CHAPTER 11

A   F o r g o t t e n   M e m o r y

“KyungSooyah~ not so far honey!” His mother called out from under their parasol. Then 12 year-old KyungSoo pouted back at her as he used his legs and arms to swim near a small boat, and further away from land.

His parents decided to bring KyungSoo to the beach. Anything to keep his mind occupied and to stop him from sulking inside his room. He’s been crying almost non-stop about how he’ll never see his bestfriend again.

He was almost near that small boat, he could almost touch it. KyungSoo s himself up with all his might attempting to board the boat, but didn’t realize that a paddle was solidly hooked above his head.

BAM.

He couldn’t remember much. All that he can recall was a piercing pain on the crown of his head, and everything went blurry. His body started to descend the waters. His taste turned lethally salty and he felt like his lungs were going to explode.

He knew at that moment, he was going to die.

“Hold on!”

There was a violent tug to his arms. Someone was trying to pull him up. But KyungSoo didn’t have the strength to help out.

“Please, swim up! I can’t pull you hard enough!”

Anytime now, he’ll pass out.

“Help me out please! You’re heavy!”

--

KyungSoo softly opened his eyes. The sudden flooding of the bright light caused him to close them again. Then gently, he opened one eye, then the next. He found himself in a small white box-shaped room. He examined himself and saw that he was covered in blankets and that something was attached to his hand. He looked up and saw an IV fluid bottle.

He’s at the hospital.

How long has he been out, he asks himself. He noticed that his head had bandages. KyungSoo tried to stand up but a quick stab of pain surged through his head.

The door swung open and revealed his surprised parents. They came rushing to his side almost immediately. Words of affectation stringed between her mother and father as he got caught in the middle of their hugs and kisses.

But what struck him was the boy that stood by the door. The boy who seemed to have been with his parents when they entered the room. He was a small frail looking kid about his age. He was wearing a red cap and was biting his lips, unsure whether to smile at KyungSoo or not.

“KyungSoo how’re you feeling? Are you better now? Do you remember me?” His mother started interrogating his son which elicits a small grin from the boy.

“Of course umma, why wouldn’t I know you?” KyungSoo still had his eyes fixed on the boy even when his mother was practically wrestling her arms around him. His father took sight of this and ushered the unnamed boy in.

“Oh yeah KyungSoo, we’d like you to meet someone. He saved you from drowning on the beach.” His father looked at the kid warmly as he made his way to the bed. He finally smiled weakly unsure how to react.

KyungSoo just looked at him with bewilderment in his eyes, and a faint glow of curiosity. He smiled back.

“Hi, my name is Byun BaekHyun. Nice to finally meet you KyungSoo!”

--

ChanYeol tries to digest everything that BeakHyun revealed to him. KyungSoo almost died because of him. And all this time he was naïve at the things the other boy had gone through.

“The doctors told his parents that he might have partial amnesia. But after a few days, he seemed to be normal and remembered almost everything. Except one part of his life.” BaekHyun looks at the other with a forlorn expression.

“What is it?”

“He forgot everything about his bestfriend.” ChanYeol feels something lurch at his stomach upon hearing this from BaekHyun. “That’s when his mother started taking out all of the pictures and basically anything that will remind KyungSoo of his bestfriend. She thought it was for the best.”

ChanYeol stares at his feet. He starts to piece together the paltry bits of puzzle he has so far. So that’s the reason why KyungSoo didn’t recognize me. All the while, the taller boy had thought that the years they spent apart fogged out KyungSoo’s memory of how he looked like, plus the fact that he actually took advantage of his puberty to grow some.

“So Baek, you’re saying that he doesn’t remember his childhood bestfriend at all? No pictures were left for him to keep, no mementos no nothing?”

BaekHyun affirmatively nods.

“But, let’s just say that this bestfriend of his suddenly pops up, what would they do? I mean would they deny that he was a part of their son’s life at one point?”

“I honestly don’t think that he’ll be coming back Channie.”

“And why is that?”

“He hasn’t tried to contact KyungSoo eversince the day he left. It’s as if their promises to each other meant nothing at all. His mother told me once that, and this was before his amnesia, KyungSoo spent almost two whole days in front of their house waiting for a letter from his bestfriend that never did came.”

ChanYeol’s gut wrenches. I wrote to him every week for five months. There was no way he couldn’t have received any of those letters. He bites his lips and fights the urge to well up. He stands quietly and faces the window. BaekHyun continues.

“I guess it’s just one of those relationships you have with people where distance strains the bond.”

I haven’t stopped thinking about him for five years.

“I mean people move on. They meet new people. Make new friends.”

I didn’t make any real friends for one whole year after leaving this place. After parting from KyungSoo.

“I mean for we all know he must not even remember KyungSoo, right?”

How can I not? When he’s the sole reason why I came back to this place?

“Channie, are you okay?”

ChanYeol pans blankly outside the window. He isn’t looking at anything in particular. He’s just, staring, hoping for a catharsis he knows will never arrive.

“Did KyungSoo’s parents tell you his bestfriends name at least?” ChanYeol inquires nonchalantly.

“No they didn’t.” BaekHyun hesitates for a moment before pressing on. “All they said was goodbyes always hurt. Pictures and memories can never replace what was lost nor can promises of keeping in touch bring back time. People leave for a reason, and sometimes, forgetting about them can be as rewarding as having to meet them in the first place.”

********************************

So this scene happened at ChanYeols place after the eventful encounter of them 4.

BaekHyun had to explain to ChanYeol what he meant with the last thing he said to KyungSoo on Chapter 10.

School's going to start soon for the 4 protagonists, and I feel that I can play a lot more by that time.

Let me just tie some loose ends befor we venture on to more

oosuɐɥɔ

fluff

and

Are you guys looking forward to it? I hope you are.

If you aren't, than I'll look forward for you in your stead.

kkk~

See you guys on Chapter 12 and always remember that:

oosuɐɥɔ is love

PS

The chapter images AREN'T mine.

Credit to those who painstakingly took the picture (or drew it), edited it, and uploaded it for public consumption.

You guys keep 50% of my EXOism alive.