Kill Me Softly

Reunion

Yoonbum pushed open the door and was greeted by a nurse with lots of curly orange hair. In the corner of the room was a heart monitor and a curtain surrounding what must have been Sangwoo's bed. The nurse was very energetic and tried to engage Yoonbum in conversation. When he didn't respond, the nurse seemed to understand. He excused himself and left Yoonbum staring at the curtain, frozen in place. Breathing hard, Yoonbum walked slowly forward and pulled back the curtain with shaking hands. Sangwoo sat asleep in the bed, his eyes surrounded by dark purple circles. He looked pale, but otherwise the same as before. The curtain's rings clanked against the bar on the ceiling. This sound caused Sangwoo to stir and stretch out his arms, which Yoonbum could see were both bandaged up to the elbow. Yoonbum stood froze, not knowing what to do. Sangwoo yawned and opened one eye groggily. When he saw who was there, his eyes snapped open and he sat bolt upright. He stared unblinking at Yoonbum, like he was seeing a ghost. His eyes darted around as if to see whether he was dreaming, and came back to Yoonbum.
"You... came back?"
At these words, something broke in Yoonbum's mind. He jumped on to Sangwoo's bed and hugged him almost too tight, laughing and crying at the same time. Sangwoo hugged him back gently, his body shaking slightly. After a minute, Yoonbum released him and sat back at the foot of the bed, still grinning absurdly. Sangwoo looked at him reluctantly. Yoonbum's smile fell. He was so happy to see Sangwoo was alright after so long. He thought Sangwoo would be happy to see him too. Sangwoo placed his hand gingerly on Yoonbum's shoulders and looked seriously into his eyes.
"Yoonbum. You can't be here. You have to go and not come back. Listen to me, I'm not safe for you. It's best if you... if you just forget all about me and go live your life. Find what you want and follow it. Be happy."
Yoonbum sat gaping at Sangwoo for a moment. Then, he closed his mouth and thought to himself. Of course Sangwoo would say that, he was still trying to protect Yoonbum from himself. But Yoonbum knew what he wanted now and nothing was going to change that. His mind was made up.
"You can't get rid of me. They're going to help you here, and I'll help you too. I know you're not a bad person, Sangwoo, and I know you want the best for me. Trust me, shutting you out of my life is not what's best for me. And besides, you're what I want, so I guess I'll have to follow you."
He smiled determinedly at Sangwoo, who sighed and sat back.
"I'm not going to convince you, am I?"
Yoonbum scooted forwards and positioned himself so he was snuggled up next to Sangwoo. Sangwoo wrapped an arm around him as Yoonbum rested his head against his chest.
"Nope. Looks like you're stuck with me."
Yoonbum heard Sangwoo sigh deeply, but when he looked up at him, he looked happier than Yoonbum had ever seen him. Noticing him, Sangwoo leaned down and kissed Yoonbum on the forehead. Yoonbum's cheeks turned bright red and he felt himself grin like an idiot. Butterflies filled his stomach and he looked away at the wall.
"Good. I can't think of anyone I'd rather be stuck with."
They stayed like that until the nurse returned and told Yoonbum visiting hours were over. When he entered the room, Yoonbum had jumped up, embarrassed, but Sangwoo squeezed his hand reassuringly. The nurse seemed liked he hadn't even noticed, and continued to write in a notepad.
"They'll have me eat and then I'll go down to therapy. After that, I'll come back here. The nurse is Joon. I'm sure if you ask he'd let you come back later. We could have dinner. I have so many things I have to ask you."
Yoonbum smiled at the thought,
"Great. Sounds like a date. Hey, try your best, ok?"
He was talking about Sangwoo's therapy session. What Yoonbum wanted most was for Sangwoo to get better. He wanted a normal relationship with the man he loved, and the thought that made his heart flutter was that it actually might happen. Sangwoo seemed to understand this, and nodded seriously.
"Now that I have you again, I promise I'll do my best. I want things to be better, too, Bum."
Sangwoo knew exactly what to say. They shared a hopeful smile before Yoonbum stood and crossed the room to Joon the nurse, who was still writing. He was more than happy to oblige to Yoonbum's request, going on about how adorable young love was. Yoonbum rolled his eyes jokingly and left, feeling lighter than he ever had before. He took the bus home and waited for a few hours that seemed like years. He couldn't wait to see Sangwoo again, especially since today had gone so well. Yoonbum wanted to look nice for dinner with Sangwoo, even if it was in a hospital. He began to dig through his closet, looking for any clothes that could be considered nice. During his search, a box came crashing down from a shelf above. He jumped out of the way only to have it land on his foot. He sat on the ground, holding his foot sorely. Looking into the box, he noticed it was full of old photos and things from his childhood. There were pictures of his parents and old stuffed animals, but the thing that caught Yoonbum's eye was a photo that seemed a bit shinier than the rest. He pulled it out from in between a small treasure chest and a stuffed tiger. Upon examining it more closely, he saw it was a picture of him and Sangwoo. It was from the one time they had gone for a walk together in town to get some food. Yoonbum had seen a photo booth outside a shop and forced Sangwoo to take a picture with him. Yoonbum had never noticed before, but in the picture, both of them were smiling, but while Yoonbum was looking at the camera, Sangwoo was gazing at Yoonbum. Seeing this almost made Yoonbum cry again, but the feeling was so much different than what he had felt recently. The wall clock chimed, and Yoonbum realized he only had an hour left before he had to be at the hospital. Yoonbum glanced again at the picture and thought of Sangwoo. In a hurry, Yoonbum rushed to a nearby art store and had the picture framed and wrapped. He was just able to catch the bus, and held the package close to him, practically bursting with excitement. He knew Sangwoo would love it. When Yoonbum arrived in the lobby, he felt a wave of anxiety wash over him again. Sangwoo had mentioned he wanted to talk at dinner, so how would Yoonbum explain? Wouldn't he have to tell Sangwoo everything. Of course, he thought it was best to be honest with him, but he had tried to turn him in. If he said that, he would have to admit what he had thought of Sangwoo when they were in the house together and even before he had returned there to hide. Knowing there was no getting out of it, Yoonbum squared his shoulders and continued forwards towards Sangwoo. As he walked, he shifted the present in his hand and prepared for what he had to do next.