"He's awake? Jinjja?!" My eyes widened as I stood up abruptly and banged my knees against the table. "Ouuchhhh!!"

"Ms Han, are you alright?" Ms Jeon rushed to my side as I nodded my head.

"I'm fine. I just got too excited." I smiled at her as she returned my smile.

"Do you need me to reschedule your appointments for today?" Ms Jeon asked as I nodded my head eagerly. "So far, you've only got one meeting with the Finance Department at 4pm so I will move it to next week."

"That's great. I'll make my way to the hospital now. Anything just message or give me a call, alright?"

Ms Jeon nodded her head as I grabbed my blazer and made my way to the lift. Taking my phone out, I quickly typed a message to Krystal.

Are you still having classes? - Eunjin

It didn't take long for me to receive a reply from her as she informed that she'll be finishing soon in 10mins time. By the time I was about to rode off, Krystal called me.

"Hello?"

"Princess!!! Will you be able to accompany me for a while, right now?"

"Right now? Where are you?"

I chuckled at Krystal's panic voice as I told her that I was still at the office carpark and was just about to ride off.

"Stupid. Be clear with what you say. Anyway, what's with the excitement? You seem very happy and very eager."

"I will explain to you when I reach there. Can you wait for me at the front gate of the university?"

"Okay. I'll meet you there. Drive safely though."

"But I don't drive, princess."

"Ride safely, stupid. I'll see you later."

Laughters echoed in the carpark area as I hung up the phone, typed a few messages to Taeyeon and Yuri before making my way to where Krystal was waiting for me.

As I slowed down my bike to the side of the road, I saw that Krystal was busy looking at her phone while holding her sling bag and her laptop bag. She was surprised when I finally stopped my bike beside her.

(This was what Krystal was wearing)

"Annyeong."

I grinned at her as I climbed off my bike and walked to my topbox. I took out the spare helmet and gave it to Krystal while requesting for her to pass me her sling bag and laptop bag. After I've kept everything, I turned around and noticed that Krystal was still holding on to the spare helmet which she handed back to me.

"Aigoo, my princess is waiting for me to help her to put on the helmet." I chuckled as Krystal meronged at me.

"I'm pampered by you. You've always put on the helmet for me so it's becoming a habit for me to wait for you."

I laughed at her reason and once we were done, I climbed onto my bike before Krystal climbed up too.

"By the way, where are we going?" Krystal asked as I started the engine and replied to her that we're going to the hospital. "Hospital? Who's in the hos...? Omo. Did something happened to your grandfather?"

I nodded my head as the motorbike started to move to it's next destination.

Krystal's POV

I was about to ask further but the motorbike had already started moving off so I wrapped my arms around Eunjin's waist. 

'Did something bad happened to her Harabeoji? But Eunjin doesn't seem nervous or upset, even though she does look anxious. Hopefully, it's not something bad.'

I silently prayed in my heart that everything would end well as it took us about 45mins to reach the hospital.

I didn't have time to visit her grandfather before due to my school work so I was surprised when Eunjin brought me to the VIP room that had a bodyguard standing in front of it.

The guy, who was guarding the entrance door, bowed a little to Eunjin as she lifted up her hand to acknowledge his presence. Holding my hand and guiding me into the room, I noticed that Halmeoni was already there with another elderly lady.

Both of them were seated at the corner of the room as I followed Eunjin, who was making her way towards them.

"I heard that he's awake. So where is he?"

Eunjin's remarks finally answered my question as I found out that her Harabeoji had woken up from his coma. I heard Halmeoni replying to her that her Harabeoji was currently with the doctors, who were performing checks on him in another room.

"Krystal." Halmeoni smiled at me and patted the empty space beside her. "Come and sit here with me. By the way, this is Aunt Nancy."

I was introduced to the other lady as I reached out my hand to reciprocate the handshake. 

"So this is the pretty lady that has been putting a smile on my Eunjin." Aunt Nancy's remarks caused me to blush as I saw Eunjin giving me a dorky grin.

A knock on the door caused everyone to turn towards it as we saw two male nurses pushing in a bed with Harabeoji on it. A doctor followed suit as he stood beside the bed to ensure that everything was in order.

"Mr Han, I will update you as soon as possible about the results. In the meantime, have ample rest and eat your meals accordingly." The doctor advised as the nurse lifted the upper portion of the bed slightly higher.

After the two nurses and the doctor left the room, I noticed that Harabeoji was looking at Eunjin before he called out to Halmeoni. Aunt Nancy stood up and whispered to me that she would be outside while Eunjin just stood at the corner with her arms folded.

It seemed that Harabeoji was still weak as he whispered to Halmeoni before she replied him back softly as he kept nodding his head. 

"You. Come here." For the first time, I heard Harabeoji's cold voice as he pointed to Eunjin. "I heard you took over my position when I was not around."

************************

"Is he always like that?"

I took a deep breathe and slowly nodded my head to Krystal's question. Suddenly I felt a hand entwining with mine as I turned to my right side. Krystal had a smile on her face but her eyes seemed to reflect something that I was used to see when I was still studying.

"You don't have to pity me. I'm used to it." I said as I turned to look forward. "Harabeoji has always been harsh on me ever since I came back to Seoul when I was 14yrs old."

"Was it because of your dad?" Krystal asked as I shrugged my shoulders.

"I don't know. Honestly, I don't even care. Since he's awake now, he can take back his position in the office and I can go back to my own life." I tried to smile even though I felt a little upset about what happened in the hospital 2hrs ago.

Without even bothering about Krystal's presence, Harabeoji kept asking me about the company. It seemed that even before I had arrived, he was already updated about the things that I had done in the office so far. Things that he didn't approved of.

"Don't smile if you're upset. If you want to be angry or shout out your frustration, then just do so." 

I turned abruptly to face Krystal. 'How did this girl knew what I was feeling at the moment?'

"How did you....?"

I couldn't finish my sentence as Krystal released our entwined hands and suddenly opened her arms wide.

"Hug me."

Her instructions might sound cold with her monotonous tone of voice but I scooted closer and wrapped my arms around her. Placing my head on her shoulders, I smiled when I felt her hands my head slowly.

"Never ask me how I know what you are feeling. Because I don't understand it too. I'm just following my gut feelings which told me that you need a hug right now."

I chuckled a little at Krystal's explanation. "Thank you."

We stayed in that position for about 5mins before her phone suddenly rang. Shifting myself away from her so that she could answered it, I gazed at the quiet view in front of me.

After we left the hospital at around 6pm, I brought Krystal to Twin Towers for dinner where the other girls were waiting for me. I explained to them that Harabeoji was already awake and he was just waiting for the doctor's results.

I didn't informed the other girls about the talk between me and Harabeoji. We chatted about other things as I told them that I was excited about going back to the workshop. I thought that I was behaving as normal so it came as a surprise when Krystal suggested for us to hang around at Han River after the dinner. Just the two of us.

"Luna called and asked if I was coming back to the dorm tonight. I said no. It's already almost 10pm and tomorrow is a Saturday."

I nodded my head. "I'll send you back to your sister's apartment later."

"Can I go back to your place instead?"

My eyes widened as I was surprised at Krystal's request. She avoided my eyes after asking that question and faced forward. Even from the side view, I could see that she was blushing a little.

"My place? Sure. But let me informed your Unnie first." I said and was about to take out my phone when Krystal replied that her sister was already aware of it. "Wow, since when did you plan all this?"

Seeing my arched eyebrow and my smirk, Krystal knew that I was teasing her as she slapped and punched my shoulders before folding her arms.

"Unnie said that Fany-unnie was going back to Taeyeon-unnie's place so there's a possibility that she might ask Yuri-unnie to stay with her at the apartment. I didn't want to disturb them by going back there." Krystal replied with a serious expression which caused me to laugh out loud. "Forget it then. Just send me back to the dorm later."

My laughter became louder when I saw her pouting,  before I pulled her closer to me and gave her hug. This time round, it was Krystal's head on my shoulder.

"Thank you. For being with me." I said as I felt Krystal's arms slowly wrapping around my waist. 

************************

Krystal's POV

Even though it was not my first time being in Eunjin's apartment, I was still a little awkward. Frankly speaking, I really wanted to return to Unnie's place but when I remembered what Unnie had told me earlier, I decided not to disturb her and Yuri-unnie private time together.

I was already done with my shower 20mins ago as Eunjin handed me some of her clothings before it was her turn to shower. While she was in the bathroom, I took a tour of her apartment and realised that it didn't have a lot of stuff in it. Her apartment was really simple for someone of her family background. I did noticed a thick album that was kept in one of her closet and was contemplating if I should take a look at it without Eunjin's permission.

"If you want to see it, just take it." 

I almost shrieked when I heard Eunjin's voice from the door of her walk-in closet. She was smiling at me while rubbing her head with the towel, drying her hair out.

"What album is it?" I asked as Eunjin walked nearer and grabbed the album.

"Some photos from the past, I can't remember much since it's been years since I last took a look at it." Eunjin explained as she gestured me to follow her out from the closet as we both took a seat at the couch.

After placing the album on the coffee table, Eunjin stood up and asked if I wanted any drinks to which I replied that I was fine with anything.

"I'll make us some hot chocolate then. You can start looking at the album if you want to."

I nodded my head and started flipping the pages. Instantly, a smile appeared on my face. It was photos of Eunjin with her parents when she was younger. Looking at the faces of her parents, it was obvious to me that she looked more like her father than her mother. 'No wonder she's good-looking.'

"Am I?" 

I turned to face Eunjin, who had just asked that question, with a confused look.

"You were thinking out loud. You said 'no wonder she's good-looking' while looking at my photos." Eunjin smirked as I could feel my cheeks becoming warmer. "So, am I good-looking?"

"You heard me wrong." I replied before sticking out my tongue at her as she started laughing. "Stupid."

I continued flipping the page until Eunjin joined me on the couch while carrying two cups of hot chocolate. She started explaining about the photos to me, like where it was taken, how old she was at that time and any interesting memories that was attached to the photos. There was a photo that sparked my interest as I pointed to it.

"Your dad was a ice-hockey player?"

"He was. He started playing when he was in high-school, right up to his senior year in the university. He was the one who taught me how to ice-skate." Eunjin explained as I nodded my head. 

"We can go ice-skating together." I said, with Eunjin giving me a two thumbs up. "My dad was a ice-hockey player too."

As we continued to look through the album, we chatted and laughed about the photos in it until I froze when I saw a newspaper article that was cut out and kept right at the back of the album. It was an article about the incident that took the life of her parents. The news reported about how Hanjin Corporation lost their future successor in the accident and that the only survivor was their granddaughter.

".... The car was blown up due to a leakage in the fuel gauge and it was a miracle that the couple's only child had managed to survive from that terrible accident. Hanjin Corporation suffered a huge loss when their shares plummeted after news of the accident...." I stopped reading the article and turned to look at Eunjin. "How can they even be concerned about shares and monetary losses when a child had just lost both of her parents. How could they even report it all in the same article?"

I saw the sad smile on Eunjin's face as she took a sip of the hot chocolate from her cup.

"I guess when you're part of such a big money-making business, that's all they can think of. You saw what happened at the hospital, right? The moment Harabeoji opened his eyes, his only concerned was his company."

"Can I ask you something?" I said as Eunjin nodded her head. "Have you ever regretted being the only one who survived the accident?"

My question must have struck a chord in her heart as I saw Eunjin's hands trembled a little before she placed her cup on the table. Swallowing the lump in , Eunjin's breathing started to get heavier as she clenched her fist.

After taking a few deep breathe, she finally nodded her head before turning to face me. "You are the first person who had ever asked me that question. Regrets, I have a lot of those in my life. Regrets for not treating my parents better. Regrets for not helping to keep a look out for anything on the road on that day. Regrets for leaving my dad behind. Regrets for not saying goodbye to my mum. And many other regrets."

I could sense that Eunjin was trying not to shed her tears in front of me as she kept looking up to prevent the tears from falling. 

"Just let it out. I'm here for you. You're no longer alone." I said as I scooted closer and wrapped my arms on her shoulder.

"I thought that after their death, Harabeoji's heart would softened but that stubborn old man's heart is probably dead."

It was the first time that I heard Eunjin crying. It was more of soft sobbings as she covered her face and looked down, preventing me from seeing anything. All I could do at that time was to rub her shoulder in a way to show comfort. I didn't know what to say at that moment but seeing Eunjin in that fragile state, it broke my heart. She's always been there for me, when I was afraid or when I was feeling down but when it was her turn, I was speechless.

"Just cry it out. You will feel better after this. I hope so." I said in uncertainty as I bite my lips.

It was then that I heard a small chuckle from Eunjin, who sat up straight, wiped her tears and turned to face me before she broke into a grin.

"You hope so?" She repeated my last sentence with a teasing tone as I nodded my head softly. "Your presence itself already made me feel better."

I must have turned red with her remarks since Eunjin pinched my cheeks and said that I was cute with my natural blush. We finished up our drinks as Eunjin took the empty cups and brought it to the sink to wash.

"You can take the bed and rest for the night. It's almost midnight already."

I nodded my head to no one in particular since Eunjin was still washing the cups. I scooted to the left side of the bed, making sure to leave ample space for Eunjin. But I was surprised when she took a pillow and placed it at the end of the couch.

"What are you doing?" I asked as Eunjin gave me a blank look. "Are you planning to sleep on the couch?"

Eunjin nodded her head before scratching it when she saw me pointing to the right side of the bed.

"Your bed is big enough to accomodate the both of us." 

I saw Eunjin blinking her eyes rapidly before it was her turn to blush. She seemed uncertain to move to the bed until I folded my arms and glared at her. She took the pillow and placed it against the headrest on the right side before climbing up to lie beside me.

"Is this your first time to have someone lying down beside you?" I asked as Eunjin nodded her head slowly. "No wonder you looked surprised and unsure."

"You've done it before? As in sleeping with someone else besides me on the same bed?" I nodded my head with confidence to her question and saw her folding her arms.

"Yah!! How can you do that? I never expect you to be someone who had slept with another person on the same bed before."

I frowned a little before throwing my pillow at Eunjin who didn't manage to dodge it and the pillow hit her, smacked right onto her face.

"There's nothing wrong if my sister wanted to share a bed with me, right?" I asked as Eunjin's eyes widened as if she had just realised something. "Yes, I did sleep with someone else on the same bed and it was my sister. Why do you look...? YAH!! What were you thinking?"

Eunjin's POV

"There's nothing wrong if my sister wanted to share a bed with me, right?" 

My eyes widened as I just remembered that Krystal had a sister and as she continued talking, she must have realised that I was thinking of something else instead.

"YAH!! What were you thinking?"

I blinked my eyes rapidly as Krystal started to punch and slap my shoulders before I broke into laughter when I realised my own mistake. By then, Krystal was already starting her continuous attack on me as she took another pillow and started hitting me lightly with it.

"Arraseo, arraseo, arraseo.. Mianhae. I forgot that you had a sister." I shouted out while putting my palms together as a form of apology.

"Stupid! Pabo!"

Krystal repeated both words until she finally gave up. More likely was because she was exhausted. She rolled her eyes at me before scooting away, putting a distance between us.

"I hate you." She said in a sulky manner as I stiffled my laughter.

"I'm sorry. I really am. I'm an only child. Please understand my position." I tried to plead and even pouted to give my most innocent look.

"Whatever. I'm tired and sleepy. Good night."

She turned her body away from me and I was about to poke her when my phone rang. Glancing at the clock, I noticed that it was already 30mins past midnight. I also noticed that Krystal was looking at me as if asking who was calling me at that wee hours. I shrugged my shoulders and grabbed my phone. Seeing the name on the phone screen, I showed it to Krystal before answering the call.

"Yeoboseyo, Uncle Park."

"Oh, Eunjin. I'm really sorry for disturbing you at this hour but there's something that I need to tell you. Is it convenient for you to meet me for a while?"

"Sure. Where are you at the moment? I'll come and meet you there."

"Actually, I'm at your apartment's carpark. Is it possible for me to come up and talk at your place?"

"You're here? You want to come up? Like right now?"

5mins later, I had to try my best to stop myself from laughing as I kept stealing glances at Krystal. She was currently sitting at the chair, facing the kitchen counter. while Uncle Park and I were seated at the couch. Krystal had prepared some hot coffee for Uncle Park and served it to him before returning to where she was seated, pretending that she was not interested in our conversation.

When Uncle Park arrived earlier, he wasn't expecting Krystal to be there and both of them were awkward with each other since they've never met before. I introduced Uncle Park to Krystal and explained that the elderly man was Aunt Nancy's husband. 

"The reason as to why I'm here is to inform you about the results of the checks that was performed by the doctors on your Harabeoji. It seems..."

"Uncle Park, wait a minute. Why do you have to inform me about the results? You should inform Halmeoni about it. It'll be better for me if I don't know or have anything to do with that old man." I quickly intercepted Uncle Park's sentence before he could complete.

"Your Halmeoni is already aware of the results. She was the one who asked me to inform you about it. She said that you need to know about what was going on since it might concern you in the future." Uncle Park explained as a frown appeared on my face.

"My future? Fine, Uncle Park. Go ahead then." I said as I gestured to him to continue.

"It seems like your Harabeoji doesn't have much time left to live. Doctors found a tumour in his brain. They need to run a few more tests to confirm if it has got to do the fall." Uncle Park started off as I listened. "Harabeoji is aware of his condition."

"So how is this of any concern to my future?" I asked as Uncle Park stole a glance towards Krystal.

"Your Halmeoni is anticipating that your Harabeoji is planning an arranged marriage for you since he knows that he doesn't have much time left in this world."

"Arranged marriage?" 

Both me and Krystal said out loud the same sentence as both of us turned to face each other.

"Your Harabeoji would ensure that someone capable will be taking over his company. Someone who would listen to him well."

"Uncle Park, you must be mistaken. I don't owe Harabeoji anything so he has no right to interfere in my life. He has never been part of it anyway since he had made it clear that he hates my existence."