(POV In-ho/Frontman)

Hallucinations were haunting me, I felt like my body was cut into pieces and then sewed back together, everything hurt and was numb at the same time, all my limbs felt incredibly heavy and worst of all: I was tired. So tired, all I wanted was to sink into the darkness. A warm, peaceful darkness with no worries or pain. I saw just blinding white around me and at the foot of my bed I saw the shadow of death sitting.

"What do you want from me?", I asked. "Am I dead?"

"Do you want to be dead, Hwang In-ho?", he asked.

"I don't know", I answered truthfully, "How will it be like? Does it hurt?"

The shadow shook his head: "I can't tell you how it'll be like – but no, it doesn't hurt. If you choose to come with me, nothing will hurt anymore."

"So you're taking me with you?", I asked. "To death?"

"I'll take you with me if you want. You only need to let go. Let go of all the heavy weights on your shoulders, forget everything that's holding you back. You need to embrace the darkness... it's easier than falling asleep, you'll see."

I felt the tempting fatigue around me and I wanted to let go. But there was something holding my back – I was not ready. "If I stayed...would there be something to live for?"

"What do you believe in, Hwang In-ho?", the shadow asked. "If you stay you'll only find what was already there."

I frowned and started thinking about what he just said. For so many years there had been nothing left for me to believe in. I tried to remember the good things in my life, but most of my beliefs were hopeless. But there was something...

"And then there are those who are here for love. Like me trying to pay off my mother's medical bills when I first was here. Like you trying to save your sick wife and unborn child."

I heard a voice in my head, remembering that phrase but I didn't recall where I had heard it or who had said it to me. But still it made me give an answer to the shadow of death's question: "Love."

The shadow froze for a moment until he answered: "So many of your loved ones are dead and life out there is cruel. Why would you believe in love, Hwang In-ho?"

"Because in a cruel world like this we mustn't cease to believe in love. Why else would we want to live?" While the shadow in my hallucination remained silent I kept thinking about my own answer and figured that I was right: family, friendship, companionship... it was all about love.

"So are you coming with me?", the shadow asked after a while. In my imagination I deeply inhaled. I wanted to give in to the tempting darkness but I was sure that there would be no way back as soon as I let go. But if I chose to stay who would be there for me? Was there anyone on earth who would cry for me?

Again memories flooded my brain and before my inner eye I saw another scene from my past: I stood in front of Jun-ho's hospital bed – my brother was barely alive back then, a young man in his early twenties on the verge of death. I had just signed the paper that I would donate him a kidney, but the doctors still weren't sure if Jun-ho was strong enough to survive the anesthesia. "Jun-ho, listen to me", I said in a firm voice, "There's only one thing we say to death:" I grabbed his hand, squeezing it, "'Not today.'" Jun-ho nodded weakly: "Not today."

The memory disappeared and I was back in the foggy white, the shadow now sitting next to my head, still questioning me: "So, are you coming with me?" It took all my strength but I managed to answer:

"Not today."

The shadow froze abruptly. "Are you sure? You could..." Suddenly something in his voice changed and when he continued I heard something familiar in it: "You better wake up, is that understood, In-ho?"

Confused I looked at the shadow who had begun to tremble. "What did you just say?", I asked as he yelled at me: "I SAID YOU BETTER WAKE UP!"...wake up...wake up...wake up... It echoed in my head as suddenly all the pictures disappeared – I deeply inhaled, then I opened my eyes and looked up in amazement.



(POV Gi-hun)

I sat at In-ho's bed and it felt like I had been waiting there for hours. Jun-ho in the bed next to it had fallen asleep; he was probably tired after the operation, while Mi-na had just left to get us some coffee. The night had already passed and at the horizon I saw another sun rising... so many hours and In-ho still didn't wake up. I remembered the doctors telling us the hard truth: "The longer he stays unconscious, the slighter the chance that he'll wake up."

I held his hand in mine, it was cold and pierced by a needle. "You'll wake up, won't you?", I whispered. "I need you here. I didn't get the chance to tell you that I love you, you idiot, so don't you dare leave me now." The monitors beeped unsteadily and I had the impression that his breathing got weaker and weaker. "No, you won't give up now!" I squeezed his hand in despair, the thought that he could leave me made me angry and I couldn't help but raise my voice: "I swear I'll kill you if you die now!", I yelled, "You better wake up, is that understood, In-ho?" I ignored Jun-ho, whowas moving in his bed. "I SAID YOU BETTER WAKE UP!"

Tears were running from my eyes and landed on his face, blurring my vision. The monitors' beeping suddenly increased immensely and as I was staring at In-ho, horrified of what could happen to him, his eyelashes started to flutter and he opened his eyes, looking me directly in the face. "In-ho", I tried to say, completely frozen in shock. His lips were slightly moving as he whispered two words: "Not today."

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Author's note: Guysss he woke up *-* Do you think Gi-hun and In-ho will get their happily-ever-after? Stay tuned xx

Ona side note: What do you think about letting Jun-ho end up with Mi-na? Then we have one big happy family – we can't leave policeman all alone, right?

Btw sorry for stealing that quote from Game of Thrones :)