This one is reeeeeally short. Just warning you so don't be disappointed~
To compensate for this, I will update sooner on the next story, which is also very short.

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"One, two, three," he counted, pointing at each star there was in the night sky as he counted. The other boy lying beside him pointed to one star that seemed to shine brighter than the others. 

"Hyunjoongie, look at that one. Isn't it pretty?" the boy asked excitedly, shaking the older boy by the arm. 

Hyunjoong glanced over and shook his head. "It's the same as the other stars. Try counting them all. Maybe we'll be able to finally know how many stars there are in the sky."

The latter rolled his eyes. "These stars move, y'know? We'll never be able to know. There are billions and billions of them."

"We'll know if we can keep trying."

Hyunjoong continued to count as his finger pointed at each of the stars. Youngsaeng sighed as he stared up at the sky longingly. "Hyunjoong... Don't you ever wish to be up there and twinkle?"

"What are you saying, Youngsaeng? Oh shoot! I lost my place! It's your fault," muttered Hyunjoong and started again. 

Sighing, Youngsaeng smiled softly and began to hum gently to himself as Hyunjoong continued to count.

***

Youngsaeng began to cough and he grabbed a napkin from his desk, bringing it up to his mouth. Once he pulled away, his eyes widened when he saw blood. Immediately, tears welled up and he bit his bottom lip, crumpling the napkin in his hand. 

That night, the two lay on the grass in their usual meadow, gazing up at the stars. Youngsaeng took a deep breath and began to speak. 

"I... don't have much time left..."

Hyunjoong stopped counting and looked over at his friend. "What do you mean?"

"I kept this a secret... but the doctor said I have leukemia..." the latter explained sorrowfully. "I don't much longer to live."

"Then that means... we won't be able to hang out like this anymore?" 

Youngsaeng sat up. He faced Hyunjoong and smiled gently. "I want to spend the rest of my time at my best with you. Help you, will you?"

Hyunjoong forced a smile back when he suddenly felt a pang of aching in his heart. "Yeah, I will."

***

Even though Youngsaeng was still young, soon, he became so weak that he couldn't go out into the clearing with Hyunjoong to count the stars anymore. The doctor forced him to stay in bed. 

Hyunjoong sat beside him and counted the stars with Youngsaeng from the window instead. 

"Hyunjoongie, when I die..." started Youngsaeng. Hyunjoong looked at him and shook his head. "Don't talk about it. Right now, we're still best friends. There's no talk about you dying."

The younger boy smiled gently and looked back out into the night sky. Hyunjoong took hold of Youngsaeng's hand and let out a breath. A silence fell between the two but it was a comfortable silence in which the two wanted to keep. 

"Hyunjoong-ah, let's go now," Hyunjoong's mother called from the door. "Youngsaeng-ah, how are you?"

Youngsaeng smiled faintly. "I'm fine, auntie. See you soon, Hyunjoong."

The older boy pouted in disappointment but stood up from his chair, squeezing his friend's hand one last time before sighing. "Annyeong, I'll come back tomorrow, too."

"When you return tomorrow," Youngsaeng interrupted his leave. Hyunjoong turned and waited for him to continue. "When you return tomorrow... Promise me something."

"What is it?"

The latter grinned and held his hand out, sticking his pinky out. "Pinky promise me first."

Not knowing what he was promising about, he stepped forward and linked his pinky with the younger boy's. "I pinky promise. Now what is it?"

Youngsaeng showed his sweet dimpled smile. "When you return, count the stars with me again."

***

The next day, when Hyunjoong returned early in the morning to the hospital to visit his best friend. He halted when there was no one on the bed. Instead, the blanket was neatly folded up and the room was nicely cleaned up, as if ready for the next patient. 

"Youngsaeng...?" he murmured as his heart hurt even more, tears b his eyes as he approached the empty bed. As he put his hand on it, it was cold. "Youngsaengie...? Where are you?"

"Hyunjoong?" a female voice came from the door. The young boy turned and saw the nurse who was taking care of Youngsaeng standing at the door frame. Her eyes seemed clouded with grief. 

"Where's Youngsaeng?" questioned Hyunjoong. He already knew what this meant deep in his heart, he knew yet he didn't want to admit it. Youngsaeng was his best friend, the only person he ever opened up his true heart to.

The nurse dug into her pocket and pulled out a envelope which was addressed to him. "I found this... in Youngsaeng's hands when I came to check up on him last night after you went home... It's for you."

Hyunjoong grabbed it and ripped it out, pulling it out, reading the coarse handwriting.

I'm sorry for not being able to stay longer. Thank you shining down upon me like a star. You made my dull life brighter every day. And promise me one more thing. Pinky promise though, even if I'm not here. When I die, bury me with red roses, not white for no matter how pure white may seem, it is easily tainted.

--See ya. Youngsaeng ^^

Tears released themselves unknowingly down Hyunjoong's cheek as he read the short letter. That was what Youngsaeng wanted to tell him last night as a final farewell before he left the world. The whole time, Youngsaeng was prepared and knew that he would die that night. The nurse couldn't hold back her tears and also let them trickle from her eyes. 

"Youngsaeng... wanted me to tell you that you were a really precious friend," she whispered to Hyunjoong. She squatted down to eye level with the young boy. "He was a charming spirit and wanted you to know that he really treasured you."

Hyunjoong clutched onto the paper, his hands shaking. His eyes squeezed shut as tears continued to pour out of his eyes. "You said that we would count the stars again tonight... You said so. You said we would do it together. Youngsaeng..."

At night, Hyunjoong sat at the bed where Youngsaeng used to lie on, still holding onto the letter. Tears dripped out of his eyes, his eyesight blurry as he placed the red rose he held in his shaking hand onto the empty bed. Crystal droplets began to drop onto the white sheets, creating grey stains. How right Youngsaeng was. Even transparent colors could taint white. 

The boy looked up at the sky and right away, caught sight of a shining green star in the middle of the sky, glowing brightly; it seemed to twinkle brighter than the others. Hyunjoong ran over to the window and opened it, sticking his head out to try to take a closer look. He thought he could see Youngsaeng's spirit smiling at him, the same sweet dimpled smile he had seen yesterday when making that innocent promise. Hyunjoong smiled back, his tears reflecting its light. Even without knowing exactly how many stars there were in the night sky, he knew there was now one more and it outshone those around it.