The room was quiet, very quiet. Only the sound of steady breathing and the constant beeping of the heart monitor could be heard.

 

Sungyeol shivered from the cool air coming from the air conditioner, rubbing his arms to warm himself. His eyes were dull and lifeless. Dark circles painted the skin under his eyes as a result of not sleeping for three consecutive nights. Standing momentarily, he pulled the white blanket higher until it covered Myungsoo’s shoulders, leaving only his head visible.

 

He rested his elbows on the bed as he watched Myungsoo’s chest rising and falling, relieved that his bestfriend was still alive. Sungyeol was still recovering from the shock and anxiety when he received the call from the hospital. He had rushed to the hospital, yelling frantically at the doctors and nurses to take him to Myungsoo’s room. As soon as he was led inside the room, Myungsoo was already in this unconscious state.

 

Sungyeol was broken out of his thoughts when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked up to see the doctor who had been looking after Myungsoo since he was first diagnosed with cancer.

 

“Can I speak with you for a moment?” he whispered, then pointed towards the door.

 

Sungyeol nodded but when he turned his attention back to Myungsoo, he hesitated, not wanting to leave him alone in the room. Howon walked in at that moment.

“I’ll take over for you.”

 

Despite each of them taking turns to watch over Myungsoo, Sungyeol was obviously the one who needed to rest the most though he refused to leave Myungsoo’s side every time, having been the person closest to Myungsoo among the three of them. Howon shook his head as he watched Sungyeol follow the doctor out of the room.

 

The doctor led Sungyeol to his office and locked the door behind him. From the doctor’s grim expression, Sungyeol could tell that he did not have good news to tell him.

 

“How’s Myungsoo, Doctor?”

 

“He’s at a very dangerous stage right now.” He taped an image of the CT scan on the board. “As you can see here, the cancer cells have already taken over the majority of his brain.” He circled his finger around a particular part of the brain. “We discovered that the swelling on this part of the brain has affected his motor control and is also starting to disrupt his speech ability. The cancer is progressing at a rapid rate, much faster than we predicted.”

 

“S-So, what you’re saying is…” Sungyeol couldn’t bring himself to finish the sentence. He was not prepared for it. He was never prepared.

 

“Myungsoo-shi has, at the very most, a week left to live. I’m very sorry.”

 

Sungyeol walked lifelessly out of the office. He held onto the wall, balancing himself, as he walked down the hallway. His mind was getting foggy from trying to process the doctor’s words on top of his fatigue. He stopped just before entering Myungsoo’s room and slid down the wall. Unable to hold it in any longer, he sobbed and sobbed, beating the wall with his fists. Howon rushed out of the room and envelopped Sungyeol in a tight embrace, rocking him back and forth. Dongwoo, who left the hospital to buy them some food, dropped the bags and circled his arms around Howon and Sungyeol as they searched for comfort in one another.

 

--

 

Myungsoo clutched his throat, choking and gasping for air, and spat out the food he tried to swallow. Sungyeol rushed to his side, patted his back and gave him a glass of water. It had become increasingly difficult for Myungsoo to eat that he was no longer able to swallow solid foods. Myungsoo threw down his spoon in frustration.

 

“Myungsoo, come on, you have to eat.”

 

Sungyeol scooped up a spoonful of porridge and held it near Myungsoo’s lips but the young man slapped his hand away, the spoon flying out of his hands onto the ground.

 

“Kim Myungsoo, are you gonna be like this?”

 

Sungyeol bent down to pick up the spoon and took it to the sink to wash it clean. He sat back down in his seat and placed the spoon on the table in front of Myungsoo. But Myungsoo refused to pick it up and pushed the tray of food away from him.

 

“You’re not gonna get better like this.” Sungyeol sighed. He knew how hard it was for Myungsoo to swallow even just one small bite of food but he won’t let him starve even if he had to resort to tube-feeding him.

 

“It doesn’t matter anyway. I don’t have much time left, am I right?” Myungsoo whispered, his dull eyes meeting shocked ones.

 

“M-Myungsoo, that’s not-”

 

“Don’t think I’m stupid! I heard you talk about it with Dongwoo and Howon!” he yelled,  furious at Sungyeol for hiding it from him. He should have the right to know since he’s the one that’s dying. “A week, huh…what can I possibly do within a week that would make a difference?”

 

Sungyeol slammed his fist on the table and shouted, “Of course it makes a difference! You being here for six more days and you leaving tomorrow makes one heck of a difference!” He lifted Myungsoo’s chin up, reminding him gently, “Sungjong is still waiting for you, remember?”

 

“Sungjong…”

 

“So fight it, Myungsoo. Fight for yourself, otherwise, you disappoint me, Howon and Dongwoo. Otherwise, you disappoint Sungjong.”

 

Forcing back the tears, Myungsoo nodded his head and slowly picked up the spoon, taking in another mouthful.

 

 

Dongwoo strolled down the rows of flowers in the hospital’s botanical garden, stopping occasionally to smell some of them. He paused in front of a particular flower that caught his attention. The color of the petals was between blue and purple and they rained all the way from the top of the stem to the bottom. The plant stood tall and proud  as it bathed in the sunlight.

 

“That’s the Blue Salvia.”

 

Dongwoo turned around to see Howon standing near him. He shot up from where he was kneeling, embarrassed at being caught. Howon smiled and went up to the cyborg until he was next to him and bent down to take a whiff of the blue flower.

 

“It’s very beautiful, isn’t it. One of my favorites.”

 

Before he could stop himself, Dongwoo asked him, “Was it his favorite, too?”

 

Howon froze instantly at the question, reaching towards the cyborg “D-Dongwoo-“ But Dongwoo stood a step back to avoid the hand.

 

“I’m sorry. I understand if you don’t want to talk about it. I’m just curious, you know, about the person you like.”

 

Howon shook his head. “I know. And it’s okay because I’m prepared to tell you everything if you’re willing to listen.”

 

He led the cyborg to the bench nearby and retold his story of his childhood with Jang Dongwoo. Dongwoo had only heard parts of their story on the day of their breakup. He was surprised to learn how similar him and the real Dongwoo was apart from their appearance.

 

“Did you want to replace him with me?”

 

“At first, yes…I couldn’t accept the fact that I lost him and that we never made up before he died. I guess it was a selfish way for me to forgive myself. I’m sorry I’ve hurt you, Dongwoo. I shouldn’t have hid the truth from you.”

 

Dongwoo decided to forgive Howon. He may have been created as a replacement to Howon’s loved one but one thing he was sure of was that these feelings of love were his own and not Jang Dongwoo’s. They agreed to put the past behind them as neither wanted to linger in the past.

 

Howon looked at his watch and stood up, suggesting them to head back but Dongwoo told him to go ahead without him, giving the reason of staying behind to admire the flowers some more.

 

Dongwoo watched Howon walk further and further away from him.

 

Goodbye, Lee Howon.

 

--

 

Sungyeol tsked at the actor’s sappy lines in the evening drama. He was never a fan of dramas though Myungsoo seemed to enjoy them. He sliced the last piece of skin off the apple before he changed the channel to watch the news.

 

“-one of the largest ever seen in history. The meteor shower will occur on the 11^th of July, this Saturday. Astronomers predict that the phenomenon will take place approximately at midnight. In another news report, a man-”

 

Sungyeol noticed Myungsoo’s mouth parting slightly as he struggled to form his words. He leaned closer to him, placing his ear near Myungsoo’s lips.

 

“I…I….w-wa…nt…to…see it…pl…please…”

 

Sungyeol suddenly remembered the time when he obtained the keys to the planetarium for Myungsoo and smiled. “Of course I’ll bring you there.” he assured his bestfriend, holding the frail hand tightly in his.

 

He waited until Myungsoo had fallen asleep then left the room to call Howon about the plan. They agreed to sneak him out that night as soon as the lights went out at the hospital. The only wish they had was for Sungjong to be there with Myungsoo. At that moment, Sungyeol received a call from an unknown caller ID. He usually avoided unknown calls but this one seemed different.

 

“Hello?”

 

The voice at the other end of the line belonged to a gruff, old man.

 

“Is this Lee Sungyeol?”

“Yes…who are you?”

“My name is Sunggyu. I am the one who made and gave Sungjong to Kim Myungsoo.”

It can’t be… he thought. “Where is Sungjong?”

“Don’t worry. The boy’s right here in the shop. I’m still in the process of repairing his system but there’s something you should know.”

Sungyeol couldn’t believe what he just heard, finding the situation completely absurd. “But that’s-!”

“I know.” Sunggyu sighed. “But that’s his decision.”

If this was the last chance for Myungsoo and Sungjong to see each other, Sungyeol would do anything to make it happen.

“Sunggyu-shi, I have a favor to ask you.”

 

 

“They’re gone.”

 

Making sure that hallway was empty, Howon entered the dark room and shut the door behind him. He pushed the wheelchair to the side of the bed where his friends were getting ready.

 

Sungyeol zipped up Myungsoo’s jacket and put a cap over his head. He scanned his friend’s appearance up and down and whistled.

 

“Look at how handsome you are, buddy.” And laughed when he received a weak jab to his stomach.

 

He caught hold of Myungsoo’s waist and wrapped a blanket around his thin shoulders before he placed him in the wheelchair. They quietly opened the door, looked left and right, and went past the nurses who were busy chatting away.

 

As soon as they reached the carpark, Sungyeol carried Myungsoo into the backseat and lifted the wheelchair into the trunk. Howon got into the driver’s seat while Sungyeol climbed into the back with Myungsoo and they sped away.

 

Sungyeol and Howon would have to do this without Dongwoo, who mysteriously disappeared, leaving behind a letter that contained an apology for his sudden departure and that he was “going on a journey to search for something he had lost.”

 

On their way to the destination, Myungsoo suddenly bent forward, clutching his head in pain, turning paler and paler by the minute. Sungyeol tugged the blanket tighter around him and rubbed his back, hoping to alleviate the discomfort. He urged Howon to drive faster before turning back to Myungsoo.

 

“Don’t worry, Myungsoo, we’re almost there. Just hold on, ok?”

 

Howon gripped the wheels tighter, his hands slick with sweat, as he stepped down on the pedal. Relief washed over him when he spotted the park from afar.

 

“Look! Myungsoo! We’re here!”

 

Myungsoo opened his eyes slowly to see the familiar park where he had his first kiss with Sungjong. They drove to a secluded part of the park and abruptly stopped there. Holding onto Sungyeol’s arm, Myungsoo’s feet touched the ground, shaking his head when Howon pushed the wheelchair towards him. He wanted to get there with his own strength.

 

The usual dark sky was bright tonight, lit up with stars of all sizes. Myungsoo watched in awe. The stars looked so close that when he reached his hand out, it felt as if he could almost touch them. Myungsoo walked towards the middle of the grassy field and laid down.

 

He closed his eyes briefly until he felt a presence near him. When he opened his eyes again, he was looking straight into silver eyes. Sungjong Myungsoo’s cheek, smiling the same gentle smile that Myungsoo remembered.

 

Sungjong could hear the buzz coming back, ringing in his ears, and the image of Myungsoo turning black and white.

 

In another life, I want to be yours. I want to make love to you. I want to have a family with you. I want to grow old with you. I want to spend the rest of my life with you.

 

Myungsoo drew in shallow breaths. The pain in his head had become a dull ache, throbbing slightly. He fell in and out of consciousness but he tried his best to stay awake.

 

In another life, I want to be yours. I want to make love to you. I want to have a family with you. I want to grow old with you. I want to spend the rest of my life with you.

 

With their fingers entertwined, their hearts that found reason to beat for each other, slowed until they gradually came to a stop, at the same time.

 

In another life, let me love you again.

 

At midnight sharp, a meteoroid fell from the sky, carrying the lovers’ wishes in its trail.




------------------------------------------------------------------author's note-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hope you enjoyed reading the final chapter!

I might write a short epilogue though I haven't really decided yet. You'll have to find out next week!
But do leave comments! If you could, that would be wonderful <3

UPDATE: I decided to write an epilogue after all~ thank you to those who requested in the comments!
Blue Salvia symbolises "I think of you"  :))