Things eventually got better between Junsu and his parents concerning Yoochun. Well, Junsu's mother was accepting, even though it took time to get there.

Junsu's mother wasn't exactly pleased with the fact of her son dating another man, but she came to realize that Yoochun was purely harmless and was sweet. Aside from that, as long as her son was happy, she decided that she also would be for her son. Besides, Junsu was all grown up now and he should be able to choose whoever he wanted to love.

In comparison, her husband was still silent about it. No matter how much Junsu tried to make his father understand, he was too stubborn to budge. No matter how much his wife talked to him about their Junsu, he would immediately drop the conversation. No matter how much Yoochun tried to strike a conversation every time he was over, he was met with a cold shoulder.

Yoochun felt rejected, but the welcoming arms of Junsu's mother balanced it out. Even so, he wished that Junsu's father also accepted him, but that was only wishful thinking now. Maybe a few more months of searching may reveal a small crack in the father's well-built wall.

It was a chilly Friday afternoon. After work hours, Junsu and Yoochun planned to spend the rest of the night at the former's apartment, and most likely spend the following day lazing about. Having finished and submitted two drafts to his editor, Yoochun packed up his things into his backpack and left Cafe Memoir, his most favorite coffee shop as it was where everything started. Much like Junsu, the cafe could also be acquainted as his muse, as he found that he was able to write more and develop better ideas and plot stories in his mind whenever he was in the cozy, little cafe.

Since he finished early, he went over to Junsu's apartment with his malamute in tow (because he couldn't just leave his poor pup alone in his apartment). He had easy access and needn't to wait for his boyfriend as he had a spare key into the home. As he closed the front door, Yoochun juggled between being in the face by Xiahki, being squished and toppled around by two large dogs, and texting his boyfriend that he was already in the latter's home.

Yoochun was pretty decent in cooking and he wanted to surprise Junsu by cooking up something nice so that by the time the latter was home, dinner would be ready. Because the dogs were following him everywhere he went, Yoochun shooed the pair off to play anywhere but the kitchen. Once the pups were gone, he rummaged through the fridge and cabinets, noting ingredients in his mind and thinking of what dishes he could make with whatever was available.

As it was still pretty cold outside, Yoochun thought it would be good to make some hot, steaming kimchi jiggae. Junsu seemed to have a container of kimchi left in the fridge, and its contents looked to be enough for the stew, so Yoochun was set on the task. He laboriously worked on making the best kimchi jiggae he could possibly make, with the rice cooking on the side in the rice cooker. By the time he was done, it was just about time that Junsu was about to leave work.

Right on cue, he received a text from Junsu that read, "Leaving now! I'll see you soon! ^^"

"Can't wait :')" was Yoochun's quick reply back.

There was then a thud followed by a sound of books and papers cluttering to the floor, and the sounds seemed to have came from the living room. Deeply concerned, Yoochun quickly rushed over and immediately found his pups looking back at him guiltily while frozen in spot in the middle of the room. The living room was a mess with books from the shelf scattered all over the floor, with papers flown all over as well. Luckily, the tall bookshelf didn't topple over, but the mess was still grand.

"Okay, who did it?" Yoochun placed his hands on his hips, leaning on one leg while tapping his other foot on the floor. The dogs didn't move an inch and opted to stare back at him with wide and fearful but dangerously cute eyes. Being a er for spoiling his dog as well as Xiahki, which he pretty much treated as his own, Yoochun broke into a smile and shook his head, "Let's get this cleaned up before Su gets home, alright?"

Even though Yoochun did most of the sorting and placing back on the shelf, the pups did as they possibly could by pushing the books and piles of paper towards Yoochun's direction with their snouts. The cleaning up took time but they eventually finished up, and the pups were looking quite chipper again. Yoochun then decided to feed the dogs before setting the table for dinner.

He glanced at the clock when he finished both tasks.

That was strange. Junsu should be home by now.

Yoochun pursed his lips. Maybe he was stuck in traffic. It was rush hour now, after all. To keep himself busy, Yoochun ladled the stew from its pot into a presentable bowl, complete with a matching lid, and placed the hot stew onto the middle of the table. He then sat at the living room and switched on the television, watching a variety show as he waited.

It's been an hour since Junsu texted and there was still no sign of the man. This time, Yoochun was slowly getting worried as he continued to glance at the clock. Time was ticking, Junsu wasn't home yet, and the stew's slowly getting cold. Just where was the man?

Yoochun decided to wait for a few more minutes then he would try to give his partner a call, just in case the man was suddenly called up into an unexpected meeting. He fiddled with his cellphone as he stared at the television screen, not really paying attention to what was going on in the show anymore. When he thought that he waited long enough, he unlocked his phone and tapped on the phone icon, making a call to his boyfriend. The line rang.

And rang.

And rang.

Then it went to voicemail.

Junsu didn't pick up. However, Yoochun thought that maybe Junsu was still in the meeting and he would definitely receive a text back about it right afterwards. Junsu always did that after the moment Yoochun gave a missed call.

Ten minutes passed by and there was no text.

Yoochun was getting agitated as he stared at the wall behind the TV, biting his lip. Where's Junsu? He had a sudden feeling that something wasn't right, and it definitely didn't settle well with him.

He turned his head towards his phone when it started to ring. Junsu's name, as well as a smiling photo of him, appeared on the screen. He tapped on the green icon and placed his phone to his ear, "Junsu? Where are you?"

"Hello, Mr... Park?"

That wasn't Junsu...

"Oh... Y-Yes, this is him... May I ask who this is?"

There was a minute pause from the other end, "This is Nurse Kang from the Emergency Department of Seoul Public Hospital."

"The hospital?" Yoochun furrowed his brows, a feeling of dread washing over him.

"Yes. We're calling you about Mr. Kim," the nurse said, "He's been in a car accident and he's currently being treated in the hospital right now. You were the first contact on speed dial so we called to inform you."

", is he going to be okay?!" cursing at the phone was the least of Yoochun's worries.

"Well... He's in critical condition but we're doing our very best, sir."

The dogs stared in confusion as Yoochun was already frantically grabbing his coat and slipping on his shoes in a hurry. He fumbled to grab his keys then bolted out the door, "I'll be right there! Please keep him alive... Please."

"We'll do whatever we can, sir," then the phone went dead. Yoochun pocketed his phone and desperately pressed the elevator button. Waiting for the doors to open seemed to take years rather than minutes. When the doors finally slid open, he dashed in and repeatedly pushed the 'close' button after pressing his destination floor, the basement carpark.

"Please be okay, please be okay, please be okay..." Yoochun muttered to himself, as if a mantra, once he slipped inside his car and jabbed his keys in the ignition. He tried to drive as safely as he could but even with so much care as he could muster from within him, he knew he was trying to drive as quickly to get to the hospital. Gosh, how he wished that traffic signs didn't exist for only that moment.

Once he arrived and parked, he dashed out of his car and into the hospital building, immediately making a run for what he thought would be the right direction towards the emergency department.

"Sir, please calm down!" a nurse jogged up to him and tried to grab Yoochun by the arm.

"I have to see Junsu! Someone said he was in a car accident!" Yoochun gasped out breaths of air from restlessness, tears spilling out of his eyes, "Please...!"

"Okay, sir, just please calm down!" the nurse patted the back of Yoochun's hand, comforting the man just a tiny bit as she led him onto the waiting benches to sit. "I'll go and have a look at his condition, sir. What's his full name?"

"K-Kim Junsu..." Yoochun answered, gulping down a lump in his throat. The nurse offered him her pack of tissues to use, smiling in comfort then pacing away to acquire information. Yoochun didn't even realize he was crying so much until the tears rolling on his cheeks dropped onto his lap. He dabbed his face with a tissue, covering his face with his hands, as he waited.

And waited.

And waited.

"Excuse me, sir?"

Yoochun looked up, his eyes puffy and red from spilling out tears. In front of him was a man wearing a white coat and rectangular glasses. He had a clipboard on one hand and some used surgical gloves rolled up into a ball in the other. His facial expression didn't look like he had any good news for him and Yoochun dreaded it.

For a while, neither of them said anything.

"Are you related to Mr. Kim Junsu?" the doctor questioned and Yoochun could only nod, even though he wasn't really related to Junsu by blood. Heck, he was his boyfriend; his partner. But people didn't acknowledge that there. The doctor's tone didn't sound pleasant, and the way he took a large intake of breath didn't help either.

"I'm sorry, sir... We tried everything we could, but..." the doctor looked away with his lips pressed together. But he didn't have to continue for Yoochun understood. The only thing was that it was difficult to digest, even until now.

With a final apology, Yoochun was left to his own as the doctor thought it would be best to have the man to himself for a while. Yoochun sat there at the bench, at a loss for words and, at the same time, crying harshly that his throat couldn't produce a sound. Tears rolled down his cheeks and his chest started to throb. The pain was unbearable.

The love of his life was gone, mercilessly taken away from him. What did Yoochun ever do in his past life to deserve such pain? The man was his everything, his whole world, but now everything seemed to have turned against Yoochun, tearing him apart; tearing his heart apart.

His life... His partner... His best friend... His muse... Gone.

Junsu was gone.

Okay, so... I apologize for killing off Junsu like that! I genuinely didn't mean to, but this short story is indeed angst... I initally planned to break them apart but I didn't have the heart to. I wanted their love to continue rather than break so... I had to resort to a different option >.<

Thank you so much for reading, though! Please let me know what you think by commenting down below! :)

Thanks for a great 2015, AFF! Here's to more fics and everything in the new year!

< a tori creation >
posted: December 31, 2015