Pandora's Box

Chapter 37

"Hope gave people the will to carry on living amidst the pain and strife. The end."

Beomgyu sat up, open mouthed, tears still streaming down his face. I was tempted to laugh.

"That sucked."

I did laugh at that, standing to move to the kitchen. "You asked for that."

"I said tell me a story, not make me depressed."

I smiled at him. My boyfriend had quite the habit of letting his emotions be in control, a fact that seemed more similar to my mother, not his.

"Well, maybe next time I'll choose something happier," I shrugged, washing the dishes as Beomgyu droned on.

"Yeah right! It's all this Greek stuff. They're called tragedies for a reason, Tae." He threw a hand over his forehead and amped up the dramatics. I rolled my eyes fondly, cursing Hyunjin's influence as I scrubbed the dishes.

"Greek myths aren't just stories. They're important, they have a lot of lessons in them, and they're very relevant for everyday life."

I had said it with a passion I needed to subside. Something passed over his face, but he let it go. "Whatever. I bet Felix would tell me a sweet story, like Sleeping Beauty."

I paused, though I tried to keep it short. "I would tell you Sleeping Beauty. I know every word by heart." At my admittance, Beomgyu sat up in curiosity. "Really?"

"Yeah. It means a lot to me, so I keep it in my memory." I finished in the kitchen and began to sift through the DVDs.

"What are we watching tonight?" he asked me. It had become a nightly habit of ours. Dinner and a story, then a movie.

"You know, these habits don't provide for the healthiest or most productive of evenings," I told him. 

Beomgyu scrunched his nose, a habit I'd never thought I could love more until I loved it more every day. "Yeonjun and Soobin's influence on us has never been healthy."

I nodded in agreement. "It does beat horror nights with Jisung and Minho."

He laughed, pulling a hoodie of mine over his head. "Or depressing indies with Jeongin and Seungmin."

I laughed too, though quickly became distracted. I was looking for something very specific, but I realized its whereabouts immediately. 

"Oh my Titan, if Changbin doesn't return our copy of Hercules soon I'm gonna go full Hades on his ass."

I froze.

Beomgyu went silent. I recalled my words, and dread filled my stomach.

I had mentioned Hercules before. I had even jokingly threatened to "go Hades" in the past, knowing he would never understand the threat's true meaning.

But that phrase, that one stupid phrase left Beomgyu speechless. An occurrence so rare, I knew I had messed up.

I looked at him anxiously. He was still silent, face deep in thought. His eyebrows were in their thinking phase, and he frowned deeper than I liked. I was terrified for a minute; it was as if someone had replaced my boyfriend.

"Can I ask you something?" He spoke hesitantly, as if afraid of my answer. Whether yes or no was scarier, I couldn't tell. I nodded anyway.

"What happened to them?"

My mouth felt dry. I played ignorant. "Changbin and Felix? I mean, I think they're still together. Last I checked."

The joke had no easing effect, as Beomgyu shook his head. "Taehyun and Beomgyu. What happened after everything? "

I swallowed. I fumbled with the DVD in my hand, a copy of 50 First Dates. A cruel joke.

"What do you mean?"

Beomgyu sighed, exasperated. It was clear he wasn't giving up. I dreaded his next words, remembering how insistent our friends were on keeping things simple with his memory.

"I mean where are they now? Are they happy? Did Taehyun become a painter? Did...Beomgyu ever remember?"

He spoke the last phrase quietly. I felt sick, trying to avert my gaze from the art studio. "They're fictional, baby." I laughed, hating myself for the manipulation.

He frowned back at me. "There were way too many details in that story to be fictional. I'm not saying you didn't obviously make up the names..." his tone was still unsure, "But this has to be a real story. You know, without the magic shit."

His lack of certainty sealed our next fate. He has to remember organically, the nurse had said. You can't tell him anything.

I wouldn't. It was agonizing; it ripped me apart more and more every day, but I wouldn't.

"Beomgyu, I have so many stories crawling in my head. I can't remember which ones are from what. I'm sorry." I smiled and turned back to the DVDs. He hummed in satisfaction.

I had known it was worth it to keep going. Despite starting over, he was still alive. If I, somehow, made him fall in love with me once, I could do it again.

He'll remember eventually. The realization will pass over his face, warm and elated. We'll share the time we lost. 

He'll finally be able to choose his life. It doesn't matter what he chooses, I just hope he'll choose me to be there with him.

He collapses onto the couch behind me, speaking absentmindedly in a grumble. 

"What the fuck is 'Oh my Titan' anyway? Like what the hell does that even mean?"

I laugh, despite everything. One day, he'll know. Something will help him realize. If not today's story, another.

I believe that stories are more powerful than the gods. And if I have to be the one to prove that, I will. Even if it takes eternity, I will never give up trying.

The darkness we've endured will all mean nothing. The trials we've faced from The Fates, and our fathers, will feel like a lifetime away. The prophecy will seem small, compared to what remains for us.

I know he'll remember one day. I will cling to that hope forever. 

----

🤍🤍🤍

Wow.

I genuinely can't believe this is over. I started writing this fic in June (2022), when I was sitting in the bookstore I work at, bored asf, and suddenly decided to cast TXT members as descendants of ancient Greek gods. And now here we are.

It's crazy, but what's even fucking crazier is that anyone read this shit.

I really truly can't express how much it means to me that you guys read this. I am so so incredibly grateful for your attention and support, this fic means the world to me, and I hope it provided you with a fraction of the joy, comfort, and purpose it provided me.

That being said...I thought about doing a sequel? I don't want Beomgyu to remain memoryless ofc, and I have a rough idea of what I might do. I'm just seeing how it plays out (also the idea I have right now would be both Taegyu and Yeonbin centered, just FYI.)

So, while that's not definite right now, it's something I'm considering! This story was my first published work in this way (and you have all made it so so rewarding!) so idk if I want the very next thing to be a sequel but honestly we'll see !

I do already have other fics in the works :)) and I'm super excited about them so I'll post them when they're ready! So stay tuned

But once again, thank you for reading THIS story. Truly. Thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you !!

All the love in this world (and maybe some others),

Macy (joonsleftthumb)