TW: Suicide ideation

15

17

“You’re already looking at colleges?” Yongguk asked as he walked up to his girlfriend who sat in front of the computer, the screen showing the webpage for NYU and its art history program.

“Of course, I plan on applying as soon as exams are done next year so I can get in as soon as possible,” Joohyun responded. From a young age, the woman was fascinated with art and knew that she wanted a career that involved her passion. When she found out about art curators, she instantly knew that was what she wanted to be. Only, Yongguk wasn’t fully on board with the idea.

“Why do you have to go to New York though? There are great schools with art programs here in South Korea...”

“Aw, are you gonna miss me?” Joohyun teased, squealing when he grinned in response and wrapped his arms around her, holding her close and peppering her face with kisses.

“Of course! Come on, I’m going to KNUA, why don’t you apply there?”

“They don’t have an art history program!” she sighed as she climbed off of his lap and grabbed her laptop again.

“So what? Come on Joohyun, find a school around here that does. You don’t need to go to New York...”

“Yongguk,” Joohyun sighed again, “I’ve...been in Daegu my entire life. The most I’ve traveled is to Yongin and then back. Going to New York would...allow me to expand my wings and broaden my horizons. I could become a new and better person!”

Yongguk frowned as he listened to her, “I don’t want a new version of you. The way you are now is fine.” He shook his head before chuckling a little and standing up, stretching his arms above his head. “Ah, well, it’s not like you’ll get in anyway.”

“What?” Joohyun raised an eyebrow as she looked up at him, “Why would you say that?”

“Do you really think a school in New York will accept a student from South Korea? How much would you even be willing to bet that they know where Daegu even is?” A frown graced the girl’s features at her boyfriend’s words. That was something she really disliked about him, how he had a tendency to put her down and never wanted her to go out of the norms of their relationship. She opened to call him an idiot but before she could respond, her phone rang with a specific ringtone that allowed her to instantly know it was Minho.

“Hello?” she answered as she raised the phone to her ear, not noticing the frown on her boyfriend’s face.

“Hey, Joohyun...can we meet up and talk?”

“I’m in Daegu right now, Minho. What’s wrong?” Joohyun listened as the line went quiet for a few minutes before Minho sighed quietly.

“Nothing.” With that, he hung up and left Joohyun dumbfounded. She stared at her phone and contemplated calling him back, only getting distracted by Yongguk’s grumbling and mumbling as he sat on the bed.

“...What?”

“Why do you insist on hanging out with that kid?” he asked, causing her to roll her eyes with a sigh.

“Minho is my childhood friend and barely a kid - I’m only two years older than him.”

“Two years is a big difference! Next year, you will be leaving high school and he’ll be getting ready to enter high school. That’s so...weird and off. Plus, the kid is ing in love with you.”

That was the final straw. Joohyun let out an incredulous laugh at the idea that Minho, Song Minho, was in love with her. He was the same kid that loved to torment her when they were little, the same one that literally cut off her ponytail. Plus, they were in different places in their lives and they were just friends - there was no idea of love on either end.

“Yongguk, you are so foolishly insecure. Minho is not in love with me!”

“I see the way he looks at you, Joohyun,” he said with a frown, “and the way he sounds when you guys talk on the phone. He’s in love with you.” Joohyun frowned and was about to protest once again when her phone began to ring. She grabbed it and ignored Yongguk’s irritated sigh as she answered it.

“Hello?”

“Joohyun-ah! Minho! H-he left me a note, I think he’s planning on hurting himself and I’m so scared!”

“What?!” Suddenly, Joohyun’s heart began to beat at a million miles a minute. Minho? Hurt himself? There was no way, he was such a tough person. The only time she had seen him break down was when his father died and that felt like so long ago. She listened to his mother read his note before hanging up and grabbing her jacket.

“Hey, where are you going?” Yongguk asked as he stood up.

“Minho wrote his mother a...note and he’s gonna hurt himself I have to go find him,” she rushed before trying to turn and leave, only stopping when Yongguk grabbed her arm.

“You’re doing it again! Running to him! I’m your boyfriend, Joohyun!”

“Yongguk!” she stared at him with wide eyes in complete disbelief. She understood that he didn’t like Minho, but this went beyond just disliking someone. “He might kill himself if I don’t go to him!”

“It’s for attention!” the older male shouted, “So, I need you to either pick between him or me.”

“I pick him,” she said simply before snatching her arm out of his grip and running out of her room. It almost seemed like she didn’t stop as she left her house and ran down to the subway station, desperate to get to Yongin as soon as possible. She wasn’t sure, but she had a good inkling of where Minho might be.

The time that it took to get to Yongin felt like forever, but once she did, she quickly caught a bus and got off when she spotted the office building. She ran inside and ran up the almost endless flight of stairs until she finally reached the roof, panting heavily as she looked around and finally caught sight of Minho.

“Minho!” she called out, causing him to turn towards her.

“...Joohyun?” he asked in surprise before stumbling back slightly when she ran forward and attacked him with a hug. He froze in confusion as the petite girl held him close in her arms and panted against his chest, her body shaking before he finally wrapped his arms around her and hugged her tightly.

“What are you doing? What are you doing, Minho?”

“...things have just been so hard lately...”

“Minho,” Joohyun said as she lifted her head to look at him, “...I’m sorry. I haven’t been the best of friends lately and I should have been here for you...but please, please don’t kill yourself. I don’t know what I’d do without you...”

“Joohyun...”

“Not even me, think about yourself! All the wonderful things you’ll miss! There’s so much in life that you have to look forward to.”

“...How did you know I was here?”

Joohyun offered him a sad smile, “It’s your dad’s old office building, he spent most of his life here. I know you feel like you’re closer to him here...I understand a lot about you, Minho.” Minho stared at her with tear filled eyes, his heart swelling at the mere idea that she knew so many intimate things about her. It had been a hard year and he thought that this was the best way to escape it, but Joohyun was the best way to escape his pain. She was always going to be there for him.

He hugged her tightly and let out a soft shaky sigh as his eyes slid shut, “Thank you, Joohyun.”

“Always, Minho.”

A/N: So. I wrote this before Jonghyun's passing, something that has really affected me and made this chapter kind of hard to edit and post. I contemplated rewriting it but, this is a big step for Minho and Joohyun's advancement so I left it as is. I hope you guys enjoyed this. Comments are appreciated!