✦ 𝙖𝙨𝙨𝙪𝙢𝙚 | 𝘬𝘢𝘯𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘵𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘰𝘳𝘪

022 | wake and leave

Faint noises that filled Yoshinori's hearing made him stir awake, eyelids fluttering slowly with blurry vision as he looked at the surroundings. Bright light, white walls, and the vibrations of machine mixed with beeping sounds─he knew where exactly he is.

"Damn hospital," he muttered under his breath, voice hoarse from two weeks of comatose. He felt a sting of pain from his side where he was stabbed by Keita, making him hiss in pain.

Hearing small mutters from the other side of the room made Asahi woke up from his slumber. His eyes found Yoshinori who's blinking his eyes slowly under the dim light of the room.

"What a relief," mumbled Asahi as he approached Yoshinori. "How are you feeling?" He asks.

"Really bad," the latter replied, struggling to speak. "I feel like there is nothing left on my stomach."

Asahi mumbled a few words to comfort Yoshinori and exited the room afterwards to inform the doctor about Yoshinori finally being awake.

"Why didn't I die?" Yoshinori chuckled darkly, making him cough for a few times. He could feel the soreness on his throat, making him cough again.

Just then, the doctor came with Asahi following behind. Yoshinori's vitals were checked and the expression painted on the doctor's face seems like there is something wrong.

"We still need to observe for a day to make sure that he is doing fine or needs an exact treatment over something," the doctor tells Asahi. "You can tell your friends the good news and let them come over. I'll be back here later at nine in the evening to check on Yoshi." With that, the doctor left.

"Asahi," Yoshinori softly calls the latter. "I feel like─I don't know. It's like, I am not going to last long."

"Shh, quit talking," Asahi shushed. "We've been through this hellhole for countless times. From that bomb explosion and when you jumped off the cliff, it was awesome for you to stay alive until now. You're only stabbed by Keita and it isn't that deep."

"But, I feel like this is the end of me─"

"Then, it would be the end for all of us," Asahi cuts him off. "We are all nothing without you."

"Hyunsuk and Jihoon─"

"No," Asahi interrupted once again. "You and Noa are the ones who made all of us better. Noa is external, we could make a move without him knowing our plans and he goes along with it after. You, who is assigned internally─we can't do anything without you. We can't make a move without your consent."

With a stern look on his face, Yoshinori spoke once again. "Mashiho is still there. There's no need to worry without me."

Asahi could only ball his fists. He knew to himself that he could never win against Yoshinori. The other boys will do it for him. "If you say so," he said, shrugging his shoulders.

With a smile, Yoshinori shook his head in a slow manner. He was only playing with Asahi, he could never leave anyone behind. He is just waiting for his body to give up, and he could finally say that, that is the right time.

After waiting for a few minutes, the rest of their friends came after each one another. They were happy seeing Yoshinori finally gaining his consciousness and doesn't forget any single person among them.

"Now, everyone," Jihoon announced, getting everyone's attention inside the room. "Why don't we leave both lovebirds in here inside? They must've missed each other that much."

The teasing between Yoshinori and Yunhee began. Everyone knew that they have mutual feelings for each other. Well, who knows the rest anyway.

When the room was only left with him and Yunhee, Yoshinori rolled his eyes. He still could  not forget what he did and said the night he kissed Yunhee while seated on that bench.

"That night," he began, voice much softer than his normal tone. "What I said─damn, I don't know where I took those words that I told you. Also, I apologize for what I did if I made you uncomfortable with that. I should've stopped myself."

Yoshinori's words may be a little scrabbled, but Yunhee knew what he meant. It is now her turn to ask him.

"But I wanted to ask you if you really meant what you said. Were they facts?"

"Damn, Jang Yunhee," the male cursed under his breath. "How many times do I have to fucking tell you that I like you that much? Are you doing this to me on purpose?"

"What? I just want clarifications."

"There, you got it."

Then they both stared at each other. Yoshinori is giving an annoyed look to Yunhee, while the female is preventing herself to laugh from the stare that she is receiving.

"You're really a spicy one, aren't you?" chuckled Yunhee as she sat on the small space of the bed. She took out something from her bag and handed it to Yoshinori. "Get some rest. I'll see you again soon, Shino."

Yunhee gently stroked Yoshinori's hair before her hands came to his right cheek. She caressed it softly with her thumb and leaned in to plant a kiss on the corner of his lips. "Take care while I'm away, okay? We still have things to settle between us."

The lady stood up and slowly walked away. When her hand was about to twist the doorknob open, Yoshinori spoke from the bed.

"Yunhee, what do you mean by that?"

Preventing herself to tear up, Yunhee bit her lower lip and blinked her eyes a few times. "I'll be away for a while due to personal reasons, but I'll be back soon," she said and took the courage to finally exit the room without looking back.

"Back... soon," Yoshinori mumbled repeatedly with his eyes still on the door. He then dropped his gaze on the thing that Yunhee gave him.

It was a polaroid photo of them together, taken on the same night where Yoshinori said that she like her that much, where he kissed her out of the blue because he could not stop himself anymore─that might be the last, he thought.