The sound of the bustling city echoed through the streets as Jake held the phone to his ear, the tears falling down his cheeks.
"It's D-day." The voice on the other line says before the phone call ends, and Sunghoon lets out a shaky breath, his fingers intertwined with Jake's.
They're two souls who had always felt like outsiders in a world that often failed to understand them, and they found warmth in each other's embrace.
"It will be okay," Sunghoon muttered, knowing very well that the moment Jake's existence stops, his would too. That was how much he loved him. "We still have today."
Jake clutched onto Sunghoon's hands, crying his eyes out, his heart aching with every sob he lets out. One day was nowhere near enough.
"I don't want to l-leave..." Jake's whispered plea broke Sunghoon's heart even more, and their embrace tightened as if trying to hold on to each other for an eternity.
Tears flowed freely down Sunghoon's face, mingling with the drops that fell from Jake's trembling chin.
"I know," Sunghoon pressed his forehead against Jake's, the weight of farewell bearing down on him. "I don't want to let you go either."
With trembling hands, Sunghoon brushed away the strands of hair that clung to Jake's damp cheeks. His touch was filled with tenderness and an overwhelming sense of longing.
He wished he could take away the pain, erase the looming darkness that overshadowed their love, but all he could offer was his unconditional love.
He was going to love him whether he was dying or living.
Tears mingled with kisses, as they held onto each other with a desperation born from the depths of their souls. Their hearts broke with the understanding that no matter how fiercely they clung to one another, their love could not defy the hands of fate.
"I'll make today a lifetime... for you." Sunghoon stood up, wiping Jake's tears before pulling him from the bench. "Come on."
The city wasn't aware of the beautiful love that was slipping through its fingers, and people walking by Sunghoon and Jake had no idea of the heavy burden they carried within their hearts.
They visited the park where they had their first picnic, the café where they shared their deepest secrets, and the bridge where they carved their initials into the wood.
"Do you remember this?" Sunghoon asked as they stood on the bridge, their fingers intertwined. He traced his finger over the faded initials that marked their love story, etched into the weathered wood.
"It feels like a lifetime ago... but I remember every moment of it." Jake's voice is low, enough for Sunghoon's expression to soften bitterly.
"I'm sorry, Jake," Sunghoon whispered, his voice laced with regret. "I wish I could turn back time."
Jake turned to face him, reaching up to brush a tear from Sunghoon's cheek, a bittersweet smile gracing his lips. "Don't apologize... our love was never meant to be easy, but it was worth it. Because it's you."
Sunghoon's breath caught in his chest as he gazed into Jake's eyes, the depth of their love echoing in his words. He thought about how it was impossible for him to live after Jake.
He could never, not when he was the light that brightened his life.
Sunghoon leaned in, resting his forehead against Jake's, their warm breaths mingling in the cool air. "I love you." He whispered, kissing Jake's tears.
The two of them led each other to their favorite spots, places they had laughed, danced, and dreamed together.
They revisited their moments together, the stolen kisses that lasted like forever, the laughs that echoed through the streets.
Memories of their first time meeting were still etched in their minds as they held each other's hands.
How Sunghoon thought Jake was the biggest idiot he'd ever seen and how his heart skipped on that day when it rained and they had to share Jake's umbrella.
The first day they met, they hid from the water, yet on their last day, they went into the water, splashing each other as their laughs filled the air, mingling with the crashing of waves.
It felt cool and refreshing, how amidst the chaos of their emotions, they could still feel the love.
Sunghoon wrapped his arms around Jake, holding him tight as the waves crashed against their bodies. And as they looked into each other's eyes, the depths of their souls laid bare before their lips met.
They kissed each other, but this time it was different. The kiss tasted like heartbreak and goodbye, but it was also proof that they love each other. That they lived for each other.
It was a bittersweet fusion of passion and pain, of every feeling that had led them to this moment.
"I'm s-sorry..." Jake broke down, melting in Sunghoon's arms as the latter held him tighter. He hugged him, breathed his smell, memorized every part of his lover so that he could never forget it.
Jake's trembling body convulsed with sobs in his embrace, breaking his heart into million tiny pieces that could never be fully repaired.
"Thank you for l-loving me..." The words left his lips like a whisper, heard only to Sunghoon.
"Thank you for letting me love you." He smiled, tears falling down his cheeks as he kissed him again.
Again and again, for every time he hadn't had the chance, for every missed opportunity, for every moment they couldn't be together.
The sky turned orange and pink and the sea was on fire as their bodies intertwined on the sand, their fingers delicately entwined, as if trying to hold on to the fleeting moments they had left.
"I'll sleep for some time and you wake me up... I want to wake up to you one last time, Jake." Sunghoon whispered, his heart yearning for one more shared sunrise, one more stolen moment of warmth and tenderness before the final goodbye.
Jake's tear-filled eyes met Sunghoon's and with a nod, he mustered a faint smile. But he wasn't going to wake him up.
He prayed that his death would come as soon as possible so Sunghoon doesn't feel any pain anymore.
He knew that he was afraid of facing it. It's not the day they have that was scaring him, but how much he'd be hurt after that day is gone.
Their lips met in a final, tender kiss, a farewell imbued with bittersweet longing. They held each other tightly, etching the contours of their bodies into their memories.
Sunghoon closed his eyes and never opened them again. The next morning, they were found, holding each other tightly, devoid of any sign of life.
News of their tragic ending spread like wildfire, engulfing the hearts of those who had known them and those who hadn't.
The tragic ending of Park Sunghoon & Shim Jake.
The cruel universe took two other lives. Shim Jake, who was said to receive his call, and Park Sunghoon who appeared to miss it.
