The house was quiet, the kind of silence that felt suffocating making it hard to breathe. Seungcheol sat on the floor, lifeless, staring blankly at the void in front of him. His eyes were swollen from the tears he’d cried, on the flight, at the funeral, and now, in the cold room of what used to be his home. 

This wasn’t just grief; it was a deep, aching loneliness. He had lost everything that ever mattered. His father, gone when he was still a boy. His badminton career, taken by an injury. And now, his mother, the last fragile thread connecting him to be sane, saving him from depression, was gone too. 

Seungcheol felt like a shadow of himself, with nothing left to hold on to. The weight of it all pressed down on him, leaving him lifeless, as if the pain had carved out every part of him that once felt alive.

____________

Months later

It had been a few months since everything fell apart - Seungcheol’s arm injury, his mother’s death. Slowly but steadily, he was healing with the help of a therapist, recommended by his childhood best friend, Dokyeom. Dokyeom, now the CEO of a sports merchandise company, had appointed Seungcheol as his personal assistant, giving him a stable job and the comfort of someone looking out for him.

That evening, Seungcheol returned home after finishing his work for the day. The house was cold and quiet, which he totally hated. He was trying his best to accept his new reality and move forward, but it was still a struggle. The hardest part was the loneliness.

Seungcheol had never liked being alone. Even during his time in the States, he had always lived with his teammates. But after his injury, depression took over him making him want to stay alone. Now that he was beginning to heal, he realized he didn’t want to live like this anymore. He craved the feeling of not being so alone.

Dokyeom had offered seungcheol to stay at his place, but knowing dokyeom had a girlfriend, Seungcheol felt it would be inappropriate. The couple often spent time together, and the thought of being a burden in their home made him decline the offer.

Seungcheol tossed his bag onto the table and slumped onto the sofa hoping exhaustion would drown out his thoughts. But he knew, he failed miserably when he got up, walking to his mom's room and pulling out their childhood photo album.

He settled on the cold floor, quietly immersing himself in the memories of his childhood with his parents which became a routine he had repeated every day since his mother left this world. Tears forming in his eyes as he gazed at their happy faces in the photo album. Holding onto his bracelet- his mother’s bracelet, which he kept close as a reminder to keep going, he whispered, “Mom, I miss you and Dad. I’m so alone, Mom. I miss you both so much.” The words escaped his lips so fragile, and tears slipped down his face.

In his grief, he held the bracelet too tightly, and it broke. Panic washed over his face as he saw the bracelet in two pieces in his hands. "No no no no" he whispered repeatedly, his trembling hands desperately trying to fix it, his vision blurred by tears.

Wiping his eyes to see more clearly, he noticed something strange. The bracelet hadn’t broken, it had opened, revealing a small folded piece of paper tucked inside. Confused, Seungcheol carefully pulled out the paper, then fixed the bracelet and slid it back onto his left wrist.

He opened the letter and instantly recognized his mother’s handwriting. “Cheol-aa…” It was how his mother always called him, her voice gentle, her smile warm, and her eyes filled with love. More tears streamed down his face as he wiped them away, steadying himself before he began to read the note.

"Cheol aa.. if you are reading this note, it means I'm no longer on this earth. Sorry for leaving you alone, baby, I know how much you hate being alone. Somehow, I came to know that my time was running out. I wanted to rush to you and spend my last moments with you, but you were already depressed enough with your injury. I didn’t want to burden you with my condition, so I stayed quiet.  I’m so sorry, my baby, for making you sad. But I love you so much... I only want you to be happy. So, please, don’t be sad when you think of me or Dad. Instead, just smile. I love you, my baby.”

Seungcheol held the bracelet and the note close to his heart, as if the warmth of his mother’s words could somehow soothe his pain. He stayed silent for a moment, torn between crying and smiling, just as his mother had wished. After a deep breath, he wiped his eyes and continued reading.

"I love you my baby, you don't have to be alone, Seungcheol. There's someone in this world who loved you soo much. One day, I woke up and found a box left at our doorstep. I don't know who left it, when or why. But when I opened it, I saw how deeply that person cared for you. I kept the box safe for you, intending to give it to you when you were ready. It’s in my secret vault behind our family photo. You know the password, don’t you? :)
Go find that person, my baby. Find your happiness. Don’t stay alone, Cheol-aa. Your dad and I will always watch over you from above. Be happy, uri Cheol-aa…”.

Confused, Seungcheol got up from the floor and rushed to the living room, to the secret vault hidden behind their family photo. As he opened it, he saw a box neatly wrapped, as if it were the most treasured possession of its owner. Curiosity overwhelmed him. He grabbed the box, jogged to the sofa, and placed it on the table before carefully opening it.

The first thing he noticed was a photo of himself, laughing brightly. He immediately recognized the moment- it was his first day at university, walking to the badminton court with his childhood best friend, Dokyeom. He had never seen that picture before. Turning the photo over, he noticed something written on the back. Squinting his eyes to focus, he read:

"Wahhh, how are you so handsome when laughing like that??? Who are you???"

A sudden warmth spread through him, contrasting with the cold loneliness of the house. His heart felt lighter, a strange comfort filling the emptiness.

Intrigued, Seungcheol continued exploring the box. Inside, he found a stack of letters tied together neatly.

"Letters? What are these? Who wrote them?" he thought to himself as curiosity peaked his interest, he began reading the letters one by one, delving into the words and the mystery they held.

(To everyone reading my story, thank you 🤭. Make sure to comment😁)