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The boy was sitting on a bench in the hospital courtyard, resting his head on the shoulder of the boy beside him. The cool spring breeze gently passed through his hair, caressing his face. The petals from the trees around them slowly fell one by one, dancing in the air for a few moments before landing on the ground.
It was as if even they wanted to remind him that this was the last spring of his life.
Feeling a familiar warmth on his face, he smiled softly. The same smile that made Sanghyun stare at his face for several minutes without realizing it, as if he wanted to memorize every single detail of him forever.
—Sanghyun.
The young man looked at him with a gentle smile.
—Yes, hyung?
Anxin stayed silent for a few moments before looking down at the petals scattered on the ground.
—Do you remember the first day we met?
Sanghyun answered without hesitation.
—How could I ever forget?
°•Flash Back•°
He walked aimlessly, letting the sound of his favorite music fill his thoughts. His bangs fell over his face, hiding his cat-like eyes.
He was so lost in his own world that he didn’t notice the stone in front of him.
In an instant, he lost his balance and his body fell forward.
He expected the cold ground to ruin his good day, but before that could happen, an arm wrapped around his waist.
The boy standing in front of him was about a head taller than him and caught him before he could fall.
But apparently, things weren’t meant to end that easily.
The coffee in Anxin’s hand spilled onto the boy’s expensive coat.
His face immediately heated up from embarrassment. He quickly stepped back and looked worriedly at the stain on the boy’s clothes.
—Ah... I’m really sorry. Your clothes got ruined because of me... Thank you for catching me. If you want, I’ll pay for the dry cleaning.
The boy glanced at his coat, then looked back at Anxin. A faint smile appeared on his lips.
—You can make it up to me in another way.
Anxin raised his eyebrows in confusion.
—Excuse me?
—Instead of paying for the dry cleaning... give me your number.
A quiet murmur spread among the students around them.
No one could believe that the son of the Chong family asked for the other boy’s number instead of demanding twice the cost of his ruined coat.
Anxin could only stare at him in confusion.
Sanghyun smiled.
—Forget it, little cat. It’s obvious you can’t afford it, so just repay me with your number.
Anxin muttered under his breath:
—What an arrogant person...
Then he walked past him.
Sanghyun, surprised by his reaction, quickly followed after him.
—Hey! I helped you not fall, then you spilled coffee on me and now you’re just leaving?
Anxin, who no longer had the patience to argue with a spoiled guy, took a piece of paper from his bag, wrote his number, and placed it against Sanghyun’s chest.
—I think I can leave now, right?
And before he could hear an answer, he walked away.
Sanghyun stood there, watching him leave.
Anxin never thought that the next day, he would receive a message from the same boy he had only met for a few minutes.
“Hey, little cat. What are you doing?”
The first thing he did was warn Sanghyun never to call him “little cat” again.
But strangely, after that, it felt like their paths kept crossing every day. Whether at the university or outside of it.
And without realizing it, those two people became an inseparable part of each other’s lives.
°•End Flash Back•°
As they returned to their memories, a quiet silence settled between them.
Memories that took them back to the days when Anxin wasn’t afraid of the future every moment, and Sanghyun hadn’t yet made his entire world revolve around Anxin’s smile.
—Hyung.
Anxin lifted his head, and Sanghyun looked at him.
—Why did you suddenly ask that?
Anxin slowly stood up and stepped closer to him. Their foreheads gently touched.
—Because... both you and I know that I don’t have much time left.
He closed his eyes and stayed silent because he knew that if he said even one more word, the emotions he had hidden for so long would no longer let him continue.
Anxin still kept his eyes closed.
Sanghyun could only look at him, at the person who had spent all this time trying to stay strong, but now even breathing seemed difficult.
Neither of them said anything.
Until Anxin’s quiet voice broke the silence between them.
The young man looked at him.
—I can’t even imagine a day when you’re beside someone else. Just thinking about it makes my heart hurt.
Sanghyun’s eyes trembled.
He wanted to say something, but he couldn’t find any words.
Anxin continued:
—It’s strange, isn’t it? That the person who is leaving is still worried about the one who has to stay.
A gentle breeze passed by them.
—But I don’t want you to stop your entire life after I’m gone.
He looked away from Sanghyun.
—I don’t want you to spend every day thinking about something that can never come back.
Sanghyun’s voice was quiet but broken.
—Hyung...
Anxin looked at him again.
—Please continue living your normal life. Laugh... be happy... find someone who can stay by your side.
He paused for a few seconds.
—Even if that person isn’t me.
Sanghyun’s expression fell.
—Stop...
His voice trembled.
—Hyung, please... don’t continue.
But Anxin only looked at him, a gaze that seemed to hold a thousand goodbyes.
—Promise me, Sanghyun.
Sanghyun lowered his head. He couldn’t promise.
Because some people are not just one person. They are every memory you’ve made and every future you imagined for yourself.
Anxin raised his hand and gently touched his cheek.
—Xiaozhu...
The other boy couldn’t say anything anymore.
He simply pulled him into his arms.
Tighter than ever before.
As if he wanted to force time itself to wait just a little longer.
And among all the words they had left unsaid, their lips met one last time.
Not like the beginning of a new love...
But like a goodbye to something neither of them wanted to end.
After a few moments, Sanghyun gently helped Anxin back to his room and sat beside the older boy, who was lying on the bed.
Anxin softly whispered:
—Can you do something for me?
—What?
A small smile appeared on Anxin’s face.
—Play my favorite song.
Without saying anything, Sanghyun picked up his phone and played the song.
The quiet melody filled the room, and for a moment, all the memories the two boys had created together over the years passed before his eyes, reminding him that he would no longer be able to look into those marble-like eyes or hold him gently in his arms.
Then he lay down beside Anxin and held his hand.
For a few moments, they only stared at the ceiling, as if both of them wanted to make this moment last forever.
—Hyung, you know... I’ve never regretted meeting you.
Sanghyun smiled sadly.
—I’ve never regretted falling in love with you.
—Hyung, if there is another life...
Sanghyun held his hand tighter and continued:
—Please be mine in that life too. No matter what life you’re in, I’ll find you.
Anxin smiled.
The same smile that had made Sanghyun unable to look away from him on the first day they met.
—I love you...
His voice became quieter, softer, until eventually, while the same song continued playing in the room, a peaceful silence settled between them.
Sanghyun was still holding Anxin’s cold hand because he still didn’t want to believe that he had lost the most important person in his life...
And he never knew that the song playing in that room was the same song that had been playing in the background of their lives on the day they first met...
And now, it silently accompanied their ending as well.
The End.