Let You Go - K.HJ + S.MG (Ateez Short Story)

Chapter 7

SUNDAY

The wind blew softly, transporting the delicate scent from the fresh flowers on Hongjoong's hands to his nostrills and he breathed in, letting it wash over his mind, calming him down.

He looked up at the blue sky above him, carefully decorated with white clouds, and took another deep breath.

The chilly breeze kept blowing and tugging at his blonde locks while the rays of sunlight warmed up his skin. A contrasting, but delightful sensation.

Has the weather outside been this beautiful all this time? He wondered to himself, thinking of how much time he had spent stuck in his own mind, self-loathing. Nonetheless, he was glad that he already felt open to the world again after what happened yesterday.

It really was exactly what he needed, and for him to be able to come all the way here was a miracle.

He looked down, staring at the picture of the one he's loved the most in his entire life, his eyes shifting to read the engraved name and epitaph there, as he was standing in front of Mingi's grave.

And he felt something he hasn't felt ever since Mingi passed away, as much as the reality still stung, for the first time in months, today, he was finally able to look up and see the colors in the sky.

Hope.

He had found hope.

While his heart still ached, and there were still many more tears to be shed, he felt free.

"Hey, Mingi..." he smiled at his lover's portrait, as he bent down to place the flowers down for him. "It's me, Hongjoong... I brought you these, red has always suited you the best."

A lump formed in his throat, but he swallowed it down. "I'm sorry it took me forever to come see you here... It really wasn't easy for me to cope with your loss, you should know. You know how much I loved you, and I still do..." He paused, giving himself time to process and gather his own thoughts. There was just too much he wanted to say. "I came here because I wanted to apologize, above all, for not coming here to see you all this time, and for being weak, so much that I ended up hurting myself and our memories together. Thinking I could artificially recreate your essence. Of course that didn't work. It really is impossible to recreate the sweetest jerk on earth's essence, at least I've come to find that out." he snickered and chuckled to himself.

"You would be ashamed if you could've seen me then, I wasn't the strong man you used to love. But I'm here now, Mingi. And I hope you can forgive me."

A strong wind blew past him, interrupting his serious speech and messing up his hair. The blonde chuckled softly.

Mingi would totally have poked fun at him if he had seen that.

His heart squeezed as he wished he could hear Mingi's big loud laugh just one more time.

"I miss you, Min..." he trailed off, his gaze flying around as he tried his best not to cry. "I miss you so much... But I want you to know, that I'll never forget you. I'll carry you with me, in my mind, and in my heart, forever. And I'm ready to move on, I won't waste any more time, I'll enjoy the days I have left on earth for both me and you."

As Hongjoong finished the main part of his speech, what he really needed to tell Mingi more than anything, he felt himself relax more and more, as he started now to talk about all and give him an update of all his past life events ever since Mingi had left his side.

Hongjoong had completely lost track of time in his conversation with Mingi in the quiet graveyard, when he suddenly shivered from the chilly wind. The sun had already fully set. As he used his both hands to rub his arms in an attempt to warm up his body, he looked up and saw stars already peeking through sky, even though it wasn't completely dark yet.