The End || Meanie

To Be Different

Wonwoo went under surgery on the 26th of July, a day following their return to the hospital. After Jisoo checked Mingyu's report on Wonwoo's mental health, the surgery was given a green light and followed as planned.

Wonwoo's family who had been staying at a hotel had spent the day at the hospital after sending him in with hugs and wishes for a fast recovery. His mother and father had greeted Mingyu when he walked by, but Wonwoo's younger brother refused to even look him in the eye. It was a short meeting--shaking hands, exchanging greetings--and then Mingyu had to go.

His day was filled with visits he had pushed back, and meetings that had been delayed because of him. He didn't have a single second to escape, and every moment that passed by without a word of Wonwoo's wellbeing was slowly choking Mingyu with worry. Although he was clawing for even just a glimpse of the operation room, he was swept away before even being able to turn down that hall.

By the end of the day, he was worn out in every way possible and his mind was only on the thought of leaving as quickly as possible so he could see the one who had been flooding his mind all day.

Mingyu packed his things into his bag and shoved his coat in unhesitantly. He made fast for the hospital wing that held the recovery rooms. He knew the room Wonwoo was in, having heard of it from Jeonghan.

Room 526.

Most of the lights had been turned off, the occasional wall lamp lighting the path for Mingyu to follow. He felt the hospital held an eerie feeling to it as if something he dreaded was waiting for him in the shadows enveloping the halls.

When he reached the fifth floor, he found the room easily.

Mingyu wanted to enter immediately but he found himself frozen to the spot. His arms resting by his sides, his feet rooted to the floor. There was that annoying little nudge in the back of his mind that told him he was going to regret everything he had done, and everything he was about to do.

He didn't want to listen to it, he just wanted to move forward, to open the door and to finally lay eyes on his beautiful friend. So he forced his feet to take a step forward, and his hands to reach out to open the door. It slid to the side smoothly, not a sound coming from the wheels that carried it open.

Mingyu was thankful for the little lamp that had been turned on next to his bed. Wonwoo looked as frail as ever, but his face was peaceful and it almost seemed as if he was smiling in his sleep. Mingyu wondered what he was dreaming for him to have looked so serene.

Mingyu pulled up the chair that was placed against the wall, setting it so he could sit next to Wonwoo's bed.

Cradled under his arms were traces of his family. A cheesy card that was covered in too many colours, a stuffed animal that Mingyu also used to own, and a book.

Unable to stop himself, Mingyu reached for the book, pulling it softly from under his arm. It was one of those cliché romantic novels that Wonwoo was constantly reading. Mingyu had seen Wonwoo reading them so many times before, but this particular hardcover was unfamiliar.

The title was Me Before You and Mingyu knew immediately what it was about. The book had been all the rage a while back, and Mingyu himself would have been swept into it if only he read books.

He disliked fiction, because it always seemed too good to be true and he was afraid that if he ever began to believe in those stories woven by creative minds, he would start looking for a story he knew didn't exist in the real world. He liked dreaming, because he knew that when he woke up, the dream would be over, and there was no evidence that it had ever really existed at all. While a book was read by thousands, experienced by millions, and there would always be traces of it somewhere in reality.