Life Is Full of Unexpected Events
Chapter 3
Event # 2: Friends
Things have a funny way of working themselves out. But everything happens for a reason, doesn’t it? Two boys have met, and saved each other without even realizing it. They were both given a second chance to spread their wings, to do anything they want. When the time comes they will be forced to realize just how tied together they are. How through meeting, unexpected events have unconsciously formed. But that is a story best told in the future, for now they must deal with the obstacles that lie before them. This is event # 2.
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I don’t like the dark; in fact I’ve never liked it in my entire life. But now I find it comforting, I embrace it as I realize that perhaps it was never so bad to begin with. My memories a bit blurred, but I remember.
I remember seeing the light of a car, no a truck. Then I met pain, a pain so agonizing that I was literally knocked blind. The next thing I remember is a white ceiling with lights flashing by. I knew right away I was moving because I could see the doors on my peripheral vision going by. I saw a doctor and a nurse nearby but both were easily forgotten when I saw Sungmin suddenly come up next to me.
Sungmins face was lined with tears and his eyes were puffy and red as if he’d been crying for hours. I couldn’t really hear much but I knew he was calling my name. Knew he was shouting it hoping for me to hear his voice and response. But I couldn’t, I couldn’t do anything it seemed in fact. My body felt like lead, I couldn’t move anything. It was almost as if I was paralyzed. My eyes flashed back to the doctor as I caught a few words that he and the nurse exchanged. ‘…Hit…’ ‘….Truck..’ ‘…Head….’ but none of that made sense together.
Sungmin drew my attention back, as a nurse tried to pull him away from me. He was in tears again and this time he chanted apologies. As if he was the reason I was here, like it was his fault. ‘The reason I’m here is completely mine’ I wanted to say ‘Please don’t cry anymore; what would your fans think’ but no words left my mouth. Sungmin grabbed my hand, and I panicked, I couldn’t feel it.
I was going to die…… but wasn’t that what I wanted? What was this dread that filled me as I watched Sungmin release my hand and be dragged away? I knew it, but it couldn’t be….. or could it?
Guilt, that’s what it was. A monster that ate at you insides and threw ‘em back up, just to add salt to you wounds. The very thing that made me dread dying and leaving Sungmin behind to think it was his fault. I felt like crying, in fact I was certain I was crying, that I had been crying from the moment I ran from the house and had never stopped.
That was understandable though, years of built up pain and sorrow had made me seem like a water faucet probably. So much pain, so much hurt and hate, buried so deep into me. If I lived could I truly get back, build everything back up that I lost. But most of all could I become who I wanted to be. Could I become a person that felt content, happy? Yes I would like to think so, that I could become whomever I wanted.
Then I closed my eyes.
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Fate works in mysterious ways, it takes everything from you, it closes the door you once thought to be great and all you ever needed and slams it shut in your face. But what I learned about fate is that it didn’t close a door, without opening a window.
But I knew I had a choice; to either find that window and go through it, or enjoy the view of a closed door. Yes, there is a choice, there is always a choice, one that would decide whether I lived or not. I choose to live, not because it’s the right thing, but simply because it is the choice that has someone waiting for me on the other end
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Sungmin, is the first thing I notice when I open my eyes, his beautiful tear stained face. I can’t help but blink and want to go back to sleep, but something is choking me it feels like. In a desperate attempt to breath I reach for my mouth to find tubes stuck down it. Panic once again rises as I try to remove them, but the doctor and nurse are prying my hands away before I can.
“Mr.Cho, please calm down!” but I just want to yell at the doctor not to call me ‘Mr.Cho’. That, that is the name of an asshole whom I am to call my father and most definitely isn’t me. But my words are forgotten as they pull the tube from my throat making me cough.
Before I know it I’m thrown into a series of quizzes where the nurse asks me to name one of the primary colors ‘Blue’, then what 2+2= ‘4’, also to name my months backwards. That one makes me pause and she shows a look of concern. ‘I couldn’t name them backwards even if I wasn’t in an accident’ is my reply which seems to calm her nerves, because at least I can make a complete sentence.
During this exchange Sungmin has taken up residents in the chair next to the bed and grips my hand. I know this because I can feel it, which makes me relieved. Finally after changing my IV the nurse begins explaining what happened. “You were almost hit be a truck” once again these words don’t make sense to me. ‘Almost hit’ is exactly what confuses me.
“If that truck would’ve made contact with you, then you’d be dead by now” not a very optimistic nurse, was she? “Luckily Mr. Lee was there to save you” she said gesturing to Sungmin, whom gives me a reassuring squeeze. “But sadly enough, when he tackled you out of the way, you knocked you head on the curb, which actually caused a slight facture in you skull, and possibly concussion” great just what I wanted a spilt skull and a scrambled brain.
“We’re not sure of the full affect both these head injuries may have had on you but we’d like to do a thorough exam of your body if you’ll let us” she said smiling at me. Who was I to deny such a thing, though I was curious about one thing? “Don’t I need parent guidance” the woman frowned at my words and her face almost seemed to pale.
“Well you see, you parents have estranged you, you’ve been wiped from their records, health insurance, everything. They did pay for this but you’ve been out for two weeks, they haven’t seen you since before you entered the emergency room. Your sister has been here once or twice but stopped coming all together as well”
I think when my head hit that curb something in me broke, because when I heard what my parents did I laughed, it was hollow, so very hollow; and I think it scared the nurse. But what do you do in a situation like this, my tears were all dried up, the only thing I had left was this empty laugh. Sungmin squeezed my hand and I looked at him, he just smiled “Be strong Kyu” and it broke my heart. No, not his words but my parents, for somehow not seeing how wonderful I might be and yet this person could.
“Yes, well I’ll go get the other nurses” the woman left the room; she was probably already signing me into the psych wade or something, thinking I was mentally unstable. “In the end a complete stranger sticks with me more than my own family” I mutter and reach up to run a hand through my hair.
But I meet smooth skin instead, that and bandages. Once again that hollow laugh escapes me and Sungmin sucks in a breath of air. “T-they did it for the fixing of you skull” he supplies nervously, but I’m beyond listening to him. I swing my feet over the side of the bed……
There is no motion in my feet, once again I try swinging my feet over the side of the bed. But I don’t feel them, I don’t feel anything! Sungmin must have read the panic on my face because he’s at the door shouting for a nurse the minute I claw the bed sheets off my legs. She rushes in, this time a different one from before, with a syringe in her hands.
“I don’t need a sedation you idiot, what I need are my legs back!” I snap at the woman making her flinch. I know it’s misplaced aggression, but how would you feel if you found out in less than 10 minutes of waking up that your disconnected from your family (no matter how f*cked up they were), bald (not that it wouldn’t grow back pretty fast), and could no longer walk (that had to be the 20 ton weight the broke the camel’s back).
The woman seems to understand the circumstances, and put the syringe away. Instead she pulled a needle from her pocket and starts stabbing my legs asking if ‘I could feel this’. All of the answers are no and it seem blood drains from her face as she bolts out the door, probably to tell my proper nurse.
Sungmin is again at my side, gripping my hand, continuously telling me to ‘be strong, be strong, be strong’ but I want nothing more than to be the exact opposite; weak. To go back to my old life because while it was boring and sheltered and all around shitty; it was safe, it was secure. Now I was stuck by myself, with a stranger I wasn’t even sure I could fully trust. Maybe I hadn’t chosen the right choice; Sungmin had been here for me but what if I go blind next!
That’s when it hits me; I’m not wearing my glasses! I’m not wearing them and I can see perfectly fine!! I grip the sheets; okay so here’s one upside that I guess can take the place of baldness. “Sungmin could you get me a mirror or something” I say cutting his chants of ‘be strong’ off. I swear he’s talking more to himself then he is to me, or so it seems.
But the male scrambles over to a bag, which I didn’t notice before, and pulls a hand mirror from it. Smiling he walks back over and hands it to me. Nodding my head in thanks, I take a minute to calm my heart. I knew I’d look atrocious, so ugly that I wouldn’t even understand why Sungmin was still around. Biting my lip I picked the mirror up and glanced into it.
I almost dropped it when I saw my face staring back at me. Not necessarily because I was bald and ugly, but because I wasn’t as ugly as I’d thought I’d be. My eyes widened at the slightly decent looking guy who stared back at me. My hairlessness did take away from my looks but it was the fact that my skin was smooth that got me. Sungmin smiled at this surprised look on my face, “guess the head injury knocked the pimples right off ya” he commented trying to lighten my mood.
To say it didn’t work would be a complete lie, because in my head I’d been thinking the same thing, but simply hadn’t said it out loud. “Yeah, guess so” at this Sungmin seemed the relax slightly, like he was no longer worried I’d jump out a window(not that I could at the moment) or go on a killing spree(which would be extremely difficult right about now, after all killing spree by wheelchair wasn’t very effective).
“Why are you here Sungmin?” I questioned curiously and placed the mirror on the bed. Min gave me a look that clearly said ‘why wouldn’t I be here’ as if it was a stupid question. Sighing I turned to look out the big window in the room. “Sungmin-hyung, you know exactly what I mean” my voice became serious and the other male seemed to pick up on this. “Because it’s my fault you’re here to begin with-” I began to cut him off “Sungmin that’s-” but he stopped anything I was about to say with his next few words.
“-and you’re my friend, this is exactly what friends do” he smiled and gripped my hand again. But that wasn’t a good enough answer for me. Living years of humiliation has made me distrusting. Even with his teary face, and my blurred memories, he could be lying. He could have an ulterior motive hiding beneath that mask of his.
Or he could be simply telling the truth. I didn’t know, but I’d find out, even if it was the last thing I’d do. Before either of us could speak again my nurse rushed in with two other nurses (the one from earlier and a new one) right behind her. “Mr. Cho, I heard what happened. We’d like to do the exam now. Mr. Lee if you would please leave” my eyebrows rose, what kind of exam involved Sungmin leaving.
I later found out exactly what type of exam would be involved and would be unable to tell Sungmin about it afterwards. But the male smiled at the nurses and left like the good little idol he was.
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“I’m not required to share my exam details with you Lee Sungmin” I snapped at the male as he wheeled me out the hospital a day later. He’d been asking about what the nurses did since he came back into the room to find me flushed and utterly embarrassed. Sungmin got this pout on his face that made me want to just pinch his cheeks be I decided against it (I was supposed to be mad at him!).
“Come on Kyu it couldn’t have been that bad” he chuckled and placed me next to a Honda Civic. I, of course, assumed it was his and allowed him to help me into the car. Sometimes it was hard to remember I couldn’t walk. I woke up this morning and went to swing my legs over the hospital bed, and remembered why it couldn’t work. Why it would possibly never work that way again and I cried. Sungmin, whom had been sleeping at the hospital with me, just sat next to me gripping my hand.
But it didn’t help much; nothing could ever help much with a situation like this. But there was good news; I may one day be able to walk again. The fracture and concession either could’ve damaged or injured the part of my brain the controlled my legs; if it was damaged it may heal, but it’ll take longer. The best case scenario is it’s just injured and my brain will heal fairly quickly thus gaining my legs again.
Sungmin was talking again, though I wasn’t listening much, my own thoughts were too loud for me to hear anything else. But something he said caught my attention “Adopted?” my question seemed to make him raise an eyebrow. “Well, yes. You were put up for adoption, you’re only seventeen you’d have to wait a year to be able to legally live by yourself” he said as if it was stupid of me to question it.
“Does that mean I’m going to an orphanage” Sungmin sighed like he was frustrated. “You weren’t listening were you?” he questioned and I shook my head. “M’kay, I’ll say it again. You’ve been ‘adopted’ by one of my friends and co-workers” Sungmin said and glanced at me from the side of his eye to make sure I was paying attention.
“He’s bought you an apartment, and had all your items from you parents’ house moved to the new place. He’s even set it up for you and everything. Got new furniture and everything” Sungmin smiled and turned back to the road. My lip pursed curiously, a mysterious adoptive parent, this was quite odd. In fact I already didn’t trust the situation “What’s the catch” I said skeptically and looked right at Sungmin.
He seemed confused by my words “Catch? What catch?” he asked and raised one of his beautifully trimmed eyebrows. “No one does all that for no reason, especially someone who not only doesn’t know me but I’ve never met. And don’t go there with that friend shit, because he’s not MY friend he’s YOURS” I said narrowing my eyes at him.
“Well, maybe there IS something else…” he trailed off and I couldn’t help but quickly make accusations. “What?” my hiss made Sungmin tense slightly before relaxing again. “I have to live with you. Because you’re in a wheel chair, and my friend doesn’t exactly know your mental stability, we have to live together for a while” he said and glanced at me, obviously ready for a huge argument.
But I was stunned, that was it that was the big catch! “Is that all?” I said and shook my head glancing at Sungmin to see him shake it head ‘no’. Once again my eyes narrowed, what exactly was Sungmin so hesitant to tell me about. “You also have to attend regular psychiatrist visits, with a doctor my friend chose” he quickly said, which made it come out slightly stuck together and hard to understand.
But slowly it processed in my head, well that wasn’t so bad either, it could’ve been worse. Like I’d have to prostitute myself to pay him back or become his bitch, something crazy like that. Nodding my head, I silently agreed to the terms “He’ll pay for everything that comes with an apartment?” I asked just to clarify this. “Well, yes. He’s your adoptive parent; he’ll pay for everything you’ll need until you’re at least out of college and have a decent job. He even went as far as to open an account for you and will put at least 100 dollars in it for you to spend once a week” Sungmin said and reached into his front pocket to pull out a debit card.
Even while being suspicious of the mysterious male, my heart just seemed to swell; he was doing all this for me (or more like Sungmin). Taking the card I placed it in my pants pocket as we pulled in front of an apartment building. Not just any building though, this was the Starz Deluxe! My eyes widened and I looked at Sungmin who just smiled and parked the car.
As he helped me into my chair, I couldn’t help but gawk at everything. “Sungmin, I stick out like a sore thumb here” I whispered to the male as he pushed me into the building. I knew I should’ve worn the skull cap to cover my baldness. But I’m quite sure I’d look even weirder wearing something like that in the summer time.
Sungmin shook his head “Well then let them stare, they’re not being prejudice, just curious is all. It’s not every day, they see a ‘normal’ person” he whispered to me. A blush broke across me face as people stared, watching Sungmin push me through the lobby area. He stopped only briefly to wave at some of the workers, and introduce me so if I ever needed help I knew who to ask.
The room I was in seemed to be a handicap room on the 7th floor. When we got there Sungmin produced a key from under the floor mat and entered. “Come on Kyu, you’ve gotta get used to wheeling yourself around” he said opening the door for me. The first thing I noticed when I entered was the smell of food. My mouth quickly began to water. Someone could definitely cook, “Wookie” Sungmin quickly disappeared around the corner into what I presumed was the kitchen.
Quickly I shut the door, and followed after him to find out what exactly a ‘Wookie’ was. What I was not prepared for was another male (smaller in size then even Sungmin!) in the kitchen. He smiled at me before his eyes flashed back to the food. “Hello, you must be Kyuhyun” he said and placed a cover over the pot before turning to me. “It’s nice to meet you, names Ryeowook, but most just call me Wook or Wookie” he explained.
I looked at Sungmin silently wondering if he was the mysterious adopter. But that couldn’t be right, Wook didn’t look much older than me, in fact he looked to be Sungmin’s age! Sungmin caught my eyes and shook his head easily seeing what I was curious about. “Nice to meet you too Wook” I said and smiled. Sungmin’s mouth just about dropped to the floor.
“Oh, so you can call Ryeowook by his nickname but I’m still stuck with Sungmin” he pouted out, which made me slightly question whether he was really my hyung or not. “Stop whining Minnie, and set the table for me” Wook teased before turning back to me. “I made you dinner, I hear hospital food sucks” he said making a face at the thought of it. I smiled and couldn’t help but like the male already. “Kyu why don’t you go look around, while Min and I set up; this, after all, is your new home” Ryeowook said and shooed me from the room.
I knew he had to be an idol too, someone I’d seen before because he looked super familiar. Shaking my head I let it go and went to explore my living quarters for, what it would seem the rest of my life? A very nice apartment, extremely nice if anything; smiling I entered a door and almost fell out of my chair, literally. What the hell was wrong with this room?!! It was just so…so… pink and girly. In fact it was worse than my sisters’ room who had everything purple and every boy group known to man hanging on her wall.
Not enjoying so much pink (it was kind of hurting my eyes) I quickly closed the door and went to the door across from it. My room, I knew right away it was mine, simply because it looked the exact same way in my parents’ house. (Or could I call them ex-parents now). It was a nostalgic feeling, like if I closed the door and went to bed now, when I woke up I’d be back home.
Pain erupted in my chest and all I could do was allow it to sink in. I was pretty much an orphan; my parents had given me up without a second thought. They’d thrown me away like you would a toy that had become too wore to play with. All I had left was a friendship with a stranger I really didn’t know, and an adopter I’d never met before in my life. Just a bag full of broken dreams, and scattered hope, no hair, no feet, no family; just the promise of an uncertain future which was something I couldn’t quite grasp.
Who was I now, right now this very moment, who was I. “Who am I?” before I was this good two shoes son who did whatever his parents wanted. Yet here I stand (or sat?) no longer certain of my own self. This room was the old me, and I wanted to destroy it so badly. I wanted to throw everything away, but I also wanted to keep it. Because even if this was the old me, at least it was something, right? (And something is always better than nothing).
“You are Cho Kyuhyun, the boy who gets all A’s, whom can’t really do any form of physical exercise. You’re the boy who loves to read and couldn’t live without Starcraft. You’re simply whoever you want to be Kyu. So stop doubting yourself, stop living in that shadow of fear, and take whatever you want. Because just because you can’t be HIM, doesn’t mean he’s better then you” Sungmin voice seemed to ring in my ear. Glancing over my shoulder I saw him standing at the door. I hadn’t even realized I had wheeled myself into the room. (And how exactly did Sungmin know about HIM, my brother)
“Your exactly whom your supposed to be; that’s why your my friend. So stop trying to be someone you’re not. You’ve already spent too much of your life trying to make others happy, it’s about time you were” he smiled leaning against the door frame. Sungmin’s words made sense though, this whole time I’d been trying to live up to my parents expectations I’d always done what they wanted me to do.
“Can I be happy?” I questioned honestly wondering if such a thing was possible for me. “Of course, all you have to do is be yourself, and others..” he paused and grabbed the back of my chair. “…others will either respect you for it or envy you because it” he said simply and wheeled me out the room. “Min?” I questioned feeling his smile from behind me at using his nickname. “Thank you” he kissed my bald head making me chuckle slightly.
“What are friends for?”