Sleeping Beauty Syndrome

26

I stayed like that in Seonghwa's arms for the next few hours, we both needed the comfort and held on to each other. I felt bad because I had left him alone and he wanted to give me back the support I had lost. But it felt so good, I had almost forgotten that he had always been able to recharge my batteries just by holding me in his arms. It had always been like that and he had always been closest to me. After Juhee, he was my best friend and I had neglected him because I had only focused on my boyfriend who was in a coma and on my own pain. He was suffering just as much, but instead of being angry with me, he was worried about me. My guilty conscience got the better of me and I hugged him tightly, which made him smile gently and stroke my hair.

Lee and Mingi went to check on the sleeping ones from time to time, while I didn't move an inch from Seonghwa and Yeosang fell asleep peacefully with his head on San's lap. Hours passed, we cuddled and talked, enjoyed the long-lost rays of sunshine and ate and drank until the sun started to set and it slowly got cooler and cooler, so we decided to go back inside to watch a movie before going to sleep.

Smiling, I watched San as he blew a kiss on the tip of his boyfriend's nose and then stroked his cheek gently.

"Come on baby, let's go back inside before you catch a cold." he asked him good-naturedly, waiting for Yeosang to complain as usual about being woken up... but nothing came. Slowly, the smile on San's lips disappeared and pure fear spread in his eyes.

"Yeosang... this isn't funny... please open your eyes." he shouted desperately and shook him roughly by the shoulder. Looking at everything from the other side, motionless, in shock, I could only bite my lips to keep from screaming too, feeling hot tears making their way down my cheeks, while Lee, who had just turned off the grill, came running. She reached into her pants pocket and took out a small flashlight, shining it into Yeosang's eyes.

"Damn... I'm so sorry San... Come on, let's get him ready for the infusion." She looked sadly at San, confirming his worst fear... Yeosang was in a coma... Soft sobs came from his throat as he held his sleeping love in his arms, then he picked him up in his arms and carried him down to the apartment, refusing Mingi's help, who stood there lost and crying too. Seonghwa took me by the hand and pulled me to Mingi, who he then took by the other hand and pulled us both inside. Wordlessly, we just ran after him like ducklings after their mother. How could we begin to feel safe when there was no safety in this world?

Seonghwa seemed to be the strongest of us, but I knew that was just a façade, he wanted to play the strong one for us because none of us were able to anymore, but it wouldn't happen to me again that I overlooked how he suffered silently just so as not to unsettle us... just as he was there for me, I would be there for him again from now on. From that night on, I no longer just cuddled with the sleeping Wooyoung, because I insisted that Seonghwa came to our room and no longer cried alone into his pillow every night, worried about all of us, instead, he could cry on my shoulder, just like I did on his. We were no longer alone...