Before I'm Gone | Stray Kids FF

Stay

Felix POV

"What?" I stared at her, wide-eyed. "What do you mean?"

"I'm leaving." She said quietly, eyes trained on the picnic blanket. "I'm going back to Canada."

"But why?" Jisung asked from beside her.

"I don't have the money to live here anymore. When I go back, I'll be able to afford school and also, I'll be living with a friend or perhaps my grandparents." She explained. "Plus, I know my mother would want me to go back sometime."

"How long have you known that you would have to move?" Hyunjin was at her side, hand on her shoulder.

"A while now." She looked up. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you guys sooner, it was just too hard."

"So why are you telling us now?" Woojin looked at her curiously. "What made you decide to do it today."

"Well..." She looked over at Haneul.

"Someone asked her out and she had to reject them." Haneul shook her head a little. "She had to explain and that brings us to now."

I looked at Minho who had an agape mouth. So that's why he dragged her away. That's gotta hurt. I thought as I turned my attention back to Areum. She was explaining that she'd be moving in a month and all. She told us that she wished she could stay, but she really could not. She asked for us to keep in contact. Of course, we all agreed that we needed to do that.

"We'll miss you." Jeongin crawled over to her and gave her a hug.

"I'll miss you guys too." She gave us another weak smile.

Me being a softie, I stood and went over to her and gave her a hug as well. "I don't want you to leave, but if you have to, then you have to." I hugged her tightly, not wanting to let go.

Soon enough, more than just Jeongin and I were in this group hug. We eventually stopped and she gave us a smile, saying her sorries again and telling us how much she would miss us.

"Hey, let's go to the cafe." Chan suggested. "It's getting late, we shouldn't stay out in the park too long." He got up, helping Haneul up in the process.

~*~

Seungmin POV

The news hit us that she was actually leaving. Valentine's had passed and we were already into the third week of February. To be honest, it broke all of us that she was leaving, but to me, I could not help but be happy for her. No, it was not because I wanted to get rid of her, but she was returning to her home. Next to that, we all knew that back in Canada, she was never bullied, not once. She would be better off there than being bullied for the rest of her life here in Korea. I wanted her to stay, but I knew it was for the best.

"Areum." I said, sitting by her.

"Thanks," She said, taking the drink I was handing to her. "Why are you treating me so much though?"

"You're leaving." I shrugged, taking a sip of my own drink. "What else can I do?"

"You're not the type to treat people though." She pointed out.

"Aish, just let me treat you for once." I nudged her. "How long are you gone for?"

"I'm not sure, Min." She sighed. "Maybe forever."

"Oh." I sighed and stirred the straw in my drink for a few moments.

We sat in silence for a while but began to talk after some time. I asked her about Canada, and what she missed most. We talked quite a bit about the most random things. Including fangirling and boying about groups. That was all we could do to distract ourselves from the fact that we would be parting ways in a short while.

"Are the others really taking this long?" She asked after a few seconds of silence.

"Apparently." I replied. "Exactly when are you leaving?"

"March, 14th." She looked up and her eyes bored into mine. "White day."

"That's so close..." A pout formed on my lips without me knowing it.

"Aw you'll actually miss me, huh?" She chuckled while watching my pout. "Don't worry, I'll support you overseas."

My eyes wandered to the window, the boys were just crossing the street, not too far away. "Will you visit?"

"Of course. Maybe not often, I don't have the money for that." She watched the door, averting her eyes when a certain person stared at her. "Let's go, they're waiting."

~*~

Minho POV

"Are you... okay?" A voice resounded in my ears. A small shake of my head earned footsteps headed towards me. Familiar footsteps that I could not recognize. "What's wrong?"

"I... don't know." My head hung low as I watched my feet tap the ground.

A hand snaked its way around my back and pulled me close to the person's body. The scent was calming and the stroking of a hand was gentle, gentle enough to put me to sleep. As I looked up to see who was holding me in their embrace.

"Areum!" My voice shook as I looked at her surprised expression.

"Did I do something wrong?" She removed her hands and stood up. "I can leave-"

"No!" Taking a deep breath, I tried to regain my composure. "No, stay. Please."

She was silent. Cautious. Instead of sitting back beside me, she let her feet wander to the bricks that kept people on the roof. Her hands glided over the bricks as she stared out into the open. My feet led me towards her and before I knew it, my chin was resting atop her shoulder and my hands were on hers.

"You scared me, you know?" The sound that came out of mouth was much less confident than I hoped.

"I... I know." Now, it was her turn to have a shaky voice. "I'm sorry."

I turned her around, hands on the ledge as I pressed forward, closing the gap between us. For a moment, time stood still. For a moment, we could see eye to eye.

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There are so many people I need to say thank you to since I haven't been online recently but I'll start by saying Thanks to TohEnChi Thank you for your support!

I am sooooo sorry I was inactive. I was busy, stressed, and had a school trip.

Guys please stay safe! Coronavirus has already reached my country, with 4 known cases, one of which are in my city, so please keep yourself safe!

See you in the next chapter!!!!