prynovel Chapter 417: Reunion - Kang Joo-Han and Goh Yoo-Joon’s story (3)
Chapter 417: Reunion - Kang Joo-Han and Goh Yoo-Joon’s story (3)
Chapter 417: Reunion - Kang Joo-Han and Goh Yoo-Joon’s story (3)
“You made it.”
Goh Yoo-Joon still thought about if it was actually possible for someone to die so suddenly. ‘Isn't that something that only happens in dramas or movies? Why did it have to be Suh Hyun-Woo?’
He struggled to hold back his tears as he saw Suh Hyun-Woo’s older sister patting his shoulder. It was only then that he realized the harsh truth of his old best friend’s death. “Noona, what happened?”
The funeral home’s atmosphere made the reality of death unavoidable. Goh Yoo-Joon let the dazed Kang Joo-Han walk ahead as he turned to Suh Hyun-Woo’s sister for answers.
How could someone just die like this? What had happened to Suh Hyun-Woo? Whatever the reason was, Goh Yoo-Joon couldn’t accept it.
“Ah, Yoo-Joon...”
“It’s okay, noona. Never mind. You don’t have to explain. I already heard the gist of it.”
The face of Hyun-Woo’s sister was red, and her voice was hoarse from crying so much. Goh Yoo-Joon felt it was cruel to ask her about the cause of death, so he quickly changed the subject and gently rubbed her back.
“Have you been able to sleep at all, noona?”
She looked utterly exhausted and tormented. Who can truly understand the grief of the bereaved?
At Yoo-Joon’s comforting words, Hyun-Woo’s sister began to cry again. “How scared he must have been in there...”
“...”
“How hot and painful it must have been...”
They had heard that the authorities couldn’t even recover his body because it was all burned. Not just Hyun-Woo, but all the victims of the plane crash likely died instantly upon impact. The news said they were still searching for survivors, but there was no hope. It only underscored the horrific nature of the accident. It was an overwhelmingly depressing situation.
After trying to comfort her, Goh Yoo-Joon stood up. “Noona, I’m going to pay my respects to Hyun-Woo. I’ll talk to you later.”
‘How did this happen? Where did it all go wrong? Is this really the end of Hyun-Woo’s life?’
As he walked toward where Kang Joo-Han stood by Suh Hyun-Woo’s memorial photo, Goh Yoo-Joon’s mind became filled with anger.
‘Suh Hyun-Woo didn’t deserve this. He shouldn’t have died like this.
Why did this have to happen to him?’@@@@
“How could you leave like this...” Kang Joo-Han muttered.
Even on the verge of debut, Suh Hyun-Woo had relentlessly practiced singing and dancing despite the setbacks. The anger and grief were unbearable. He hadn’t done anything wrong. He worked harder than anyone else.
“Hyun-Woo...”
‘Even in death, your story had to be tragic.’
Joo-Han’s head throbbed painfully. His vision blurred with tears, and his ears rang as if submerged in water. The sounds of weeping and Goh Yoo-Joon’s uncontrollable sobs filled the air.
‘Ah, I hate this.’
“...”
“I’m really sad right now too.”
“Then go home. Why did you come here?”
The blanket slowly slipped down. Kang Joo-Han looked pale and exhausted. He glared at Goh Yoo-Joon. Unfortunately, Goh Yoo-Joon didn’t look any better. He must have cried a lot at home before coming here.
‘Both Yoo-Joon and Hyun-Woo are too kind-hearted.’
Despite his own pain, Goh Yoo-Joon had come all the way here because he was worried about his friend.
“Did you come here just to cry? If so, go back. I can’t handle this right now.”
He truly wasn’t in the state to talk to anyone, not even Goh Yoo-Joon. But at that moment, Goh Yoo-Joon’s expression changed. “Hyung...”
He couldn’t even bring himself to enter the room. Instead, he dropped to the floor.
“I couldn’t bear it alone anymore, so I came here.”
He couldn’t endure the grief alone any longer. He felt like he was going to lose his mind if he stayed alone, so he came here on impulse. He didn’t expect Kang Joo-Han to comfort him, but he thought maybe sharing the grief would help.
“...”
Finally, Kang Joo-Han got out of bed and approached Goh Yoo-Joon.
“Hyung, I actually went to see Suh Hyun-Woo’s grave yesterday.”
“...”
“If I knew this would happen, I would have forced him to meet up with me when he was alive.”
Tears streamed down Goh Yoo-Joon’s face. It had been so long since Kang Joo-Han had seen him cry, and his heart ached seeing him sob so desperately.
“Hyung, I feel like this is all our fault.”
Objectively, they hadn’t done anything wrong. But they couldn’t shake the feeling that they had failed Suh Hyun-Woo in some way. That he couldn’t achieve his dreams, that he lived with trauma his whole life, the estrangement, and his death... It all felt like their fault.
A flood of negative emotions overwhelmed them, making it impossible to think straight.
For the teenage Goh Yoo-Joon, Suh Hyun-Woo had been more than just a friend. He was like family.
After sobbing for a long time, Goh Yoo-Joon finally spoke. “If I could, I’d go back to the past.”
Back to when they were trainees together. If he could, he would have shielded Suh Hyun-Woo from any harm, no matter the cost. If he could go back, he’d make sure they realized their dream with Elated.
“I don’t know what to do.”
At that moment, a strange light, like moonlight, faintly appeared from an unknown source. With blackout curtains drawn, no light should have come in.
Kang Joo-Han and Goh Yoo-Joon looked up. It wasn’t the light of the moon. Amid the gloomy dawn, words began to float in the air as the two, overwhelmed by sadness, were enveloped in their grief.