“Hey Kyu, where do you want to go?” Ryeowook asks. 

“Dandelion field, please. That would be a beautiful last view," Kyuhyun quietly says. 

The drive to the said field wasn’t long at all, but the suffocating silence and the lingering guilt made the ride feel like an eternity. There wasn’t a single sound made except for Kyuhyun’s seemingly never-ending coughs which made Ryeowook feel like the guiltiest person on earth. 

When they arrived, Kyu burst out of the car and went to savour the sight of the bright, cheerful sunflowers blending in with the bleeding sunset and purple skyscape. Unlike his fate that would come very soon. 

He leaned against the railings and breathed in the crisp air only to cough out the red, metallic substance that he had gotten familiar with and a handful of camellia flowers. Ryeowook rushed to support Kyuhyun’s very frail body and led him to a bench nearby. He pulled out the embroidered napkin that Kyuhyun had made for him years ago. “You still kept it,” Kyuhyun smiled with a hoarse voice. “Of course, why would I need to throw it away?” Ryeowook replied with a sob in his throat. Tears started to taint the napkin, mixing it with the coughed up blood.

Ryeowook’s walls were starting to fall, guilt had come back to torture him. But the light named Kyuhyun always came to protect him.

“ Hey, hey, hey… Don’t cry,” He wiped the ugly tears off of Ryeowook’s pretty face. “I’m so sorry Kyu, I really am. Believe me.” Ryeowook whispered while trying to stop crying unsuccessfully. “Don’t be. I’m the one who’s supposed to say sorry.” He enveloped the small, crying boy in his arms, patting his back to calm him down as a mother would do to her crying child.

“I’m sorry for loving you. I’m sorry for loving you too much. I hope you can forgive me, dear Ryeowook.” “I’m only forgiving you if you stay with me until the end of days.” Ryeowook sniffles and hugs Kyuhyun tighter. There was a slight pause. “That’s not possible, I’m sorry.” he softly says. As he coughs another flower, Kyuhyun becomes reminiscent of how they met

-

-

The two met at the young age of 11 and 12 at the annual town festival. They met after running to each other a few times too much for them to not resist befriending each other. They were complete opposites but somehow had still found companionship in each other. The both of them spent their entire teenage years together and grew up in their little bubble. By the time university came, they had to part for the first time as they were pursuing education in two very different places. Kyuhyun in Singapore and Ryeowook in Korea. Of course, they kept in touch yet in the hectic world that was university, it was really hard to be able to text until eventually, they stopped texting for a while. Not because they had a problem, but because the world made them drift away. It was only because of another childhood friend that they started talking again. Luckily, Kyuhyun was about to come back to Korea soon after the two started talking again. 

After Kyuhyun moved back, they talked 24/7 like teenagers. After years of no contact, they both agreed to never leave each other lonely. Whether it'd be through phone or face-to-face, the two never left each other's side for more than 3 days except for the time Ryeowook broke his phone.

During those times, a feeling developed inside Kyuhyun that he wasn't familiar with. Every time he talked to Ryeowook, his heart would flutter like butterfly wings and whenever Ryeowook cooked for him, he felt another feeling except gratitude that he couldn't put his finger on. These feelings continued for a year and a half before he finally realized what it was.

It was love. He cringed at the thought. The concept of love to Kyuhyun was illogical. He always thought that loving someone was like slitting your own neck and even worse when you're in love with your childhood best friend whom you talk to almost every day. He tried repressing his feelings but that made him look angry as Ryeowook kept asking the boy why he looked upset. So, he just tried to not think of 'being in love'. It worked for a while but one cough ruined it.

That one cough.

Kyuhyun remembered exactly what happened that day. The both of them just had an extra spicy meal and they were getting some yoghurt to cool down their tongues. They sat down and while the two were devouring their yoghurts, a cough came out of Kyuhyun's throat. And also a petal. His eyes bulged out like they were going to fall out. He rushed to the nearest bathroom, leaving a confused Ryeowook with a melting yoghurt. Kyuhyun slammed the door shut and washed his face with cold tap water. He couldn't believe what came out from his mouth, literally. He kept coughing and coughing flower petals until he had a handful of flower petals He panicked and pulled out his phone and searched online for what sickness he had contracted. Kyuhyun knew it wasn't the wisest decision to trust google but he couldn't possibly ask his best friend and worry him. He soon found what he had. The hanahaki disease. A disease that was thought to be a mere theory. Hanahaki could only be contracted if the person is a victim of one-sided love. Kyuhyun soon realized

He was in love with his best friend

Cho Kyuhyun was in love with his best friend with Kim Ryeowook

And the fact Kyuhyun was coughing up petals only meant another thing. His love was unrequited. Ryeowook didn't look at him the same way Kyuhyun looked at the other.  Kyuhyun was devastated at this realization but he had expected it. Kyuhyun calmed himself down and cleaned all the flower petals and went back to a slightly grumpy Ryeowook. "What took you so long? Your yoghurt melted!" puffed Ryeowook. "I..err, had a bad stomach ache." Kyuhyun blurted an excuse that was accompanied by uncontrollable coughs. Ryeowook started to worry and accompanied him back to his apartment and took care of him for the next few days. He made all kinds of warming soups and porridges for him, countless cups of tea for Kyuhyun yet the coughs didn't cease. It has never gotten better. Instead, it only has gotten even more violent to the point there were tissues tainted with blood scattered around the sick boy. And scattered flower petals that Kyuhyun hid to not alert the older. 

While Ryeowook was shopping, Eunhyuk, the childhood friend that reunited the both, came over to check on the poor, sick boy. "My gosh, Kyuhyun. Why didn't you tell me earlier?!" Eunhyuk shouted after seeing the bloodied petals on the ground. "Woah there, don't shout after you just got into my room," Kyuhyun said weakly on the bed. "Because this is serious dude. There's a possibility you could die." Eunhyuk said with a serious tone and concerned eyes towards the younger. "I can die from this!?!" Now it was Kyuhyun's turn to shout. "If the root isn't removed soon, yes," Eunhyuk said.

"Who is this person you're in love with anyways?" He asked. "Kim" Kyuhyun whispered. "Kim?" "KIM RYEOWOOK, I'M IN LOVE WITH HIM." He shouted on the top of his lungs then he coughed ever so violently that a whole flower head landed on Kyuhyun's blood-covered hands. "I'm in love with him, Kim Ryeowook. Yet, these feelings aren't and will never be reciprocated before I die it seems." He crushed the blood-coated flower head and smiled while tears were running down like a waterfall.

"Make the pain stop, Hyung. You're a doctor. Please make it stop." He sobbed. Eunhyuk put Kyuhyun's head on his shoulder and let him cry on it. "I can but not the love. I can't make your love for him burn a little less." Eunhyuk consoled the crying Kyuhyun. "W-what do you mean?" Kyuhyun hiccuped. "We can surgically remove the flowering plant but with the disappearance of the petals, the love will go along with it," Eunhyuk stated. "What if I don't want to do the surgery?" "Then the flower petals will fill your lungs, making you suffocate and eventually..." "Die, right?" Eunhyuk nodded slowly.

There was a moment of silence between the two until a thud was heard outside the room. They opened the door and found a sobbing Ryeowook on the ground with groceries scattered all around. "Kyukyu..." Ryeowook whimpered. "Ryeowook? Are you okay? What's the matter?" Ryeowook didn't answer and cried on. Kyuhyun bent down and hugged the older, giving words of consolation, patting his head. After Ryeowook calmed down he finally said something. "You love me?" He asked. "What are you talking about?" he nervously said, hoping the older didn't hear of his condition. "He does." Eunhyuk finally broke it to Ryeowook. "He loves you so much that it's killing him," Eunhyuk said slowly. "Hyung!" "Have you heard of the Hanahaki disease?" "Shut up hyung!" Kyuhyun broke out of the hug and was near to choking him before Ryeowook spoke up. "I do. I overheard you guys talking." He stared down at the ground, still trying to process everything.

"I'll give you a week to think about it. Contact me when you make up your mind." Eunhyuk left the apartment. "Take the surgery, Kyu. I don't want you to die" Ryeowook choked out. Kyuhyun only gave a simple smile to the shorter one but Ryeowook was unaware of the war and chaos happening right inside Kyuhyun's eyes

-
-
-

“As the leaves drop from trees and are brought back up by the wind, so will I”

“Stop it,”

“My journey won’t stop and my love will never stop”

“Kyu, please don’t say anything else.”

“Whether I live or die, the wind bring my love to you eternally”

“Cho Kyuhyun! If you don’t stop, I’ll stuff your mouth with tissues”

"So don’t be saddened, my spirit will never abandon you”

“This is my final ‘I love you’ for you. May the wind never stop its wistful breeze.”

Ryeowook only cried harder and harder. He looked like a madman but he never cared. His best friend was slowly becoming floating dandelions and he had to watch him fade away. No Kyu was consoling him now. Now, he truly was alone