CHAPTER ONE   “the beginning”

Kim Sunggyu knew right from the start that he wouldn’t be able to make it to a ripe old age.

There was something that told him that he wouldn’t grow old to see his children grow up, and have children of their own. In fact, he wouldn’t even be able to have children at all. The day he received the news that he only had at best 2 months left in his lifem he didn’t cry. He didn’t shed tears. Because he had already expected it. But his friends did.

Hoya and Dongwoo, they had cried like he was going to be gone by nightfall. They hugged him tight, telling him to hang on, that it wasn’t over. But he already knew the sad truth. Nothing would be able to help him at this stage. He reassured them that he would be staying as long as he could. That elicited a fresh wave of tears from the duo, and Sunggyu simply stayed there till they ran out of tears.

He hated the hospital. He didn’t like the smell of death. He didn’t want to spend the last days of his life in a small and whitewashed hospital room, waiting from the day that his life would slip away from him. So he decided to ask Dongwoo for a favour.

It was a lazy Saturday afternoon, and the three of them were huddled around the TV in the apartment they shared, watching a cheesy B-grade horror movie. Hoya had fallen asleep in the middle of it and was curled up on the couch, snoring softly.

“Dongwoo-yah, could you…could you do me a favour?” Sunggyu asked.

“Depends what it is Gyu.” Dongwoo looked at him curiously.

Sunggyu swallowed slowly, wondering how his best friend would react to his words. “You see, I don’t want to spend the remaining days of my life in the hospital. It doesn’t make me feel better that I’m going to die in a foreign place, my body attached to a life support machine.” Dongwoo had sat up straight to protest, but Sunggyu carried on.

“I want to be happy…when that day comes. So please, will you find me a place to stay? Somewhere away from town preferably.” Sunggyu looked at Dongwoo seriously, no hint of humour in his irises. Dongwoo sighed.

“Are you sure you want to do this?” He asked one more time.

“Without a doubt.” Sunggyu answered.

Dongwoo had given Sunggyu the keys to his childhood home, a mansion in the secluded woods on the outskirts of town. It was far away, but was still within the realms of civilization.

“Phew. I haven’t been here in ages. The electricity’s still running. Water’s hot. This place should have everything you need. Library’s on the third floor. Kitchen and master bedroom are on the first. Bathrooms and guest rooms are on the second.” Dongwoo set down a box labeled “Clothes” that they had brought down from the apartment.

Sunggyu stepped towards Dongwoo and gave him a bear hug, wrapping his arms around Dongwoo’s waist tightly. “You know, I really, really appreciate you doing all this for me.”

“Anything for you Gyu.” Dongwoo and Hoya smiled. Soon, they were all laughing and tackling each other to the floor. At that moment, Sunggyu couldn’t have been happier. Even if his life was going to end in 2 months, he would be happy when it did.

After installing Sunggyu’s possessions (or the little of what he had anyway) into the various parts of the house, Hoya and Dongwoo had stayed for the big clean up and dinner before finally bidding Sunggyu goodbye, promising to visit him whenever they had the time.

Of course, this left Sunggyu with plenty of free time to explore the house, and he promptly began to do so, starting with the library. He took his time climbing to the third floor, before pushing open the doors to the massive library that spanned the entire third floor. The interior was just as grand as the exterior, with furnished dark, solid oak and marbled wood floors, complete with rows and rows of floor-to-celing bookshelves, couches, arm chairs and a hearth for the winter. Sunggyu immediately began walking along the bookshelves, recognizing familiar titles and classic being a closet nerd. He wandered the whole library, trying to pick out a book for himself to pass the time.

Sunggyu traced his long fingers along the spines of the books, all so worn and yellowed with age. He passed so many interesting titles, but none seemed to catch his eye as much as this one did. He stopped in front of a thick, leather bound book. Ironically, it didn't have any title on its spine. He reached out to run his fingers over the leather. He could have imagined it, or perhaps it was just a trick to his mind - but he had felt a spark at his fingertips. Puzzled, he gingerly pulled the book out of the shelf, gently carrying it to the well-worn couch. The book was surprisingly light in his arms, despite its size.

Sinking own into the worn leather, he slowly opened the cover of the book. It seemed to have survived much - a watermark from a long-ago spill, some pages a little darkened from being left too near a hearth. Out of habit, he turned to the back of the book. He always read the author's profile before he continued on with a story. But this, he did not expect.

Sunggyu was mesmerized with an intricate drawing of a male. The portrait was a sketch of a man, his hair falling over his eyes - dark orbs that seemed to hold a sadness a young man like him was quite unlikely of possessing. They seemed to encompass the world's weight in them. The man in the portrait was wearing a thin dress shirt, the first two buttons ed, casual enough yet not informal. The sketch was quite something, skilful mapping out the man's strong jaw and neck. It was so realistic, more beautiful than anything Sunggyu had ever seen in his life.

That was when the unthinkable happened. Like a fairytale, the drawing's lips moved. Time seemed to stop as its voice carried across the room. It was, simply put, impossible.

"Hello, I'm Nam Woohyun."

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