He who lived up to the name 'Cassiopeia'

He who lived up to the name 'Cassiopeia'

artofgrieve:

He who lived up to the name ‘Cassiopeia’

[TRANS] He who lived up to the name ‘Cassiopeia’

T/N: This is a true story.

He was a lawyer, he was always busy.

She was a psychiatrist, she was always free.

He always worked as hard as he could so he would be able to spend more time with her.

She always stayed at home so she could chat on the internet… even when he got back, she’d pay no attention.

She was a delinquent; she smoked, drank and got into fights, she even stole from her father so she could leave home, yet he would always gently run his hand through her long hair, telling her everything would be okay.

He was always on her side, defending her, speaking up for her.

He used to say ‘Lots of girls smoke nowadays, she’s not the only one, it’ll be okay as long as she doesn’t get addicted.’

He used to say ‘Who were the ones who allowed her to take her first sip of alcohol at 2-3 years old? The fact that she drinks is not her fault alone.’

He used to say ‘It’s no mystery that she’s withdrawn and a bit of an eccentric, why would she get into fights if people didn’t provoke her?’

He used to say ‘If you hadn’t tried to give her a new mother, would there have been a need for her to leave home? She would’ve starved to death if she hadn’t taken that money.’

He always sounded so reasonable, as though she’d done nothing wrong.

He was so nice, the ideal for so many girls, but even by the age of 24, he’d only ever dated once. He always put all his time and attention on her; he would hold her hand when they crossed roads, he would watch over her when they went on buses, he would call to make sure she’d gotten home safely at night, and he would watch her eat with a silly smile over meals. He was so filial, yet he’d always fight with their parents over her. He was so mature, yet he was always willing to mess around and have fun with her, to talk about TVXQ with her… he’d always say ‘Grow up sooner so you can marry them, even though it worries me, I’ll be fine with it as long as it’s what you want.’

The two of them grew up together, no one ever looked after them so they looked out for each other. Together, they walked through 20 odd winters.

She remembers the time when TVXQ first separated… he asked ‘Do you believe that they’ll be back?’ She replied ‘I do, because the five of them never told us they’d broken up.’ And so he said ‘When they make their comeback, I’ll take you. First row.’ She told him ‘Okay’.

That was the first and last time he ever made a promise that was never fulfilled. He survived congenital heart disease, he survived the pain of losing their mother, he survived all the difficulties at work. He was like superman, he lived through all those ups and downs… yet he didn’t survive that one car accident…

She remembers clearly the way the car hit them, the world spun, the glasses shattered. It flew towards her, and at that moment, he leaped across to shield her, taking the impact. She survived with only a cut across her thigh… but the accident left him with cuts all over his back from the broken glass.

She thought he’d leave her as she watched him lie on that bed, covered in bandages, his face deathly pale. She was helpless, the room reeked of formaldehyde. She felt as though she could see her mother again, her mother’s leg… her mother’s ashes… there was only one leg… a thin layer in that box of ashes.

She grew more and more afraid, with trembling hands, she switched on her laptop and told a few other Cassiopeia about her fears. She burst into tears when she saw the comforting words that were their responses. Her vision was blurred, but she remembered the names of those fans and kept them buried in her heart.

It was midnight, he’d woken up. She smiled. Everyone told her ‘It’s fine, you should sleep, you’re a patient here too.’ She went to bed, the edge of her lips lifted in a smile. Her leg was hurting less. That night, she didn’t dream.

The next day, she was woken by the shouts of the nurses, they were calling for help. He saw his body covered in blood, watched as the doctors frantically carried him out. She lost it and ran out to follow, disregarding the wound on her leg. She stood outside the operation room all morning, until the blood had seeped through her trouser leg and she was dragged away to have it re-bandaged

When she got back, she saw the doctor shake his head at her father. She didn’t hear the words that left his lips, at that moment there was nothing important than seeing him.

He was awake and saw her go in, with all his strength, he managed for force a smile. Then he said ‘Xiao Liang, I want to listen to music, TVXQ.’

And so, as he lied on his bed, she sat beside him in her wheelchair. They shared the earphones and listened to the voices of 5 angels.

He said ‘You have to be good’ He said ‘Don’t withdraw yourself, Cassiopeia are good people.’

He said ‘To be honest, I’m an unfit fan, I haven’t been to a single one of their concerts, I’ve never bought their merchandise or their albums. I’m not even a member of TVXQ Baidu.’

He said ‘When do you think their comeback concert will be?’

She smiled, a genuine smile. ‘I won’t make any guesses on that, but I bet they’ll sing Stand By U.’

She never got an answer. A moment later, she leaned down to his ear and whispered ‘Don’t leave with any regrets, I’ll be there on your behalf.’

A tear left the corner of his eye as he was taken away.

She sat still, TVXQ’s song still playing… She remained for the rest of the afternoon.

That was my brother, his name was Shen Yi Xuan.

He was a fan, a year older than Changmin. He never bought any albums or any merchandise, he never went to any concerts and was never a member of TVXQ Baidu. He says he doesn’t qualify as Cassiopeia, yet he was listening to TVXQ’s voices as he left me. He told me to guess when their comeback would be. He said that it was a shame he wouldn’t be there for it, but that I should go for him. It’ s hard to believe that a person like this would actually call himself an unfit fan…

I promised my brother I’d go to the comeback concert, but in all honesty I don’t know how much longer I’ll be around. My brother had congenital heart disease and so do I. I could be chatting happily on QQ with other fans today and leave to join my brother the next. Given the current situation, no one knows when the comeback will be. With the way this family is wavering, I wonder if our dream will ever come true, what if I don’t make it?

All I can hope for is that this family will stay together, at least it will give me a reason to hold on. Aren’t we all waiting for the same thing? Why must we fight amongst ourselves?

(omitted)

Finally, I have a selfish request… I hope more fans out there will remember this name. His name was Shen Yi Xuan.