“Bye!” You waved and walked in opposite direction of your classmates who were going clubbing. Today, if you ignore the fact that it’s now midnight, is your graduation day. Next year you’re going to enter university. You’ve always dreamt of graduating and ripping of that stupid title ‘high school student’, but right now, you feel lost. You feel that you’re no longer a child.

You went to karaoke with your classmates and exhausted, you reach a bus stop. You drew your mobile phone from your pocket and unlocked the screen. “One new message.” It says. You clicked the notification box to view it.

[Your brother is dying. Go to the hospital nearest to your home. Hurry. – Yongguk]

Your body quivered at the blunt words and you almost fell onto your knees. ‘What?’ you said to yourself. Without a second thought, you ran towards the hospital the older male mentioned. The hospital wasn’t far, but you felt like the road was elongating as you ran. It felt endless, hopeless. Without bothering to catch your breath, you continued running.

You reached the hospital and saw Yongguk, who was standing at the entrance, waiting for you, impatiently stomping his feet. He immediately grabbed your arm and pulled you into a sprint towards Himchan’s room, only to see his face and body covered with a thin, white cloth.

“W-WHY! WHY IS HE… WHAT HAPPENED. TELL ME WHAT HAPPENED.” You screamed and tugged on Yongguk’s collar. A stream of tears flowed on your cheek, red from the run. You hit him on his chest a several times with your tired fist then buried your head into it. He hugged you back, “Himyeon, d-don’t cry. Himchan spent his lifetime making you smile…” He said, sniffed his nose and started to cry. His warm tears dropped and dampened your hair. For the first time in your life, you saw him cry. “He… He got hit by a drunk driver when he was going b-back home… after your g-graduation ceremony. F-fortunately, the driver… was caught.” He said between his sobs. Your head was still buried in his broad chest and you’re still wailing. He rested his chin on your head and patted on your shoulders.

You are an orphan and your name is Kim Himyeon and your brother, Himchan, was the only person blood-related to you whom you knew. He loved and cared for you more than anybody else in this universe – you were his everything. You’re 3 years younger than him and until this morning, he refused to tell you why the two of you ended up in an orphanage - he decided to keep the truth to himself, so that you wouldn’t be hurt. Yongguk was his best friend whom you two knew from the orphanage. To be exact, the three of you were like a family rather than friends alone. Himchan and Yongguk were like real brothers: they support each other, fight, laugh, play, fool around with each other. You see him as your second brother, and loved him as much as you loved your real brother. In others’ eyes, he may seem independent, tough and rude, but to you and your brother, he’s funny, silly and caring.

“He told me to… take care of you… and… and make you smile.” Yongguk stuttered as he said after loosening one arm and wipe away his tears with his hands. You nodded, still crying in silence in his arms. Yongguk’s heart broke when he felt his t-shirt more and more dampened by your tears, “Babo, stop crying.” He patted your head gently, “you should go home. I’ll take care of this.” He held your shoulders and pushed you away from him, only to reveal your swollen face. Wiping the tears on your cheek with his thumb, he forced a smile, “I’m here. Don’t cry.”

---

You went back home and immediately crawled onto Himchan’s bed, curling under Himchan’s blanket, unable to control your feelings. You tried to go to sleep but every time you closed your eyes, flashbacks of the happy times you shared with Himchan leapt in front of you like a movie.

“Himyeon!” He shouted as he waved to you at your school gate. He smiled so brightly and beautifully, and you quickly ran into his arms.

“You don’t have to work today?” You asked after releasing yourself from his hug.

“Yep! And since today is my little princess’ birthday, I’m going to take you somewhere with Yongguk.”

“Where?” You asked enthusiastically.

“It’s a secret, haha. Hurry up, follow me!” After talking on the phone with Yongguk, he led you onto a bus.

“Hey!” Yongguk waved to the two of you from his seat with a dazzling smile on his face. Himchan and you sat on the seat in front of him. Soon, you fell asleep on Himchan’s shoulder.

You woke up to find yourself at the beach. As soon as the trio got off the bus, Himchan grabbed your legs, Yongguk grabbed your arms, and they hovered you above the seawater.

“1, 2, 3!” The boys dropped you into the chilling water and you screamed.

Your body couldn’t relax and the thought of Himchan – dead – stiffened every single muscle of your body. “Himchan oppa…” You whispered. The fainting scent of him surrounded you and gave you a sense of security, though you know that it wouldn’t last long. As you attempted to imagine Himchan being alive, you heard someone unlocking the door.

“Himyeon… I’m here to check if you’re okay…” a deep voice mumbled. It’s Yongguk. He the lights in the living room, put down the keys on the coffee table and walked to the door of the room you’re in. He knocked the door, “Can I co-” “Yes.” You cut him off with your husky voice, and he opened the door. The sudden penetration of light into the darkness of Himchan’s room through the door gap left you squinting your swollen, bloated eyes. You dried your tears with Himchan’s blanket and let out a sigh. He opened the door slightly further, allowing more light to enter the room, and looked at you. Even though you could only see a silhouette of his strong build, you felt comfortable and safe. His presence helped you realize that you’re not alone…

He sat by your side on the bed, patting your arms. “I… got his stuff. The bag he carried… and… ugh… I left them on the table.” You nodded. He tried to comfort you by talking to you about your graduation. He took out his camera and showed you the photos Himchan and he took for and with you. That smile. You would give up anything just to see that one smile on Himchan’s face. He kept making you laugh by telling you stupid things Himchan did with him, and those silly mistakes he made.

Suddenly, you realized that almost every happy moment you spent with your brother wasn’t only shared between you two… Yongguk was there with you too…

You looked at Yongguk’s smiling face as he went through the photos. Hidden in the eyes, you see his subtle jealousy about your relationship with your brother. Realizing your stare, he stopped and looked into your eyes. His eyes asked you what’s wrong. You remained still for a few seconds, “Thank you… for always being there for us… and… for me.” you mumbled. His lips stretched and curled into a genuine smile – not forced or faked – “You’re welcome.” He replied.

There was a silence, a comfortable silence between the two of you. You didn’t break the eye contact, you didn’t have to, you didn’t want to.

He stood up and pulled the blanket for you, then brushed your hair to the side, followed by a peck on your forehead. “Have a good sleep. Sweet dreams.”

He left the room, but you knew perfectly that it was temporary. He will always be by your side.

omg i so much at writing non-romantic stuff ;__;
i hope it wasn't too bad ._.
btw, sorry for making himchan die so soon :x

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