A Change Encounter~ Chanmin

~Chapter 13~{end}

The night was eerily quiet as Seungmin stood at the edge of the bridge, the cold wind whipping around him, carrying the sounds of the city below. The moon cast a pale glow on the water, its surface rippling gently, reflecting his turbulent thoughts. His heart raced, torn between the pain of betrayal and the desperation for relief.

In his pocket, the letter he had written felt heavy, a physical embodiment of his anguish. It was meant for Lia, his children, and even his sister, each word laced with the sorrow that had consumed him. “I can’t do this anymore,” he whispered, the confession barely escaping his lips.

As he stood there, memories of Bangchan flooded his mind, bright and vibrant against the dark backdrop of his despair. “Was it all a lie?” he questioned, choking on his emotions. Their laughter, their shared dreams—was it all just a figment of his imagination, or had it been real?

Suddenly, in the depths of his sorrow, he imagined Bangchan standing beside him, a soft smile on his face. “Seungmin, don’t do this,” he could almost hear him say, the warmth of his voice wrapping around him like a comforting embrace. But the warmth faded, and reality set in.

“No, it’s just the schizophrenia again,” he thought, frustration bubbling inside him. “He’s not here. He’s gone.” The realization hit him like a wave crashing against the shore, washing away the illusions that had kept him tethered to hope.

His breath quickened as panic surged within him. “I can’t stay here,” he muttered to himself, the weight of loneliness suffocating. And yet, standing at the edge of the same bridge where Bangchan had taken his last breath felt oddly poetic. Maybe this was where they were meant to be together again, in some twisted sense of fate.

He closed his eyes, allowing the memories of Bangchan to wash over him one last time. Their shared laughter, the warmth of their embraces, the dreams they had painted together—each one felt like a dagger to his heart now. “I’m coming to you, Bangchan,” he whispered, the words laced with both longing and despair.

With his heart pounding in his chest, Seungmin took a deep breath, the cool air filling his lungs. He glanced back one last time, as if expecting Bangchan to be there, but he was alone.

“I’m sorry,” he murmured, clutching the letter tightly. With a final surge of determination, he stepped forward. The world around him blurred as he jumped, the ground rushing up to meet him.

In that split second, he felt free. Free from the pain, the lies, and the betrayal that had suffocated him for too long. But as he fell, a sudden realization struck him like lightning—“What if it was all a lie?”

What if, in his desperation to escape, he was overlooking the truth? That perhaps Bangchan had loved him deeply, and this was not the answer he sought? The realization flickered in his mind, but it was too late.

The water below beckoned him, a dark abyss promising relief from his suffering. And with that thought, he let go, plunging into the depths below, his heart heavy with the weight of regret and the haunting memory of the love he had lost.

As the water enveloped him, the darkness closed in, and in his final moments, he hoped, against all odds, that he would find Bangchan waiting for him on the other side...