This Day | Gyuhao (Threequel to Youth & The Aged)

- 8

| Chapter Eight — Woah, there |

Eunchae's visiting Riki, crouched down at his grave and telling him each and every thing that's been happening.

"We don't know what to do. Nobody does." Eunchae explains, shrugging and leaning closer to his headstone. Her shoulder grazes it as she rests her head on the top, "It would be so much easier if we still had you, you know?" It's an insensitive thing to say, given everything that's happened, but Eunchae's blinded by her desperation, "Sunbae..."

She can't say anything else. Actually, she doesn't know what to say.

"I miss you." She's said it every day since he left them all, "I... I-I miss you so terribly." She sniffles, tears hitting the concrete, "I miss you, Riki-yah." Eunchae knows that if Riki were here, he would blush upon hearing his actual name. It makes her heart thump low.

Eunchae wonders.... she constantly wonders that if maybe— just maybe she didn't leave to call Cerise that day he'd still be here. She wonders that if maybe she didn't run into Mr.Kim and get attacked that she would've been there with Riki, maybe even taken the bullet instead.

If time travel existed, she'd do it. She'd save him without hesitation.

But this was the real world, it was no careless fairytale you'd read in a book.

"I'm sorry I tried to join you." She apologizes, "I know dying won't solve anything." And she knows that if she met with Riki again that he'd be so terribly disappointed in her for doing such a thing, maybe even whack her down to Hell where she belongs.

Eunchae closes her eyes, sniffling.

"You'd be 21 now." She says with a smile on her face, wiping away her tears, "I hope you've seen all your birthday celebrations Jungwonie and I have held for you the past years. I know how much you love strawberry cake."

The empty wind only answers her.

"I'll be strong, Riki-yah." Eunchae tells him, patting his headstone like she would the top of his head, "I'll be strong and stay that way until everything's okay again, alright? I promise you, I really do."

Then she's rising to her feet, collecting her very few things and keeping that smile on her face. The Heavens were watching.

"I'll see you later, okay?" She says, looking down at her fidgeting fingers, taking her lip between her teeth and dangling her head between her shoulder blades, "I, uh.... I love you." She laughs and cringes when she says it, "Ah, I didn't mean to get so cheesy like this all of a sudden. I'll be quiet." She zips her lips, throwing away the key, "I'll leave now."

She takes a deep breath.

"Goodbye, Riki-yah."

| 4 years ago |

"Noona said not yet."

"What?" Wonbin asks, "Why not?"

"He's still comatose, Wonbin-ah. He's not fully recovered. He needs to be absolutely perfect before we go forwards."

"How come?" Wonbin asks, staring through the foggy glass, "Hyung?"

Shotaro sighs, running a hand through his hair, "Returning this boy in the best possible condition is the least we could do." He explains, looking through the glass as well, "We wait until his recovery is complete."

A duo tone, consisting of blue and blonde with grown out roots fanned around the pillow like a lovely halo. In addition, a faint beeping sound radiated through the room as well, sheets tugged up right near the patient's chest, covering the secure gauze.

Wonbin nods slowly, watching the oxygen tube fog up with the patient's solid breathing, "Understood."