Taekwoon watched before his own eyes how his best friend fell. He froze momentarily before Hakyeon’s pained gasps brought him back. “H-Hakyeon-ah… Why.. What… What happened..?” He stammered, panic rising as he only saw Hakyeon shutting his eyes tight, gasping. “Hakyeon.. I’m so sorry… So sorry… Hakyeon please… open your eyes!”

Hakyeon’s inability to breathe properly was evident by the way his lips almost turning blue. Students started to make a circle around them before the school doctor came running to carry Hakyeon to the infirmary.

Taekwoon cried that time when he saw Hakyeon had to breathe with a nebulizer over his face. It looked so uncomfortable and his best friend looked so unwell, it made Taekwoon scared. He wanted to stay until Hakyeon wake up but the school doctor forced him to go to class. He was so adamant to get Taekwoon off from his workplace and as a student, Taekwoon was given no choice but to comply.

However, he made a promise to himself to abandon his usual meeting with his soccer teammates to see Hakyeon over the lunch break.

Unfortunately, when lunch break came, Taekwoon found no Hakyeon lying on the bed at the infirmary. Doctor only responded that Hakyeon had been transferred to the general hospital for reason that the hospital was better equipped to treat Hakyeon. Taekwoon felt his heart made a distasteful jump to the pit of his stomach. He could only think that Hakyeon got worse and his best friend was going to die. Again, he cried. But the school doctor comforted him this time, saying that, Hakyeon was going to the hospital to get the best help possible and that he was not going to die. In fact, the doctor informed that Hakyeon even woke up for a while.

Taekwoon might be a little bit calm but he never get to pay attention in classes at all. He only thought of Hakyeon, constantly praying that his best friend won’t die until he could see him at the hospital.

School finished and Taekwoon made his way to the general hospital as quickly as the bus can get. He even asked the driver personally to speed up a bit because he needed to see his dying friend. It may be a dramatic thing to say to a stranger but it’s Taekwoon after all. He could be a little over dramatic.

When he arrived at the hospital, he frantically searched for his best friend’s room, announcing to every nurse he met that he needed to see Cha Hakyeon and that he is his best friend. One kind nurse took pity of the boy and led him to Hakyeon’s room where Taekwoon found his lifelong friend, still alive and sitting on the bed. However, he took note of Hakyeon’s pale face and the tube connected to his arm.

“Hakyeon-ah!” He called so loud that it made Hakyeon flinched.

Hakyeon was not given the chance to response as Taekwoon already made a dash towards Hakyeon when he immediately pulled him into a tight hug.

“T-Taekwoon…” Hakyeon called him, his voice muffled as his face was pressed to Taekwoon’s shoulder.

Hakyeon felt there was something warm wetting his hospital clothes and before he realized it, Taekwoon was already sobbing softly into him as they hugged each other.

Hakyeon gradually relaxed in Taekwoon’s embrace and let his friend cried his heart out while his hand patted Taekwoon’s back softly. “It’s okay… it’s okay…” He whispered sweet nothings into Taekwoon’s ears and they stayed like that for quiet some time.

Taekwoon was still latched onto Hakyeon until he was finally faintly sniffling. His face was a mess and wet with his sweats and tears when they pulled away. Hakyeon cooed.

“It’s okay… it’s okay..” Hakyeon kept repeating the words as he used the end of his sleeves to wipe Taekwoon’s face. “Look at you…our dear Taekwoonie~~ you look so funny!”

“Is it really the time to laugh now?!” Taekwoon grumbled before he pushed Hakyeon’s hand away to wipe his face with his own hands.

Hakyeon retracted his hand and gradually cowered away from Taekwoon. He sat further from Taekwoon on the bed, as guilt eating him up.

Taekwoon regretted his words instantly.

“I’m so sorry I didn’t tell you anything.”

“No. I am sorry.. I made you faint and.. and you were…-”

Taekwoon could not continue as he remembered the heartbreaking scene of sick Hakyeon.

“It’s okay Taekwoonie… I’m here and I’m fine” Hakyeon smiled widely and Taekwoon felt hurt.

“No. you’re not! The school doctor said you have to be transferred here, it’s never good when you have to be in hospital to get better… it’s not, Hakyeon..!”

“No! I am going to be fine! I come here to get better, I am going to be fine, Taekwoonie! I am going to live long!”

It was Hakyeon’s turn to cry now.

“T-They… They said my lungs have problem… It’s…. It’s COPD. I never want to know what it says!”

Taekwoon had became quiet at Hakyeon’s outburst.

“I can’t run with you or dance anymore because it will get worse… I can’t be so active anymore… I can’t… I can’t be like the ballerinas you showed me before… it hurts… I… I have like two inhalers with me a-and… a bunch of pills to help me but they still said I can’t dance!”

Hakyeon was practically sobbing at that moment and Taekwoon only feared the worst for his best friend but he could not stopped Hakyeon at all thinking that Hakyeon might have keep this all in with himself.

“I c-can’t tell you! I can’t tell you because then I feel like I’m crippled! You have your soccer with you but I… I don’t have anything… I can’t even run…”

Just like that, true to Taekwoon’s biggest fear, his best friend was having a hard time breathing properly again now that he was sobbing so hard. In no time, Taekwoon pulled him again for a gentle hug. He tried his best to comfort his Hakyeon; rubbing his back gently and whispered comforting words to him. “You’re so strong Hakyeon… We’ll get through this together… You have me.”

The two boys fell asleep in each other’s embrace after Taekwoon successfully helped in calming Hakyeon down.

The next day Hakyeon was discharged and Taekwoon made sure he was fully equipped with the knowledge to help Hakyeon going through his days at school. He made sure to change his lifestyle to fit Hakyeon’s needs. He would ensure that Hakyeon took his medications on time and he nagged everytime to remind Hakyeon to bring along his inhaler and to eat proper balanced meal. Just like what the internet taught Taekwoon how to deal with breathing problems. Then, he promised himself to never hang out with the kids who smoked. He used to think they were very cool before.

Every morning they would go to school with Hakyeon’s father driving them. In the evening they would walk together to send Taekwoon to his soccer practice before Hakyeon’s father came to pick his son up; something that was out of ordinary but Taekwoon wanted to make it their routine just so he could spend more time with Hakyeon, too afraid of losing his best friend.

There were no more running at the school hallway. There were no more Hakyeon chasing after Taekwoon. They now walked side by side to the classes, to the cafeteria and to Taekwoon’s soccer practice. Which then, Taekwoon became the subject of his teammates’ gossip. They for bringing a ‘wife’ to practice. And Taekwoon would just shrugged it off everytime. And he would blushed secretly.

That was until Taekwoon’s teammates took the tease out of their team. They dragged Hakyeon too into their jokes and gossips.

That day, Hakyeon stayed behind because his father had informed that he would be a bit late that evening. Taekwoon had excused himself to change into his uniform after he led Hakyeon to sit at one of the bleachers where the school players used. Not long after that, few of the students crowded over Hakyeon.

“So you’re the captain’s wife,” One of them started, laughing in mocking tone.

“Pretty.. no wonder he never had girlfriend yet..”

“Are you two gay? Did he kissed you yet?”

“Do you wanna kiss me? I never had a gay wife yet..”

The teasing had gotten so loud and bolder overtime because Hakyeon had opted to stay silent throughout. He thought it would be best not to pick a fight or argue with them considering his illness. He merely cowered away and gripped onto the bleachers as tight as he could. They went as far as trying to poke him on the side that made him flinched and gasped in surprise.

The crowd got bigger and Hakyeon’s space became smaller. He now felt the need to breathe in fresh air.

“Can you all please leave me..? Don’t you have practice…?”

The students merely replied with loud laughter. “Ah. You finally talked!” More and more laughter. Too loud to Hakyeon’s liking.

“Get your asses to the field now!”

Captain Jung Taekwoon finally came to the rescue with his rare loud voice, screaming angrily at his teammates. The magic worked as the students all scurried to the field and all mocking laughter died down.

Hakyeon finally saw the light. The space got bigger and he felt the fresh air blowing towards his way. Before he even knew it, he was already breathing so deeply and heavily. Taekwoon ran to his side worriedly. “Hakyeon-ah I’m so sorry… I should’ve brought you with me to the changing room…”

Hakyeon frowned. “W-What…?!” He breathed. “That’s even weirder!” Hakyeon’s face was as red as tomato and Taekwoon thought it was his illness speaking when it was actually for a whole different reason.

“Did you bring your inhaler with you..?”

“Yes, yes… I don’t need it now, I can breathe just fine!”

Hakyeon might be saying that, but he felt how his grip on the bleachers slowly gotten weaker and how he grew more and more tired to draw in fresh air to breathe. Eventually his head fell forward and Taekwoon caught his body quickly.

Agian, I would like to remind that I am in no way medically informed about COPD. these are merely things that I searched on the internet and my imaginations. :)