001
First Love
I never thought that I would be in a ward after a dance practice. It never occurred to me that I’ll broke my left at the practice room. Well, outside the practice room to be exact. I fell down the stairs as I was joking with Taemin who came to visit me during his free time.
I was lucky that Suho hyung was there when it happened. He helped me to go to the hospital and by the evening, I was admitted into a ward. I was in terrible pain and Suho hyung asked the doctor to make me unconscious.
I woke up because of her laughter. I was annoyed first but then, her laughter started to sound like a beautiful melody to me. Then, I found myself, looking at her for the whole day.
“Jongin, I have to get back to the practice room. Are you going be okay?” Suho hyung patted my shoulder as he was ready to go back to practice.
“I’ll be fine, hyung.” I answered but my eyes was still on her. I couldn’t see her face as her long hair was covering her face. I mentally groaned.
“It’s good then, Jongin. I’ll ask Kyungsoo and Sehun to come tonight, then.” I looked at Suho hyung and bid a goodbye at him.
Then I turned back my head again to look at her when I found, my first love.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
That night, Kyungsoo and Sehun came, taking turns to look after me as I didn’t want my mom to know. It will burden her as she was busy taking care the whole family. Kyungsoo kept babbling on how hard was the vocal class and Sehun was occupying himself with the games on my phone.
The girl was busy writing something on a piece of paper. She would looked up, thinking. Probably thinking about the most suitable words or what to write. Then, she would tap the pen and hum to some songs. Ballads, I guess. Still, her hair was covering her face or the light was too bright for me to see her face.
“Jongin, are you even listening to me?” Kyungsoo started to nag when he realised that I wasn’t paying any attention at him.
“What?” I blurted at him.
“I said, the guys are worried about you! Especially Yixing since he can’t finished up the choreography that you guys worked on.” Kyungsoo hissed. Now, I remembered that the doctor said that it would take 3 to 6 months for me to able to dance again.
“Tell Yixing hyung that I’m really sorry, okay?” I flashed my best smile at him, hoping that he won’t be mad at me. Plus, he’s the only one that was going to cook for me since the others can’t be depend on.
“DONE!” I looked at her again to find that she was smiling like an angel, happy with the fact that she had done writing.
“Jongin, we need to get back now. There’s no one to cook at the dorm. I need to get back and be the rescuer or they will eat Suho hyung’s instant noodles for the third time for today.” said Kyungsoo. Sehun and him bid a goodbye to me. Now, I’m only left with her. A girl that I didn’t even know.
I went to the toilet with hardships and found a pink note on the bed and she was nowhere to be found. Treatment maybe, as I thought to myself.
‘ Hi, I’m Oh Haneul!
I don’t know how to say this but can we be friends? I’ll talk to you after my therapy!’
Then, I found myself smiling like an idiot.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
I waited about an hour before she came back from her therapy. She was smiling like always and bid goodbyes with the nurses that accompanied her. She flinched a bit when she found out that I was looking at her.
“Hi,” She smiled with a little blush on her cheeks. I tried to control myself from grinning like an idiot because the scene in front of me was too adorable.
“I’m Jongin.” I abruptedly introduced myself. It took her quite some time to understand what I was saying to her.
She quietly made her way to her bed and sat on it, facing me. I turned myself to face her. There were silent moments for a few minutes until she start to talk.
“Do you dance?” She asked me. I looked at her, trying to process her question.
“I overheard your conversation with your friends. Sorry.” She tried to avoid my eye contact as I was looking at her. Cut it off, Jongin. I mentally said it to myself. Stop looking at her, she’s scared now. Now, I mentally slapped myself for scaring her.
“It’s okay, I love dancing.” I tried to give the warmest smile to her.
“Do you sing?” She asked me again. I don’t really know how to answer her question. My position in the group wasn’t singing and I practiced rapping more than singing. Not like Kyungsoo who practiced real hard in singing.
“Like you, I love singing. I want to stand on stage and sing all my songs. I want people to recognize me as a good singer. No, I want them to know that I’m a great singer. Do you know the adrenaline rush that you feel when you’re doing the things that you like? I like that feeling.” She beamed, before I could answer her.
“I completely understand that. It’s one of the best feelings that I’ve ever felt.” I answered her sincerely.
“Really?” I nodded at her question, making her start to beam like a happy virus.
We ended up talking about schools, passion, food, shows and other things. I was so happy that I could talk to her comfortably without taking secret glances at her. We kept talking until 2AM when one of the nurse came and told us that it’s better for us to sleep.
Then it hit me, I never knew why she was in the hospital. She didn’t tell me what was her disease.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
The next day, I woke up because of her again. It wasn’t her laughter this time but it was her voice. She was singing to Insooni’s Goose Dream softly while reading some novels like a girl would do.
“Morning kids!” The nurse beamed as she came in with our breakfast.
“Hyegyeong unnie, we’re not kids!” said Haneul. She must known her, I thought.
The nurse put my breakfast on the desk when suddenly Haneul got up and pull the desk across my bed and hers.
“Are you guys dating, or what?” The nurse laughed and so did Haneul. I secretly wished that we were.
The nurse left and I was left with her. She carefully arranged the chopsticks and I turned my body carefully since my leg was still hurting and she helped me to move.
“Sorry about that. Hyegyeong unnie is always like that. Usually a girl would be here with me but you’re the first guy to be in the same ward as I am.” She flashed another angelic smile at me.
“So, how long have you been here?” I asked her when I realised that her last sentence indicated that she has been here for a quite some time.
“One year. I grew closer to everyone since I usually go around the hospital a lot. Believe me, I even know who is the janitor.” She giggled. One year? She doesn’t look sick at all. Why she’s here?
“Oh, sorry. I haven’t tell you. I’m here because I was diagnosed with brain cancer last year.” She answered as she could read my thoughts.
Cancer?
This is like the worst chapter ever /mentally slapped myself/
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