Tranquility

Gone

Mingyu POV

I never got to take Jihoon up on his offer. The one where he said he would visit my mother with me in the hospital.

It was 3:42, early morning when I received a call from the hospital letting me know that my mother had passed away. She was gone. I didn't even get to say goodbye properly.

I wasn't the only one who had been called about the devastating news. I figured that out when my cousin Wonwoo came barging through my bedroom door.

I was curled up in a ball on my bed. Tears had been flowing down my cheeks for hours now. I'm glad it was only Wonwoo because I didn't move an inch when I heard my front door being slammed open. I was more focused on the aching pain in my chest.

Without a word, Wonwoo carefully laid down on my bed and pulled me into his chest. I gripped the front of his shirt in my fists and continued to sob loudly.

"I called Seokmin," he whispered. "He's on the way."

"Thank you," I sniffled.

I was grateful the hospital had called someone besides just me. I didn't have to talk about what I was told. Wonwoo was emotionally stronger than me. He could explain the situation without completely falling apart.

Apart from Seokmin, Wonwoo knew me the best. Since his parents were always traveling for work my mom basically raised us both. Wonwoo was more her first kid than I was. Not that I minded at all, I enjoyed having an older brother around.

Less than 30 minutes later Seokmin was the one barging through my door. It was funny how alike the two were despite their differing personalities.

"Gyu. Wonu. I'm so so sorry," Seokie said as he entered the room. He was crying about as much as me from the look of it.

Wonwoo removed one arm from around me to signal Seokie to come over. He curled up next to me, and Wonwoo managed to wrap his arms around the both of us.

It was like we were all kids again. Wonwoo taking care of me and Seokie. Although Wonwoo lives a little ways away now, and Seokie and I haven't seen him in a while, it felt like we had never been apart.

We stayed like that, Wonwoo holding us, until our hungry stomachs forced us to get out of bed. We made our way into the kitchen to make some sandwiches to eat.

"I didn't even get to say goodbye," I mumbled as I sat down, fresh tears running down my cheeks.

I felt Seokie wrap his arms around me from behind before resting his head on my shoulder.

He sniffled, "I know Gyu. I'm sorry."

Wonwoo smiled sadly at us from behind the counter as he continued to make us some sandwiches.

"How about we eat, then watch a movie? Sound good?" Wonwoo questioned. Seokie and I both nodded.

When Wonwoo was finished we all made our way to the table to eat. It stayed silent, but none of us minded. We were all hurting.

After getting some food in our systems we headed to the couch, and Wonwoo put on a random movie for us to watch. Seokie and I sat on either side of Wonwoo, our heads resting on his shoulders, and a giant blanket resting over the three of us.

~ ~ ~

I awoke to the sound of my ringtone blasting from the other room. I looked over to see Wonwoo and Seokie cuddling; holding onto each other for dear life. Some things never change. Whenever Seokie would stay with us he would always end up crawling in bed with Wonwoo. I never really asked why. Maybe he liked having an "older brother" around just as much as me.

I carefully removed Wonwoo's long legs from on top of mine and made my way to my bedroom. When I got there I saw that I had a missed call from Jisoo. I unlocked my phone and pressed the call button to see what he needed.

A couple of seconds later I heard a soft voice say, "Hello?"

"Hey Jisoo, what's up?"

"I was wondering if you know where Seokmin is. We were supposed to meet up for lunch, but he never showed up. I'm worried."

I glanced at my alarm clock to see that it was already 2:30 in the afternoon. We had slept for longer than I thought.

"Yeah, he's with me. Uhm.." I tried to continue without erupting into tears," My mom passed away early this morning, and he stopped by after Wonwoo called him. We fell asleep watching a movie earlier. I'm sorry," I finished, glad that I was able to contain my sadness long enough to explain.

"Oh my gosh, Mingyu! I'm so sorry. It's no problem, you needed him. I completely understand," Jisoo replied with a hint of sorrow in his voice. He paused before continuing, "Is he okay?"

I sighed, "He's as okay as he can be. We ate, watched a movie, and then fell asleep. I actually just woke up when you called."

Jisoo mimicked me with his own sigh. "Is it okay if I come over?" he asked cautiously, probably not wanting to invade our personal space.

"Of course Jisoo. Seokie probably needs you just as much as I need him right now."

"Thank you Mingyu. I'll see you in a little bit."

"See you," I replied before we both hung up. I felt like shit. I decided that before Jisoo got here I would shower, so I did just that. I showered, brushed my teeth, and put on a new pair of clean clothes. Just by looking at me, it was hard to tell anything bad had happened, but I knew better.

I walked back out into the living room to find Wonwoo awake. He was still lying with his back against the couch and Seokie facing his chest in front of him, but he was watching another movie now.

We made eye contact before he asked, "Are you alright Gyu?"

I looked at him and smiled softly before answering, "Yeah. Thanks to you and Seokie. When I was showering I remembered Mom telling me that she was ready to leave this world. Like I told Seokie that same day, it helps knowing she is happier now than she was here when she was in pain."

Wonwoo smiled back at me. "You're stronger than you know Mingyu-ah."

I smiled again, this time wider than the first. I sat down on the couch where I had woken up and watched the movie in silence until Jisoo got there.

When I heard the knock I quickly explained to Wonwoo that it was Jisoo before heading over to open the door.

Jisoo immediately enveloped me in a hug, whispering how sorry he was. I rubbed his back and told him that I would be okay and that he didn't need to worry too much.

We made our way back to the living room. Jisoo made his way over to Seokie and kissed his still sleeping form on the back of the head before thanking Wonwoo for taking such good care of him. Wonwoo then responded with, "Of course, anything for my little brother."

I smiled. Despite all of our differences, we were a family, and we would always take care of each other. Jisoo just as much as the other three of us who grew up together in that small house my mother eventually left behind years ago.

Although it may not seem like it right this minute, we will make it through this. We will be okay.