Absquatulate

Final Chapter

"Iseul?"

Taeyong called out the girl's name as he poked his head into Iseul's bedroom.

However, there was no sign of Iseul, who would normally greet him. Iseul, who would normally lie on the bed and read the comic that Taeyong had given her. Taeyong could hear Iseul's favourite song, Whalien 52, reverberating through the room's silence.

Taeyong took several steps until he was completely inside Iseul's room.

Suddenly, his nose detected a faint metallic odour. Panic gradually overtook him. Taeyong scanned the room until his gaze was drawn to the slightly open bathroom door.

"Iseul?" he called again as he moved slowly towards the bathroom located at the far end of the room.

His fingers trembled as he pushed open the whitewashed door. Please don't... His monologue stopped as soon as his eyes were presented with the sight before him.

In front of him, Iseul was partially submerged in a bathtub full of water, which had already turned red.

He wobbled and balanced himself against the wall. With pained gasps, Taeyong dragged his feet closer to Iseul, struggling to keep himself calm.

Carefully, Taeyong lifted Iseul's stiff body before sitting himself next to the bathtub with Iseul on his lap. He choked back a sob and wrapped his arms around Iseul's cold body, pulling her as close as he could.

"Aren't you cold? You told me you hate cold."

It was stupid, he knew. He knew Iseul would no longer answering him. But he asked anyway.  Taeyong shut his eyes closed, desperately hoped he was having a bad dream at the moment. 

But when he opened his eyes again, nothing changed. He was still facing the blue wall of Iseul's bathroom, Iseul's cold body stayed in his arms.

"I-Iseul," he called out. The words came out in a gasping sob.

"I-Iseul," his voice broke as he started crying harder, the sobs wracked his body, robbing it of the ability to speak- barely allowing a breath to be drawn.

I'm sorry.
Baby, I'm sorry.

Taeyong chanted the apologies inside his mind repeatedly.

He released his hold a bit, enough to look at her face. Taeyong pushed her bangs off her forehead.

Pretty.
Always pretty.

Slowly, Taeyong used one hand to cradle Iseul's face and proceeded to kiss it lightly - first her forehead, then her cheeks and finally the corners of her mouth, ignoring the cold of her skin against his.

I love you too, Park Iseul.

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After laying Iseul's body on the bed, Taeyong called for help.

Taeyong remained silent staring ahead while sitting leaning against the wall facing Iseul's bed when the health workers and the police arrived in the room, when the cries of Iseul's parents filled the room and even when Mrs. Han came to hug him. No emotion displayed on his face.  His eyes looked empty.

On that day, Iseul took half of Taeyong with her. Leaving him with a heartache no one can heal, a memory no one can steal.