Promise
E.R
Day 17
Seulgi doesn't believe in God.
She stopped believing when she lost her grandfather at 10 and she has stopped praying since then.
Therefore, there should be no reason for her to start praying anytime soon.
—
“Hyun?”
Joohyun looks up from their intertwined hands (Seulgi dislikes how Joohyun looks as if she will break at any second, making Seulgi hesitant to touch her).
“What happened?”
Joohyun doesn't answer but she buries herself deeper in Seulgi's arms instead. Seulgi sighs but she still the brunette's hair as gently as she could.
Joohyun's voice is hoarse when she finally speaks.
“I had a nightmare.”
“A nightmare?”
Joohyun tightens her hold around Seulgi.
“Someone took you away from me.”
“But I'm not going anywhere.”
Seulgi cups the brunette's cheek and smiles.
“I'm not going anywhere without you, Hyun.”
Seulgi holds up their intertwined hands, gesturing to their matching red bracelets.
“Like it or not, you're stuck with me for the rest of your life.”
Joohyun wants to believe in Seulgi.
—
Yerim makes breakfast and prepares a generous serving for her elder sister. Joohyun raises her eyebrows.
“Isn't this a little too much?”
“You skipped dinner last night, so no.”
Joohyun pouts at her.
“I'm not Seulgi unnie. That look won't work on me.”
Seulgi gives her an offended look.
“That's because you're a heartless demon.”
“And you're a pushover.”
Joohyun giggles and Yerim looks up from her plate (Yerim tries to ignore the dark circles under Joohyun's eyes).
“Thank you, Yerim-ah.”
Yerim grumbles under her breath but finally relaxes her shoulders.
—
Joy stares at the door before her.
“Honestly, Joy. At this rate, I'm gonna grow a beard before you burn holes through that door.”
Joy doesn't reply (she has ignored Wendy plenty of times before but Wendy's sure this isn't one of them).
Wendy flicks her finger against the grim reaper's forehead. Joy stops her train of thought, frowning at her companion.
“Stop abusing me.”
“Good, you're still alive. Now let's meet this Joohyun of yours because I can only handle so much excitement of you having a staring contest with this stupid door.”
Joy is about to protest but Wendy ignores her and passes through the entrance.
—
Joohyun almost drops her glass of water when she sees a familiar red-haired woman.
“Hi, I'm Wendy. No, I'm not here to take Kang Seulgi away. We need to talk because Joy is a brainless troublemaker who doesn't think before she acts, and she has somehow pulled me into this mess.”
The brunette barely registers the sound of footsteps becoming louder.
“Wendy, wait -”
Joy stops in her tracks and clears under Joohyun's gaze.
“Hi.”
Wendy taps her foot in impatience.
How thrilling. Another staring contest.
Seulgi appears behind Joohyun and the brunette jumps at her voice.
“Is everything okay?”
Joohyun is about to take Seulgi's hand and run the hell away from Wendy, but she remembers what the red-haired woman has just said.
“I'm not here to take Kang Seulgi away.”
Seulgi. Seulgi isn't leaving. Seulgi is staying. Seulgi is alive. Seulgi is -
“Hyun?”
Seulgi is confused when Joohyun kisses her forehead (but Joohyun is smiling again so it's okay).
“I'm going out for a bit so wait here for me, please?”
Seulgi wants to say no but Joohyun is giving her those eyes again.
“Fine, but don't go for too long, okay?”
Seulgi doesn't like how protective (clingy) she sounds but Joohyun is still smiling at her.
“Okay.”
—
“So you're the infamous Bae Joohyun.”
Wendy looks at Joohyun from head to toe, the brunette fidgeting under the grim reaper's scrutiny.
“Stop staring at her like she's some strange specimen, Wendy.”
Wendy scoffs.
“Funny words coming from someone who started all of this.”
Joy clenches her fists. Joohyun cuts in before the two grim reapers start arguing.
“You said you're not taking Seulgi's life so why were you looking for her yesterday?”
Wendy takes out her journal.
“Ah, yes. You see this little book I have here? This book has a list of people whose lives I should take.”
Wendy opens her journal and points to Seulgi's name.
“You see, Kang Seulgi was supposed to commit suicide yesterday but she didn't. I'll let our wonderful Joy explain this.”
Joy frowns at Wendy.
“You didn't have to be so blunt.”
“You're one to talk.”
Joy turns to Joohyun, the brunette's eyes wide and disbelieving.
Wendy has never heard Joy speak so softly before, let alone apologize.
“I'm sorry.”
Joy hates how frail the brunette looks.
—
Seulgi waits for Joohyun on the couch, playing with her red leather bracelet. Yerim has left for school and insisted that Seulgi keep an eye on her elder sister (Seulgi would've stayed even if the younger sibling hadn't said anything).
Joohyun.
Seulgi bites her lip as she recalls yesterday's event.
Joohyun has always been the type to keep quiet and suffer alone.
The black-haired woman is about to make herself a cup of coffee but changes her mind when she hears the sound of a door opening. Seulgi stands to her feet and excitedly makes her way to greet Joohyun. She hugs Joohyun from behind as the brunette locks the door.
“Welcome home, Hyun.”
Seulgi nuzzles into the brunette's neck and Joohyun chuckles.
“I'm home, Seulgi-ah.”
—
“There's something I need to tell you.”
Seulgi blinks at Joohyun's sorrowful voice. She takes the brunette's trembling hands, eyes patient and understanding.
Joohyun swallows.
Seulgi has always been too gentle with her. Too loving. Too attached. Too -
“Hyun?”
Seulgi hates how sad the brunette looks.
“I'm dying, Seulgi.”
Silence.
“I have cancer and it's too late for me to have a surgery.”
Joohyun tries her best not to cry.
“I'm sorry.”
Seulgi doesn't understand why Joohyun is apologizing because it's certainly not her fault.
“Seulgi? Say something, Seulgi -”
Seulgi tells herself that she's having a nightmare.
“Seulgi..”
Joohyun is looking at her with panic-stricken eyes.
But Hyun, you said it was just a migraine.
“I'm sorry, Seulgi.”
How long? How long until -
(Seulgi doesn't realize she's talking to herself out loud).
“Less than a month.”
(Technically, it's not a lie).
Seulgi breaks.
—
Seulgi doesn't believe in God.
She stopped believing when she lost her grandfather at 10 and she has stopped praying since then.
Instead of praying, she blames God for being so cruel.
—
Yerim comes home to see Joohyun waiting for her.
“Unnie?”
The brunette braces herself to tell Yerim the same thing she did to Seulgi.
“No, you're lying. You're perfectly fine right now, aren't you? You're not coughing or wheezing in your bed. You're fine.”
Joohyun doesn't know what to say so she hugs her little sister instead.
—
Yerim sleeps in her sister's arms that night (she makes Joohyun promise that she will be there when Yerim wakes up).
Day 18
Yerim wakes up in Joohyun's arms and the brunette playfully pinches the younger sibling's cheek.
“Good, you finally woke up. Now go shower.”
Yerim groans and presses her cheek against Joohyun's shoulder.
“But I don't wanna.”
The younger sibling whines when Joohyun removes their blanket.
“I'll make breakfast so get up and get ready for school. ”
“Can we have breakfast in bed?”
“No.”
Joohyun falters when she sees Yerim jutting her bottom lip out with with half-awake eyes.
“Fine, but go brush your teeth first.”
Yerim smiles in victory and cuddles her elder sister.
“I love you, unnie.”
—
“Unnie, can you pick me up from school starting today?”
Joohyun remembers how Yerim used to insist that she's old enough to walk home by herself.
“Why?”
“I just want to spend more time with you.”
Joohyun doesn't question her any further.
—
Joohyun stares at the phone in her hand (Seulgi hasn't replied to her text messages and hasn't picked up any of her calls).
“Hey.”
Joohyun snaps out of her daze and sighs at the grim reaper before her.
“Stop appearing out of nowhere.”
Joy grins.
“You get scared too easily.”
“I'm glad my faint heart amuses you.”
Joy sits next to her.
“Why are there so many books on the table?”
“I thought I might keep you away if I give you my entire book collection.”
Joy unstacks the pile of books and scans through each of them.
“Most of these are non-fiction.”
“They're still fun to read.”
Baking Bible
“I know I haven't specifically told you what grim reapers do but I can assure you we don't bake cake in our spare time.”
“It's always good to try out new things.”
How To Solve A Rubik's Cube
“Seriously?”
“I've had it since I was a child.”
Joy snorts but she reminds herself to bring the book with her before she leaves.
—
“Why are you not with your girlfriend?”
Joohyun hesitates to answer.
“I don't know if she wants to see me.”
The grim reaper flips a page (she decided to read one of the very few novels among Joohyun's book collection).
“Why wouldn't she want to see you?”
Joohyun doesn't really know how to answer.
“I'm not an expert in human relationships, but considering how little time you have left, wouldn't it be wise to spend as much time with her as possible?”
Joohyun sits in silence before she grabs her keys on the coffee table. She turns her head towards the grim reaper before opening the door.
“Thank you.”
“Just buy me a novel because your book collection .”
Joohyun chuckles.
“See you soon.”
—
Wendy is confused when Joy lends her one of Joohyun's books.
"Baking?"
"I thought you might be interested."
—
Joohyun stands before Seulgi's door. She takes a deep breath and holds up her fist to knock before the door suddenly opens.
“Hyun?”
Joohyun pretends she doesn't notice Seulgi's eyebags and hoarse voice.
“Coffee?”
Joohyun holds up a cup of coffee and Seulgi accepts it with a smile.
—
“I was about to come over.”
Joohyun notes that Seulgi is still wearing the same clothes from yesterday.
“How are you feeling?”
Seulgi sips on her coffee.
“I'm the one who should be asking that, Hyun.”
Joohyun finds it hard to meet Seulgi's eyes so she plays with her red bracelet instead (she notices that Seulgi is wearing her matching bracelet). Seulgi continues.
“I'm taking time off from work.”
Joohyun looks up to see Seulgi smiling sadly at her.
“I want to make the most of what we have left.”
—
“Seulgi?”
“Yes?”
“Promise me you won't give up.”
“Hyun..”
“Please?”
Seulgi hesitantly nods.
—
“How do I save Seulgi?”
“I don't know.”
“There has to be a way. She's still alive so there must be a way for me to save her.”
Joohyun noticed the change in the grim reaper's expression.
“Joy?”
“She doesn't know about your illness, does she?”
“No, but how is that relevant -”
Joohyun trailed off when realization dawned upon her.
“If I'm the reason she dies, then maybe I can change her fate if I tell her the truth?”
Joohyun turned to Wendy but the grim reaper shook her head.
“I don't know either. I've never encountered a case like this before.”
“But it could work?”
Joohyun sounded desperate and Joy felt compelled to answer.
“Maybe.”
—
Joohyun decides to teach Seulgi how to live without her.
Author's note: At least it's bittersweet?
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