The Ghost Of You

11

"What are you up to Honey?" Minhyuk sat criss-crossed in his usual place, on top of the wooden drawer. He wondered what was the big box Jooheon was carrying as the man walk into the living room.

He curiously watched as Jooheon sets it down on the floor, sneezing loudly when he dusted the surface before carefully opening it.

After the crying incident over a few months ago, Jooheon had been in a confusing mood. At first he cried so much, call for Minhyuk again and again. Then he cry without words, without letting out what's hurting him or what he needed. He cried until his eyes went on drought, until his throat and his muscles hurt, until he can physically no longer get out of bed.

Then a few weeks later he looked normal, but empty. Like everything bores him, like nothing in the world could let out an emotion from him. Similar to how he was when mourning the first few weeks of Minhyuk's death.

Then he starts muttering to himself phrases Minhyuk couldn't make out, frustratingly staring at himself in the mirror as if he's having an internal battle with himself. Just like how he was when he was telling himself to move on from Minhyuk. Drilling into his head that the most wonderful man in the world is gone and he needs to forget about him. Which he fails to do.

Minhyuk was sad to see him that way. He was slowly getting better. He had no idea what happened that night with Changkyun, as the latter never returned after that. This further upsets Minhyuk. Is Changkyun never going to be back? Was it a really big fight between them? He liked Jooheon and Changkyun's friendship a lot. It made Jooheon a little happier and their house livelier. And Jooheon was a good influenced to Changkyun. Helping him quit smoking and reducing his alcohol intake. They were good for eachother. But if Changkyun really did something that deeply hurt Jooheon, he would never forgive the younger. For some reason though, he felt like it wasn't the case. A part of him believes Changkyun would never do something to hurt Jooheon, or anyone. The boy has a rough surface but has a genuine, kind, and sweet soul.

Then suddenly, out of nowhere, Jooheon was fine and it looked real. He started making breakfast again, lightly cleaning around the house, singing and humming to himself. He's out majority of the day but he doesn't seem that tired when he comes back. Minhyuk heard him mention Changkyun's name over the phone once and realized the two are okay again. He had no idea what the conflict was all about but it doesn't matter now. Jooheon is happy again, and that makes Minhyuk happy too.

"Oh.."
Minhyuk's happy eyes slightly turned sad after seeing the contents of the box. It was the pictures Jooheon had taken down from the walls. Minhyuk almost forgot about those, especially this past months with him just watching Jooheon and Changkyun mirthfully interact whenever the latter visits.

Though his heart throb with sorrow, Minhyuk find the corners of his lips lifting into a little smile. The almost forgotten pain striking him again as he watched Jooheon take a frame and looked upon it with longing. He watched as Jooheon's fingers hover above the picture, as if scared that one touch of his fingertips, the stilled memory would fade away. Just like how Minhyuk was taken away from him without warning.

He settled on carefully holding the frame, eyes still set on the younger version of himself and his beloved, both with wonderful smiles on their faces, green grass and the blue sky freshly peeking on the background. It was taken on one of their picnic dates. Both Minhyuk and Jooheon could barely remember which one, they had a many.

" I almost forgot how vibrant your smile was.." Jooheon says, a small smile slowly crawling to his face as he reminisce more of Minhyuk in silence.

"He told me it's better to keep the memories around than to forcefully bury them away" A single tear rolled down Jooheon's cheek, making Minhyuk's watery eyes turn away, not wanting to see Jooheon cry over him for the millionth time. "..it might be easier to remember the good times. Maybe that way I'll get use with just keeping you alive in my memory. Maybe it'll hurt less knowing that at least, once upon a time we're at eachother's side, and how that time though short was spent blissfully"