𝙴𝚚𝚞𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚜 4 𝙻𝚘𝚟𝚎 | HAOBIN AU

𝙲𝚑𝚊𝚙𝚝𝚎𝚛 31

Hanbin stood on the rooftop of the school, the wind tousling his hair as he gazed out over the sprawling city below. The sun hung low in the sky, casting a golden hue across the buildings, but all he could feel was an overwhelming heaviness in his chest. It had been days since Hao’s funeral, and the ache of his absence felt like a weight he could no longer bear.

He had barely been attending classes, choosing instead to spend his time alone in his room or wandering aimlessly through the streets. Smoking had become a crutch, a way to escape the painful reality of his life without Hao. The alcohol dulled his senses, but it also left him feeling emptier, as if each sip was taking him further away from who he once was.

As he stood on the edge of the rooftop, he felt a sense of disconnection from everything around him. The laughter of students below felt distant, a world away from the pain that consumed him. Hanbin had always been the one to push through challenges, to strive for excellence, but without Hao, he felt lost, directionless.

His legs seemed to move of their own accord, inching closer to the ledge. He looked down, the ground seeming to call to him with an eerie stillness. The thought of jumping crossed his mind, a way to escape the torment of grief that suffocated him. He felt like a ghost, haunting the halls of a school that felt foreign without his best friend by his side.

In that moment of despair, a flash of memory flickered through his mind—the sound of Hao’s laughter, the warmth of their friendship, and the promise of brighter days. But the weight of loss was too heavy, and Hanbin felt himself teetering on the edge, teetering between the desire to end the pain and the faint glimmer of hope that perhaps things could get better.

Just then, he heard the door to the rooftop creak open behind him. He turned, startled to see Matthew standing there, his expression a mixture of concern and determination. “Hanbin!” Matthew called out, rushing forward. “What are you doing up here?”

Hanbin didn’t respond, his heart racing as he felt the urge to step closer to the ledge. “You shouldn’t be up here,” Matthew continued, taking another step forward. “Please, just step back.”

“Why do you care?” Hanbin snapped, frustration boiling over. “It’s not like it matters anymore.”

“Of course it matters!” Matthew’s voice broke, desperation lacing his words. “You matter! Hao would never want you to feel this way. He cared about you so much, Hanbin.”

The mention of Hao’s name struck a chord deep within Hanbin, and for a moment, he hesitated, his heart aching with conflicting emotions. “You don’t understand,” he whispered, tears threatening to spill. “I don’t know how to do this without him.”

Matthew stepped closer, his eyes pleading. “I know it’s hard. I feel it too. But giving up isn’t the answer. We need to keep fighting for him. He wouldn’t want you to give in to this pain.”

Hanbin’s resolve wavered as he looked into Matthew’s eyes. There was genuine concern, a deep-seated love that pulled him back from the brink. “I… I don’t know if I can,” he admitted, his voice trembling.

“Then let us help you,” Matthew said, extending a hand. “We’re all hurting, but we can face it together. You don’t have to go through this alone.”

With a shaky breath, Hanbin stepped back from the ledge, his heart pounding in his chest. He took a moment to collect himself, realizing just how close he had come to making a decision he could never take back. Matthew’s unwavering support felt like a lifeline, something to hold on to in the midst of the storm.

“I’m so tired,” Hanbin finally confessed, the tears streaming down his face. “I just miss him so much.”

“I know,” Matthew replied, pulling Hanbin into a tight embrace. “We all do. But we’ll get through this together. We can honor his memory by living our lives the way he would have wanted us to.”

Hanbin clung to Matthew, allowing the warmth of their friendship to seep into his heart. In that moment, he felt a flicker of hope ignite within him, a small reminder that he didn’t have to face his grief alone. There was still love to be found, even in the depths of sorrow, and perhaps, just perhaps, there was still a way forward.

Right?