~*~

Chapter IX

21 Months

6월 22일

A few weeks later, Myungsoo entered Woollim’s office building, unsure of why Jungyeop had called him to his office.  He knocked on the door, uncertianly and entered when he heard Jungyeop call him in. 

“Hello, Myungsoo, I’m glad that you made it.”

Myungsoo looked around the room and found the other six members of Infinite sitting at the table too.  “Oh, sorry, am I late?” he asked, bowing quickly. 

“Not at all, we’re just talking about their comeback, then we’ll talk about why I called you.”

Myungsoo nodded and slipped into a chair next to Woohyun.  Sungyeol shot him a glance, asking him why he was there.  Myungsoo shrugged, he was just as clueless as they were. 

“We’re going to start recording for the album in the next week and film the music video in a month,” Jungyeop was saying.  “Dongmin is also going to start choregraphy with you soon.  Is that okay?”

Sunggyu nodded for the other five.  “CEO-nim, why is Myungsoo here if he’s not in this comeback?”

Jungyeop drew out a folder and took out six letters from the folder.  “Your service letters were delievered.”

They all froze. 

Like all males in Korea, they had to enroll in the military for 21-36 months due to conscription.  Their service time was always on the back of their minds, though they never tried to think of it, it was too painful to think of. 

“Myungsoo was exempted from the service on the conditions of his cancer.  Depending on his health, he will either serve his term later or just take the four week term,” Jungyeop explained.  “I was thinking that you could serve your time while Myungsoo finishes his recovery and return to his spot in Infinite.  This will give Myungsoo a chance to get back into the world of entertainment.  Also, if Myungsoo is promoting alone, he could take things more slowly.”

Myungsoo swallowed, trying to find his voice.  “I… it will be a solo comeback?”

“It won’t be a full album, probably a EP.  Perhaps you can collaborate with another artist for your songs, we can work out the details on a later date.”

Myungsoo nodded, looking over at the other six.  “What do you think?” he asked quietly. 

Woohyun smiled, though his smile was shadowed with sadness.  “You should do it,” he said.  “We should go to serve our time and and when we get back, we can do a comeback together.”

He looked over at the other six, receiving nods from all of them except for Sungyeol who was looking at his hands, his brow furrowed in thought.  

“Sungyeollie?” he asked quietly.  “What about you?”

Sungyeol slowly looked up from his lap to meet Myungsoo’s eyes.  “I don’t want to leave you while you’re still recovering,” he admitted.  “We’re going to be gone for 21 months.  There’s a lot that can happen in that time.”

Myungsoo smiled sadly and nodded, knowing what Sungyeol was saying.  In those 21 months, he could relapse and they wouldn’t be able to see him if he was in the hospital again.  “Don’t worry,” he said.  “I’ll be okay.”

“That’s what you said after you caught pneoumonia,” Sungyeol said.  “And now look.”

“Yeol-ah,” Sunggyu said sternly. 

Sungyeol huffed and looked away, but his few words had shook the others’ convistion that it would be good to go. 

“How about I give you time to think about it?” Jungyeop said gently.  “It’s not somehting that we need to decide right away.”

Everyone nodded gratefully. 

“I’ll expect an answer by next month,” Jungyeop said, dismissing them.  “And Myungsoo?” he called to him as they were at the door.  “You still haven’t told me your final discision if you’re terminating your contract or if you’ve decided to keep on going with Infinite.”

At his words, the others paused, looking at him, waiting for his answer of yes he would stay with them, but Myungsoo could only avoid everyone’s gaze and reply, “I... still can’t st-stay.  I’m sorry.”

~*~

6월 29일

No one really mentioned their upcoming service or Myungsoo’s contract.  None of them were brave enough to start saying goodbye.  So instead, they just continued like normal, pretending that they were all happy and going to have a comeback as seven sooner than the truth.  Myungsoo was still in the hospital and all of them visited whenever they could.  One of those days, Myungsoo and Sungjong were laughing together in Myungsoo’s room, talking together when Dr. Song came into the room. 

“Good afternoon, boys,” Dr. Song said. 

“Hello,” Myungsoo and Sungjong said at the same time. 

“Are you feeling better today, Myungsoo?” Dr. Song asked as he checked the clipboard at the foot of Myungsoo’s bed.  Myungsoo nodded while Dr. Song checked Myungsoo’s IV line quickly. 

“What do you think, Sungjong?”

“Sorry?” Sungjong asked, unprepared for the question. 

“Do you think that Myungsoo’s doing better?”

Sungjong laughed and nodded.  “I think he’s doing very well,” he said, smiling at Myungsoo. 

Myungsoo smiled back, before turning to Dr. Song.  “Why are you here today?”

“I have some test results back from the lab,” Dr. Song said, holding up a folder. 

Sungjong stood up quickly.  “I’ll wait outside in the hall then,” he said, heading towards the door. 

“Wait, Sungjong,” Myungsoo called after him.  Sungjong turned around, surprised.  “Can… you stay too?”

Smiling, Sungjong nodded.  “Of course.”

As Sungjong sat back down on the chair, Dr. Song pulled out a results of a CT scan, hanging it up on a light stand.  Sunjong squinted at it, throughly confused at what he was looking at. 

“As you see, the cancer cells that remained in your body after we removed your lung are now gone,” Dr. Song said, pointing to a part in the image.  “With the radiology, your body has started to fight off the cancer cells.” 

“Okay,” Myungsoo said slowly, though looking more lost that Sungjong was. 

“The strength in your lung has improved and so has your overall health.  At this rate, we are thinking that we can send you home soon, maybe in the next week,” Dr. Song continued. 

“Really?” Myungsoo grinned, looking absoutely happy about the idea of leaving the hospital. 

“Yes, but you’ll neeed to come back to the hospital weekly to receive chemotherapy for a few months, but you’ll be able to rest at home instead of here,” Dr. Song said, smiling at Myungsoo.  “And I’m confident that you’ll be able to return to your old schedules at least by in another six to ten months.”

Myungsoo’s mouth dropped open.  “Are you sure?”

“We’ll have to keep a close eye on you during the next 6 months and if you do return to your idol life, you’ll need to take it easy for the first year or so and not do your crazy stay up for three days without rest and not eating,” Dr. Song said, smiling at Myungsoo comfortingly.  “You’ll also have to come back in for check-ups often and keep a eye on your body.  I’m going to assign Sungjong to be your personal saesang fan and drag you back here if you how any signs of discomfort.”

“Huh?  Why?”

Sungjong laughed.  “I like the sound of that,” he said, grinning and crossing his arms over his chest. 

Myungsoo glared at Sungjong for a split second before smiling at him.  “So everything will be back to normal?” he asked Dr. Song. 

Dr. Song hesitated before answering.  “We talked about this before, Myungsoo.  No matter what treatment you take, no matter what you do, there’s always going to be that chance that the cancer will return sometime in your life.”

“But there’s a chance for me too,” Myungsoo said stubbornly.  “I’ve gotten this far, I can let it defeat me now.  This cancer has taken one of my lungs and what feels like forever out of my life.  I’m not going to let it defeat me.”

He smiled at Myungsoo.  “You’re so stubborn, Myungsoo, I’m sure you’re going to make it through.”

Myungsoo smiled back at Dr. Song.  “Thank you, doctor, for everything.”

“It’s my job,” Dr. Song said, collecting his stuff. 

“Still… thank you,” Myungsoo said. 

Dr. Song smiled.  “I’ll see you tomorrow,” he said. 

“Have a nice day,” Myungsoo said, waving as he left the room.  As soon as Dr. Song was out of sight, Myungsoo sighed and relaxed against the pillows, smiling about something. 

“Hyung?” Sungjong asked, slightly concerned as he didn't move for a minute or so.  “You okay?”

Myungsoo looked at Sungjong, smiling at him happily.  “Did you hear that?” he asked.  “I can go back to my old life.”

“That means that we can postphone the comeback for a bit and comeback as the seven of us, right?” Sungjong asked excitedly. 

Slowly, Myungsoo blinked as if he was trying to figure something out.  “Jjongie... I’m... the cancer... it doesn’t work like that, you heard what he said about the cancer returning.”

“What?” Sungjong asked.  “What does that mean?”

He opened his mouth, then closed it quickly.  “Nothing…” he mumbled. 

“Hyung,” Sungjong said sharply.  “Tell me.”

Myungsoo frowned, trying to decide what to do.  “Sungjong…” he said slowly and unsurely.  “Lung cancer patients… we have a 10% survial rate.  Even if I made it through the first time, that doesn’t mean that it won’t come back.”

“But, hyung-”

“Sungjong, the cancer will never leave me, it’s always going to be here,” Myungsoo said, pointing to his chest.  “No matter what, it’s going to be a part of me.  Dr. Song said that it could return.”

“But Dr. Song also said that you would die in May!” Sungjong burst out.  “And you’re still alive now, aren’t you?”

“I am, but it’s still here,” Myungsoo said quietly.  “It doesn’t matter if I’m here or not, what matters is what will happen in the future.” 

“Hyung, don’t say it like that, okay?” Sungjong said. 

Myungsoo shook his head and continued on.  “The cancer can return.  Promise me that you’ll stay strong if it does.”

“Hyung, please,” Sungjong whispered, feeling tears overwhelm his eyes. 

He reached out for Sungjong, placing a warm hand on Sungjong’s head.  “Sungjong, you need to be strong,” Myungsoo said quietly. 

Sungjong shook his head, clutching the knees of his jeans.  “Myungsoo, you can’t leave now, it hurt so much when you were dying.  Please tell me you won’t die.”

The shaky smile that Myungsoo gave him nearly broke his heart, but it was filled with a bit of hope and that’s all that Sungjong needed.  “I won’t die.  I promise.”

Sungjong smiled and held out his pinky finger.  “Promise you’ll never leave?”

Myungsoo linked his pinky with Sungjong’s.  “As long as you’ll stay here, I’ll stay here with you.”

~*~

6월 30일

Sunggyu quietly tiptoed into Myungsoo’s room.    Myungsoo was always resting when Sunggyu came to visit him.  Today, the bed was empty, but Myungsoo was curled up in a chair by the window.

He smiled as he sat down in the other chair beside the window.  Myungsoo was sleeping, his knees tucked up to his chest.  His arm was thrown over the side of the chair, probably because Myungsoo tried to avoid touching the IV drip in his hand.  Sunggyu carefully placed Myungsoo’s hand back into his lap and brushed Myungsoo’s bangs off his forehead. 

Myungsoo stirred, his face bunching up as he slowly woke up.  Sunggyu jumped back as Myungsoo stretched his arms over his head to avoid getting hit.  Myungsoo opened one eye, glancing around the room as he stretched out the knots in his back. 

Sunggyu tried to hold back his laughter at Myungsoo’s cute face, waiting for Myungsoo to spot him.  Myungsoo made eye contact with Sunggyu and paused, his arms still stretched over his head.  Sunggyu laughed as Myungsoo stared at him with one eye, the other eye still firmly closed. 

“Morning, sweet Myungsoo,” Sunggyu teased.  Myungsoo shook his head and closed his eyes again, dragging a hand down his face.  Sunggyu wanted to ruffle Myungsoo’s hair as he did often when the younger was waking up, but after all of the cancer and treatment, Myungsoo’s hair was falling out easily, so Sunggyu held his hands to himself. 

“Go away, hyung,” Myungsoo mumbled. 

“Why?” Sunggyu asked, poking Myungsoo’s cheek. 

Myungsoo grinned and reopened his eyes.  “Because,” he answered as he sat up higher in his chair, stretching out his legs. 

“Are you still tired?” Sunggyu asked. 

He got a sleepy nod in response from Myungsoo as he closed his eyes again, looking as if he was going to nod off again in the middle of their conversation. 

“Let’s get you back to the bed, okay?” Sunggyu said, gently tugging at Myungsoo’s upper arms to make him stand up. 

“Don’t want to get up,” Myungsoo muttered, covering his eyes with his hands.

“You’ll be uncomfortable if you stay in the chair,” Sunggyu argued, tugging at Myungsoo again.  “Just get into the bed, okay?” 

Nodding, Myungsoo followed Sunggyu even with his eyes closed as Sunggyu pulled back the sheets and helped him sit down on the bed.  Sunggyu gently tucked Myungsoo into the bed and started to move away, thinking that Myungsoo was already asleep. 

“Don’t leave me, hyung,” Myungsoo whispered as Sunggyu tried to move.  “Lie down with me.”

Sunggyu smiled and sat down on the edge of the bed next to Myungsoo.  Myungsoo rolled over and wrapped his arms around Sunggyu’s waist.  Sunggyu smiled, as he held Myungsoo even closer.  Myungsoo loved skinship and being close to another person.  After he was diagnosed, Myungsoo more often hugged the others and whenever they were resting side by side, he would latch onto the other.  It seemed like he wanted more than ever to make sure that there were other people beside him and that he would be safe with the others beside him. 

Myungsoo sighed and snuggled closer to Sunggyu’s body, his face softening with sleep.  Sunggyu half expected him to start tossing and turning in the bed, like he would always do back in the dorms.  Myungsoo would never lay still for more than a moment, he was always fidgeting and tossing and turnning.  His sleep talking was the worst too, more than once, Sunggyu woke up hearing Myungsoo sleep talking across the dorm.  Sungyeol would often kick Myungsoo awake after being woken up from Myungsoo talking in his sleep.  After the whole thing started, Myungsoo became still in his sleep, it sometimes looked like he was dead.  His body wouldn’t allow himself to waste the energy he would use tossing and turning in the night.  Every part of Myungsoo was dedicated to recovering. 

Sunggyu closed his eyes, resting his head against the wall, his hand resting on Myungsoo’s back feeling Myungsoo’s chest rise up and down steadily.  He let out a slow steady breath of his own and smiled at Myungsoo’s peaceful face. 

As he watched, Myungsoo’s brow started to furrow and his hands clutched closer to Sunggyu’s shirt.  He let out a small whimper in his sleep. 

Sungyu frowned and held him closer.  He ran his fingers over his brow, as if he wanted to smooth it out.

Myungsoo’s deep breathing was disrupted as he started to struggle for air.  His eyes were tightly clenched shut and it sounded like something was in Myungsoo’s throat as his breaths were caught in his throat.  Sunggyu’s eyes widdened and he gently slapped Myungsoo’s cheek.  “Myungsoo, Myungsoo-yah, wake up.”

Myungsoo’s eyes fluttered open and he started up at Sunggyu with wide scared eyes.  “Hy…”

“What is it, Myungsoo?” Sunggyu asked, panicking internally.  “Are you okay?”

“I… can’t… breathe…” Myungsoo gasped out, his eyes filling with tears.  “Hy…”

Sunggyu hit the button to call for a nurse so hard that he thought he broke it.  “It’s okay, Myungsoo, just keep on breathing, okay?  Concentrate on my breathing, deep breaths, in… out…”  

Myungsoo struggled for breath, trying to keep up with Sunggyu’s breathing and sweat appearing on his forehead.  Sunggyu kept on mumbling what he hoped to be comforting words as Myungsoo kept on struggling for breath.  Sunggyu hated how only one side of his chest was struggling to rise and fall, the other side, without the lung, was still.

“I can’t… breathe…” Myungsoo whimpered.

Sunggyu cast a desperate glance over his shoulder to the empty hallway.  “Where’s the nurse when you need one?” he muttered to himself.  “Myungsoo, breathe, breathe with hyung, okay?  In… and out…”

Myungsoo was nearly crying when the door finally opened and a nurse came into the room. 

Sunggyu whipped around to look desperately at the nurse.  “Please help him!” he yelled frantically.  “Please!”

The nurse was already in action, calling for assistance as she hurried over to Myungsoo’s side. 

Myungsoo’s hand was gripping Sunggyu’s wrist so tightly that it hurt, tears still leaking out of the corner of his eyes.  “H… ng…”

Sunggyu nearly wanted to cry, but he wanted to be strong for Myungsoo.  “It’s okay,” he said gently.  “Just keep on breathing with me.”

Myungsoo nodded as a nurse team came into the room, calling out orders for each other.  “Sunggyu-ssi, we need you to move out of the room,” the nurse said calmly as the other nurses were busily preparing something. 

“I can’t leave him,” Sunggyu said desperately, one trapped in Myungsoo’s grip as if that was the only thing he had left.  “There’s no way that I’m going to leave him.”

The nurse frowned, but Sunggyu had his attention on Myungsoo in the bed.  The nurses had him on his side, rolling down his hospital gown, revealing his heaving chest. 

“Sunggyu-ssi, you need to get out of here so we can help Myungsoo-ssi.”

He shook his head friantically, continuing to brush Myungsoo’s hair back.  “I need to stay.  Please.”

She gave him a stare, but nodded.  “Please stay out of the way, it’ll get worse if you get in our way,” she said firmly.  “Keep him breathing.”  She handed Sunggyu an oxygen mask and quickly turned back to help the other nurses.  

Gently, Sunggyu placed the mask over Myungsoo’s nose and mouth, but Myungsoo still gripped Sunggyu’s hand tightly as he struggled for a breath.  Sunggyu made little hushing sounds as Myungsoo started to cry.  “Breathe with me, Myungsoo-yah, breathe with me,” Sunggyu said as calmly as he could.  “Breathe…”

Even though he couldn’t breathe, Myungsoo nodded slowly, his bottom lip trembling as he trusted Sunggyu to help.  Lightly, Sunggyu rubbed his thumb against Myungsoo’s cheek, catching the tear that was falling down his cheek. 

Sunggyu nearly wanted to throw up as he watched the nurses use a scapel to cut a cut in his side between two of Myungsoo’s ribs.  Myungsoo strained to look over his shoulder to see what Sunggyu was looking at.  Sunggyu gently shielded Myungsoo’s gaze, forcing him to look at him again.  “Don’t look,” he said quietly.  “Just breathe, okay?”

He closed his eyes and nodded, taking small breaths through his panic.  Sunggyu gently rubbed his cheeks as the nurses placed a tube into the cut in Myungsoo’s side, attatching it up to a machine. 

Sunggyu grimanced as he saw fluids being pumped out of Myungsoo’s chest.  Myungsoo finally took in a deep breath, gasping in the air he was lacking before.  Tears rolled down his cheeks and his lips trembled violently as he sobbed in pain and relief.  Sunggyu wanted to cry with him, but instead just held his hand tightly and tried to calm him down.  His hand was encased by both of Myungsoo’s cold hands as Myungsoo responded to his gentle gestures and slowly his sobs died down into occasional hiccups.

“He’s okay now,” the nurse said.  “Just needs to rest now.”

“Thank you,” Sunggyu said, concentrating on calming Myungsoo down as the nurses cleaned Myungsoo up, taking away the now bloody sheets. 

Sunggyu sat beside Myungsoo, gently patting away the sweat and tears on Myungsoo’s face.  Myungsoo’s eyes were closed as he finally took in the breaths that he was lacking before.  It seemed like Sunggyu managed to calm Myungsoo down enough as his breathing deepened as he fell back to sleep.

“Thank you for letting me stay,” Sunggyu said gratefully to the nurse who he had talked to before. 

She smiled and nodded.  “It didn’t look like either of you were going to let go any time soon.”

Sunggyu nodded, looking down at Myungsoo’s soft sleeping face.  “I’m not going to let him go.  We’ve been through too much to let him go now.”

He sat beside Myungsoo, gently combing his hand through his hair over and over again, calming both him and Myungsoo.  As Sunggyu gently ran his fingers over Myungsoo’s cheeks, Myungsoo smiled in his sleep, the pain that was on his face long gone. 

After about an hour, Myungsoo slowly stirred and opened his eyes.  “Hyung?” he whispered, his voice horase and weak. 

Sunggyu nodded, patting Myungsoo’s cheek gently.  “You feeling okay?”  

His brow furrowed as he tried to find an answer for that.  He looked puzzled as he lifted the sheets and found the chest tube in his side. 

“Wha…”

“Your lung collasped again,” Sunggyu said, patting his hair to calm away his panic.  “They put the tube in and you’re going to be okay.”

The panic seemed to fade away and Myungsoo relaxed a little bit, a tear escaping from his eyes.  “Thank you, hyung,” he whispered. 

Sunggyu gently brushed his hair, holding him close.  “I didn’t do anything though,” he said. 

Myungsoo shook his head, looking directly up at him with so much love and conviction that it nearly grounded him.  “You helped me to breathe.  Thank you.” 

“Myungsoo-yah… thank you for keeping on breathing for me.”  

He gave a small weak smile in reply, his eyes shining with happiness and tears.  His eyes shifted behind Sunggyu to the wide window behind him.  “Hyung… look, there are the stars…”

Sunggyu turned around and smiled.  “Yeah, they’re beautiful, aren’t they?” he asked as he sat down on the edge of the bed, gently rubbing Myungsoo’s shoulder.  The night was coming down on Seoul and just barely above the city lights, Sunggyu could see the stars.  As he watched the sky, a streak of silver flew across the sky. 

“Did you see that shooting star?” Myungsoo asked in awe. 

Sunggyu smiled as he returned his gaze to Myungsoo.  “Yeah, that was pretty…” Tears sprung to his eyes, but he quickly wipped them away.  “You know, Myungsoo-yah?  That star is just like you.”

Myungsoo raised his eyebrow and took Sunggyu’s hand. “Why is that?” he asked, his voice filled with sleep. 

Sunggyu smiled softly and ran his fingers through Myungsoo’s hair.  Myungsoo sighed happily and relaxed under Sunggyu’s touch, slowly falling back to sleep.  “That star is returning home to its family, just like you did.”

A tear ran down Sunggyu’s cheek and onto Myungsoo’s.  Sunggyu bit his lip as he wipped off the tear, watching Myungsoo fall back to sleep.  Before, he would’ve been worried that Myungsoo wouldn’t open his eyes again, but now, he knew he would see the stars in the morning.  “It’s returning home… just like you did…” 

Hey!  I realize now that I haven't updated Story of the Heavens for a month now, sorry.  I left you guys at an end of a uphill climb, but yet we're still going upwards! ^^  I reached back to chapter I for the first part, I hope you guys remembered what was happening during that chapter bc I'm not sure how well I carried it through the chapters and it's been like six months since I posted chapter one xD 

 I hope you liked this chapter and I promise that during the summer I'll update every week!  Thank you for reading!  Please comment and upvote and subscribe~