Sungjong woke up in the arms of Myungsoo. He remembered Dongwoo coming to visit them in the middle of the night. The distraught cyborg cried with him until they fell asleep. Looking around the living room, Dongwoo was nowhere to be found. Fearing the worst, he searched the whole apartment for his friend. He was back in the living room, biting his lips nervously. Then, Sungjong noticed a piece of paper on the coffee table.

To Sungjong and Myungsoo,

Thanks for letting me stay the night. I went back to my place to pack my things. I didn’t want to wake you guys up. Don’t worry about me! I’ll be fine in no time.

Sungjong breathed a sigh of relief. He still worried about Dongwoo since the cyborg didn’t seem to be in good condition to be left alone right now. Sungjong walked back to the couch where Myungsoo remained asleep. Looking out the window, the sun wasn’t completely up yet. He snuggled back into Myungsoo’s arms and closed his eyes, trying to back asleep when he heard Myungsoo’s phone buzz.

“Hello?”

“Myungsoo?” It was Sungyeol.

“Ah..no.. this is Sungjong.”

“Oh Sungjong! This is Sungyeol. Did Dongwoo come by your place by any chance?”

“He did…last night.”

“Thank god. Howon told me that Dongwoo left right after..you know what happened.”

“He left this morning though. I-Is Howon doing ok?”

“Sort of…he’s still asleep. Don’t worry about this stupid guy. I’ll take care of him.”

“You’re a great friend, Sungyeol. Oh right, did you want to talk to Myungsoo? He’s asleep though. Should I wake him up?”

“No no no. That’s okay. I’ll just call him back later. I just wanted to tell him that I can’t take his health results today because I have to watch over Howon.”

Health results? Must be the results for the other day “I can do it.” Sungjong volunteered.

“Are you sure?”

“Yup. I’m sure it won’t take that long. Let me do it.”

“Ok. Great. Thanks Sungjong.”

Sungjong set the phone aside on the coffee table. Seeing the sky brighter than earlier, he changed into a hoodie and jeans and put on a jacket. He figured he should drop by the hospital and return home before Myungsoo woke up.

--

The hospital seemed busier than usual as doctors rushed to emergency rooms with nurses following behind in quick footsteps. Wails and shouts could be heard in the waiting area where families impatiently waited to be informed of the current situation. Sungjong saw patients being reeled in one after another, carrying large amount of cuts and bruises as the parademics held oxygen masks over their faces. He heard there was a major car accident nearby. A truck crashed straight against a school bus, injuring many students.

Sungjong shivered at the thought of how fragile human life could be.

He stopped by the reception area and asked for Myungsoo’s doctor. He was told to wait for at least half an hour as the doctor was currently talking to the family of a patient. Fiddling with his fingers, Sungjong wondered if Myungsoo was awake yet. He was a little worried as Myungsoo still looked quite pale this morning. Sungjong considered asking the doctor if there were stronger medications that could help with Myungsoo’s “flu”.

After waiting for a long time, the doctor finally emerged. He approached Sungjong with a warm smile on his face.

“Sungjong-shi?”

“Yes. That’s me.”

“You are here for Myungsoo-shi’s health results, yes?”

“That’s right.”

“Good. Follow me.” The doctor led him to his office where they could talk privately. Sungjong sat down on the round rolling chair near the desk.

“Is Myungsoo ok?” he asked worriedly.

“Well…the test results from last time showed his blood pressure was below average. Has he showed any signs of headaches or vomit since that time?”

“He did vomit last week. He also had a headache the other day but he said he was ok and he didn’t want to go to the hospital…”

“Hmm..the next time he falls sick again, please take him to the hospital.”

“I understand. Doctor, I have a question. This “flu”…how serious is it?”

“Flu? Sungjong-shi, Myungsoo-shi doesn’t have the flu. He has-“ the doctor stopped himself momentarily as he thought back to his conversation with Myungsoo the other day about keeping his illness a secret. He knew he had to respect patients’ privacy but he couldn’t bear lying to this boy in front of him, that looked so clueless about Myungsoo’s current situation that he felt sorry for him.

“Sungjong-shi…I’m not supposed to tell you this as I promised Myungsoo-shi that I wouldn’t tell anyone about his health issues. But I can clearly see that you are someone very important to him so I was hoping that you would convince him to check-in at the hospital. There may be a higher chance of prolonging his life.”

“Prolonging his life…? What do you mean, doctor?”

“Myungsoo-shi…is dying.”

--

Dying…Myungsoo is dying. What does that mean? He told me before that his mother is sleeping under the earth and will never wake up again. Is that also going to happen to Myungsoo? Am I never going to see him again?

Sungjong roamed the busy streets of Seoul, dragging his feet as he walked. His legs felt heavy. He felt like his body weighed a hundred ton more. He felt lost. He could faintly hear his heartbeat accelerating again but this time, it wasn’t due to emotions of love but of pain. His vision was fuzzy and his ears buzzed like a television that lost its signal.

Sungjong passed by Myungsoo’s favorite restaurant where they always ordered kimchi jjiggae. Their favorite café where he first sat down with Sungyeol, Howon and Dongwoo. Their favorite park where they had walks after dinner. Are all these going to disappear with Myungsoo?

He walked aimlessly around, just following where his legs took him. Somehow he ended up back at their apartment. He hesitated at the door, not knowing how to confront Myungsoo, not knowing how to deal with this. Sungjong opened the door slowly and saw Myungsoo, on the couch, watching the drama they recorded the other night. It was like nothing changed.

Myungsoo stirred from his sleep, his hands searching blindly for the warm body of his lover who supposedly slept next to him. He opened his eyes when he only managed to grasp onto a pillow.

The curtains blew softly from the morning breeze. Light rays of sunlight illuminated the quiet home. Stretching his arms above his head, Myungsoo walked towards the coffee table where he saw a small piece of note from Dongwoo thanking the couple for accomodating him in the late hours of the night.

Myungsoo noticed the clothing he lent Dongwoo, neatly folded, on the spot of the couch where the cyborg fell asleep last night.

He then noticed the unfamiliar silence that filled the apartment. At first he thought Sungjong had, maybe, thought that the couch was uncomfortable and relocated himself in their bedroom However, when Myungsoo opened the door to their bedroom, the room was empty.

Myungsoo walked to the kitchen but there was no sign of the cyborg. All of a sudden, his mind filled with worries and he couldn’t help but consider the worst situation that could’ve happened to Sungjong.

Knowing that Sungjong never went anywhere without him, Myungsoo couldn’t think of any possible reason why the boy would’ve left without a word. But all his worries dissipated when he spotted a note posted onto the refrigerator.

My Myungsoo,

I’m going out for awhile. Don’t worry about me. I know how to get there and will come home safely!

Your Sungjong

Myungsoo breathed a sigh of relief. He grinned at the way Sungjong addressed them.

My Myungsoo.

Your Sungjong.

That's right. Sungjong was his as he was to the cyborg. And nothing will ever change that.

Next to the note was a picture they had taken on the day they rode a bicycle in the park. Tracing his fingers along Sungjong’s smiling face in the picture, Myungsoo smiled sadly and thought…

If only he could turn back the time. To the day he confessed. To the day they first kissed. To the day they first met. And stay in those moments forever.

Myungsoo turned around upon hearing the front door open.

“Sungong! Where did you go? You only left a note saying you would be back soon. I was so worried.” he exclaimed, walking towards Sungjong with his arms open to grab the boy into a hug. His arms froze in front of him when Sungjong stepped back.

“Why…why didn’t you tell me?” Sungjong asked quietly. He was looking at his feet.

“What?”

“WHY DIDN’T YOU TELL ME? WHY DIDN’T YOU TELL ME YOU WERE DYING?” Sungjong shouted, tears streaming down his face. He balled his fists in anger and started pounding them onto Myungsoo’s chest.

Myungsoo still had his arms out as he received the blows. He couldn’t register what was happening for a moment. Then it hit him. Sungjong knew the truth. Yet no words came out of his mouth.

“You jerk. You stupid, stupid jerk. Were you going to keep it from me forever? Did you think I wouldn’t understand it if you told me? Did you think I was going to leave you like all the others? Why! Why didn’t you trust me?” he sobbed as he continued hitting the mute man in front of him. His pounding became weaker and weaker until he fell to the ground, clutching Myungsoo’s arms.

Myungsoo slowly slid down in front of him. He suddenly pulled Sungjong into his arms, sobbing with him. “I’m sorry! I’m so sorry, Sungjong! Oh god! I-I-“ He kept apologizing, over and over, for not telling his lover the truth sooner, for having to leave him.

“I don’t want to die! I want to live! I want to live! I want to stay here with you!”

They had calmed down after awhile. Their tears had long dried up, only small hiccups coming from the distraught cyborg. Myungsoo rested his head on top of Sungjong’s and held the boy’s body closer to his chest. He Sungjong’s soft cheeks, lost in thought.

“Myungsoo…” Sungjong called out, breaking the man from his thoughts. He looked down at his lover’s silver orbs that glistened with tears.

“Hm?”

“Let’s create memories together. Good memories.”

So that you can leave me remembering our love at our happiest moments.

So that I can imprint the image of your smiling face in my memory chip that will never be erased.

----------------------------author's note------------------------------
Hope you enjoy reading this chapter! Please comment below~ :))