Wonwoo eventually stopped eating. He couldn't stomach food anymore and despite the amount of times everyone around him tried to persuade him to eat at least a bite of something, he could never eat more than half a bowl of soup.

Wonwoo had sudden pain, trouble breathing, and his vomitting became more frequent. All of that topped with Wonwoo's lack of an appetite made everyone around him worry more than they had before. 

Mingyu tried, every day, to remind him to eat but Wonwoo would only give him a silent shake of his head and change the topic to something else. Mingyu would go along with it, but it never stopped him from noticing how thin Wonwoo was getting or the pale colour his skin was taking. He still talked as if everything was okay, but he was asleep more frequently than when he was awake and he never stepped outside anymore. 

Mingyu's  time with Wonwoo was becoming shorter, restricted to the moments where Mingyu had open hours in his schedule and when Wonwoo was actually awake. Even though there was hardly time for them anymore, they still managed to hold on to each other through notes written in the other's absence. 

The papers would be left on the table beside his bed so it could be found the next time the receiver would be able to read it. Sometimes it would be a simple question or a full note describing how their day went, and each time, the reader could reply or start something completely new. The latter being mostly Mingyu. 

Mingyu was glad that they could pass letters. He had feared that Wonwoo would try to force himself to stay awake for Mingyu's breaks as he had before, but now that they had a different way of talking, Mingyu would almost always find Wonwoo fast asleep whenever he stopped by. 

Even if Mingyu could no longer hear Wonwoo's voice when he was with him, he cared more for Wonwoo's well-being and so cherished the letters as if they had been spoken to him directly. 

It became a habit to look at the table first when he entered to look for a letter, so when he found none on the 18th of May, it took Mingyu a while to realize it was because Wonwoo was awake. 

He was laying in bed, looking as fragile as ever but still, awake. 

"Let's go outside, Mingyu." 

Mingyu didn't question anything, too overwhelmed with happiness to do anything but smile. 

He agreed readily and took out the wheelchair, calling Jeonghan in to help him carry Wonwoo into it. At this point of time, Wonwoo had become too weak to get himself there alone. 

Once they were set to go, Mingyu took them out, taking every step slowly and carefully. He made sure to take the long way around so Wonwoo could see all of his favourite places. Through the skywalks, past the vending machines, and across the break room. 

Wonwoo didn't talk the entire time, instead, his eyes trailing absentmindedly on people and places as they kept on. Mingyu couldn't make out what he was thinking, or what exactly he was focused on but Mingyu only wanted to keep the small smile ghosting on his pale lips. As long as Wonwoo was happy. 

When they finally made it to the garden, a little more than fifteen minutes had passed and Wonwoo finally spoke again.

"Seokmin told me there was a surprise here." 

"Really?" Mingyu tried to think if Seokmin had ever brought it up but came up blank. "Want to look for it?" 

Wonwoo nodded. "I'm not sure what it is, though." 

Mingyu shrugged before he pushed the wheelchair forward, finding it to be harder than when they were on even ground. "Maybe we'll know when we see it," he suggested.

The wheelchair caught on a cracked piece of stone and Mingyu had to put extra force into getting it over. Wonwoo seemed mostly unfazed by it, but he turned to see if Mingyu was having too much of a hard time. Mingyu cursed the stone underneath his breath and blew a stray strand of hair from his face. 

Wonwoo gave a short laugh but cut himself off to take a breath. He still managed to keep a smile. 

Mingyu gave him a grin in return as they rode over the stone and continued down the path of rocks. 

They followed Wonwoo's guesses and Mingyu's eyes making out something he thought he didn't recognize. Most of the time, Wonwoo was proven wrong and Mingyu had been mistaken. Wonwoo poked fun at Mingyu's awful memory and Mingyu laughed at Wonwoo's failed guesses. Mingyu was having so much fun, he nearly forgot why they were there in the first place. Just being able to go out and laugh with Wonwoo had become a rarity and he was filled with joy.  

After a few more hits and misses, Mingyu wheeled him over to the corner where their rock sat and they found a view that couldn't be overlooked. 

Their huge beige rock was sitting in a bed of begonias, newly bloomed and vibrant shades of orange to red. It looked as if a rock had been dropped into a bubble of calm fire. 

Mingyu heard a sharp intake of breath come from Wonwoo and he found himself sighing in content. 

"That's beautiful," Wonwoo breathed, turning over to see if Mingyu was seeing the same thing he was seeing. 

Mingyu nodded taking his eyes away from the new found view to return Wonwoo's glance. 

"It is. It's so beautiful," Mingyu said, but he couldn't make himself turn back to the patch of flowers. He wanted to, because the work Seokmin had done was incredible but Wonwoo's eyes were bright again. It had been a long time since Wonwoo had looked at anything like that, and Mingyu, in that moment, thought they were worth more than anything to stare at. 

Wonwoo didn't look back either, and Mingyu knew the look he was giving Wonwoo was showing all of the emotions that he felt. 

Mingyu figured, since Wonwoo already knew how he felt, he may as well say something and he ended up saying something he didn't think through yet. 

"You haven't given up, right, Wonwoo?" 

Wonwoo blinked before he shook his head slowly. "No," he said without breaking eye contact. "Not when you're still with me." 

Mingyu smiled, trying his best to mask how sad he was. 

"You still love me, right, Wonwoo?" 

Wonwoo grinned with his eyes and they seemed to glitter even more. 

"Yes, and I'll never stop." 

Mingyu nodded, swallowing a sob.

"You'll always remember me, right?"

Wonwoo's smile was becoming equally as sad as Mingyu was feeling but it was still going strong. Mingyu ignored the solemn shadow it held, and instead focused on the way it crinkled the corner's of his eyes and the way it made him look like he would stay forever.

"Of course," Wonwoo said with such certainty that Mingyu had to let out a whimper. "Will you remember me?" He added after reaching up to stop a tear at the base of Mingyu's jaw. 

Mingyu placed a hand over Wonwoo's hands and held it there. 

He attempted a scoff but it came out garbled. "It's impossible to forget you, you nerd." 

Wonwoo laughed, closing his eyes for a second while he cherished the feeling. When he opened them, they were red but they were still swimming with life. 

Mingyu stepped to his side and leaned down so Wonwoo's arm could rest on the armrest instead of being held in the air.

Mingyu closed his eyes and tilted his head into Wonwoo's palm

"Don't die, okay Wonwoo?" 

Mingyu couldn't see it but he could feel Wonwoo move around. 

Wonwoo placed another hand on the other side of Mingyu's face, making him open his eyes again. He was met with Wonwoo's sadness. 

"I'll try, Mingyu," He said as solidly as he could. "but even if I do, you're going to keep living and you're going to be fine. I'm telling you the truth when I say," Wonwoo had to take a breath. "I don't think I can hold on much longer." 

Mingyu opened his mouth, wanting to tell Wonwoo to stop but his words were taken away by something invisible and was replaced with another sob.

"Don't be waiting for me, because you can't follow me everywhere, I won't let you. We're going to live for as long as possible and be happy for as long as possible but," Wonwoo inhaled. "It will have to end. Let's make it a happy ending, okay?" 

Mingyu didn't reply. He fell to his knees soundlessly, holding onto Wonwoo and his wheelchair in the most tight but awkward embrace. 

Wonwoo took one of his hands away from Mingyu's face to run it through his hair. 

"Come on, Mingyu, you promised me a happy ending," Wonwoo said through shaky laughter. 

Mingyu thought back to the night where the world was asleep and the empty promise he had borrowed from the stars. Wonwoo was introduced into his life in possibly the worst way, but he had loved every moment of it. Mingyu had thought the promise had become void while he lived his happiest days and he hated how it had to come back like this. 

Mingyu would have to keep it. For Wonwoo. 

"A happy ending," Mingyu whispered into Wonwoo's hand. "We'll have a happy ending." 

Wonwoo brushed through Mingyu's hair another time and kissed the top of his head where his hand came off. 

"Thank you, Mingyu," he said into the brown strands. 

They became quiet, letting them stay as they wanted for a little while longer. The smell of begonias was strong from where they sat but Mingyu couldn't think the scent was sweet any longer. 

A breeze flew by, plucking a few petals from the flowers and scattering them towards the two. 

One landed by Mingyu's knees and Wonwoo's front wheels. 

"Hey Mingyu, could you search up the meaning for begonias?" Wonwoo asked suddenly.

The truth was, Mingyu had searched it up long ago when he had been ignoring Wonwoo and now the meaning behind them was coming back to haunt him. 

It means future misfortunes or challenges will come to distract you from joy. 

It had been a warning from the beginning. 

"Later." 

Mingyu began OHEA again after nearly a year since he had put it away. 

Mingyu kept most of his schedule clear and visited Wonwoo every second he had a chance. Wonwoo was still mostly sleeping but the amount of times Mingyu visited made it possible for them to talk more. 

The activities he had planned out weren't as exciting they had been before, but Mingyu would read to Wonwoo before he slept since he was too tired to hold up a book. He would try his best to keep from stuttering but his concentration caused him to stutter more. Wonwoo would always tell him to relax while he laughed to himself and Mingyu would read fine for a while before he would start up again. 

Mingyu also quizzed Wonwoo on the classes he had taken before because Wonwoo said he didn't want to forget. Most of the stuff Mingyu wasn't a hundred sure about, but he researched in advance to  help Wonwoo with it.

Mingyu took him out whenever he was feeling well enough, and once he even took him out to the place his parents were staying at temporarily so they could spend an afternoon together. They sat in the house's garden and ate slices of watermelon while Bohyuk told him about a new girl he met at school. 

Mingyu took pictures and brought them back for Wonwoo to see or he would stay and take pictures with him. Whenever they went to look for things to snap, Mingyu gave the camera to Wonwoo and wheeled him around until Wonwoo wanted to capture a moment. Luckily, the camera was just light enough for him to carry it himself. 

Eventually, Wonwoo would ask Mingyu if he was sure he was on the right chapter because he didn't remember what happened in the last. Then, Wonwoo began briefly forgetting answers to questions he knew for a while before it would come back to him. When his family would tell him old stories, he would forget people who he was supposed to know. Even some of the more recent pictures that they had taken were unfamiliar to Wonwoo. 

Mingyu's heart broke when Wonwoo didn't recognize Chan when he stopped by. 

Chan told him it wasn't a big deal and that maybe Wonwoo would remember eventually. Thankfully, he did, but only little things that they had done together. The entire time he was telling Mingyu about it, Wonwoo sounded so broken that Mingyu was threatening to cry again.

Despite Wonwoo's diminishing memories, they managed to create more of them. Memories caught through pictures and letters that they could go back to and read together. Mingyu kept them in a shoe box and left it underneath Wonwoo's bed. Sometimes, he would come in and find Wonwoo reading it under the table lamp's light. 

Mingyu prayed that he could at least keep these moments. If he wasn't allowed the days from before, he would rather have what they were then then nothing at all. 

That wish was stronger than ever when Mingyu found Wonwoo writing a letter under the table lamp's light, glasses that were too big for his face sitting comfortably on his nose. 

Mingyu sat next to him soundlessly before he began pestering him. 

Wonwoo hit him and told him to shut up. He looked just as he did when he was working, so Mingyu acted as he did and continued to bug him and watch him intently as he wrote. His hand was slow but Wonwoo refused to let him see what he was writing. 

Wonwoo didn't let him read the letter until he was tucked away and sleeping. 

Mingyu read it as soon as he heard the snoring. 

The letter made him so happy he didn't want to leave Wonwoo's side. Mingyu decided to be cheesy and sleep by his side that night. He sat watch until he couldn't keep his eyes open anymore and he knocked himself out with fatigue. 

Mingyu was woken by the sounds of a radical monitor and ragged breathing. When he sat up from his spot, he found the room hardly illuminated by dawn's light and Wonwoo drenched in sweat. 

Alarmed, Mingyu stood up and pressed the emergency for the nurse and a stranger came running in.

"What's happening?" She asked, her voice panicked. 

"I-I don't know but he-" Mingyu pointed at Wonwoo and ran around the bed towards her. In his haste, he kicked over the shoe box and the contents went spilling underneath the bed.  

He couldn't continue, his tongue was tied and it wasn't like he knew what was happening anyways. 

She gave a look at Wonwoo and nodded, motioning for another nurse that had come in unnoticed by Mingyu. They talked about things he couldn't hear and they began running around. 

The first nurse who had come in stopped in her tracks. 

"Dr. Kim, you know Dr. Hong, right? Please call him right away." 

Mingyu wondered for a second how she knew his name before he realized he was still wearing his coat. Without another second to waste, Mingyu did what he had been assigned and called Jisoo.

Jisoo's voice was clear and awake when he picked up and Mingyu sighed in relief when he heard that Jisoo was already on his way. It was early morning and he was lucky enough that it was just around the time Jisoo would arrive at the hospital. 

When he arrived, Jeonghan appeared at the same time and brought Mingyu out of the room. 

Mingyu was forced to wait outside for what seemed to be too short of a time. Mingyu could barely fit in a phone call with Wonwoo's parents before Jisoo came back out, bringing with him a solemn air. 

"Mingyu, I'm sorry. I can't help anymore." 

Mingyu moved on impulse, brushing past Jisoo to get into the room. The nurses were moving things away now, and Jeonghan told him Wonwoo was on a mild sedative so he wouldn't feel the pain. 

Mingyu was already beginning to cry and he had to force himself to move towards the bed. He stepped on letters as he made to sit on the bed next to Wonwoo, his mind completely disregarding how he was ruining the memories they had made. Wonwoo's breathing had calmed, and so had his heart according to the monitor. 

When the bed dipped underneath his weight, Wonwoo's eyes opened, glazed over and distant. Once he focused on Mingyu, a smile was making its way onto his lips. 

"Goodmorning," Wonwoo said, his voice whisper-like. 

It was anything but a goodmorning but Mingyu replied anyway. 

"Goodmorning." 

"Why are you crying first thing in the morning?" Wonwoo asked, sounding almost as if he were teasing. 

"Because of you. Always because of you."

"Why?"

Mingyu looked up briefly, wiping away the tears that were spilling. 

He didn't look back down, keeping his head up for a while. 

"Please don't die, Wonwoo." 

Wonwoo choked on a laugh and Mingyu turned his head back down, almost angry at how easily Wonwoo was taking this. Contrary to what he had sounded like, Wonwoo was actually crying as well and it took Mingyu by surprise. 

"I'm sorry, Mingyu," Wonwoo spread out his fingers, reaching out for Mingyu's hand. "and thank you, Mingyu." 

Mingyu wrapped his hand around Wonwoo's, feeling how small it had become in just a year. 

"Thank you for loving me when I was dying, thank you for letting me live in this one year and thank you for making me a happy ending." 

Mingyu shook his head. 

"How is this a happy ending, Wonwoo?" 

Wonwoo smiled again. 

"Because when you're next to me, nothing has ever gone wrong. You're going to make sure nothing goes wrong this time, too." With every word he spoke, his voice was becoming more and more distant. "You make me happy. Isn't that all that's important in a happy ending?" 

Mingyu nodded, "You make me happy too. So, so happy." Though, in that moment, his heart was being torn apart. "I've always been a person who listens to other people and you're the first one who's listened to me. You've shown me that the world isn't all about straight paths or perfectly mapped out roads and sometimes it'll take you completely by surprise. You've shown me the things that I've told other people but that I've never actually experienced." Mingyu realized he was talking a lot, but he had a lot to say and he didn't want to be too late. "You've changed everything about the world, Wonwoo."

Wonwoo's smile was fading but it still sat beaming up at Mingyu. "Mingyu, you're being very cheesy." 

Mingyu nearly laughed. "I don't care you idiot, I'm trying to tell you how much I love you." 

Wonwoo nodded, closing his eyes. "I know." He snuggled a little closer to Mingyu's side. "I love you too." 

Mingyu leaned in suddenly, pressing his lips to Wonwoo's for a kiss. He held it there for a while, hoping maybe he could give some of his warmth to Wonwoo to keep him alive. Mingyu only parted their lips when he heard that his heartbeat was becoming a little frantic. 

"I love you," Mingyu said again, now at a loss for words. He still wanted to say something but nothing could fill the spaces more than: "I love you." 

Wonwoo opened his eyes after Mingyu had repeated his words a couple of times over. He spoke up again after a beat of silence. 

"Hey, Mingyu?" 

His voice was soft, like a bed of feathers. 

"Yeah, Wonwoo?" 

"Can I make one more wish?" 

Mingyu nodded, squeezing Wonwoo's fingers. The entire time, he was trying to become lost in his eyes. 

Wonwoo cleared his throat and tugged at Mingyu's hand. 

"I want you to make yourself a happy ending." 

Mingyu let tears flow freely, falling onto the bedsheets. Wonwoo was closing his eyes again and Mingyu was so afraid.

"I'll try." 

"You have to promise." 

Mingyu swallowed back a sob and pressed Wonwoo's hand to his lips. 

"I promise," he whispered into the backside of it. 

Wonwoo sighed happily and Mingyu knew he couldn't let the room fall into silence. 

Mingyu's eyes fell onto the pair of glasses sitting by the bed and his mouth started running off on its own.

"Wonwoo, you know, you never did change your glasses. Remember when I told you you had to change them at the Amusement Park? In the haunted house with those ghosts chasing us? The day I told you I love-" 

Mingyu's words were drowned out by the flatlining of the monitor and suddenly memories started flooding Mingyu's mind. 

He saw the small figure sitting in the garden by itself, dark eyes that held so many mysteries that he had never imagined he'd ever be able to decipher, and a world they had made underneath the stars. He saw Wonwoo sitting in his bed as he would pop in to tell him dumb stories, he saw Wonwoo atop their beige rock, legs swinging in the air while he waited and he saw Wonwoo sitting in a cloud of powdered sugar. He saw Wonwoo laying on the floor with him in his apartement, a potted begonia with their two names, and a dark room where he confessed. He saw Wonwoo sitting in a ferris wheel cart, Wonwoo hugging him while he told him he loved him too, and he saw Wonwoo kissing him under frost-ridden branches in the middle of December. He saw Wonwoo in a room with him against the backdrop of Busan's cold sea, Wonwoo's ridiculous tiny computer, and Wonwoo on a rooftop covered in candles. He saw everything that he ever knew about Wonwoo and he saw Wonwoo laying as if he were asleep on his hospital bed. 

Mingyu saw the story he had with Wonwoo and knew he was at the end but it couldn't be called the happy ending they had wished for. 

Because Wonwoo left happy, his wish granted and having lived a life he had never imagined he could have had. Wonwoo was able to leave with the ramblings of someone he loved more than anything in the world while being held onto by the same person. His only regret was that he hadn't wished for forever with Mingyu. 

While Mingyu was left alone, regretting having left Wonwoo for some of his last months, and unsure of how he would continue on. Mingyu was surrounded by Wonwoo wherever he went and he would never be able to forget. He was given his world, and had it taken away from him. 

Their story couldn't have a happy ending. It was just - The End.