"When we meet again someday, let's never say goodbye..." ~From the Korean song "Wind" by Jung Seung Hwan
x x x x x x x
There was a particular story in that hospital that many people still remembered until now. In fact, almost all people who would hear that story would become interested about it. These days, many people would say that "Forever doesn't exist". But this story had proved its legacy to those who heard it. It still proved that nothing last forever, of course.
Even so, it only proved that there's still a kind of love that exists even beyond the forces that govern one's life. The story happened about ten years ago. But up to this day, it would still have an impact to those who would hear it. This was the story of two patients of Room 2984 of the hospital's east wing.
A love story that once belonged to Yamato and Sela.
According to the story, both patients were college students. Living different lives and each were raised in two completely different worlds. Both were simple student, but each had different insights on how to live their lives. It would be impossible for them to meet, right? They were different, after all. But to tell the truth, that wasn't how it happened. In a certain twist of fate, a chance came for their paths to cross.
Sela didn't give much of a care about her life being monotonous in other people's perception. Even though her routine would consist of part-time job, school, and house, it was okay with her. It was because she knew that it won't change. It was like she was just waiting for the right time that she needed. And she was happy about that.
That is, until Yamato came to her life.
Both of them were studying at the same school. In fact, they were even classmates. But just like the usual scenario, they were unaware of each other's existence. An act of heroism was what it it took to change everything. How did that happen? In an attempt to retrieve the test paper that fell from the rooftop, Sela almost fell from there if it wasn't for Yamato pulling her up who happened to be there to unwind for a bit.
"Are you trying to kill yourself? You're still young to even think of that," Yamato rebuked to the girl.
With an annoyed expression, Sela showed the test paper she'd been trying to retrieve from the roof. "If I really had plans to kill myself, I shouldn't have bothered trying to get this test paper. And besides, I should've committed suicide a long time ago if I really wanted to disappear from the face of the earth."
It was those words that made Yamato decide to change Sela's monotonous routine of her life. Maybe it was because of the mystery that those words held for Yamato to continually approach Sela like that. He would be the one to defend her and protect her whenever someone would try to hurt her or insult her.
"Yamato, you don't have to do this. You're only putting yourself into trouble because of what you're doing just to defend me," Sela said to him once when she couldn't take it anymore.
But Yamato only smiled and then said, "I would be the one to decide whether or not I should stop following you and protecting you. But even if you push me away, I'd still think of reasons for me to stay by your side whatever happens."
Those words became the catalyst for Yamato and Sela to finally acknowledge themselves as friends. One day, Yamato invited Sela to go somewhere after her shift at her part-time job. But both of them were surprised to learn something about each other.
"You know about this place?" Sela asked Yamato in surprise when they finally reached the place.
It was a hidden location surrounded by weeping willows that had also an old but still sturdy brick bridge.
"Of course. I would always go here and rest right after our class. What about you?"
"I'd also go here. But I only do that right after my shift at work. I would let myself rest here and stare at the sky, just trying to find a reason to go on living even though it was hopeless that my fate would ever change."
Yamato looked at Sela who was, at the moment, staring at the sky. "Did you manage to find that reason?"
Sela didn't say anything. This made Yamato think that, perhaps, he might have crossed the line because of his question. But soon after, he shrugged that thought off.
"Before... I guess I could say there's none. But it was different now."
During the past few days, everything seemed to go well for both Yamato and Sela. They would regularly go to that bridge whenever they didn't have anything to do. They became closer than ever because somehow, they had each other to lean on.
But Yamato learned one day that Sela wasn't going to school anymore, and even to her part-time job. He was puzzled when he learned that. No one could even give him a proper answer that he needed. He looked all over the place for her but no Sela appeared before him.
He was about to give up when he saw her again on the bridge one day. There was one thing that Yamato immediately noticed about Sela, and it was her melancholic expression as she looked at the setting sun. His happiness soon changed to confusion and melancholy when she said goodbye and she also said that they might never see each other again. There was no clear explanation as to why Sela said that to him. She only left him there as she looked at him with a sad smile and teary eyes
But fate had a different plan for Yamato and Sela. He was able to prove it after his medical consulation at a certain hospital. He was about to leave the place when he passed by a certain room and he was surprised to see Sela in that room, unconscious and with an oxygen mask placed on her. He immediately asked a nurse passing by the area with regards to Sela's situation. That was where he discovered the truth---Sela's life already had a time limit. She already knew that for a long while now.
But even though Yamato was angry at the fact that Sela didn't tell him the truth, he already forgave her. He promised to stay beside her whatever happens. promised that they would make her remaining time worth remembering.
Eventually, Yamato told Sela one certain truth. It was possible that his life won't last long, as well, because of a cardiovascular disease he had been trying to hide all this time to almost everyone. That was where it all began once again to both of them. Everything that was happening to them in each day that passed, they would write it on their shared journal. On the upper half, Yamato would be the one to write and Sela would be on the lower half. Their writing style would sometimes interchange. For example, on the first day, Yamato would be the one to write on the upper part of the journal---meaning, he would be the first to write on it. On the next day, it would be Sela who would write on the upper half and he on the lower part. It went on like that for two months.
It also came to a point where Yamato was required to be confined in the hospital due to heart complications and he requested to stay in the room where Sela was. It was a good thing that the doctor agreed. After a month, the time that Yamato feared came---it was when Sela would finally leave him.
Sela was done writing on the journal when she finally noticed Yamato. Moments later, he approached Sela's bed and sat on the edge beside her.
"This is really getting hard for me. I still want to go to the bridge that we usually go to. Even if it's just for the last time..."
"Sela..."
"I know, I'm not allowed to do that anymore. But I really want to see that place again..." Sela continued and slowly closed her eyes, as if trying to prevent her tears from falling.
Yamato was already aware that they would both come to this point. That was why, in order not to disappoint Sela... "Sela, look at this." He took out a sketchpad from the bedside drawer and showed her an illustration. It was a watercolor painting of the bridge that they would constantly go to.
"An old painting? But why is it that... you seem to have added something here?"
Yamato nodded. "You noticed it, huh? You're right, this was an old watercolor painting. What changes did you see in this painting?"
Sela did what Yamato wanted and observed the said painting. "From what I know, there are only weeping willows that are planted on either end of the bridge. But how come in this painting, only the area of the bridge's right end have weeping willows? The flowers in this painting are all in full bloom compared to the real flowers that were on the waters beneath the bridge. That's not all. It seems like... the two people standing in the middle of the bridge were just recently placed here and drawn."
Yamato just smiled and faced Sela whose innocent eyes were looking at him, as if asking for explanation. "You're right. I only drew the weeping willows on the right side as a symbol of what I feel. You know it won't be easy for me to deal with the fact that you're going to leave me. That's why I also drew the blue flowers that looked vibrant as the weeping willow to become my symbol of you."
"Of me?"
"Yes. Blue represents hope. Whatever happens, you never lose that, Sela. Until now, I could still see that hope and strength in your eyes. I drew a man on the right side and the girl on the left who were both standing in the middle of the bridge, facing each other and both were smiling. One day, in a different time or place or maybe even in heaven, I hope we would meet each other again this way. As the sun sets today and even in the next coming days, I still wish that the hope will remain that we'll be together again whatever happens."
Though it was obvious that Sela was already suffering too much, she still forced herself to speak. "Will you stay with me... until I fall asleep?"
"Of course," Yamato replied despite having a feeling of a lump in his throat.
A few minutes later, Yamato shut his eyes tight when Sela finally rested and left him for good but he still remained by her side. He stayed with her until the doctors and nurses came.
A few weeks later, it also came to a point where Yamato's heart finally gave up. He still stayed in the same room where Sela died. He wished at the time that somehow, no one would occupy the hospital bed that Sela once used while he was still there. Their shared journal was placed beside him when he suddenly felt that there was no reason for him to stay in that world anymore.
Despite the frantic atmosphere with the doctors and nurses in that room, all Yamato did the entire time was to stare at the white ceiling. For one moment, he felt someone stayed beside him and held his hand. Along with that, it appeared that someone whispered in his ear the words, "I'll stay with you". He cried because of that. He knew the person who said those words to him.
"So you came..." Yamato whispered.
Then he recalled that he said the same words to Sela before she drifted off to sleep and finally left him. He also recalled Sela's last entry on their journal.
"I want to be with you again... someday... somewhere..."
And to think she wrote that a few minutes before he said the same thing on that same day before she died. He finally closed his eyes after that with a smile, knowing that somewhere, he would really see Sela once again just as she promised.
x x x x x x x
Definitely a sad fic, and the longest by far of the seven one-shots I've written. This was actually an old story that I've written a few years back (maybe two, three years back. I'm not really sure). I just revamped it a bit, especially the characters and voila!
This could only mean that I would definitely be writing another fic of my OTPs, depending on what OTP would I feature again.
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