Treatment was a long process, and it often caused her a lot of pain to even go through the process. She didn't want to come after the first session but she had been dragged here by a person : a person she now called friend. Being analysed by a doctor was only a tip of the ice burg; going through the checks and tests were the real problem. It made her feel as if she was an object for testing, not a human anymore. This was also one of the reasons why she never wanted to come to the hospital for treatment - the stares she got from the other patients were enough to make her want to escape this place. 

The doctor smiled at the two friends sitting in front of him, “well, how are you feeling today?”

“Like .”

“Sunmi!”

Sunmi groaned and leaned back against the backrest, covering her face. She should have known how much of nag Tiffany could be when they came out of the warehouse. For goodness’ sakes, Tiffany had already begin her nagging session when they entered the hospital for their wounds. She seemed to enjoy making other people annoyed with her advice, and Sunmi wouldn't destroy that tiny bit of happiness Tiffany had. She had seen for herself how Tiffany was treated and the guilt would never escape her conscience; but the distrust Tiffany's own girlfriend had displayed was the cause of their break-up right now. 

Tiffany patiently watched as the doctor asked Sunmi a couple of questions, her mind moving as quickly to process the result of this week’s check-up. She found this a good distraction for herself as well, and no thoughts ran through her head whenever she was here too. It took her mind off the three people who caused her heartache; all Tiffany wanted was to avoid them for now and let herself recover from the distress over the past few weeks.

“When are you going to stop running?”

“I’m not running,” Tiffany muttered softly, her gaze automatically moving downwards at the sharp question. She mindlessly played with the straw, unable to stop thinking about how she was going to face them again. She wouldn’t be able to endure it if she was alone without anyone else. “I… I just don’t want to get hurt. I know what Yoona feels now… and it still hurts.”

Sunmi didn't say anything after that; she didn't want to make Tiffany's heartache worse than it already is, not when she had been the original cause of this whole mess. She knows Tiffany doesn't blame her at all, but the guilt will serve its purpose until Tiffany stops being in this depressed state. The amazement and respect Sunmi developed for Tiffany had developed and snowballed over time; she made it a vow to herself: to let Tiffany find happiness before she could ever forgive herself. After spending the past few days together, Sunmi had realised how much Tiffany has gone through alone.

She didn't deserve any of the pain; not at all. 

All Sunmi had lost was a lover and a relationship along with popularity, but Tiffany lost her mother and a lover to an accident - nothing Tiffany had caused at that. Yet, the eye-smiling woman didn't harbour any hate towards anyone, neither did she behave like a because of her own pain.  

Tiffany cleared and forced a smile upon her face, “now that you and me are friends, would you like to meet some of the gang? I know they wouldn’t mind meeting you.”

“W-What?”

*

“YOU LITTLE !”

“Kwon Yuri, you let go of me!”

“Yoong…” Yuri groaned, his two arms starting to ache as Yoona tried to wriggle out of his tight grip. He thanked his fast reflexes for being able to catch Yoona before she laid a hand on the woman standing near the door. “At least hear her out first, okay? She already knows she’s going to get killed so we can hear her out.”

Yoona narrowed her eyes at Yuri, sending him a glare that could easily scare the out of him. She wasn't actually pissed off at anyone, of course, but the audacity of the woman to actually come here was appalling. The memory of Tiffany going missing had haunted her even in the hospital, and the broken relationships among the four of them. Being a bystander who's close friends with everyone, Yoona couldn't bring herself to pretend that she is fine with that woman being here, and with Tiffany at that. In fact, Yoona's having difficulty understanding Seohyun's civilness towards her because the maknae had been one of the angriest.

“Fine.”

Tiffany beamed a thankful smile at Yoona, thankful that she was at least willing to give this a shot. She could understand the anger, but Tiffany was confident that once all of them knew the reason – things wouldn’t be too bad.

Sooyoung stood in the garden, gazing out at the pond in front of him. He didn’t – no, he couldn’t bear to leave Hyoyeon alone anymore. Yes, she hid things from him but so what? All Hyoyeon had thought of at that moment was Sooyoung; she merely wanted him to focus on other things instead of her. There was absolutely nothing wrong with that, not when Hyoyeon had been trying to look at the bigger picture all this while. If Sooyoung could secure his spot in the sports area, then he would have no problem trying to provide for them if she is pregnant for sure. He failed to see that at first but it's finally hit him.

“Soo?”

“Hey,” Sooyoung quickly walked towards the woman with a worried expression. He didn’t know what to expect, not since he turned up at the hospital in pyjamas after hearing about Hyoyeon’s second check-up. He quickly reached out and held both of Hyoyeon’s hands tightly, “what did the doctor say? Are you okay?”

There was a blank expression on Hyoyeon’s face, as if her happiness had been stolen from her all at once. She couldn’t be understood at all, and it made Sooyoung worry more than ever. There was this unreadable expression, and it scared Sooyoung because he usually didn’t have a problem telling her feelings. At this point, Hyoyeon already knew the outcome and what it would eventually result in sooner or later. She looked up and kept her eyes closed, unable to say a word without starting to break down. With her composure, Hyoyeon could only hope Sooyoung would be able to understand without asking. 

Sooyoung shut his eyes as well, his hands clenching against his own shirt. He didn't need to be a genius to know what the result is. Carefully, Sooyoung approached Hyoyeon with his hands outstretched in front of him. He knows how much she fears this result, especially when her parents are so strict.

“H-Hyo…” Sooyoung whispered, gently pulling Hyoyeon into his arms. He placed one hand behind her head and made sure to rub her back soothingly. Silence ensued for a while, and just as Sooyoung expected, the sobs had come in a couple of minutes. Sooyoung felt his heart ache as sobs started to wreck Hyoyeon’s tiny frame; he bent his head slightly and pressed his lips against her head, “we’ll get through this… I p-promise.”

There was no reply after that, and Sooyoung prayed Hyoyeon wasn’t thinking of something silly; she had a bad habit of doing things on impulse and then regretting it at once. Sooyoung would be devastated if Hyoyeon did something silly - this matter was severe enough for Hyoyeon to get kicked out of her house. Sooyoung could only hope sincerely that they would be able to get a result out of this, a strong decision that wouldn't impact their lives badly afterward. In fact, this had been their mistake from the start, and there was a high chance that it would result in a pregnancy that was still difficult to imagine. 

.....

This is terrible.

*

“Seriously? You believe it too?”

“Yoo–”

“No, come on,” Yoona covered her face with her palms and tried to calm down; she shouldn’t be angry with the wrong person. All Yuri has done so far is try to calm her down. She pinched the bridge of her nose in slight frustration and took another deep breath, “do you really think she’s truthful, Yul? I don’t. I’m scared and I’m so worried for Fany-unnie.”

Yuri smiled to himself, a hand supporting his chin as he watched Yoona calm herself down. He hasn’t found Yoona this adorable since forever and this moment takes the whole cake – Yoona trying so hard to hold herself back from lashing out. He tilted his head to one side cutely, his eyes watching Yoona’s actions like a little boy staring at his crush for the first time. A sigh left his lips, and Yuri wondered once more: what did he ever do to deserve this angel? If he could, he wouldn't mind staring at Yoona like this for as long as possible. He started to smile even wider when Yoona’s lips slowly took form of a pout, a sign that she was about to start crying anytime now.

“Come here,” Yuri said, opening his arms for Yoona. He had expected her to take a seat beside him on the sofa… not on his lap. Yoona had literally walked up to him and plopped herself onto his lap, her arms around his shoulders immediately. She even has her head buried into the crook of his neck. “Y-Yoona… I… I think I need to use the bathroom.”

Yoona looked up and her pout grew deeper, “No, you don’t. You’re supposed to be comforting me. What are you doing?”

The glare Yoona had on him now made Yuri nervous and he gulped audibly, nodding his head obediently. He didn't waste any time in hesitating; his arms quickly held onto Yoona's waist securely. There is a high chance Yoona's laughing at him inwardly because his heart is ready to beat its way out of his chest right now. Not to mention the fact that Yoona is still in the stage where she wants to and make sure they’re really stable enough to try again. Yoona's sigh against his neck made Yuri sigh too; Yoona has such a fragile heart, especially when it involves her friends. 

Yuri kept quiet for the next few minutes, and he felt more than seven sighs leave Yoona’s lips. He ran his fingers through Yoona’s luscious locks and made her sit back just a little.

“Hey…” Yuri cupped Yoona’s cheek gently, pressing his lips against her temple. “Fany knows what she’s doing. And did you see how they were holding hands? It wasn’t Fany’s hand that was shaking… it was Sunmi’s.”

By now, Yoona wasn’t so worried about the two of them, she was too busy enjoying the comfortable position she was in. She had her fingernails playing with the back of Yuri’s necklace, smiling gleefully when she felt goosebumps form at his nape. It still amazes her the effect Yuri has on her and with how fast she felt her heart stop aching, Yoona could very well say that their new beginning was not too far from now. She could feel Yuri trying to convey his feelings through his tiny actions and she appreciated it greatly. There was no doubt that Yuri worries for Tiffany too, and he’s trying to be understanding about this.

If anything, Yoona is starting to find Yuri's heart pretty big too; big enough for her to start getting worried all over again. Granted that he has a completely y face when he's in school, his heart isn't made out of steel. His heart gets soft when he's in front of females because of his love towards his mother - Yuri firmly believes in protecting women, whether he hates them or not.

“Maybe it’s time for me to start worrying about you for a change, hm?” Yoona teased, pinching Yuri’s cheek. She almost squealed when Yuri pouted – why does Yuri seem to be getting cuter every time they’re this close to each other?! Yoona groaned, “you’re making things difficult for me, Mr Kwon.”

Aw... 

Looks like Yoona's starting to return to her old self smoothly. 

Yoona took the chance to get up from Yuri’s lap when he didn't reply to her tiny little complaint (more of a statement, really but who cares), pulling him with her to the kitchen. She knows that Yuri hasn’t eaten the whole day, especially since he woke up when it was really close to lunch time. Right after that, Tiffany arrived with Sunmi in