Backstage, the members and staff began packing up their belongings, ready to head home. The members bid each other goodnight, exchanging warm words of encouragement. Yoon Jihu approached Byung Hyun, placing a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "Everything will be fine, just give it some time and wait for the difference," he said. "You'll see things will get better..."
"Fine! Wait! Difference!" Byung Hyun exclaimed, his voice laced with frustration. "I've been doing this for years, and I was fine. I had my family, my bandmates,my friends and the skies. Why did this curse happen to me? I was even okay with it, but then that girl came along and turned my life upside down. What did I do to deserve this? What wrong did I commit that God is punishing me so harshly?"
"Look at them..." Jihu said, gesturing to Seok and Doyun. "What did we do to deserve this? We warned you, and even Rachael did. But you followed your heart. Now, listen to us and come back to us. We want our fun-loving, cheerful, and energetic Byung Hyun back. I'm tired of being the only one trying to keep everyone's spirits up. It's your turn now."
Jihu's voice cracked as he spoke, and he embraced Byung Hyun tightly, tears welling up in his eyes.
"We've already lost you for three and a half years, Byung Hyun. We can't afford to lose you for the rest of our lives. Please, come back to us."
Byung Hyun gazed down, lost in thought, until he heard footsteps approaching. He looked up to see Seok and Doyun walking towards him, and they all embraced tightly. Doyun wrapped his arms around Byung Hyun from behind, while Jihu held onto his right side and Seok his left.
"God can't be that cruel to him." Seok said, trying to reassure Byung Hyun. "Let's give him some more time, now that the concert is over. We can all take a break for a few days and recharge. Byung Hyun, have you tried looking for her on social media? These days, everyone's online."
The friends held onto each other, offering a sense of comfort and support as they tried to help Byung Hyun through his struggles.
"Maybe we can help you search for her, or...you know, help you move on from her." Doyun suggested, trying to sound gentle.
"Yeah, we're all here for you, bro." Jihu added, giving Byung Hyun a squeeze.
Seok nodded in agreement. "We'll support you either way. Just take your time, and we'll figure it out together."
Byung Hyun's eyes lit up as Seok suggested searching for the girl on social media. "I never thought of that, Seok! You're a genius!"
Seok smiled, pleased that his idea had resonated with Byung Hyun. "But if you can't find her by our next schedule, you need to move on and focus on yourself, your family, and us. Deal?"
Byung Hyun nodded enthusiastically, already mentally preparing himself to scour social media for any sign of the mysterious girl. "Deal! Thanks, Seok, I owe you one."
Seok's expression turned serious, his eyes locked onto Byung Hyun's. "Remember, we're here for you, no matter what. Take care of yourself, okay?"
Byung Hyun arrived at his apartment and unlocks the lock of the front door.He enters the living room.
Byung Hyun removed his shirt and headed to the kitchen to grab a water bottle from the refrigerator.
Suddenly, a flashback memory hit him - a girl's voice scolding him for being naked in his own home. "You don't live here alone. You can't be naked like that!" Byung Hyun's eyes widened in surprise, and he quickly covered himself with his shirt.
"Why again?" he muttered to himself. He opened the freezer door, grabbed a water bottle, and slammed it shut, only to notice a photo on the fridge door, held up by a magnetic stamp. Curious, he removed the stamp and pulled down the photo.
Byung Hyun's eyes remained transfixed on the faded photograph, a poignant reminder of a love that once was, a love that had been cruelly torn from his grasp. The image depicted a moment of pure joy, a snapshot of a time when life was simpler, and love was all that mattered. Byung Hyun and the girl, radiant with happiness, smiled back at him, their eyes locked in a gaze that seemed to transcend time and space.
In that moment, they were invincible, their love a fortress that could withstand any challenge. Byung Hyun's eyes, bright and full of life, shone with an intensity that seemed to burn with an inner fire. The way he looked at the girl was a testament to the depth of his emotions, a love so pure and true that it seemed to defy the very fabric of reality.
As he turned the photograph over, his eyes fell upon the scribbled words, penned in a handwriting that was both familiar and yet, somehow distant. "Even if I forget you, my memories will never be able to erase you." The words seemed to sear his heart, a painful reminder of all that he had lost.
"Erase?" he whispered, his voice cracking with emotion. "You've already been erased from all the memories. The memories you created here and the ones we created together, the laughter, the tears, the whispers in the dead of night - all gone, lost to the sands of time." He paused, his chest heaving with sobs. "I wish I could forget, but even if you don't remember me, the time we spent together is all I have left. Your existence, your smell, your touch - everything about you has faded away, leaving only memories that haunt me like a ghost."
Byung Hyun's voice trailed off, his words dissolving into tears. He slid to the floor, his back against the fridge door, the photograph clutched in his hand. "God didn't punish the king." He whispered, his voice barely audible. "He punished me, condemning me to a life without you."
As he wept, his body shook with sobs, his heart heavy with grief. "I don't want our memories to fade away like you did." He whispered, his voice cracking. "But our memories are now mine alone, and I want to cherish each one until my dying breath. I've searched for you everywhere, but you're gone, vanished into thin air, leaving me with nothing but this photograph and the memories that haunt me."
Byung Hyun's eyes locked onto the photograph, his gaze burning with intensity. "I saw you again today," he whispered, his voice barely audible. "But you were gone when I tried to grasp you in my arms. Holding onto this photograph is all I can do now." His voice cracked, "I don't know what disease you gave me, but the only antidote that can cure me is you... and you."
As the tears dried on his cheeks, Byung Hyun's exhausted body surrendered to sleep, the photograph still clutched in his hand, a poignant reminder of a love that once was, a love that would forever be etched in his memory.