The Closing Hours

The Closing Hours

By Jaewon

Summary:

Han Jisung has only twelve hours left. Leukemia has taken everything, but one wish remains — a final afternoon with the girl he has quietly loved for years. Dahyun, now happily with her boyfriend Min-jun, meets him one last time, not knowing it will be goodbye. In a small restaurant, old feelings surface, apologies are whispered, and Jisung leaves with a heavy heart, knowing some loves are never meant to be returned.

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The hospital room smelled like antiseptic and fading flowers. Jisung sat on the edge of the bed, pale fingers gripping the railing as he stared at the clock on the wall. Twelve hours. The doctor had been gentle but honest this morning — the end was coming faster than anyone expected. No more treatments. No more fighting. Just time.

He had one wish.

The nurse had helped him get dressed in his favorite black hoodie and jeans, the ones that still fit loosely after all the weight he had lost. He looked at his reflection in the small mirror and forced a smile. He didn’t want Dahyun to see him like this — broken, tired, already half-gone. But he needed to see her one more time.

He sent the text with shaking hands.

“Hey. I know it’s sudden, but can we meet? Just for a few hours. There’s something I need to say before… things get worse. The usual restaurant?”

Her reply came faster than he expected.

“Of course. I’ll be there in thirty minutes. Take care of yourself, Jisung.”

He closed his eyes, heart aching. She still cared. Even after everything. Even after she had chosen Min-jun.

The taxi ride to the small Italian restaurant they used to visit in college felt both too long and too short. Jisung watched the city pass by, remembering better days — laughing with Dahyun over cheap pasta, her stealing his fries, the way she would lean across the table and tell him her dreams of becoming a singer. Back then, he had loved her quietly, afraid to ruin their friendship. Now, with only hours left, he wished he had been braver.

She was already waiting when the taxi pulled up. Dahyun stood outside the restaurant in a simple cream sweater and jeans, hair tied back loosely, looking exactly like the girl he had fallen for years ago. When she saw him, her eyes widened with worry.

“Jisung… you look pale. Are you okay?” She stepped forward and hugged him gently, careful like she was afraid he might break.

“I’m fine,” he lied, hugging her back as tightly as his weak arms allowed. “Just wanted to see you. It’s been too long.”

They went inside and took their usual corner booth. The owner recognized them and brought over the same pasta dish they always ordered, smiling like nothing had changed. Jisung barely ate, pushing the food around his plate while Dahyun watched him with growing concern.

“Talk to me,” she said softly, reaching across the table to take his hand. “What’s going on? You said things are getting worse.”

He looked at her hand in his — small, warm, familiar. The words he had rehearsed a hundred times stuck in his throat. Instead, he smiled weakly.

“Remember when we used to come here after exams? You’d always steal my garlic bread and pretend you didn’t.”

She laughed, the sound bright but tinged with sadness. “I still do that. Min-jun complains about it all the time.”

The name landed like a quiet punch. Min-jun. Her boyfriend of two years. The guy who made her happy in ways Jisung never could. He swallowed the jealousy and forced another smile.

“He’s good for you. I’m glad you have him.”

Dahyun’s expression softened. “He is. But you’ve always been important to me too. You know that, right? Even when we drifted apart after college, I never stopped caring.”

Jisung nodded, thumb brushing over her knuckles. “I know. That’s why I wanted to see you today. There’s something I need to say before… before I can’t anymore.”

She leaned closer, eyes searching his. “What is it?”