~*~

Chapter XIV

When Forever Ends

10월 30일

The day that Infinite had to leave for the army came too soon.  Each of them had their own bags packed and the dorm was tidy for the trainees that would move in until they came back.  Myungsoo was returning to his parents house again until Dr. Song said that he was ready to start promotions. 

Myungsoo looked around the mostly empty dorm.  It looked weird without any of their things in it.  The dorm was never this neat, there was always the sweatshirt hanging off the couch, the missing shoe abandoned in the corner and the many things that they dropped off in the common area and never bothered to pick up again, but it was always home.   

“Ready to go?” Jungryul asked. 

Myungsoo looked over at Sunggyu and the others getting ready to go in the entrance hall.  He smiled and nodded, pulling his camera over his shoulder.  “I guess I better be.”

Following the others, he walked out of the dorm, promising himself that he would be back in the dorm.  They would return to their apartment, it would get messy again and filled with loud chatter and laughter again.  It would be the place they returned to when they were too tired to stand up.  It would be the place where the seven would stay and call their home. 

In two years, he would come back with the others so they could start their journey together again. 

~*~

None of them could ever count how many times they went to Incheon Airport.  Every time they were there, they were either excited to leave to go somewhere and perform or happy to be back home again. 

For the last time for a long time they sat together on the airport chairs, doing the same things that they always did together at airports. 

“Boys, it’s nearly time for your flight now,” Hyoan said gently. 

None of them said anything as they picked up their stuff getting ready to leave.

“So…” Sungyeol said, looking at Myungsoo.  “Now…”

Myungsoo jumped forward and hugged Sungyeol tightly, his feet nearly leaving the ground.  Sungyeol laughed and lifted him completely off his feet in a warm hug.  Myungsoo laughed with him, burrying his nose against Sungyeol’s neck. 

“Take care of yourself, okay?” Sungyeol said.

“You too.”  Myungsoo said, getting back to his feet.  “I’m going to miss you, my angel won’t be with me.”

Sungyeol suddenly grabbed Myungsoo, his hands on his cheeks, and placed a soft kiss on Myungsoo’s forehead.  Myungsoo stumbled back as the others laughed at them.  “What was that for?” Myungsoo stuttered, touching his forehead. 

 “So you’ll always know that I’m with you,” Sungyeol said, giving him a wide grin.  “I’m going to miss you too.”

A smile crept onto Myungsoo’s face.  “Don’t get sick or hurt without me.”

Sungyeol laughed, giving him a mock punch on his shoulder.  “I’m stronger than you now, when I get back, I’ll be able to beat you up.”

Myungsoo smiled and hugged Sungyeol once more before stepping away. He turned to Hoya standing at the side, shuffling his feet awkwardly.  “Howon?”

He looked up and smiled at Myungsoo.  “You scared?”

Myungsoo shook his head.  “Nope, you?”

“More than you I guess,” Hoya said, laughing nervously.  “So…”

Myungsoo stepped forward and hugged him tightly.  “Don’t be scared any more, okay?”

“Not with you,” Hoya promised.  “And you be brave too.”

“I will,” he said. 

Hoya laughed, his laughter dying off soon, but Myungsoo laughed too. 

“Thank you for keeping me safe,” he whispered into Hoya’s ear.  “I’m always going to be unafraid and safe with you.”

“And when we’re apart?”

Myungsoo drew back and touched his chest, at his heart.  “Then I’ll know you’re right here with me.”

“You are becoming the most cliché and greasy mess here,” Hoya laughed, this time no awkwardness in his laughter before he stepped away to join Sungyeol on the side. 

Myungsoo looked over at Dongwoo and Dongwoo smiled back, tears falling down his cheeks.  “Myungsoo, I’m going to miss you.”

“On that day that you ran away from the hospital, you said that you wanted to be free,” Dongwoo said, tears falling down his cheeks.  “I hope you’re feeling free now that you’re out of the hospital.”

Myungoo hugged him, holding his new bird in his hand.  “Hyung, thank you for giving me my wings,” he whispered into Dongwoo’s ear.  “I’m never going to fly very far from you.  I’ll always return home.”

Dongwoo hugged him back, smiling happily.  “Don’t worry, I’ll be waiting.”

He laughed a little before hugging Dongwoo tightly again.  “Hyung, I’ll miss you.  I love you.”

“Me too,” Dongwoo whispered.  Myungsoo pulled away to look at Dongwoo with a smile.  His eyes were bright with tears and Myungsoo gently brushed them off, but they kept on falling. 

“Hyung, don’t cry,” Myungsoo whispered.  “Please don’t cry.”

Dongwoo nodded and hugged him again.  “Good luck, Myungsoo.”

Finally, they pulled apart and Dongwoo gave him one more smile, this time, free of tears, before stepping back and joining the other two on the edge. 

Sunggyu smiled, a bit unsure of himself, but held out his arms for a hug and Myungsoo stepped into them, feeling safe in Sunggyu’s arms. 

Drawing back, Sunggyu looked at Myungsoo with worried eyes, his eyes tracing over his whole face as if he was trying to memorize his face.  “Make sure you take your medicine,” Sunggyu said, brushing some of Myungsoo’s hair out of his eyes.  “Go to your doctor’s appointments and listen to what Dr. Song tells you to do.  And make sure that you’re eating well.  You tell our manager hyungs if you’re feeling tired or sick and you can stop whenever you need to rest.  And don’t hurt yourself, stretch before you start practices.  And remember to rest as much as possible.  And-”

Ripping his head to the side, Myungsoo gave Sunggyu a small smile.  “Hyung, I’m going to be okay.  You don’t need to sound like my mom.”

With a laugh, Sunggyu patted his head, smoothing down his hair for the last time.  Sunggyu laughed and patted his head.  “Okay, but you will?  I need to know that you’re going to be alright.”

“I will,” Myungsoo promised.   “So you need to take care of yourself too, okay?”

“Okay,” Sunggyu answered, resting his hand on top of Myungsoo’s cheek before trailing it down to cup his cheek.  “When you have your comeback, I’ll be watching, so do well, work hard, take care of yourself.”

Myungsoo reached out for Sunggyu, hugging him tightly.  “I’ll do my best,” he promised as Sungyu ran his fingers gently though his hair out of habbit, the gesture comforting to Myungsoo.  “Sunggyu-hyung, I’m going to miss you.”

“Me too,” Sunggyu said, not wanting to let go of Myungsoo.  

“If you’re missing me too much, look up at the stars and I’ll look up too,” Myungsoo whispered into his ear.  “Then we won’t be as lonely.”

“We aren’t little kids, Myungsoo-yah, not any more,” Sunggyu said fondly as they stepped apart. 

Myungsoo laughed and shook his head.  “Hyung… Thank you for helping me breathe.”

For a second, tears trembled on the edges of Sunggyu’s eyes, but he quickly drew Myungsoo back into his arms and hugged him tightly.  “Just keep on breathing, keep on breathing until hyung returns, okay?”

Myungsoo nodded, breathing in Sunggyu’s warmth until finally, they pulled apart and Myungsoo continued his goodbyes.  Woohyun looked like he was going to cry soon while Sungjong looked as if  he wanted to run away.  Deciding to talk to Woohyun last, Myungsoo smiled and held his arms out to Sungjong, who looked away. 

“Hyung, eat well,” Sungjong said instead, avoiding Myungsoo’s eyes.  “Work hard, get your strength back-”

Myungsoo cut him off as he took him into a hug.  “It’s okay, Jjongie,” he mumbled as he rubbed his back gently. 

Sungjong sighed and put his chin on Myungsoo’s shoulder.  “I know it is,” he said quietly.  “I just wish I was here while you were healing.”

He rubbed gentle circles on Sungjong’s back.  “Thank you for helping me heal.  You already did enough for me, you don’t need to do any more.”

“That was nothing.  I always take care of my hyungs,” Sungjong said, holding Myungsoo closer, his hands gripping the back of his jacket.  “I’m just so worried about you.”

“Don't worry about me,” Myungsoo said, drawing out of the hug.  “There are five other hyungs you should worry about.” 

Sungjong smiled as he looked over at the other five waiting at the side.  “I guess there are, but we all worry about you.”

“I worry about all of you too.”  Myungsoo smiled.  “Sungjongie, take care.” 

“You too,” Sungjong said, giving him a quick hug before stepping away. 

Lastly, Woohyun smiled at Myungsoo and ruffled his hair affectionately.  “Myungsoo-yah, live well without us, okay?  Practice well and don’t go back to the hospital.”

Despite Woohyun’s bright smile and words, his eyes were b with tears and his bottom lip was trembling slightly.  “Hyung, I have a story for you,” Myungsoo said, taking Woohyun’s hands in his.  “There was once a boy named Woohyun, he was on the way to army service and he wasn’t going to see his friend, Myungsoo, for a long time.  Even though he wanted to cry, he didn’t because he wanted Myungsoo to smile, so he kept his tears inside.  When he was feeling lonely, he started to cry.  He cried and cried.  He cried enough to make a river.  Woohyun used this river to ride down to come back home to Myungsoo.”

Tears fell down his cheeks slowly as Woohyun closed his eyes, taking in a shaky breath.  “Did this Myungsoo cry as well?”

Myungsoo reached out and embraced Woohyun.  “He did, he did a lot.”

Woohyun’s body shook as he let out a choked sob.  “Was it faster when Woohyun rode down the river to Myungsoo?” Woohyun asked, his voice cracked and filled with tears.

“Maybe not faster, but it was easier,” Myungsoo whispered, drawing back.  

“Just a bit easier,” Woohyun said with a small smile.  “That’s all we need.  Now you need to remember this story: The Myungsoo in your story waited for days for Woohyun to come back before he came back on the river of tears, but their journey didn’t end there.  In happiness at their reunion, they cried together and their tears together made a sea of gold.  We’ll see each other at the Sea of Gold.”

“Where’s that?” Myungsoo asked, a small smile dancing on his lips. 

“You’ll find out down the road.”  Woohyun grinned.  “Somewhere down the road where we’ll alll be together.”

Nodding, Myungsoo stepped back and smiled at all of them.  The other six smiled back at him, all of them unsure of what to say. 

“Well,” Myungsoo said slowly.  “This is where we have to say goodbye…”

“Yeah.”  Sungyeol gave him a weak smile.  “Where we say goodbye…”

Myungsoo quickly wipped off a tear falling down his cheek, looking around at their feet, trying not to make eye contact with the others as he spoke.  “Guys, I can’t say how thankful I am.  We’ve done so much together, from when we were trainees together, struggling to do push ups and stay up late to practice our songs together, to this moment when we’re saying goodbye.  There’s a lot of times that we fell apart, but at the same time, we grew closer together when we did that.  In the past year, when I was in the hospital, I felt like I was so blessed to have all of you watching over me.  Even though we’re going to be apart, I’m going to be watching over you and I know you’ll be watching over me.  

“When I woke up in the hospital and Dr. Song told me that I had lung cancer, I thought that always, all of us, some day will wake up with a handful of time, a heart full of goodbyes and your brothers by your side.  I’m so grateful that you were always there by my side. 

“Thank you for being my brothers.”

Sungyeol was the first to jump forward and embrace Myungsoo warmly, nearly sobbing into his shoulder.  Myungsoo tucked his face against Sungyeol’s shoulder, feeling tears falling down his face as well as another warm set of warms wrapped around the two of them and soon all seven of them were in a group hug together in the middle of the airport.  They would’ve stayed there all day, just content in each other’s arms if Jungryul hadn’t said gently, “Boys, your flight’s leaving soon.”

“Then, I guess I’ll see you later,” Myungsoo whispered, his voice rough with tears as they slowly let go of each other, Myungsoo taking a step back from the others. 

“Fighting,” Sungjong said, smiling at Myungsoo. 

“Ready?” Sunggyu asked.  He held his hand out in the middle of their group.  Woohyun placed his hand on top of Sunggyu’s, Hoya and the other four following. 

“We’ll be back home soon.  Until then, we’ll be strong,” Sunggyu said, smiling at the others.  “Ready?”

“Ready!” Sungyeol yelled. 

“One!” Woohyun and Dongwoo shouted. 

“Two!” Sungjong and Hoya yelled. 

“Three,” Myungsoo and Sunggyu called out. 

“INFINITE FIGHTING!”

They threw their arms up in the air as they yelled ‘fighting’ for the last time for a long time. 

With another round of goodbye’s and take care’s, Sunggyu, Dongwoo, Woohyun, Hoya, Sungyeol and Sungjong turned towards the security, not forgetting to wave to the Inspirits for the last time. 

Myungsoo stood alone as he watched the six make it through security. Smiling happily and sadly at the same time, Myungsoo watched the six members disappear around the gate. 

Closing his eyes for a second, Myungsoo let out a long breath.  “I’ll be right here when you come back,” he promised.  “I’ll be waiting for you to come back home.”

Jungryul put his hand on his shoulder, reminding him that he wasn’t alone.  “Ready to go home?”

He smiled happily as he turned towards Jungryul.  “Let’s go home,” he said.  “Home…”

As they walked out of the airport, Myungsoo looked up towards the sky, wondering which airplane in the sky was the one carrying Infinite, but that didn’t really matter. 

They would be coming home soon. 

Myungsoo knew that they would come back to the happy days they had before.  The times that they laughed and smiled and had fun together, not caring about anything important.   The times that he knew he was home because he had Infinite beside him. 

He was ready to go home. 

~*~

2년 후: 10월 28일

A long two years later, Sungyeol, Dongwoo, Hoya, Woohyun, Sungjong and Sunggyu returned home to Incheon National Airport. 

Myungsoo was waiting for them, a wide smile on his face, holding up a sign with ‘Welcome home, Infinite,’ written on it.  He called out their names over top of the other screams in the aiport, “SUNGYEOL-AH!  SUNGGYU-HYUNG!  WOOHYUN-HYUNG!  DONGWOO-HYUNG!  HOYA-YAH!  SUNGJONG-AH!”

They all screamed back happily at the same time, “MYUNGSOO!”

Infinite crashed into each other, crushing each other in a group hug, talking over each other, Myungsoo asking how they were and the others demanding to be told how Myungsoo was doing. 

For the first time in two years, they were all together, safe and sound in each other arms.  Wrapped up in each other’s arms, they all cried.

Because they were all home safe and sound. 

Because it was finally over. 

Because they were Infinite once more.

Sunggyu placed his hand in the middle of the group.  “Ready?”

Dongwoo grinned and stacked his hand on top of Sunggyu’s, Sungyeol and Woohyun following the suit.  Hoya and Sungjong adding their hands into the middle and Myungsoo placed his hand on last. 

Myungsoo didn’t think that he could stop smiling as he looked around at the others who were smiling too and said, “I love you.” 

None of them said anything to that, but they all knew what they wanted to say and Myungsoo knew what they would say.

“I love you.”

They were forever.  Their memories would last forever.

And so would their love.

“One!  Two!  Three!”

“INFINITE FIGHTING!”

This was the start of their final infinite journey. 

It's been a month since I updated last, I'm sorry, school got the better of me ㅠㅠ Thank you so much for all of the support!  This is the last chapter, the next chapter will be the epilouge.  I'm going to be posting the epilouge for Sea of Gold and Story of the Heavens on the Thanksgiving weekend (next week lol) please give me comments~ i love you all.