152 The Funeral (1/2)

On the day of the funeral, the sun was s.h.i.+ning so brightly. The weather was perfect; not too hot or too cold. There were no clouds in the sky, revealing the pure blue sky.

Yoona, carefully stepped out of her car. She thanked her driver before taking a step forward towards the bleak funeral building. The wind gently flowed with her simple black dress.

She could always see the building from the hospital window and dreaded coming. But to think that she was finally here. It was heart-wrenching.

She took a deep breath, trying to gather all her emotions, before finally walking through the open doors.

Upon arriving to the designated room, wreaths of flowers with messages written beside them lined up alongside the hallway, all dedicated to the young boy.

'Dedicated to the white-haired angel'

'A tribute to the genius whose influence will live on forever'

And the largest one, whom she could see was from Minhyun said: 'To an irreplaceable brother'.

Arriving at the door, Yoona took off her flats and went over to the desk to sign in to the guestbook. She was surprised to see the large list, though there were little to none signatures yet. The funeral had just started.

She was immediately brought to the mourning room. Minhyun was standing beside the altar with his head down. Traiditionaly, in the mourning room, there was always supposed to be a family member present. However, since Ji-ho was an orphan, Minhyun was to take his place.

On top of the wooden structure, a single photo of Ji-ho was placed for display. It was a photo taken during their Jeju trip. His dimples were deeply ingrained in his cheeks as he smiled happily. He was holding up a peace sign. According to White Mask, this was the photo that Ji-ho wanted for his funeral, if there was one. Delicate flowers surrounded the frame.

Yoona bowed her head slightly, paying respects to her friend. Tears dropped on the floor and she quickly tried to whip them away.

But it was hard - her hands were shaking. The funeral home brought her terrible memories of her childhood. She could still hear her mother's wailing in her ears.

And now, she was back, but for Ji-ho's sake.

Minhyun walked towards her before embracing her into a hug. ”It's okay,” he whispered.

When she looked up to face him, she could also see his eyes slightly red. He had cried as well. Alone. In this room.

She let out a sad smile. ”How long have you been here?”

”Not too long, I had just finished paying my respects when you came.”

She pursed her lips. He was lying. He had stayed here longer than he led on. But due to their location, she didn't want to argue.

”That's good. I'll stay with you here.”

He just nodded in response and Yoona made her way to his side.

After her arrival, the amount of people who came to visit increased. The doctors came to pay their respects to their long-term patient. The nurses had come to say h.e.l.lo.

Afew internet friends had also come, greeting the friend they never got the chance of meeting in person.

When the business people came, those who weren't directly linked with Ji-ho, they bowed their heads slightly.

After paying their respects, they would walk to Minhyun and Yoona, saying sorry for the loss.

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Once the mourning was finished, everyone was directed to the dining room. In Korean culture, to prevent the deceased from being lonely, there was always a banquet to keep guests laughing and talking. Many people spent this time introducing themselves and talking about Ji-ho and how smart he was.