(Part 1 – After the Accident)
The sterile scent of the hospital clung to the air like a heavy fog. The white walls seemed to close in around Hyunwoo as he sat frozen in the corridor, his hands trembling, his shirt still stained with Ahmad's blood. Hours had blurred into an endless nightmare since the truck had slammed into them, sending everything they'd ever known spiraling into chaos.
He could still hear the screech of metal, still feel Ahmad's body flung against him, shielding him with selfless instinct. Ahmad had whispered his name through the pain, his voice fragile yet filled with love: "Hyunwoo, stay strong… please."
Now Hyunwoo sat outside the intensive care unit, watching doctors rush in and out, their faces grim. Every time the door opened, his heart leapt and crashed again. His palms were raw from clasping them together, whispering desperate prayers he barely knew how to form.
When the door finally creaked open and the surgeon stepped out, Hyunwoo rose to his feet instantly. "Please… tell me he's okay." His voice cracked, breaking apart like glass.
The surgeon's silence was the answer. He didn't need to say the words.
"No… no, no!" Hyunwoo's knees buckled. He staggered forward, trying to push past, but the nurse caught his arm gently. "Let me see him! Please… please!"
They let him in.
Inside, Ahmad lay motionless on the bed, pale but strangely peaceful, as if he were only sleeping. The tubes and wires seemed cruel against his skin. Hyunwoo fell to his knees beside him, clutching his cold hand, pressing it against his tear-soaked face.
"Wake up, please… Ahmad, you can't leave me," Hyunwoo whispered, his voice shaking violently. "You promised… you promised we'd grow old together. You promised you wouldn't let go."
But promises meant nothing to death.
The monitor flatlined, and Hyunwoo felt his own soul collapse.
---
(Part 2 – Days of Grief)
The funeral was a blur. The men carried Ahmad's body away, wrapped in white cloth, lowered into the earth with solemn prayers. Hyunwoo stood at a distance, silent, broken, his fingers clutching the tasbih Ahmad had once given him.
The days that followed were unbearable. Hyunwoo stopped smiling. He stopped eating properly. Friends begged him to move on, to let time heal him, but he only shook his head.
"I can't," he whispered one night, staring at the ceiling in Ahmad's empty room. "There's no one else for me. There will never be."
He wore Ahmad's clothes sometimes, just to feel close. He replayed their late-night talks, Ahmad's laughter, the warmth of his hand. He could still hear Ahmad's voice teaching him how to pray, guiding him with patience and love.
Years passed, but Hyunwoo's heart remained sealed. He never married, never sought comfort in another. His loyalty was unshakable, his love unending.
---
(Part 3 – Hyunwoo's Final Days)
Time is cruel. Hair turned silver, hands grew frail, but his love never aged. Hyunwoo spent his last years in quiet devotion, whispering Ahmad's name in his prayers.
One night, as he lay in bed, his breathing shallow, he felt a strange calm. The fear of death didn't reach him. Instead, he felt anticipation, as if he were about to open a door that had been locked for so long.
"Ahmad…" he whispered softly, a faint smile curving his lips. "I'm coming to you."
His chest rose and fell one last time, and then he was gone.
---
(Part 4 – Jannah)
Light. Endless, pure light. Hyunwoo blinked against its brilliance as he opened his eyes in a place that felt both foreign and familiar. The air was sweet, carrying scents no world had ever known. Rivers of crystal flowed, gardens stretched endlessly, and every breath was ease, every sound was peace.
And then he saw him.
Ahmad stood beneath a tree that sparkled like emerald, dressed in white that glowed brighter than the sun. His smile was radiant, his eyes shining with the love Hyunwoo had missed for a lifetime.
For a moment, Hyunwoo couldn't move. Tears flooded his vision. "Ahmad…?" he whispered, his voice breaking.
"Hyunwoo," Ahmad said gently, stepping forward, his arms opening wide. "I've been waiting."
Hyunwoo ran. He ran faster than his legs had ever carried him, and when he finally reached Ahmad, he collapsed into his embrace, sobbing, laughing, trembling all at once.
"I thought I lost you forever," Hyunwoo cried against his chest.
"You never lost me," Ahmad whispered, kissing the top of his head. "I was always waiting here for you."
Behind them, the Hurs watched with serene smiles, radiant and graceful, welcoming them both. But Hyunwoo only saw Ahmad. In Jannah, love was eternal, unbroken. Here, no one would tear them apart.
They walked together, hand in hand, through gardens that never ended, their laughter mingling with the songs of paradise. Every step felt like coming home.
And for the first time since the accident, Hyunwoo's heart was whole again.