nine. guilt 

"everybody has the right to be happy without feeling guilty"

Mina winced as she woke up; her whole mind felt fuzzy and the white color of the walls and ceiling blinded her vision furthermore. For a second, she wondered what she was doing here lying so peacefully in a white room when she should be in class. Until suddenly flashbacks ran through her mind. She felt a heavy weight on her right arm. Thankfully she had not injured her arm and just her ankle.

She bit her lip and slowly moved her arm under the Nayeon's head resting ever so peacefully on her wrist. She almost felt guilty having to wake her up, but she felt thirsty all of a sudden.

Nayeon's head flew up in recognition and she gasped, "Y-you're awake,"

"Can I have water?" Mina asked softly. Nayeon nodded quickly; she knew the nurses fed her some antibiotics, so would feel a bit dry. She stood up and walked towards the sink, grabbing a paper cup and filling it halfway with water. Mina stared at her back with empty, dull eyes. For some reason, she could not see her the same way anymore. 

"Here," Nayeon gave her the cup and Mina took it gratefully. As she placed the cup back on the table next to her head, she awkwardly looked everywhere, avoiding Nayeon's eyes. The older girl sat down and continued to stare at her as if it was not awkward enough.

"I'm sorry... if not for me-"

"Don't apologize. I couldn't have let you get hurt like that. It's just human instinct to save someone's life."

"But still... thank you. And also, sorry for... what I said." Nayeon spoke sincerely, her eyes never leaving Mina's blank ones. The injured girl nodded slowly, not knowing what to say back. An awkward silence filled in the space between them again.

"You can go now if you'd like," Mina suggested, her voice flat and emotionless. Back then, she would have begged Nayeon to stay, but now... it was different. Very different.

Nayeon felt her heart tighten in disbelief. She was confused, hurt, but most of all... she felt scared. Had Mina perhaps found out her objective to dating her? Is that why Mina's mad at her all of a sudden? Nayeon pushed away all these lingering questions and asked one herself, "Is that... what you'd like?"

Mina hesitated, but then she mustered up the courage to break her heart again. She nodded.

~~~

As Nayeon was about to leave the hospital, she bumped into a body that was going 10 times her speed in a rush. She apologized quickly, thinking it was her fault for not paying attention. Thoughts have been racing through her mind, which made it difficult for her to stay focused in the present. She glanced upwards and made eye contact with a familiar girl from her school.

"J-Jungyeon-ssi?"

"Oh, hey! Nayeon, right?" The chic, short-haired girl quickly grinned, halting in her steps. Nayeon forced a polite smile, "Right. What are you doing here at this time?" She asked, trying to start a comfortable conversation. She turned pink as she realized what she had just asked her; first off, the sun was still out so being at a hospital at 3:30 wasn't exactly the strangest matter. Second, the hospital is frequently filled with patients so what gave Nayeon the right to question Jungyeon's existence here?

"A-Ah, I mean..." Too late to take it back, Nayeon. She thought, annoyed with her own choice of words.

"I'm here to visit Mina. I heard she sprained her ankle? I was actually in a rush to get here, but after seeing you walking out, I kinda assumed that she's well enough to be left alone." Jungyeon chuckled with that special smile of hers. Nayeon's heart skipped a beat and she shyly nodded with a slight chuckle of her own.

"She's strong. She can do it without me." Nayeon bitterly replied, recalling how Mina wanted her to leave.

"Really? If I were in her position I couldn't. I'd need you by my side at every second I'm in that empty room. The hospital is the loneliest place to be in, you know? It's awfully cold and quiet too."

Nayeon couldn't believe what she just heard. She tried to ignore that one sentence that bothered the heck out of her delusional mind. Did Jungyeon just indirectly confess that she would need me? Nayeon thought, uncertain of how to feel.

"Anyway, I should get going now, Nayeon-ssi! Thanks for taking care of Mina~" She winked and gave the older girl a quick half-hug before dashing off. Meanwhile, the older girl stood frozen in her spot, her whole body heating up at the remnants of Jungyeon's touch. She tried her best to keep a poker face on, but beyond her control, a smile appeared on her lips.

"Yo, what happened?" Jungyeon laughed, clearly not worried at all. She has seen Mina in a hospital before; she somehow had a belief that Mina could make it through everything. Like Nayeon told her earlier, Mina is indeed a strong one.

Mina rolled her eyes with a small smile, "Oh, nothin