In Dreams | Jayhoon

Page 39

It had been 4 hours; time had drained the both. They sat on the metal bench for 4 hours, waiting, anticipating. Their passing glimmer of hope was slowly slipping away as the clock ticked.

The tempered-glass door slid open as a surgeon walked out, holding a file in her hands. Both of the guys stood up, running up to her. "What happened? Did it go well?" Sunghoon asked, fear mounting his trembling voice. The doctor stared at the floor in silence. "What—explain, please. It went well, right?" Sunghoon questioned, eyes welling up with tears again.

"We...we couldn't save him. I'm sorry," she spoke, voice almost a tremble of mutter. Sunghoon's heart dropped, and he grabbed the surgeon's shoulder, hot tears streaming down his face. "No! No—that can't be. There has to be an error—right—I don't believe it. Please tell me you're lying! Please!" He yelled, shaking her shoulders. Jay covered his eyes with his elbows, turning away to sob softly.

"YOU'RE LYING! TELL ME THE TRUTH!" Sunghoon yelled, breaking into sobs again as he cried, voice shaking. The surgeon bowed slowly, regret and guilt filling her gaze. "I'm... we're sorry. We tried our best..." she mumbled, bowing a few more times before trudging away.

Sunghoon sat on the marble floor, hiding his face between his knees. He cried out loud, cried till his heart no longer rested, cried until his eyes went numb, and cried until he could no longer feel his body.

☆

The funeral was held on the same day, guests and workers from the company visiting to pay their condolences. There were wreaths decorated outside the funeral hall—about 150 in total. The cemetery hall was filled with people, especially attending Mr. Park's funeral since he was an influential person.

Sunghoon sat in the corner, away from the others' sight. He didn't bother greeting anyone—he could barely make out a face anyway. Everyone in the hall was either a business partner or an employee from another company or theirs. Jay didn't leave the older the entire time, sticking close to him just in case something happens. He could make out a few people he knew from the crowd. At one point, he even caught Jungwon standing beside Heeseung, talking about something. He saw Yeonjun pay his condolences before disappearing into the dread of the crowd.

A few hours later, everyone had pretty much left. There were still some people in the hall, conversing amongst themselves. Jay paid them no mind, his gaze solely focused on the boy beside him, who was devoid of any emotion; he was silent. These past few hours, he sat quietly, staring at the floor beneath him. Jay leaned his head against the wall, closing his eyes. For a minute, he stayed in that position, mind engrossed with the recurring events today.

He slightly flinched at the slip of fingers grazing against his. He opened his eyes, turning to face Sunghoon, who sat still. He could feel the other's touch, gently lifting his fingers and intertwining them. Jay ignored the fluttering in his stomach and pressed his lips together.

"You... alright?" He asked, but the question itself was stupid. Sunghoon obviously didn't look anywhere near alright. He looked empty. Jay was an empath. When it came to comforting others, he always ended up being either out of pocket  or very awkward. That's why he had always persisted in never being in a relationship.

Sunghoon hummed lightly, grazing Jay's knuckles with his thumb. "I should visit him the last time," he said,  looking up. Jay could see the dried tears burnt under his eyes, nose red from crying and eyes consisting of nothing but vacancy. "Hyung,it's raining outside. Are  you sure you want to visit him in this weather?" Jay asked, throwing a glance towards the dark
sky outside. Sunghoon hummed, lifting himself off the floor, hands still holding onto Jay's. His grip eventually slipped away when he entered the graveyard, ignoring the cold wind breezing past him, sending shivers down his spine.