THE SPECTRE

•15

Following a short trip, they arrived at the hospital, and Taeyong was promptly taken to the ICU.

Taeyong didn't favor this room; he wished for a regular one, away from the clinical atmosphere of intensive care. After thorough checkups, the doctor administered additional medications. Exhausted by the ongoing struggle, Taeyong yearned for a respite.

As the doctor departed, Taeyong watched through the window as they conversed with his parents. His mother wept, finding solace in his father's comforting presence.

Adorned in appropriate attire, his parents entered the ICU, standing by his bedside with apprehensive expressions that mirrored the severity of the situation.

The question hung in the air as Taeyong pleaded for answers, but his parents stood there, tears streaming down their faces.

"Mom, dad, please tell me what is it," Taeyong implored.

"The doctor told us that you will not live any longer," his mother finally managed to say.

"How long?" Taeyong asked, trying to grasp the weight of the situation.

There was a momentary pause before his father responded, "Not exceeding seven days."

Taeyong's world seemed to shatter. His mind went numb, his chest constricted, making it difficult to breathe. Facing imminent death felt overwhelming.

Witnessing his parents' anguish hurt him deeply. They wanted him to live, but fate had already charted a different course.

"It's coming. I'm about to meet death face to face," Taeyong thought, his heart heavy with the impending finality.

Seeing his parents blaming themselves pained him even more. "I'm sorry, Taeyong. We tried our best to keep you alive," his mom said, her voice quivering.

"Please forgive us, son. We didn't save you," his dad added, his voice filled with remorse.

Taeyong couldn't bear to hear them blame themselves. "No, please don't say that," he pleaded.

As tears rolled down his cheeks, Taeyong grappled with his own emotions, feeling the weight of his limited time with his loved ones.

"Don't apologize, it's not your fault. I know you've done everything you can to save me, and I really appreciate that. But I'm destined to be like this, and we can't do anything about that. Even if you didn't send me to this hospital or spend too much money, it's okay. I'd rather pass away at home, surrounded by you, Dad, Mom, and Yuta, as darkness embraces me. Please don't blame yourselves for my death because it's not your fault at all," Taeyong assured them.

Moved to tears, they enveloped Taeyong in a tight embrace.

"Thank you, Mom, Dad," he said, feeling their warmth.

"You two are the best, please remember that," he added.

"We love you too," they replied in unison, their emotions palpable.

After they released their embrace, Taeyong smiled at them, his gratitude evident.

"Can I make a request?" Taeyong asked.

"Anything," they replied.

"I don't want to stay in this room. Please move me to a normal room so Yuta and my friends can also visit me," he requested.

"We'll ask the hospital to do that," his dad promised.

"For now, please rest, okay?" his mom added.

"Thank you both so much," Taeyong replied gratefully.

With that, his parents left the room, leaving Taeyong to contemplate the precious time he had left with his loved ones.

After a long walk, Ten finally arrived at the hospital. He headed straight to the ICU, expecting to find Taeyong there. As anticipated, Taeyong was lying in the bed.

"Hey, what's up?" Ten greeted as he stood beside him.

Taeyong turned his head to look at him. "Where have you been?" he asked.

"I froze earlier and didn't notice that the car left already, so I walked to get here," Ten explained.

"Really?" Taeyong questioned.

"Yes," Ten replied briefly. "By the way, it seems like you were shocked earlier when you saw me. Can I know why?" he inquired.

"It happened again, but this time it's worse," Taeyong responded.

"What?" Ten asked, puzzled.

"The one I've been telling you about. I saw you earlier when Dad was carrying me. I saw you fading badly, almost disappearing," Taeyong explained.

"Really?" Ten questioned.

"Yes, Ten, believe me, I'm not joking," Taeyong assured.

"I believe you. I'm just confused about why it's happening," Ten admitted. "We need to figure it out soon. I want to help you, but I only have a few days left," Taeyong said.

There was a moment of silence before Ten asked, "What did they say?"

"I have less than a week," Taeyong replied.

"Are they sure about that?" Ten asked in disbelief.

"You know, even though they didn't say that, I can feel it. I know I will not survive for more weeks," Taeyong said with a heavy heart.

"It's like Ten's heart broke into pieces. He knows Taeyong will not live for much longer, but there's still a part of him that believes Taeyong will somehow escape his current situation. However, it would take a miracle.

"What should we do now?" Ten asked.

"I just want to help you now, but I don't know how," Taeyong said.

"Oh please, Taeyong, you know you've helped me so much already, and that's enough," Ten replied.

"But you still don't know your real identity," Taeyong pointed out.

"Come to think of it, we've been looking for answers so that I would know my real identity, but look, we found nothing. What if I don't really need to know my real identity? What if I'm a ghost who's still here in this world just to be with a boy named Lee Taeyong, right? Besides, because of you, I'm not alone and lonely, and for me, that's more than enough," Ten explained.

"I'm very happy that I can see you and talk to you even though you're just a spirit, Ten. Yes, I have the bosses and Yuta as my brothers, but I'm thankful that I also have you. Even though it's weird that there's a spirit that I treat as my own brother, I'm still very glad. Thank you for all," Taeyong replied.

"If only I can touch you, I also want to give you a hug," he added.

They both laughed, but the laughter stopped when they heard the door open, and the nurses entered the room. They assisted Taeyong to his wheelchair and transferred him to his regular private room, as requested by Taeyong.

Mr. and Mrs. Lee, and even Yuta, entered the room. They helped Taeyong with his food and medicines, also assisting him in changing his clothes.

As night fell, the family needed to rest. Yuta's aunt picked him up, and they went home, while Mr. and Mrs. Lee stayed at the hospital for Taeyong.

Once everyone had fallen asleep, Ten went outside the hospital and walked to the riverside park, just less than a 5-minute walk away. He sat down on the same bench.

The night was peaceful, with the rustling of leaves in the wind and the small sounds of crickets. It felt like the stars and the moon were taking away the pain. Ten loved this place, and if Taeyong was right about him disappearing, he wanted to disappear here, the place where he first came from.