Withered (Michaeng) ✔️

Chapter 20: Last Candle

That night, Jeongyeon stay in the hospital taking care of Mina. He calls the doctor when he notices the girl is trembling in her sleep and also running a fever. Her symptoms shown that she's getting flu since her immune systems are suppressed. The flu comes on quickly and the symptoms are more severe than with a cold. The doctor recommends rest and shot plenty of fluids, along with antiviral medication to shorten the span of the symptoms and prevent serious complications.

He turns around when the doctors take Mina's blood for a test to evaluate a miscarriage or ectopic pregnancy, or confirm that her pregnancy is progressing healthily. After they leave, he sits on the chair staring at Mina's sleeping face. Her brows furrow as she keeps mumbling something. To him, it looks like she has a nightmare. He leans closer, his thumb caress gently Mina's brows hoping that it helps in some way.

Mina wakes up and it's 2 am, she feels thirsty as she keeps coughing. She tries to move her left hand but couldn't. She turns her head to the other side and notices Jeongyeon sitting on the chair while his head on the bed. He falls asleep while holding the latter's hand. Mina smiles softly as she stroke Jeongyeon's hair. The moments of insecurity rush through her when she again thought about telling the truth but somehow his reassurance makes her realize it doesn't really matter.

*  *  *  *

Mr Son flight back to Korea when he heard everything from his oldest son. He's worried for Chaeyoung and Mina. Never he thought that something like that will happens to them considering how close they are as a friend. This times he's going to stay a bit longer and pay more attention to his sons. Maybe it's also his fault for leaving them too long and only focus on his company.

He calls Mr Myoui and they meet at the park. It's almost sunset, they sit on each side of the long wooden bench. The scene is very familiar to them, watching kids playing in the playground. Maybe they finally can be real for the first time, and stop pretending.

"I'm sorry for Chae's wrongdoings" Mr Son breaks the silence itself that can be unnerving. A ghostly slice or emptiness can be eerie. Or perhaps the calm after a tornado surrounded by the visual display of destruction.

"Like father, like son huh?" Mr Myoui scoff under his breath but loud enough for the other to hear him. Mr Son closes his eyes in an attempt to hold his anger that building up. He doesn't want to start a fight, not at this age. They are old enough to bicker and shout at each other. But that mindset doesn't stay as long as he loses his temper when his old friend keeps digging the past.

"But it was you! You left h--" He doesn't finish his sentence when a punch lends on his left cheeks, making him stumble and spit blood from his mouth. Then that punch is the start of another and another.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.

Both of them back to their place, sitting on each side of the bench with bruises all over their face and messy hair. They don't say anything after the fistfight but staring blankly upward, the sun has gone to rest, the moon takes his place as the darkness begins to surround them.

For them, the sky is as beautiful as it is deadly, bright as your wildest dreams but dark as a nightmare. It can set them free, drunk on sky, or trap them in invisible barriers that confine and leave them heavy with desperation. Reminding them of their own fault and realization hits them that even after years, it can't be buried. It was a fault their younger self did, a stupid and arrogant them. Thinking it back, they were still a teenager, knew nothing and did the biggest mistake of their life. They were left with choice but unfortunately, they picked the wrong one.

"Aren't we too old for this" Mr son says, chuckling when he turns to his side and sees how awful his old friend looks like. Mr Myoui only nods to the statement.

"Anyway, how it goes with the searching?" Mr Son shakes his head in disappointment as an answer to the question. Mr Myoui stands and cheers his friends to not give up and keep looking even he himself assigned his men. They contact each other frequently if anyone has an update. After a few small talks, they then have dinner together and catch up with each other.

*  *  *  *

Dahyun and Tzuyu had been going around, investigating the incident of that night. For them, something is definitely off and it's not helping at all when Chaeyoung can't remember anything. They asked Mina the where bouts of the club Chaeyoung went to.

They have to drop some money and luckily the club manager let them see footage from their CCTV of that night. But it's all a waste of time when the tape the recording for that day is missing. They get so frustrated when there's no clue and lead at all although they know exactly that something suspicious. Clearly, there's someone behind it and there's sabotage going on or even worse.

But the culprit did a mistake, something out of his control. No one predicts that on the same day, there was a big party held by Tzuyu's senior inside the club. Everyone takes a picture and some take a video, capturing Chaeyoung and another guy, who both of them don't recognize.

Tzuyu asks help from his senior and gathers all the footage of that day. Although the video itself is a mess they succeed in having a clear vision at that guy. They show it to Chaeyoung and immediately he knows him and recall a few of his memories. Yeah, it's him, Mark. He tells his brother that he met him that night and went for a drink.

Tzuyu finds it very ambiguous and looks harder. It's almost midnight which leaves him alone, checking every single clip that he has, thanks to his senior. He rubs his nape as his eyes got heavier. He suddenly raises his head that set on the table, leans closer to his laptop screen and pauses it.

"Wait. Is that drug!?"

*  *  *  *

Jeongyeon bows in front of his mother grave before he sits. He stays for a long time, not saying anything but only there. It feels so cold and empty but somehow it's like a part of him. His shoulder barely sinks below the level of the ground before the sun is blotted out and he feels himself being sucked in darkness. His best friend, flattering and cool. His only favourite thing.

He stands when it's time to leave and bows again. Somehow, he doesn't cry when he visited his mother's grave, the feeling that left inside him is hatred. The only candle that alive inside him, lightening the void with its fire. That's it, nothing else.

"I'm sorry, Mom" He smiles bitterly then leaves. A grin that worth a loaded gun.

-to be continued-