“Yul, she’s going to be fine…”

“No,” Yuri whimpered and buried his face into his knees; he couldn’t stop crying at the mere memory of Yoona convulsing right in front of his very eyes. Yuri was the one who awoke when Yoona started having difficulty breathing and he had to cope with his emotions while getting a doctor. “Y-You didn’t see how… how much pain she was in…”

Tiffany looked up at the ceiling and tried to hold back her own tears; she had to be strong for Yuri and everyone else right now. It was bad enough that Jessica couldn't stay strong any longer, the others were also retreating into their own world where things were peaceful and normal. No one could face the reality of losing one of their own friends, not forgetting that Yoona was supposed to be one of the healthiest people out there. She always ate more than them by leaps and bounds; even more than the guys and Yoona never once complained about the lack of food because she was well-fed, whether by Yuri or any of their friends.

Yet here she was, collapsing because there was not enough nutrients in her blood stream, hence the convulsion. 

Seohyun, in the midst of all her crying, came forward with a sniffle and bent down to face Yuri – the one man she trusted to take care of her precious best friend.

“Oppa,” Seohyun whispered, holding tightly onto Yuri’s hands. She waited for Yuri to look up and even she couldn't hold back a gasp from how bad Yuri's face looked, “listen to me, please… Yoong will be fine, okay? I know things look bad right now but chin up. Unnie can feel it when you're weak and vulnerable too. Stay strong for her.”

Yuri clamped down on his lower lip even harder, running his fingers through his hair as he tried to take in the youngest's words; as always, Seohyun's words made the most sense. He really did have to stay strong for Yoona because no one knew how she was doing in the operating theatre at the moment. Her condition wouldn't have become so complicated if she could eat without throwing up but Yoona couldn't eat. In fact, Yoona never ate a solid piece of food more than once a day, and Yuri always failed to persuade her to do so - not that it was her fault; he didn't know what it was like to be bulimic. 

If Yoona could stay strong when he was injured or needed someone, then Yuri could do the same without complaining.

Mr Im might have been unforgiving and unwilling to take Yuri as his precious daughter’s boyfriend again, especially after what he did to hurt Yoona but things were different now. The way Yuri was crying and sobbing in the corner on the floor was breaking his heart too; anyone would have felt the sincerity from the poor boy. 

“Who’s Miss Im’s closest kin right now?”

Jessica and Mr Im leaped to their feet immediately, approaching the doctor with hopeful and teary eyes.

Honestly, one could only imagine the relief that had rushed through everyone's veins when the doctor said that Yoona was fine, just that her body was not reacting to the nutrients pumped through the tube. Yoona was going to be fine, in short, and her health would restore itself soon enough. It was most likely the relief and emotions that had caused Yuri’s legs to give way when he stood up but nonetheless, they rushed towards him when he fell back onto the floor. If there was someone who looked like they needed to catch a break and get some nutrients for himself, it was Yuri first and foremost.

Sooyoung held Yuri in his arms and frowned, wiping the sweat off his best friend’s forehead, “come on, we need to get you something to eat too. I don’t want Yoona to pass out after waking up.”

Taeyeon, Sooyoung and Sunny immediately joined the giant in dragging the tanned guy with them to the cafeteria, not even giving Yuri another chance to retort them. They knew how long he had gone without food and it was more than enough to make even a health freak like him collapse; Yuri had wasted sufficient time staying beside Yoona's bed without consuming his meals. The lack of his appearance would also be useful in persuading Mr Im to rethink his decision of separating Yoona and Yuri; it was going to break everyone's hearts if the couple was going to be separated by the father.

“Uncle,” Jessica took a seat beside her uncle and held onto his hands, “do you really think that Yuri won’t get another chance from Yoona?”

Mr Im shook his head with his face buried in his palms; he knew too well that Yoona was already thinking of getting back together with that boy. His daughter had a soft heart, and Yoona’s only weak spot was Yuri. He wasn’t blaming either of them for how things turned out today but he had expected more from Yuri, especially when he had known first-hand that Yoona’s ex-boyfriend was back and most likely going to court her once more. Yuri had shown his true capabilities when they were having dinner together, and he really gave off a strong sense of protectiveness over Yoona.

Jessica already knew how much easier her task was going to be; half the battle was already won because Mr Im wasn’t intending to break the couple up. She patted her uncle’s shoulders reassuringly before looking up at their friends with a huge smile, signalling that everything was going to be just fine from now on.

You're good, Yuri. 

Taeyeon crossed his arms over his chest as he watched the tanned guy play with his food; he sighed deeply when he realised just how naggy he would have to be to make Yuri eat. If Taeyeon wouldn’t age like normal people, this situation would make him grow older effortlessly. He felt like a father already, taking care of Yuri and the other boys; they were such kids. Speaking of the other boys, his attention had been on Sooyoung this whole time, and he could tell that something was wrong. 

“Sooyoung-ah.”

“Hm?”

Typical Sooyoung, not looking up from his food even when someone was talking to him.

“How are you and Hyoyeon doing?”

Sooyoung choked on his food and started spluttering the leftover bits from his mouth, causing a complete commotion among the few of them. He punched his chest a couple of tim