Until I'm Gone (GRi oneshot)
Ji Yong opened his eyes to the new morning. He was in his apartment, in his room, and on his bed. He groaned, dazed with hangover, and shut his eyes again, wondering how he even got there after the night. Already half asleep, his mind played tiny fragments from before he had blacked out.
There he was, coming out from work after a long, stressful day. He walked groggily, his eyes tired and scribbled on papers in his hands. It was yet another day of arguments and endless work. It seemed he couldn’t pass a day without rejecting his manager and producer’s suggestions and dodging their bitter remarks about his music.
There he was, aimlessly trudging into a bar. He slammed his papers onto the table and ordered the strongest beer they had. With a weak grip on the bottle, he chugged down half the drink before placing it down again. As his senses dimmed, the reverberating bass of the music filled his head. He hummed himself a random tune, enjoying the immediate effect of his alcohol.
There he was, no longer at the table, but on the dance floor with a pretty little lady wearing a too-tight, too-short black mini dress. She smirked at him and danced way too close. Ji Yong tried to mimic her smile, but ended up with only a foolish grin spread across his face. He moved closer to her, his hands on her slender waist, and followed her movements.
“You’re not bad, ahjussi,” she said into his ear and turned around to face him.
“Well, I’ve learned from the best,” he told her and allowed her to place her arms around his neck.
“I hope you can kiss as well as you can flatter.”
There he was, his lips locked with those of the woman he met only two seconds earlier. His mind screamed at him, Get off her, you idiot! What’s going to happen if Seung Ri finds out?
Yeah right, he assured himself, he ain’t ever going to find out.
“Ji Yong,” a soft but distinct voice called.
The woman pulled away and Ji Yong turned his head to see Seung Ri standing a few feet away.
“Hey, Ri,” he called. “How was school?”
The deep, burning, yet subtle look in Seung Ri’s eyes didn’t waver. “Fine, thank you very much. What are you doing here?”
“Chillin’ out, ya know? Care to join me?”
“No,” he said flatly. “You should have been home an hour ago.”
“Oh come on, Ri. Give a man his fun.” Ji Yong took a step toward him, but his knees buckled beneath him. He felt the wind slapping his face as he came crashing to the floor, only to be saved by a pair of arms-the same smooth, strong arms he knew belonged only to the one man he loved.
“Let’s go home, Ji,” Seung Ri muttered, getting Ji Yong in a standing position.
Ji Yong turned to the girl. “See ya later, gorgeous.”
She smirked again and winked at him.
There he was, lying on a soft mattress, his senses close to gone. Even with faded eyesight, he felt Seung Ri patting a comforter over him.
“Get a good night’s sleep, Ji Yong.”
He mumbled his thanks, close to blacking out.
“When you wake up tomorrow,” Seung Ri continued in a whisper, “I’ll be just a dream. You’ll open your eyes and I’ll be gone.”
Ji Yong smiled in his sleep. “Very funny, Ri.” He rolled to his side and stretched out his arm, expectant of a warm body to embrace.
But no. There was nothing there, no one there. Ji Yong’s eyes snapped open and he jerked up into a sitting position. Seung Ri’s side of the bed was perfectly neat. His belongings on the desk, shoes on the shoe rack, and clothes on the floor were gone-all gone. The photo frames that contained their photos were empty, and under the shelf was a trash can, full of papers, photos, and all other memorabilia.
Ji Yong came closer to the trash can. There was the teddy bear he had given him, arms and legs torn apart from the body. There were all the songs they wrote together; some burnt, others scribbled over. There were the photographs they took together, each one ripped through, right between him and Seung Ri.
He stared at all the contents of the trash can. His head began pounding and he felt tears welling up in his lower eyelids.
He stood up, holding onto the desk for support, and his eyes fell upon a sealed envelope. He opened it and read Seung Ri’s message.
Good morning, Ji Yong. Or good afternoon, depending on when you get yourself off the bed. I’m sure you’ve seen the tiny changes I’ve done to the room. Didn’t you always say you needed more space for your things?
If you’re wondering about the clothes you wore last night, you vomited on them, but they’re in the bathroom, newly washed and drying up. As for the shoes, you can always use the pair you gave me last Christmas.
I’m sorry if I’ve made a mess. I know you’re not happy with the overflowing trash in the waste basket. I just want you to know one thing, Ji Yong: we’ve had a lot of bad break ups. This isn’t the first, but this is certainly the last. I’m sorry to leave you with only a letter; I really couldn’t take any more of this. I’ll be leaving for someplace faraway soon, but I hope you stay safe always.
PS: I tried to add something for your latest song, by the way. I hope you don’t mind. It’s in the green folder.
Goodbye Ji Yong.
Tears blurred his sight as he looked for his green folder. He flipped it open and took the topmost sheet in his hand, reading the words Seung Ri had carefully written.
I’m tired of your apologies,
Tired of the forgiveness you always sought.
I’m sick of the lies and tears,
Exhausted from each and every time we fought.
I tried and tried for you,
I kept believing you were the one.
You never know what you’ve really got,
Until you realize that it’s gone.
You never know what was right before you,
Until it’s gone, until I’m gone.
AN: I know, I haven't written GRi in forever. I hope this makes up for my lack in that. ANYWAY. This is for Mai and Unni, because I know how much they've been waiting for a new G-Ri from me. I hope this one's good for you guys! :D
There he was, coming out from work after a long, stressful day. He walked groggily, his eyes tired and scribbled on papers in his hands. It was yet another day of arguments and endless work. It seemed he couldn’t pass a day without rejecting his manager and producer’s suggestions and dodging their bitter remarks about his music.
There he was, aimlessly trudging into a bar. He slammed his papers onto the table and ordered the strongest beer they had. With a weak grip on the bottle, he chugged down half the drink before placing it down again. As his senses dimmed, the reverberating bass of the music filled his head. He hummed himself a random tune, enjoying the immediate effect of his alcohol.
There he was, no longer at the table, but on the dance floor with a pretty little lady wearing a too-tight, too-short black mini dress. She smirked at him and danced way too close. Ji Yong tried to mimic her smile, but ended up with only a foolish grin spread across his face. He moved closer to her, his hands on her slender waist, and followed her movements.
“You’re not bad, ahjussi,” she said into his ear and turned around to face him.
“Well, I’ve learned from the best,” he told her and allowed her to place her arms around his neck.
“I hope you can kiss as well as you can flatter.”
There he was, his lips locked with those of the woman he met only two seconds earlier. His mind screamed at him, Get off her, you idiot! What’s going to happen if Seung Ri finds out?
Yeah right, he assured himself, he ain’t ever going to find out.
“Ji Yong,” a soft but distinct voice called.
The woman pulled away and Ji Yong turned his head to see Seung Ri standing a few feet away.
“Hey, Ri,” he called. “How was school?”
The deep, burning, yet subtle look in Seung Ri’s eyes didn’t waver. “Fine, thank you very much. What are you doing here?”
“Chillin’ out, ya know? Care to join me?”
“No,” he said flatly. “You should have been home an hour ago.”
“Oh come on, Ri. Give a man his fun.” Ji Yong took a step toward him, but his knees buckled beneath him. He felt the wind slapping his face as he came crashing to the floor, only to be saved by a pair of arms-the same smooth, strong arms he knew belonged only to the one man he loved.
“Let’s go home, Ji,” Seung Ri muttered, getting Ji Yong in a standing position.
Ji Yong turned to the girl. “See ya later, gorgeous.”
She smirked again and winked at him.
There he was, lying on a soft mattress, his senses close to gone. Even with faded eyesight, he felt Seung Ri patting a comforter over him.
“Get a good night’s sleep, Ji Yong.”
He mumbled his thanks, close to blacking out.
“When you wake up tomorrow,” Seung Ri continued in a whisper, “I’ll be just a dream. You’ll open your eyes and I’ll be gone.”
Ji Yong smiled in his sleep. “Very funny, Ri.” He rolled to his side and stretched out his arm, expectant of a warm body to embrace.
But no. There was nothing there, no one there. Ji Yong’s eyes snapped open and he jerked up into a sitting position. Seung Ri’s side of the bed was perfectly neat. His belongings on the desk, shoes on the shoe rack, and clothes on the floor were gone-all gone. The photo frames that contained their photos were empty, and under the shelf was a trash can, full of papers, photos, and all other memorabilia.
Ji Yong came closer to the trash can. There was the teddy bear he had given him, arms and legs torn apart from the body. There were all the songs they wrote together; some burnt, others scribbled over. There were the photographs they took together, each one ripped through, right between him and Seung Ri.
He stared at all the contents of the trash can. His head began pounding and he felt tears welling up in his lower eyelids.
He stood up, holding onto the desk for support, and his eyes fell upon a sealed envelope. He opened it and read Seung Ri’s message.
Good morning, Ji Yong. Or good afternoon, depending on when you get yourself off the bed. I’m sure you’ve seen the tiny changes I’ve done to the room. Didn’t you always say you needed more space for your things?
If you’re wondering about the clothes you wore last night, you vomited on them, but they’re in the bathroom, newly washed and drying up. As for the shoes, you can always use the pair you gave me last Christmas.
I’m sorry if I’ve made a mess. I know you’re not happy with the overflowing trash in the waste basket. I just want you to know one thing, Ji Yong: we’ve had a lot of bad break ups. This isn’t the first, but this is certainly the last. I’m sorry to leave you with only a letter; I really couldn’t take any more of this. I’ll be leaving for someplace faraway soon, but I hope you stay safe always.
PS: I tried to add something for your latest song, by the way. I hope you don’t mind. It’s in the green folder.
Goodbye Ji Yong.
Tears blurred his sight as he looked for his green folder. He flipped it open and took the topmost sheet in his hand, reading the words Seung Ri had carefully written.
I’m tired of your apologies,
Tired of the forgiveness you always sought.
I’m sick of the lies and tears,
Exhausted from each and every time we fought.
I tried and tried for you,
I kept believing you were the one.
You never know what you’ve really got,
Until you realize that it’s gone.
You never know what was right before you,
Until it’s gone, until I’m gone.
AN: I know, I haven't written GRi in forever. I hope this makes up for my lack in that. ANYWAY. This is for Mai and Unni, because I know how much they've been waiting for a new G-Ri from me. I hope this one's good for you guys! :D