ANAGAPESIS

53

"If I'm not eligible to be happy in this world, I hope everyone else around me will be happy."

"Why are you saying that?"

Iris' smiling face appeared on the screen of the laptop as the video was paused. Anne sniffled before turning her head to the seat next to her in Juyeon's diner which was occupied by Alice, who was immersed in her thoughts while looking at her best friend's picture on the screen.

"She's always beautiful," she trailed her finger on the screen before she shook her head, vanishing the tears in her eyes. "Why are you watching this?"

"To remember how strong she was," Anne breathed out, somehow recalling the moment when the video was taken.

It was captured at the beach whilst they were on the healing trip they once went. They were supposed to capture all good moments during the trip but Iris had changed the planning, based on how she felt that day.

"She surely has been through a lot," Alice added, slightly shaking her head. "Such an inspiration."

"At least she no longer feels the pain," Younghoon chimed in, joining the table with Jaehyun and Juyeon who had different emotions on their faces.

Like any other day, Jaehyun was drowning in his thoughts every time the circle reminiscing those dreadful days of Iris. They could only remember the miserable Iris who would cry alone but appear strong in front of people but Jaehyun could only remember that dreadful day he saw her lying unconsciously on the road.

"You good?" Juyeon draped his arm around Jaehyun's shoulder, noticing how silent he had been. If he could have guessed, his best friend must have longed for the girl.

But Jaehyun could not say it aloud about what he felt right now. He might have turned the air between them tensed or maybe awkward which was the last thing he wanted to happen.

But deep down, he truly was missing Iris.

"Her prayer does come true. Hopefully, she's happy now," Jaehyun shrugged, pursing his lips.

Everyone around the table seemed to agree, nods were seen from every direction as silence fell upon them. However, it did not last long until Alice broke it with her small wailing.

"I'm not gonna lie, I really miss her," her tears kept spilling, Younghoon who was sitting across her lovingly wiped the tears away with his thumb, he somehow could feel the pain his fiancee felt though it had been a few months since the accident.

He was one of the attending doctors on that dreadful day. He saw with his two eyes how bad her injuries were from the accident. If it was anyone else, he could say that it would be hard to save her but Iris held a special spot in his heart as a friend.

He kept imagining how sad his fiancee and his friends would be if he walked out from the operating room pronouncing Iris' death. But as a doctor, nothing was promising, he could only try his best.

"I hate that things have to change like this," Anne added, sighing heavily as she looked at Iris' picture on her laptop. "But I guess we have no power to have it as per our liking."

"Ooh!" Juyeon exclaimed, catching their attention. "My girl is so good at talking."

Scoffing, Jaehyun held himself back from rolling his eyes. For a moment, he despised the idea of sitting here with them who made him feel so single.

But, he knew, no one wanted him to feel so.

It was then, that Alice received a call through her phone from a person she saved the number as 'Mom' who was not hers but Iris'.

"Why is she calling?" she asked, immediately pushing the green button and pulling the phone closer to her ear. Everyone seemed curious as well, all eyes were fixed on her until she ended the call.

"Why?" Anne questioned, already shutting down her laptop if they needed to run to the lady whom they had thought as their own.

"She wants to see us whenever we are free," Alice said, smiling endearingly. "She must have been missing us."

Out of nowhere, Juyeon giggled, making everyone turn his way. It was surely weird and random, they were curious as well to find out what had tickled his heart.

"She suddenly got two more daughters and three sons," he said, still cackling. "It's funny. Don't you guys think so?"

"I'm sorry Juyeon, but not really," Younghoon scrunched up his face, feeling sorry but he needed to be honest.

"Sometimes, I also can't figure out what is in your mind," Anne voiced out, she surely had gone through such a hardship as Juyeon's girl but it was not disturbing. It was his charm after all. "Let's go Juyeon, we need to buy something for our party next week."

The said boy sulked but still obeyed his girlfriend who would be his fiancee by next weekend.

"They are meant to be together," Younghoon said, watching them bicker outside the diner towards Juyeon's car after bidding goodbye.

"They surely are," Jaehyun added, agreeing as he also watched the same view. "I thought you guys needed to go to the boutique today."

"We will be on our way," Alice confirmed, packing up her stuff into her handbag. "So many things to do."

"Good luck," Jaehyun nonchalantly said, and then a hand landed on his back, slightly patting.

"Wanna join us?" it was Younghoon who was asking, clearly did not mind if he wanted to tag along.

After all, Jaehyun would be his bestman.

"No thanks," he rejected softly, his eyes containing thousands of emotions that were too easy to unveil. "I need to go somewhere."