Taeyong watches as the second hand on the clock hits 12 before he turned to look at Jiyeon with a smile. "Merry Christmas, my love" he leans down, placing a kiss on her forehead. There was cheering outside the room, and his smile grew wider knowing the rest were celebrating. That's what Jiyeon would've wanted.
"I'll be right back" he gives her hand a light squeeze, walking out of the room. Lights filled the whole mansion. Everyone took their time in decorating the house on their own in hopes of Jiyeon waking up to it. She was definitely much better than before. All her bruises had healed over the past few months, leaving just a few scars.
Everyone's hearts still felt heavy over the loss of their child, yet they stayed happy for her sake. Again, she wouldn't want anyone being sad. Taeyong walked upto the group, wrapping his arm around Jaehyun's shoulder while he smiled at the rest.
"Are y'all sure y'all want to spend your Christmas here?" He asks to which everyone either nods or screams a 'yes'. He chuckles, shaking his head. "Hey, Taeyong" Taeyong turns around to face Doyoung that walked upto him, two glasses of wine in his hand. He holds one out towards Taeyong that thanked him and took the glass into his hand. "I'm going to just talk to Ji. Is that fine with you?" He asks. Taeyong nods, a soft smile plastering his expression. "Of course" he assures.
Doyoung walks upto Jiyeon's bed, the usual smile on his face as he placed a flower vase on the table beside her. "Merry Christmas, Ji" he sits down on the stool beside her. He lets out a sigh, looking down at his hands while he nervously fidgeted with them. "I... Don't mean to ruin your day or anything. But I want you to know this" his smile faded as he spoke.
"A couple years back. I met this girl" he clears his throat, glancing at Jiyeon before switching his gaze onto the ring on his finger. "she was the most beautiful person I had ever seen" He chuckles softly. "she happened to work at one of my favourite café's at that time too" there was a long silence when Doyoung smiled, recalling all the events.
"We bumped into each other a few times and just like that, we became close. We'd meet up for coffee and what not. By that time I definitely knew I liked her. I ended up getting drunk one night and happened to blurt it out to her and even though I forgot everything from that night, I can remember her smiling brightly after I said that. I don't know what happened after that, but from what Taeyong told me she had dropped me off at home because I was in no state to walk"
"We had gotten closer than any of us could've even imagined and about a month later we started dating. She was the best thing to ever happen to my life. Now, you better not cringe at this" he chuckles. "but we were so in love. She was my strength and I was hers and like that we stayed beside each other for two years" there was a tint of sadness in his voice.
He let out a sigh, looking down at the ring on his hands. "did I mention? She would get us loads of matching jewelry. Even the ring I've always been wearing" he purses his lips together, gulping the lump in his throat. "But fate is really cruel" letting out a bitter chuckle, he lets his head fall onto his hands.
"We found out she wasn't well and hadn't much time to live. I wanted to make her last few days here last but she was in too much pain to even get off the bed. Yet, she smiled through all that pain. I was completely useless. I wanted to go through all that pain instead of her. The time we had wasn't enough at all" he coughed, breaking into tears. "Two years back, she left for a better place, Jiyeon" he looks away, slapping a hand over his mouth to muffle his cry. "But it hurts so much"
The beating of the heart monitor echoed through his ears. "My whole life felt like a punishment when I had lost her, which to me was everything worth living. I didn't want to live in a world without her but she made me promise her that I'll be fine and that she'll continue to be by my side. And I will be fine, because I know we'll meet again. In our next life and every one after" it was quiet again. Doyoung shakes his head, wiping off the tears. "so wake up soon, Jiyeon" he looks at her. "I don't want Taeyong to go through what I am. It's the worst" he plays with the ring on his finger again.
"He smiles in front of you and us too. He laughs in front of you. He talks to you, updating you with everything you need to know. But every night, he's crying in his room and pleading for you to wake up" there was silence in the room once again. "I envied you and Taeyong, Jiyeon" he looks at her. "I watched as the two of you grew closer. It reminded me of us. And I know that's wrong of me, but I can't help but be selfish at times" he lets his head fall again. "I miss her so much"
He didn't look up or speak for a few minutes. And when he did finally look up, he noticed the tears that fell from Jiyeon's eyes. "I'm sorry..." He mumbles, reaching forward to wipe off the tears. "I didn't mean to make you cry." He leaned back again, to wipe his own tears that didn't seem to take a break. "I'm so sorry"
He couldn't seem to keep track of the time while he continued to quietly cry, his body lightly trembling. A few minutes later there was a knock on the door. Hearing it open, he quickly wiped his tears off, sitting straight on the stool while turning to look at whoever came into the room. "Doy-" Taeyong pauses in front of him, noticing his swollen eyes. "Do you want to maybe... Go grab a drink or something?" Taeyong asks, watching as Doyoung nodded and stood up. "Yes please" Taeyong wrapped his arm around Doyoung's shoulder, giving it a light squeeze.
