“so this is good-bye?” you asked, your voice traveling through the silence of the night.
the moon was high in the sky, illuminating over the two of you with stars sprinkled everywhere. woojin’s jacket was draped on your shoulder as the two of you sat side by side, staring up at the night sky.
“for now,” he replied, “until we meet again.”
“and when is that?” your voice barely above a whisper. tears were brimming your eyes threatening to fall, but you willed them to not. woojin once told you not to cry and you weren’t going to even if it hurts like hell.
“when the time is right,” he said, smiling over you. he was proud.
he was proud of the person you’ve become: a strong, intelligent human being with a compassionate heart. he’s done his part and he was content.
“i thought you would stay forever,” you admitted, vision slowly getting blurrier, “that you would always be here.”
“good-byes don’t have to be forever,” woojin reached out to pat your hair. “i’ll always be here if you need me even if i’m not physically here; i’ll always be looking after you.”
“i’ll miss you,” you whispered. something wet fell down your cheek. there goes your resolve.
“and so will i,” woojin smiled again. “and it’s okay you can cry.”
it seemed endless, your stream of tears. there was no doubt that your eyes would be swollen in the morning, but you couldn’t help it. you were losing a friend, one of the best of the best.
“would it be selfish if i asked you stay?” you finally looked over at him with a truly heartbreaking expression. it almost made him stay, almost.
“you’ve grown a lot since we first met,” his hand continued to pat your head, “there’s no reason for me to stay anymore. i’ve done all i needed to do. i have no regrets.”
“what about the others? they still need you!”
“and they have you,” he said, “to be there for them when things get rough.”
he continued, his hand dropped so that he could use both hands to lean back into the grass. his feet were sprawled out as he looked back up to the night sky, wondering where his next destination would be.
“chan likes to bury himself in work so make sure to remind him to close his eyes and drink some water. minho likes to board himself up in the practice room so tell him to take a rest here and there. changbin likes the attention he gets from his cutesy acts so don’t be afraid to shower him with love,” he took a small pause, “jisungie will probably take it the hardest, so make sure to keep talking. he’ll only get sadder if it becomes silent. hyunjin, too, he’ll probably do nothing but dance. keep an eye on those two. seungmin has a lot to take on now, so make sure you remind him here and there that he’s doing amazing.”
“jeongin…make sure that that bright smile is still on his face,” woojin said contently. “he doesn’t want to burden anyone with his emotional problems so he’ll probably bury it down. i have a feeling that if anyone can make him smile genuinely, it’s you.”
“keep doing what you’re doing. you’re already doing so well.”
“i haven’t decided yet,” woojin said. “truthfully, part of me is afraid of the unknown, but the bigger part is ready. besides, i have the support from all nine of you to back me up whenever i go.”
“what happened to nine or none?” you sniffled.
“i have a feeling that you can fit into that role really well,” woojin reached into his pocket and pulled out a familar item. his key.
“take it,” he took your hand and placed the small, handcrafted key into it. “think of it as a good-bye gift from me.”
“i thought you said that we’ll see each other again,” you rubbed your tears away with the back of your hand.
“we will,” he ruffled your hair. “hold on to that for now and give it back when we meet again.”
“there they are!” a familiar voice shouted through the night.
both you and woojin stood up and turned around to see a group of your eight lost boys. their expression reflected yours as they saw the older male who merely smiled his dimpled grin at them, waving them over.
chan was the first to run towards woojin and tackle him to the ground with jisung, hyunjin, and the rest following in suit. all eight of them dogpiled onto woojin who laughed at his current predicament.
you watched with a small smile at the scene, your hand clutching tight onto the little metal key in your hand. and then you too, jumped onto the pile. it seemed that all eight of you had the same plan to anchor the older male down so he couldn’t leave.
but there was only so much you could do to prolong his approaching departure.
once all of you rolled off, it was then that reality came to remind you of the sad good-bye waiting for all of you.
“always find us, yeah?” chan said, giving his friend a tight hug. he was the last one to wish woojin a good-bye, minus you.
“thank you, chan, for everything,” woojin replied, patting the male on the back.
no one was trying to contain their tears at this point because it was a bittersweet goodbye. woojin turned to the rest, “thank you for letting me spend my youth so beautifully. the memories that you gave me, i will never forget a single second.”
rather than feeling burdened by the key in your hand, you felt reassured as you watched boys walked together to give woojin a proper send-off. the field that you all once ran through was sprouting the same purple flowers from when you first met.
there was pang in your heart as you thought back to the happier days, where it truly felt like you were in neverland.
maybe this was a good-bye to those times as well.
suddenly, the boys all stop and turn back to you. woojin’s smile still shined through the night with no problem. his hand beckoned you over and slowly, you picked your feet from your place, running over to them.
you ran head into woojin, letting him envelop you into one last hug.
“good-bye, kim woojin. let’s meet again at the finish line.”
because it’s nine or none, right?
tangentwithtanner
titsay
2087
