. Back then, he was still very withdrawn and didn’t have any friends. Usually, he didn’t bother himself with things that happened in school, but one day, when he saw a boy getting bullied, he helped him.

He didn’t know what got over him, but he just felt the urge to help him. He used his powers to pull on the others energy, making them scared and weak.

Since then, the boy always followed him around.

At first, he ignored him, since the boy didn’t talk much. But gradually it got annoying, to constantly have a shadow following you around.

One day, he couldn’t take it anymore, he told him to get lost and stop following him around.

But to his surprise, the younger started to cry.

“I missed my brother so much… please… you remind me so much of him…” he pleaded.

Eventually he found out at the boy, Ha Dong Hoon, recently moved to that district because his brother died. He never asked how or why he died, just like how he didn’t ask how he became an orphan or ask about his family members. It was like a silent agreement to but those topics on taboo.

“Yes,” Gary finally nodded.

“He killed himself,” HaHa said, on the verge of breaking down. “We didn’t know, we thought it was an accident. But a few years after his death, I was packing my stuff. I… I saw a note he left for me. I… he said he felt that he was going crazy. He said he was telepathic. He could talk with people in his head, but he didn’t know who they were. And he didn’t dare to tell our parents because the people in his head told him not to. They said there were people who would kill them if they found out. And he always have flashes of accidents that happened, or was going to happen.

“He wrote that he actually saw the fire in the factory near our house in his visions, but he didn’t dared to tell anyone. He didn’t know how to. He feels guilty for not preventing it. He… he said… he kept having dreams about those people begging to be saved but he couldn't do anything. So one day, he couldn’t take it anymore.

“That’s why… that’s why he dashed out the road.” Haha stopped, choking on his tears. Gary just sat there, stunned. He didn’t know what to say or how to respond.

Haha spoke up first. “That’s how I know. You had a special vibe, similar to him. I knew it ever since I met you, but back then I didn’t know it was because you had powers… I only figured out when I read his letter. But… I didn’t dare to probe…”

“Ah… I…”

“Is that why you have to go? Because someone found out? So they're going to kill you?” Haha asked carefully, with tension in his voice.

Gary looked at his dongsaeng and his heart ached again. He didn’t know if he would find another friend like him again. How many 20 years does one have in a  lifetime? To spend 20 years with someone is just amazing. “Aniya… It’s not. But if I stay, I’ll hurt Jihyo. She’s special too…”

“Why?”

“Because our powers are in conflict. That’s all I can say…I need to leave now, okay? Don’t tell anyone I came, or that I’m going Canada.  Pretend you don’t know anything, ok? And… help me look after Jihyo. Thanks, and take care.”

Haha nodded. Gary turned to leave.

“Hyung, let me fetch you.”

Gary smiled and nodded.

They boarded HaHa’s car, they sat in silence most of the ride.

“Aiy, hyung, you really leave me to clean up all your troubles, don’t you?” Haha broke the silence first, pretending to be annoyed,

“Ah, mianhae…” Gary chuckled guiltily.

“How am I supposed to lie to Jong Kook hyung!” He shook his head. “And everyone else. They’re all going to hunt me down! And all your fans too! And your career you built up here. You going to give it up just like this? Isn’t music your life?”

“It was, Dong Hoon-ah, but Jihyo’s more important to me. More important than my career, music or even my own life.”

“She’s going to be heartbroken if you go away. Can’t you just stay in Korea? Is there no other way?”

“If I stay, she’ll still be able to find me, because we’re both telepathic. And… I won’t be able to resist staying away from her. Eventually… I’m going to hurt her with my powers. Leaving Korea is the only option.”

“But why Canada? It’s so far away. At least somewhere nearer like Japan?”

“Like I said, I have a friend in Canada. It’s better to go somewhere where I have someone to look out for me. And he told me before hip hop is getting popular there. I’ll just try it out there. Otherwise, I’ll find another job or something.”

“Why did you begin with her when you knew you had to leave?” Haha sighed. It was meant to be a rhetorical question, but Gary answered anyway.

“I didn’t know back then..." He paused.  "But even if I did, I’ll still make the same choice. At least we’ve some beautiful memories to treasure.”

“You’re hopeless.”

Gary smiled.

Silence resumed afterwards. After Haha alighted Gary, they hugged each other.

“Take care, Dong hoon-ah. I’ll contact you soon, ok?”

“Take care too, hyung.”

And with that, they bade their last goodbyes, till they meet again

(Haha + Gary = friendship goals seriously lol)