summary . y/n and winter’s connection was undeniable, but when winter needed him the most, y/n's absence sealed her fate. haunted by regret and memories, he’s left to drown in sorrow, realizing too late that love unspoken is love lost.
pairing . kim minjeong (winter) x male reader
warnings . pure angst lol goodluck losers
the rain poured heavily that night, as if the sky itself was mourning.
winter sat by the window, her fingers trembling as she gripped her phone. her messages to y/n were left on read. her body felt weak, her fever burning through her skin, but she couldn’t find it in her to tell him. she thought he’d notice. he always did.
“he’ll come,” giselle whispered, placing a hand on winter’s shoulder. “he always does.”
but he didn’t.
at the bar downtown, y/n drowned himself in noise and laughter, oblivious to the texts and the missed calls. his phone vibrated on the table, but he ignored it, thinking it was just another notification.
karina, desperate, sent him a final message
“she needs you. please, y/n.”
he saw it. but by then, he felt too distant, too detached. he thought winter would be fine without him, just as she always seemed to be.
back at winter’s apartment, her breathing grew shallow, her vision blurring as the weight of everything pressed down on her. her friends surrounded her, helpless and anxious.
“where is he?” ningning muttered, pacing the room. “he said he cared, right?”
“he doesn’t know,” giselle said softly, eyes filled with worry. “she didn’t tell him.”
winter’s mind drifted to the memories they shared—the late-night walks, the playful banter, the quiet moments when words weren’t needed. she never thought she’d reach a point where she’d have to beg for his attention.
her body ached, but her heart ached more.
“y/n…” she whispered weakly, hoping he’d somehow hear her through the distance.
meanwhile, y/n laughed at another joke from leehan and wonbin, completely unaware of the storm he left behind. the alcohol numbed him, but there was a hollow feeling in his chest he couldn’t quite place.
hours passed, and when y/n finally checked his phone again, panic surged through him. his heart dropped as he read karina’s message. without a second thought, he bolted out of the bar, the rain soaking him as he sprinted to winter’s apartment.
he arrived just as the ambulance’s red lights reflected off the wet pavement.
“no... winter...”
he rushed to her side, but her eyes were already closed, her body limp as paramedics carried her away.
karina stood there, tears streaming down her face. “you should’ve been here.”
giselle’s voice trembled with anger and heartbreak. “she was waiting for you.”
ningning couldn’t even look at him. “you let her down.”
and y/n? he stood there, drenched and trembling, feeling the crushing weight of regret as he realized that the one time she needed him the most, he wasn’t there to catch her when she fell.
the hospital room was quiet, except for the faint beeping of the monitor. y/n sat by winter’s bedside, her pale hand resting in his.
winter’s eyes fluttered open, her voice barely a whisper. “you’re here now.”
“i was stupid... i thought you didn’t need me anymore.”
“i always needed you, y/n. i just... didn’t know how to say it.”
y/n pressed his forehead against her hand, breaking down completely. “please, don’t leave me.”
outside the room, karina, giselle, and ningning watched silently, their eyes filled with tears.
“he’s suffering now,” ningning mumbled.
“but it’s too late,” giselle replied.
karina shook her head. “maybe not. maybe this is what they needed to finally understand each other.”
but fate had other plans.
that night, winter’s body gave in, the fight she fought alone ending in silence.
when the doctors told y/n, he collapsed to the floor, screaming her name, wishing he could turn back time. the world blurred around him, the weight of his absence crashing down on him like the storm outside.
“i didn’t know... i didn’t know...” he repeated, voice broken and hoarse.
karina, giselle, and ningning held each other, sobbing as they watched the boy who once had winter’s heart shatter into pieces.
y/n spent the nights drowning in her voice recordings, her old texts, and the memories they shared. he visited her grave every day, begging for forgiveness, but the wind carried his words away.
he loved her. but he was too late.
and that was something he’d have to live with for the rest of his life.
“I wonder if the snow loves the trees and fields, that it kisses them so gently? And then it covers them up snug, you know, with a white quilt; and perhaps it says, "Go to sleep, darlings, till the summer comes again.”
― Lewis Carroll
