Twilight | ATEEZ

Chapter Forty

Two Weeks Later...

Hongjoong looks over at Yeosang as they sit in the parking lot of the funeral home where they'll be saying their final goodbyes to San, "Are you ready, my love?" He gently pats Yeosang's leg, his calf and foot covered by a walking boot that he got from the hospital. He was released with it the day after they found San's body on the Lee's property.

Yeosang pulls his lips up into a thin smile, trying to show some semblance of emotion other than sadness. Yeosang knows he should be thinking about how they're here to celebrate San's life, but he can't help but wonder... How can they celebrate a life that never even got to really live?

Yeosang just nods in a sigh, "As ready as I'll ever be," he carefully rests his hand on top of Hongjoong's when Hongjoong leans over to kiss his temple.

"He's been put away for the rest of his life, baby. Eunsang finally can rest in peace," Hongjoong says, referring to Minhee.

Yeosang nods with another small smile, "It's the least we could do for him..." 

"Stay put, baby, I'm going to help you out, okay?" Hongjoong squeezes his hand before he climbs out of the car and rushes over to the passenger side to assist Yeosang in getting out, the boy still getting used to his walking boot, as it can be quite clunky. Hongjoong also pulls out his cane that he uses to get around when a lot of movement is involved. They shouldn't be moving around much during the ceremony, but he wants to be safe.

"I got you," Hongjoong whispers into Yeosang's ear as he places his hand on the small of his back, "I'll always be right here. Every step of the way."

Yeosang looks up at Hongjoong with love-filled eyes, "I love you, Hongjoong."

"I love you more than anything, Yeosang."

When Hongjoong and Yeosang walk into the funeral home, they're greeted by tearful eyes and worried glances. Amongst all of them, though, they find familiar faces that they immediately gravitate toward.

"We've been waiting for you two," Wooyoung says, tucked tightly under Jongho's arm. Something about him seems uneasy, though, when Seonghwa examines Wooyoung closely.

"What did you want to tell us, Jongho?" Seonghwa asks, knowing that whatever it was must pertain to San. He can't be touching Yunho as he wishes to with Yunho's parents here, but he does stand close to him, letting his hand graze his back every now and again, unable to fully keep away.

Jongho lets his eyes roam over each and every one of the boys, "My father, uhm, he's officially been arrested and will be joining Minhee in prison. He's pleading guilty to being involved in what happened to San," Jongho is careful about saying his brother's name, "He wasn't holding the gun, but he didn't stop anything. He also confessed to being involved in the death of Na Hoyoung that we'd read about when he was a student at SNU," Jongho explains, trying to stay calm and concise like he'd practiced.

Wooyoung helped Jongho a lot over the past two weeks by keeping him grounded and stable. When it felt like his life and family were falling apart, Wooyoung was there for Jongho. Every step of the way. All of the boys, aside from Mingi, had come to visit them at some point. Even Minho and Seulgi had stopped by, as awkward as those exchanges were. Wooyoung was always the one to answer the door, greeting them and accepting their condolences on behalf of the Choi's who were emotionally unable to answer the door.