DOWNPOUR → KMG

seven

Sohye took the next while off to spend all of her time with Mingyu. Her work understood, and they gave her two weeks paid leave and then told her to return to work once her situation got settled. She was grateful for her workplace for giving her the chance to spend more time with the man she loved.

She noticed, though, that Mingyu seemed to be getting worse. The cancer was spreading through his body, and no sort of treatment could stop it. She asked the doctors if they could stop treating Mingyu since he wasn't getting better, but they said without treatment, Mingyu might not make it past a month. Sohye didn't know if she should take that chance, but after seeing Mingyu have a coughing fit the other night, she decided to end the treatment. He should have some freedom.

Mingyu was kept on ventilators and oxygen tanks. On a good day, he didn't need the mask, but he still needed an oxygen flow through a tube into his nose. Most days, though, he wore the mask. He hated it, but if he wanted to keep pushing, he needed to wear the damn thing.

Most of their days consisted of quiet activities. They would watch TV together while hugging each other, or Sohye would read a book as Mingyu slept. That's all they seemed to do.

One day, the two were holding hands, and Sohye was hugging Mingyu. Mingyu was weak. He could barely keep his eyes open at times. He leaned his head onto Sohye's chest and took a small breath.

"You know, when we first started dating," Mingyu rasped. "I was gone for so long because my father was dying of lung cancer. I had to help out at home. My mom was struggling. My sister was struggling. After he passed away, I didn't think to get my own health checked. Now, I'm dying of lung cancer."

Mingyu let out a dry chuckle. Sohye dried her eyes. She didn't want to cry. She was upset. She was upset that Mingyu admitted that he was dying, and she was upset that he had repeated this story to her when he already told her about it when he first got admitted into the hospital. Sohye bit her lower lip and brushed her fingers through Mingyu's hair. She kissed his forehead, then his temple, then his cheek. Mingyu had the mask on, so she couldn't kiss his nose or his lips. She was upset about it. She sighed as she sat back up again.

"Sohye," Mingyu whispered.

Sohye looked at him. Mingyu's hand was shaking as he removed the mask from his face and pulled it down. He reached out to Sohye's cheek with his hand and brought her down. He gave her a soft kiss on the lips before letting go of her and pulling the mask on. Sohye smiled at him and gave him a hug. Mingyu hugged her back, weakly.

"I love you, Mingyu," Sohye told him.

"I love you, too, Sohye," Mingyu responded.