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❝ YOU GAVE HER YOUR SWEATER, IT'S JUST POLYESTER! ❞
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ ♡︎♡︎♡︎ AFTER SEEING RYUHEI pursue someone else, I've always wondered what the girl looked like. From what I remember she had long dark hair that reached just below her waist, swaying behind her as she walked elegantly away from Ryuhei. On that day, she wore a blue sailor uniform, a stark contrast to my dark blue kimono and Ryuhei's white track suit. If it was a track suit.
I never got to see her up close because I never bothered getting to know her, not even her name nor where she came from, all I know that she was the love of Ryuhei's life and the one that he replaced me with. Such a painful title, isn't it?
However, I wasn't expecting to see her again in South Korea, her long dark hair tied up into a high ponytail as her white suit hugged her body perfectly. And I wasn't expecting to see her in the hospital I was confined in as well. Such an awful coincidence, isn't it?
Or maybe not.
SOMA MITSUKI sat on the chair beside my bed, her head hung low with her bangs covering her face, her expression made it seem she was feeling grief or even shame. Maybe she caught wind of my conditions, which is why she came here.
"How is he?" I asked weakly, voice so hoarse and barely above a whisper as she finally looked up from her lap, surprised to see me talking to her. She stumbled over her words as she replied to, unsure of what and what not to say. "He's— Kagiroi— I mean Ryuhei is. . . he misses you."
"Really?" Expressing my mild disbelief as my hand twitched beside me, it was one of those rare moments where I'd feel my body reacting on its own. She gave me a sad smile and nodded. "He does nothing but talk about you to anyone that's willing to listen, but even if they're not willing, he'd still talk about you."
"What does he say about me?" I asked. Mitsuki thought for a second, tilting her head then replying casually, "I remember him telling the other executives about a boy that could never feel pain and emotion, he said he befriended that boy and loved him with all his heart, protected him at all costs, and made sure he's always safe. I assume that boy was you, Masayoshi-san."
How sweet of him to remember all of those things about me.
Telling others about his lies and how he hurt me.
How cute.
"If he loved me so much, then. . ." I paused, feeling my heart weaken for a second before continuing, "then why did he leave me? Why did he choose you over me?"
Mitsuki was quiet. The room was silent except for my heart monitor that continuously beeped. The silence was suffocating but I didn't know how to break it, I was always the quiet one that would only ever speak when spoken to. But thankfully, she decided to answer.
"I don't know, Masayoshi-san. I don't think I have the answer to that."
Pity.
"But. . . I think I know who does."
As soon as Mitsuki said that, the door to my hospital room slid open, my heart shattering and reforming into a million pieces as a familiar figure stepped inside the room, his blond hair and weird smile greeting me.
Without saying another word, Mitsuki left us in our awkward silence, Ryuhei stood a foot away from my bed with an undescribable expression on his face. Then, he bit his lip as tears quickly welled in his eyes, slowly walking to me and taking my hand in his.
"[M.Name]," he whispered, I smiled at him but it was quite difficult with the oxygen on my face. "I wasn't expecting to see you like this."
His chuckle was filled with bitter humour as he squeezed my hand, bringing it up to his lips and kissing my knuckles.
His kisses are still filled with tenderness.
"Why— Why didn't you— Why haven't you—"
Ryuhei sobbed softly, pressing my hand against his cheek as his eyes filled with desperation and longing, kissing my knuckles and palm over and over again as my skin got wet from his tears.
I'm sorry, Ryuhei.
I'm sorry for not being enough for you.
I'm sorry for loving you.
"Ryuhei," I called him, and he quickly leaned down to hear me. "Can I ask you a favour?"
He nodded his head vigorously, now holding my hand with both of his. "W-What is it? Tell me anything! I-I'll do anything for you! Everything!"
"Y'know, I never got my first kiss."
I'm sorry.
"Will you please kiss me?"
His smile was filled with pain as he nodded hesitantly, leaning down to kiss my forehead first before slowly creeping his hand to the mask on my face. My only source of life, and if that was taken off. . .
"I love you," he whispered. I mustered enough strength in me to reply to him, just barely voicing the words I keep repeating in my head whenever I think about him. "I love you too."
Nothing but the sound of my heart monitor beeping louder but slower filled my ears as my oxygen mask was lifted off my face, my vision slowly fading as Ryuhei's blond hair filled my darkening vision. Soon, I felt his lips on mine, so soft and gentle, but I was too weak to kiss him back.
