11
".. uh···."
"······."
"Yeoju... did you come to see me?"
"What should I do? The heroine isn't here right now." Yoongi turned around, dismissing Seokjin's words. Seokjin grabbed Yoongi's shoulder and turned him around. "Let's go inside and talk for now." And so, the two of them went inside together.
Inside, more than half of the items were traces of the heroine. Her clothes and belongings, which had been in the tower before... everything looked familiar. Among them, the pink flower she'd placed in her ear the day she became a bride caught his eye. Yoon-gi's eyes reddened as he saw it carefully dried and stored in a container so it wouldn't be lost. Why do you still have this...?
"It's Yeoju's stuff,
Do not touch."
"······ ah."
"It's my most cherished thing. Every night
I fall asleep holding it in my hand."
"······."
Guilt surged through him like a flood. What on earth could I do to someone who truly cared for me even after all that...? Yoongi lowered his head in self-reproach, a tear trickling down his cheek.
"··· I... I'm so sorry···."
"······."
"I promised to make you happy..."
"······."
"The happiest
I was going to make it for you... "
Despite Yoongi's crying, Seokjin still stared at him expressionlessly. Then he said, "Do you love Yeoju?" Yoongi, lost in thought, finally nodded slowly.
"Then let's go."
"......"
"You said you wanted to make me happy."
To a place the heroine could never reach. The furthest. His firm voice pierced Yoongi's heart. It hurt. It hurt so much. The pain in my chest was so intense I thought I'd die.
“Of course it will be difficult at first.”
"······."
"The heroine is holding on a lot now
It's difficult. It's because of you."
"······."
"You know what kind of person Yeoju is, right?
And if you love."
"You could let her go, right?" Yoongi's eyes fluttered slightly. Yeoju had a right to be happy. And Yoongi could let her go. Seokjin, who had added that she shouldn't be selfish, turned away mercilessly. Yoongi managed to lift the corners of his trembling lips, but even that didn't last long.
"If I see you one last time..."
"······."
"··· It won't work. Yeah, I know."
Bang. Yoon-gi, barely able to move his feet, collapsed to the ground as his legs gave out. The man's mournful sobs echoed throughout the villa.
Next to the dried flower of the remaining heroine, there was only a small flower ring made of the same flower.
"Don't say anything weird."
"······."
"What does it mean to be a bride with a limited time?
"That's right. Where is that kind of fate?"
My first meeting with Yeon-ah. It was unexpectedly a hospital. And I never dreamed I'd be wearing a patient gown. Yeon-ah had accepted early on that she would become the bride of the vampire Min Yoon-gi. But she only accepted that reason.
"I'm dying."
"······."
"Soon, overnight
Pick, die."
"······."
"The lungs are rotting away.
I can't feel the pain,
"It's already half rotten."
Yeon-ah spoke with a blank expression, as if she had already given up. Yoon-ki remained silent for a moment, then approached Yeon-ah and placed a bouquet of flowers, centered on a sky-blue flower and surrounded by numerous baby's breath flowers, in her hand. Yeon-ah looked back and forth between the bouquet and the back of her hand holding the IV drip.
"Then you should be happy for a while."
"······."
"I mean my bride
I can't stand to see you die without it."
Let's be happy, Yeon-ah, together. It was an indirect consolation. Even if they met through fate, a loveless, political marriage, they still had the right to be happy. And Yoon-ki wanted to protect that. He desperately wanted Yeon-ah to be happy.
"You do what you want, and I do what I want.
"You just have to be that happy."
"······."
"How is it, aren't you attracted?"
"··· good."
Yeon-ah had no family, no friends, nothing. Yoon-ki barely managed to save her from being kicked out of the hospital due to lack of funds. In many ways, Yoon-ki and Yeon-ah were similar. They loved each other, embracing each other's pain.
Yet, I was always anxious. Because I was given a terminal diagnosis and the end was in sight, I couldn't help but love even more fiercely. Every day was precious, and we both worked tirelessly to preserve those moments as fond memories. But...
"..Yoongi. Yoongi, come to your senses.
Yoongi, cool... Yoongi."
"······."
"I can't die... I can't die without you.
How can you live? You won't see me?"
"······."
"··· Yoongi···."
Someone set fire to the tower. With the surrounding area engulfed, a pillar collapsed in the flames, heading towards Yeon-ah. Yoon-ki, who tried to protect her by throwing himself in her place, suffered a fatal head wound and lost consciousness. As time passed, Yeon-ah's lung condition worsened, and every time smoke entered her body, she felt the pain of her lungs burning.
“··· Because I was destined to die anyway.”
"······."
"You live. Be sure to get my share too.
"Take responsibility and die, hold on, Min Yoongi."
"······."
"······I love you. Yoongi."
Yeon-ah, suffering in the raging flames, lung-bursting agony, dragged Yoon-ki out of the tower. It was almost fatal. But because she loved Yoon-ki so much, she held onto her trembling mind and finally led him out of the tower.
"Gyaaak!!!"
Kwakwang. The ceiling collapsed with a loud crash, and Yeon-ah disappeared precariously into the sweltering fire. That was the end for Yeon-ah. It was Yoon-ki at the beginning, and it was Yoon-ki at the end. Tragically, after Yeon-ah's death, the firefighting team, including Jung-kook, arrived.
"··· Ugh···."
"Min Yoongi, are you awake?"
"··· jungkook jeon."
"Thank goodness. Anything that can happen is a miracle."
"Yeon-ah."
At Yoongi's question, Jungkook paused and shut his mouth tightly. It was ominous. No, it couldn't be. Could it be Yeon-ah? Yoongi rolled up the blanket covering him and asked again. "Answer me." But nothing came. Jungkook lowered his head in silence.
"··· sorry."
"······."
Yoongi laughed in disbelief, his voice hollow. "Don't lie." Jungkook couldn't do anything. Yoongi quickly picked up his phone and checked the date. Two months had already passed. There was still time left after the funeral.
"··· How can this be?"
He roughly tossed aside the IV pole, left the hospital room, and immediately ran toward the charnel house. He didn't have time to pay attention to Jeongguk's voice calling his name from behind. Blood flowed profusely from the back of his hand, having hastily removed the IV. It didn't hurt. Instead, it felt like his heart was being torn to pieces.
Arriving at the ossuary, I found the name Min Yeon-ah. Min Yeon-ah, Min Yeon-ah... I searched for dozens of minutes, but couldn't find her. Even in death, you make me miserable. Yeon-ah was in the far corner. Through the glass window, I could see a smiling photo of Yeon-ah and an urn with the words "Min Yeon-ah" written on it.
"You should have lived."
"······."
“You should have lived even if you had to kick me out...”
"······."
"Even though I was destined to die anyway,
You should have lived longer, you idiot...
Tears flowed incessantly. I was afraid of the days I would have to live without you.
"What's wrong, Kim Seokjin, are you feeling unwell?"
"..Huh? No, what did I do."
"You look dazed. Let's eat. I'm hungry."
When I got home from work, Seokjin was sitting on the floor, dazed. I tapped his shoulder and spoke to him. He seemed startled, then said nothing, got up, and headed to the kitchen. "What do you want to eat?" I said anything would be fine, and perhaps because he knew my tastes so well, he immediately opened the fridge and took out some ingredients.
As I hung my bag on the vanity chair and hung my clothes on the hanger next to the bed, a small container on top of the drawer caught my eye. It was the flowers Yoongi had given me. I stared blankly at the flowers, then a small flower ring next to them caught my eye. It was a little wilted, perhaps from being kept for a long time, but it didn't seem that old, so I examined it closely and saw that the flower on the ring matched the one in the container.
"··· That person, has he been here?"
"··· That's it, heroine."
... I sent you back for your sake. I hated Seokjin. I should've caught you. He was the one who had the courage to come apologize... I should've caught you. Seokjin froze at my words. I had to go to the tower right away. I felt like I'd go crazy if I didn't see Yoongi. I left the house with the box and ring inside and hurriedly called Jungkook. Jungkook answered my call and asked what was going on.
"Jungkook... Come now."
- ······.
"I miss you, Yoongi.
I think I'm going crazy···"
Sob sob sob!