Prompt 28: Boon.

Character(s): Park Chanyeol, OC

Warning(s): Mild(?) cursing. And a fail oneshot.

Word count: 695

Shim Jaemi knew beforehand that she didn't have much time.

And so, trudging up the staircase to the seventeenth floor of her ex-boyfriend's apartment building, she sighed. One last letter for her to give to him. It had been two months since their formal closure, yet Jaemi feels like she hasn't given justice to their breakup. Heck, she feels that even a "formal closure" wasn't enough.

Ah, I really hate tying up loose ends.

Grumbling in consternation, she transferred her backpack to her left shoulder, body shifting to accommodate the weight. And as Jaemi stopped in front of Room 1709, the bag was left unnoticed on the floor as she took out the small envelope she fished out a while ago, after exactly ten minutes of rummaging through the container. She was gripping the poor material, she knew; her hands were shaking, and tears stung the corners of her eyes.

Well, here goes.

She slipped the envelope in the small crack provided underneath the wooden door, rang the doorbell, haphazardly grabbed her backpack, and dashed away. The tears that were once prickling her eyes came down, and Jaemi's defenses faded as she stepped out into the sunlight and into the hustle and bustle of downtown Seoul. Wiping at her wet face, she walked towards the subway and ignored the stares of the passersby, aware of the reason why they were openly gawking at her.

I hope he reads it.

-

Park Chanyeol's eyebrows furrowed as he read the meticulously-written letter. He certainly didn't have an ex-girlfriend, nor was his name Kris; he wasn't American, for Chrissakes. But as his eyes zeroed in on the name written at the bottom of the page, something clicked.

Shim Jaemi.

Had he known someone with that name before? Wait, was it the Jaemi that Baekhyun introduced to him a few days back, from the bar? Or was it the Jaemi from elementary school? Shim Jaemi.

. this . Not them.

None of the choices. It was Jaemi, his childhood best friend. The one who moved to Busan when they were nine. And now, she was dying. But Chanyeol isn't letting her leave him. Not like this.

-

Jaemi chatted with the other patients in their ward whilst happily playing with the youngest among them, Sookhye. All pretenses of seeing Kris had now left her mind, after she got a minor scolding from her sneaking out earlier in the morning. But as one of the nurses came in and told her that she had a visitor, she stiffened.

Kris is here.

Palms sweaty and clad in her hospital gown and slippers, she went to the visitors lounge and desperately searched for the bleached mass of hair in the crowd. Nothing. Then who was it? Perhaps one of her classmates? Or her best friend?

"Jaemi."

That voice. It was unmistakable. "Chanyeol?"

And there he was, tall frame looming over her, eyes reflecting worry and marred with confusion. He was holding an envelope – wait, an envelope? Before Jaemi could even speak, he had her enveloped into a bear hug, that same bear hug she had received many years ago before they moved to Busan. And she found herself melting into the arms of this firm yet tender young man in front of her.

Chanyeol still held her close as he recounted the events from the morning, wherein Jaemi realized that Kris had moved out and went back to Canada a few weeks back. Talking to Chanyeol made her mind stray away from those thoughts, and she found herself thinking about how she missed him.

"I'm not letting you go anywhere, I promise." He whispered. "I love you."

-

Six years later

Windy days were always Chanyeol's favorite. They made him lose himself as he walked through the streets with the breeze pushing his hair back. He preferred solitude during these days, a far cry from how he really is.

And now he has someone to share the solitude and comfort with, as he and Jaemi strolled through their neighborhood, hand in hand. There's no mistaking it; his grin was wider than the Cheshire Cat's.

Thank you, for staying by my side.