Too Late

Jongin’s POV

“Hey Kyung-“

“Sorry Jongin-ah, I have to go. Chanyeol is taking me home.”  And this was basically how my day went about. Sit together during morning classes, class ends, Kyungsoo leaves because Chanyeol is calling him, I barely get to even say a simple ‘hi’, repeat. Kyungsoo… I honestly don’t even know when I fell for him. First year of high school I think? That’s pretty long considering we’re in our third year of college. We used to be close friends that is… until Kyungsoo met him.

Park Chanyeol.

To say that he and Kyungsoo clicked would be the understatement of the century. They became inseparable, and that was what caused my sudden heartache.

 My pain.

Kyungsoo would always be with Chanyeol. The time that I had been spending with Kyungsoo from that point on increasingly dwindled, going from always being by his side to watching him silently from the sidelines.

As I made my way out of the school, I walked to the café down the road to grab a snack. As I walked through the door, what I saw made me stop right in my tracks. It was them. Kyungsoo and Chanyeol. They were looking at each other, holding hands.

 “Kyungie, you know I love you right?” Kyungsoo smiles at him and I see him grip Chanyeol’s hand harder.

“Yeah… I love you just as much Chanyeol, you know that.” Have you ever felt as if you’ve been stabbed a million times? Well that was exactly what I felt. Every word they spoke gave me that feeling. Every word they spoke broke my heart into a million pieces. Every word they spoke...broke me. I swiftly turned and left the café with a bleeding heart and a tear-stained face.

The rest of the week passed by me, I had not wanted to speak to anyone at all. I would be in my own world of depression and self-pity. So many what-ifs had been constantly running through my mind. What if I told Kyungsoo how I felt before Chanyeol came? What if Chanyeol never came here? What if I never fell in love with Kyungsoo? But all those thoughts ended with the same question…

 Would it change a thing?

As I much as I attempted to avoid the pair, my attempts came to no avail. I still saw them in the halls, hugging, talking, and smiling. My depression seemed to have worsened just seeing them, and hearing comments about it made my pain even worse.

 “When are they going to get together? It’s obvious they got a thing for each other.” A boy in my gym class said.

“Pft, I know right. What do you think, Jongin?” another boy asked me. I turned to look at him, before turning back around and walking away.

I attempted to tell Kyungsoo of my feelings that day after finally finding my courage, but as soon as I got his attention, he replied with a simple “Jongin, I’m sorry but I really need to go.” And he was gone.

That was when I finally made my choice. I, Kim Jongin, am going to give up. I am going to give up on Do Kyungsoo. Feeling dejected, I walked across the street, to upset and melancholy to notice the headlights that were getting gradually closer to me.

And everything was black.

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Author’s POV

Jongin’s mother, Sohee, was just getting home when she had received a phone call from Seoul Medical Hospital. “Yoboseyo?” she answered.

“Is this the mother of Kim Jongin?” Sohee answered yes and waited anxiously for the caller’s reply.

“Kim-ssi, your son was admitted into the hospital. He was hit by a car while crossing the street, and has fatal head trauma. We aren’t sure if he’s going to make it.” As he says this, Sohee runs back out into her car with tears in her eyes and speeds her way to the hospital. She grabs her phone and makes sure to call her husband before making her way into the hospital.

“Where’s my son?!?” Sohee asks the receptionist impatiently. After getting the room number, Sohee races into Jongin’s room.

 “Are you Mrs. Kim?” The doctor asks her. After replying yes, the doctor led her to Jongin’s bedside and sat her down next to his bed. “Mrs. Kim, I’m afraid that there’s a small chance will make it out of here alive. The damage to his head was so drastic, I’m afraid in only a short period of time, he’ll be brain dead.” The doctor says with a remorseful look on his face.

Sohee begins to cry as she looks at her son, and just as her husband walks in. They stand next to their son and Sohee kisses her son’s forehead as his heart monitor begins to slow. ”Jongin-ah, Eomma and Appa love you so very much. Eomma wishes she could take away all this pain for you, Jongin-ah. Please don’t leave us!!” She was now sobbing in to her son’s chest but it was too late.

The monitor stopped beeping.

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Kyungsoo’s POV

I was ready. I was finally going to tell him how I feel. I walked out of Chanyeol’s car and into the school feeling as confident as ever. ‘Today is the day’ I think with a smile appearing on my face.

Flashback~

“Kyungie, you know I love you right?” I smiles at him and I grip his hand harder.

“Yeah… I love you just as much Chanyeol, you know that.” Just as I said that, we both turn to see someone slam the door to the café. I immediately recognize the familiar hairstyle.

 “Was that Jongin?” Chanyeol asks me. I nod as I turn back to him and blush when I realized I was staring at where Jongin left.

“So when are you going to tell him how you feel, Kyungie?” Chanyeol asks me with booming smile on his face.

 “How did you-“

“I see everything Kyungsoo.” He says as he laughs at my reddening face.

 “You better tell him before its too late, you know.” He says and I smile at him.

“Yeah, I know. You’re a pretty great step-brother you know?”

Flashback end~

I walk in to the classroom and my eyes automatically search for him, but his seat was empty. A cold feeling suddenly washes over me as I take my seat. He’s never absent. Why is he absent today of all days?

As soon as class is settled, Teacher Shin walks in with a sad look on her face as she begins to speak. “Class, the principal has an announcement to make.” An announcement? Did one of ZiTao’s fights get out of hand? Did Joonmyeon get caught gambling again?

“Class, yesterday one of our students got hit by a car while crossing the street. He was pronounced brain-dead at 6:36 pm last night at Seoul Medical Hospital. That student…” My stomach drops and I looked to my left to see his empty as I wait for the name. ‘It can’t be’ is the only thought that was running through my head.

“…was Kim Jongin.”

At that moment, my world came crashing down.

Was I hearing things? No. No. My mind couldn’t process this information.

“You better tell him before its too late, you know.”

I was too late. I stared ahead in shock, the roses I bought long forgotten as the tears poured down my face and I dropped to my knees. Jongin was gone and he was never coming back.

I was too late.