𝐩𝐢𝐜𝐤 𝐮𝐩 𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬. / lee haechan

epilogue.

today marked a year since nahee's passing.

donghyuck sat in front of her tomb with flowers in his hands while he lit up the pink candles he had bought a few hours ago.

he laid the roses down and sighed.

ever since nahee passed away he felt like the life she gave him was useless anyways. he didn't go to school for months, locked himself inside his room, didn't eat or wash for weeks, and he shut the whole world out.

he blamed himself for her death.

but now he was back to his original self. maybe he already had accepted that nahee would never go back to him again and spoil him with her corny pick-up lines.

"nahee, it's me."

"are you okay up there? do you still tell everyone your pick-up lines? i hope you don't, i prefer it more when you only say them to me." he chuckled.

"it's been a year and i'm still sorry, i don't deserve it nahee, i never did. but it's already here, isn't it? and the only thing i could do is thank you and live my life like you lived yours because it's your heart anyways."

tears started to fall from his eyes and he remembered the day when she gave her own heart to save him.

"do you watch me from up there? i'm sorry for being a total asshole these past months, it was just so hard to get over you and i always blamed myself. i had no one, i'm sorry."

w was true— he loved her; way before nahee even started to show affection towards him, he'd already liked her.

but eversince he knew about his illness he tried to stop his feelings because he was only hurting himself.

when he found out that nahee liked him back, he tried to shoo her away or else both of them would end up hurting each other because he was dying.

he loved her, so much, and he wished she knew.

"but now i'm happy, nahee. i've found people who accepted me for who i am like you did, people who taught me how to try again. and i wouldn't have met them if it weren't for you. mark hyung and the rest never left my side."

"nahee, you will always play a big role in my life. thank you for saving me, i will always love you, don't forget that."

and then he smiled, finally, just like how Nahee had always wanted him to smile.

fin.

if you've made it this far, i'm greatly thankful that
i have shared this simple story that i wrote to you.
i hope that it touched your heart as you turned the pages, and in the next seconds of your life, teach
you how to appreciate the presence of those who
greatly care for you. take a moment to give them
a simple smile, because that might be all it takes.