Unforgettable

Chapter 15

With a heavy heart, Jeongyeon gently lowered Nayeon's lifeless form to the ground, the weight of the moment nearly overwhelming. Before she could fully process the reality before her, Jihyo's desperate urgency manifested as a sudden push, and she was swiftly replaced by Jihyo who cradled Nayeon's body in her arms. Jeongyeon's own sorrow intensified, her grief mirrored in the tears that welled in her eyes. Unable to bear the scene unfolding before her, she turned away, seeking solace in her own silent tears, her back a shield against the profound pain that radiated from her friends.

The agony in Sana's voice was palpable as she pleaded with Nayeon, her gentle touches a futile attempt to rouse her from this cruel slumber. "Unnie... Nayeon unnie! Wake up, please! W-why are your eyes swollen? Unnie... open your eyes, please!" Her voice wavered with a mix of disbelief and devastation, her fingers brushing against Nayeon's cold, unresponsive features. Sana's heart clenched, unable to reconcile the vibrant friend she had known with this lifeless form before her.

Beside her, Momo's voice trembled, her words tinged with disbelief. She crouched down, her trembling hand reaching out to shake Nayeon's body, as if hoping for a miraculous awakening. "U-unnie, you're just acting, right? You can open your eyes now, please..." Her voice quivered with a desperate hope that bordered on denial. Her attempt to find a pulse, a flicker of life, only met with silence, and Momo's anguish spilled forth, tears streaming down her cheeks.

The others joined the mournful tableau, their hands reaching out to touch their friend one last time, to make sense of a reality that felt impossible to comprehend. The frigid touch of Nayeon's body was a chilling reminder of the finality of their loss. Each tear that fell was a silent tribute, a shared expression of the profound bond that had been abruptly severed.

In the midst of their collective grief, Jihyo's voice rose, a poignant plea laden with regret and sorrow. "H-hey, unnie... I-I was wrong, unnie... please wake up! I'm sorry, I was wrong! I-I shouldn't have said that... please! I was wrong, unnie... please wake up!" Her words were a poignant lament, a heartrending admission of guilt and remorse. The echoes of her plea reverberated through the air, tugging at the heartstrings of each friend present, their own tears mingling with the rain that fell from the heavens.

In that raw and vulnerable moment, their tears fell freely, a testament to the depth of their love and the anguish of their loss. Nayeon's still form lay among them, a poignant reminder of a life extinguished too soon, and a friendship forever marked by a tragedy they could never forget.

~~~~

~2022~

Standing up from her seat, Jeongyeon's gaze fixed on the windowpane, her tears flowing unchecked. Time seemed to stretch before her, the minutes on her program's clock ticking away unnoticed, lost in the weight of her sorrow. The world beyond the glass blurred as her emotions spilled forth, the grief that had been held at bay now crashing over her like a relentless wave. It didn't matter that there were still 15 minutes remaining on her broadcast; her heartache demanded her attention.

Nayeon's absence loomed large, a void that seemed impossible to fill. Jeongyeon's strength wavered, her energy depleted by the weight of the tragedy that had befallen her friend. The sight of Nayeon's most cherished possession had been a devastating blow, a stark reminder of the irreparable loss they all faced.

A vivid memory resurfaced, seared into Jeongyeon's mind. It was a memory tainted with anger and disbelief, a moment when her grief had manifested as raw, unfiltered rage. She recalled the doctor's presence at Nayeon's funeral, an unwelcome intrusion that had ignited a fury within her. The object he had presented had been meant as a gesture of consolation, a token of remembrance. It was a photograph, a snapshot of Nayeon's triumphant moment after winning a singing contest, immortalized on photo paper with eight duplicates.