The end

Jeongin finally arrived back at the hotel where Seungmin was waiting for him holding his breath.

He didn't need to say a thing. Seungmin read the pain in his eyes and engulfed him into a hug.

Jeongin broke down and let out muffled weeps that broke the order's heart.

-He's gone... Jeongin managed to say between sobs.

Seungmin held his tears as he kissed the top of Jeongin's head.

-Guys? Have you seen Jisung? Minho's voice struck the silence like an arrow.

The two looked at each other with horror, trying to think of a way to give him the news.

-We can't tell him until the sun settles down, Jeongin explained. I promised Jisung...

-Okay, Seungmin wiped his tears and opened the door, trying to fake a sense of calm.

-Hyung! his voice cracked. What's going on?

-I was wondering if any of you saw Jisung this morning. He left his phone and and jacket in the room. He's nowhere inside the hotel and I'm getting worried, Minho explained.

-I... No, I didn't, but we can help you look for him through the city. Maybe he went for a walk and got lost.

-Thank you! I'll go ask Lix and them I'll start looking too.

With that said, Minho went down the hall to question his little brother while Seungmin sighed and turned around to watch Jeongin cry in a napkin.

-Your neck... Seungmin suddenly noticed taken aback.

-What? Jeongin looked up confused.

-The mark is gone... He's dead. The curse is gone.

That made Jeongin cry even harder. Now there was no doubt about it. Jisung was gone... He was never coming back with his smart remarks and his funny sarcasm.

Minho knocked at his brother's door a few times before a faint voice replied.

-Lix? Can I come in?

-No! I mean... I'm changing. What's up?

-Have you seen Jisung today?

-No, why?

-I can't find him anywhere.

Felix covered his mouth with his hand and squinted his glassy eyes as a tear oozed down his red cheek.

-Have you tried the ballroom? Maybe he's preparing a surprise for you.

-I have. But I guess I can go check again. Meet you in the hall in 5, alright?

-Yeah! I'll be there... Felix managed to say before he let out a wail worthy of Shakespeare's tragedies.

The group had searched for Jisung all day.

Every second without an answer made Minho's skin crawl and filled his mind with the worst scenarios he could think of. He couldn't take it anymore. He had no idea why the younger would disappear just like that. He needed to know where he was, if he was okay.

It was physically damaging him. His heart was aching with every step.

-We should head back, Chan suggested as he looked up at the upcoming rain.

-No! I have to find him! Minho protested. I know he's there. He wouldn't leave me alone like that! Minho snapped.

Jeongin pretended looking in the bushed and took an USB stick out of his pocket and a small yellow postnote.

-I found something! he announced as he showed Minho the items.

"For Minho..."

The latter read the note in disbelief and looked at the stick like it was Damocles's sword. Whatever was on that stick would hurt him. He knew that. But he didn't know how badly.

-Let's go back and watch it, yeah? Jeongin led the older to the hotel. Minho walked like a zombie to his room, not having the courage to say anything else.

Everyone settled down on the floor or on the bed as Jeongin connected the stick to his laptop. He opened the file and suddenly Jisung's face popped up on the screen.

The thunderstorm outside gave Jeongin the signal to press play and watch the truth finally come to light once and forever.

"Hi, guys!" Jisung waived. "If you see this, then... then I finally did it, he plastered a sorrowful smile. I'm gone, he gulped nervously. Some of you know my situation, some don't. The truth is... I don't even know what my situation is. But I never meant to hurt any of you. And it saddens me that I have to go so soon."he swallowed his tears. "I wish I could say we'd see each other again, but we all know that's not the case."

Felix tried to take Minho's hand, but the older retracted it with a harsh move. He kept looking at the screen, unbothered by the pairs of pitiful eyes around him.

"I am cursed. As crazy as it may seem, I am. My aunt gave me the curse and well... I am to give it to someone else as well. But I won't. This plague will die with me. That's why I must kill myself before the curse takes me down." Jisung looked at his wrist and slowly unwrapped the bandana, revealing the tattoo on his wrist. "This is my countdown. It dictates my life span. I have a few days to live left as you can see. The more I am loved by people, the faster I die. That's mainly the reason why my dear parents killed themselves when I was 8. So they could give me more time. And I had plenty..." He scoffed. "I've been alive for 400 years. But I've never felt more alive than when I was with you, Minho. I know we started on the wrong foot, but you made me a better person. And I'll bee forever grateful for that. I can only hope you'll find hapiness after me. But I can't tell you what to do. I know it's going to be hard for you and... you have no idea how hard is for me to look at you these days and think of how I'm never going to hold you in my arms ever again. But... But you'll be alright. You have to be alright. You can't not be alright." He broke down in an ugly holler. "The love you offered me... It was so great that it killed me." He attempted to joke. "And if I had the possibility to avoid you and save myself for another decade... I wouldn't. I would probably kiss you earlier. I would do so much more besides you. Because I know we were meant to be together. Even if for a short period of time. You're my great love, my everything, my happy ending. And you'll be the last thing I think about before I finally put an end to it. I adore you, Minho. I adore you like a little child adores the rainbow. You are my rainbow. My glimmer of light. I'm sorry for causing you so much pain... I'm sorry it has to end like this. I couldn't bring myself to tell you. I just couldn't. I just wanted to see you happy until the very end. I'm sorry..."

The video stopped there and the full room went silent, waiting for Minho to process the harsh reality.

The rain droplets hit the window violently as the turmoil inside the man grew stronger and sucked up his vigor.

-Hyung, it's okay to cry, Felix tried to put his hand on Minho's shoulder and comfort him.

The older got up and left the room in a state of shock.

He felt numb. He felt like his purpose on Earth suddenly vanished. Like he was meant to die with Jisung and something went wrong during the process.

Now he was alone, unable to shed a tear, unable to ever smile again. Damned to live like a corpse as the world had been stripped of its colours... Left to wonder what he did to deserve such a cruel fate. Left to beat the pain for the rest of his sad life.

6 years later...

-Bbama! Bbama, come on! Felix ran after the dog until he reached Jisung's grave.

He took a few seconds to draw his breath before sitting down to greet his old friend.

-I know you're excited to see your owner, Bbama, but I can't keep up with you, he petted the dog.

The freckled man looked exhausted. He could barely smile those days and the only excuse to get out of the house was to visit his brother and brother in law every week.

Ever since Minho decided to go after Jisung, Felix had been isolating himself from the world. He pushed everyone away and chose to grieve on his own, which weakened his body and gained him some medical problems.

His friends would check on him once a month, but they could never make him meet them. The group just reminded him of those days when he had everything and how he lost it all in one crucial day.

He couldn't even listen to the radio. After Jisung's death, Changbin released two albums: one with Stray Kids and one fully dedicated to Jisung.

On Felix's wrist you could make sense of a tattoo with the infinite symbol.

But it wasn't a tattoo...

It was the curse, offering him immortality for his good deeds.

Chan had one with a negative number, which he couldn't quite comprehend and Seungmin was trying his best to get rid of them.

They were fine in their own way. But Felix wasn't. Although he could never admit it.

After the visit at the graveyard, Felix went to a grocery shop to buy some food for Bbama.

He was waiting patiently in line when someone bumped into him. He turned around irritated before freezing in astonishment.

A teenager, maybe young adult, with light brown hair and big brown eyes stood in front of him with an ice cream in one hand and a bag of chips in the other.

-I'm so sorry, sir! I wasn't paying attention to where I was going! he excused himself by joining his hand and making the wrappers rustle.

-J-Jisung? Felix asked in disbelief.

-Yeah... How do you know my name? the kid asked confused.

-Ahm... I... I had a friend that looked exactly like you and his name was also Jisung.

-Really? That's crazy! And you are?

-Felix, the man replied stunned.

-I also have a friend called Felix! So weird... I was on my way to him with these, he raised the two items. Now if I could get past Minho hyung without being noticed... he pouted.

-Minho hyung?

-Yeah, he's my boss... He's an asshole. He lives in that big mansion with the roses on the gates. He keeps persecuting me just because I accidentally threw a bucket in his head. Well, he deserved, but you get the point, he shrugged.

-You don't like this Minho hyung? Felix asked.

-I would if he was nice. He's good looking and all, but I don't think he'll ever like me.

-I'm sure he'll change his mind, Felix reassured him. Bbama thinks so too, he genuinely smiled.

Jisung bent down and petted the dog before flashing a warn smile.

-I don't know... But it was nice to meet you, sir! You too, Bbama! See you around!

Felix nodded as he paid for the food and exited the store.

He couldn't stop himself from smiling like an idiot.

They found a way to be together after all... They were alright.

Felix had to tell someone that, so he picked up the phone and dialled the number.

"Hello?"

-Changbin hyung... hi! Can we talk?

And suddenly the number on Felix's wrist turned to 99.

The end

____________________________________Thank you for sticking with me on this wonderful journey! I know I could had updated more often, but I just wanted it to be perfect, although I can't say it is.

This is my first sad (rather sour) ending, but I think of it as a beautiful testament to true love. Jisung's development and his choice to love beyond death is inspiring and I hope we can all find a way to share such feelings with each other.

Thank you again for reading my little story and I hope to see you in other fanfics too!

And with this... another book gets completed...