I met Zelo in middle school. He was just beginning and I was finishing my final year before leaving for high school. He was one of those smart- kids with a preppy attitude and rode a skate board to school. I had been in his class once, as it was a merged class where the senior teaches went and had a meeting and we had to go to the junior classes to study. I was running late when I bumped into him on the way to school. He had apparently tripped and had fallen down near the bike rack. I helped him up before he stood up, thanking me abruptly and ran off. I guess that was our first meeting.

Our second one was much better and more pleasant. What I mean by pleasant was the fact that he wasn't face planted on the floor. It was at the assembly for head boy and girl, class presidents and awards. It was one of the most boring assemblies of the school year, except for the graduation assembly, that one took the icing and the cake for the worst, the longest and by the far the most boring school get together in history. Anyway, continuing on.

I was head boy of the school year and Tiffany was the head girl. Zelo was the class president but what surprised me was his name. Well back then it gave me a bit of a shock. He wasn't Zelo as everyone else knew him as, it was Choi Joon Hong. I never knew this, I don't think anyone did. From the shocked looks of the students in his grade. He didn't look affected at all he just got up and got his badge. He grinned briefly at the students before sitting down next the junior class president Tia.

I officially spoke to him after the assembly where all the award winners, head boys, class presidents and teachers had morning tea. I sat next to him and we started talking. He was a talkative person; I could tell the moment he asked me: So what do you want to do when you grow up? And then then the conversation went on for ages. Ages as in the whole of the morning tea. I didn't get any of the yummy cake Mr Kim bought in.

After that we became closer and closer, despite the both of us being so different. I spent most of my time in the science lab, studying the life of a turtle while he was running around the basketball court shooting hoops. I was rather quiet, I tended to keep to myself while he couldn't keep his mouth shut for more than 2 minutes (I timed) He had a large and equally as loud family consisting of his mother, father, two older brothers, Himchan and Daehyun and a younger brother, Dongho. I on the other hand had a small family with only me, my mother and my father.

Time moves fast. I have learnt that now. Soon it was half year and we were beginning to study for our mock exams. We all started to study late after school and I walked him home when it was time to leave. During that time I began to notice changes. He became thinner and his hand movements began to become more rigid. He kept blanking out, not being able to keep focus and at times it seemed like he grasp things, like his bag that was at his feet and when we had cooking classes together, he couldn't manage to grasp the salt container and pass it to me. At first, I thought nothing of it, as he was at that stage, that stage where everything became awkward and staying up to 3 o'clock to finish your homework because you were procrastinating on twitter was normal. Zelo was the type of person to bounce back quickly, I thought. But I was wrong. So wrong.

But soon it stopped, he was back to normal. Hand movements moving perfectly fine, no drifting off and no longer was he being an awkward penguin. But little did me, or his parents know it was all calm before the storm.

As the end of year approached, he once again began to space out and his hand movements began to stiffen. It was beginning to get painfully obvious that there was something wrong with him. Well... Not him but his body. But, back then I guess we were too blind to see that, he was too blind to see that there was something in his body. Something that was destroying him. Destroying his upper and lower neurons, but of course we were too stupid to see that.

But then that day came. It was around the lunar New Year’s. We and a group of friends had decided to go out and celebrate. We had let early afternoon and stayed out and went to the night festival where there rides, food and of course games. We went crazy, going on countless rides, eating different foods ranging from our normal ddeokbokki to pho and sushi and playing more games, despite not winning that much. We made our way through the festival grounds to a clearing where we could see the fireworks. When I looked down at Zelo he seemed to be saying back and forth. I frowned slightly and poked him of the shoulder. He turned and gave me a grin before quickly pointing to the sky. I looked at my watch.

3, 2, 1

‘HAPPY NEW LUNAR YEAR!’  We had yelled. Suddenly Zelo collapsed to the ground. Someone screamed from behind me but I didn’t care. All I could see was the blood that was seeping from his head and in to the ground.

“Call the ambulance. HURRY!” I had yelled. Everyone was freaking out like crazy. But all I was doing was holding onto Zelo’s body tightly as I it would disappear if I let go. Maybe it was then when I had realised how thin the line between life and death really was.

It was a month after had started when I came to visit. High school, even now, as I think back was crazy and hectic, with the constant homework increase as well as my worries for Zelo that kept growing.

 I had walked all the way to his house, only to meet his mother.  His mother was quite short, with a small face and large brown eyes, Zelo looked exactly like her. Except for the height part. Zelo is a bloody giant. I asked if he was at home but she shook her head.

“He’s in hospital at the moment.” She said. She looked like she was ready to cry and I wanted to cry with her. “It’s best if you see him… and talk to him while you still can…” she had mumbled as I gave her a tight hug.  “Please… please make him happy before his time comes…” she had said when I said my goodbye.

“I will try my hardest.” I had replied. I turned and walked to the hospital my father worked at. I bowed to the doctors and nurses as I walked to the room the lady at the registration desk had told me.  I walked passed my father’s office without bothering to look in and say hi. All I had cared about at that time was Zelo.

I found his room quite easily and knocked twice before opening the door. I remember the thunderous beating of my heart and the way it squeezed tightly together. Zelo had laid on the bed looking out the window with tears flowing down his pale cheeks.  I remember running and pulling him into a tight hug and him squeezing me back in.

“I-I’m s-so s-scared…” He had whispered. I remember feeling his tears seep into my shirt. I could hear Zelo’s soft cries.

“Gukkie… What am I’m going to do? I-I don’t w-want to d-die…” He whispered. My heart shattered at that moment. This thing he had… was fatal.

I stayed by his side until the doctor came in and told me I he could have a word with me. I remember the seriousness in his face, the deadly silence as we walked to his office.  We walked into his office and I sat on the chair across from his desk.

“So what’s wrong with him?” I asked, I had mentally prepared myself for the worse possible news.

“He has a motor neuron disease.”

“A what?”

“He has a motor neuron disease called Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis or ALS for short. It is a motor neuron disease that destroys the upper and lower neurons or you can call it cell degeneration. It later leads to weakness within the body, which would explain his constant falling and his fainting spells, muscle atrophy, the inability to move body parts and later on, the cave in of the respiratory system.”

I looked at him blinking. I know I was the doctor’s son but come on… at that point I hadn’t started to study medicine yet so I had no idea what he was in about. But the only question that left my lips was:

“Is he going to die?”

“…Yes… yes he is. It would only be a matter of time before he’s body shuts down and he will be put on life support.”

I don’t know even til now I don’t know why, but his words made me angry. So angry. I wanted to lash out, lash out so bad. I didn’t want those words to be true.

“You’re lying…” I mumbled.

“What? What did you say?”

“YOU’RE LYING!”

“Sir what do you mean?”

"You’re lying... You’re LYING! He's not going to die!"

"Sir-"

"Stop it! He's not going to die. Stop it! Stop saying he's going to die!"

"Sir, please! Get a grip on yourself! He is going to die and if not he will be rendered useless! He will paralysed until the day he decides he's had enough."

"Then save him. Do anything... just don't let him die."

"There is not much we can do but slow down its course of destruction."

"I don't care, please do anything...” I whispered before walking out of the office. I knew, as much as I wanted to deny it, that Zelo was going to die. This hospital had the best doctors that specialised in these fields, and a doctor could never lie, not to a patient, not to a friend or family member. And it killed me knowing that.

Time passed quickly after that. Too quickly. Even with Rilozule, a medicine that was used to slow the progression of the disease, he became worse. Days became months as I studied hard in the field of Neurology, hoping to find a cure in time. But deep inside I knew it was too late. My heart stopped the day I came in to say hello and all he could was nod slowly back.

The disease had taken his ability to speak. Then, after witnessing it’s destruction to the person I called best friend, I knew, knew how horrible and terrible it really was.

It was disease without a cause. Without a specific target. It came when it wanted to and never left. It was like a parasitic plant, it grew in the body and used it, destroying the host’s body without a care then leaving when there was nothing but a shell.  There was no specific way to know you have the disease until it was upon you and right into your face. But to make it worse there was no cure, no way to stop it from completely draining away your life.

There were so many times where I stood next to Zelo and wondered how he could still smile so much, when there was so little time left for him. How he could be so positive when he already knew that his life was drawing to close. How he could be so happy to see a new day when that new day included rehabilitation and therapy. How he could still encourage others. Others who were selfish and angry over such small things. How could he do all that, I don’t know and til now as I write down my thoughts on this paper I don’t know.

I looked at the three pages I written. I had written them about Zelo, Zelo and his disease. I had written this in hopes that maybe someday, maybe I could find a cure for the disease Zelo and all these other people had.

I turned around and looked at Zelo, his eyes were closed and the life support that he was hooked on beeped. I looked at his parents and they looked back and nodded. I looked at Zelo again. I walked over and held onto his hand as I kissed him gently on the fore head.

“Forgive me. Forgive Zelo for failing to cure you. Forgive me for being the person who agreed to end your life so early. Forgive me please and I promise we meet again one day.” I whispered before my hand reached and pulled the life support switch out.

I stood back and finally let my tears fall. He was gone. Zelo was gone. But somehow, I wasn’t as sad as I thought I would be. Because now I know he was at peace. He wasn’t suffering anymore.

I bowed to his parents, who looked at their son with a heart broken expression, and ran out. Maybe I was going mad with grief, but as I ran out I saw a blonde haired boy with curly hair, who looked exactly like Zelo grin and wave before he slowly disappeared in this air. I felt my body come to ease.

Yeah, he was happy now. He was free; he was no longer stuck in that unmoving body of his. A smile pulled at my lips as I found myself in the middle of the empty park where I and Zelo spent our final place together. I laid on the floor and let the tears fall as I smiled and looked at the setting sky.

“Bye Bye Zelo. Bye Bye…”

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And done! Ah, 3 hours. 3 hours I tell you! Anyway did you enjoy it? Tell me please! :3

I am reeally sorry for the long wait but I was literally idealess so... yeah..

Anyway playlist for this story is:

 Remioromen Choir Performance

Insa -Jaejoong

When your gone-Avril Lavinge

konoyuki- Remioromen