Seulgi spun around.

“What kind of nonsense are you talking about?”

She clenched her fists, feeling the nails dug into soft skin. Her voice was shaking from anger, her whole body trembled. Four two eight? Corona? Blue? What the hell. Is she crazy or what?

The girl didn’t even spare a glance at Seulgi’s direction. Her hazel eyes only looked at Wendy like Wendy was the only thing she could see, like everything else didn’t matter and Wendy was the centre of gravitational force that pulled her. Seulgi hated that eyes. Hated the sadness and hunger which was pulsing there. It was like watching a sad movie, and Seulgi despised the way it wrenched her heart and made her want to swear and cry.

But Wendy was still a statue. From the corner of her eyes, Seulgi could see the shaking of Wendy’s small shoulder. She cast a glare to the stranger, then wrapped one of her arms around Wendy’s back.

“Are you okay? You are shaking,” she whispered into Wendy’s ear.

Wendy shook her head. Her temples were wet from sweat, and her face was colorless as the amoon in a pale January night. She took a step forward, but it seemed that her legs are too weak. Then, suddenly she collapsed in Seulgi’s arm.

“Wendy!”

Seulgi felt like her heart was about to fall. However, Wendy didn't faint, and her breath came out rapidly as she tried to stand up.

“Can you walk?” Seulgi asked again.

Wendy nodded. She closed her eyelids and breathed slowly, trying to stop her trembles. Seulgi guided her to walk, step by step, back to the seat under the bus stop. When they passed the girl, she looked stricken. Her red burgundy lips parted and there was fear in her eyes. With wide steps, she trailed behind them.

“When did this start?” She asked abruptly once Wendy sat down.

Seulgi shot her a dagger stare, but she didn’t seem to notice. Instead, the girl kneeled in front of Wendy and reached for Wendy’s hand. The girl then put two fingers on Wendy’s inner wrist. For a moment, both Seulgi and Wendy were too surprised to react. The two of them fell into silence, observing the girl in her concentrating state, watching the lines started to appear above her eyebrows.

Suddenly she looked up. Her gaze was soft and filled with concern as she studied Wendy’s face. Seulgi felt like someone just punched on her stomach, or like a thousand of thorns was shoved into her gut, she didn’t know. She felt sick, sick and nauseous, when she looked at them. For some reasons she couldn’t explain, Seulgi just wanted to run so that she didn’t need to witness the girl’s sweet stare to Wendy.

“When did this all start?” The girl asked again, now with more pressure.

Wendy opened , but then glanced over to Seulgi who sat next to her. Seulgi didn’t know how to respond, honestly. In the end, she only gave her a nod.

“I don’t know. A year. Two. I’m not sure.” Wendy closed her eyes and shook her head.

The girl put her face onto her palms and sighed quietly. She stayed like that for a minute, then run her fingers through her hair.

“Come back with me,” she said finally.

Wendy shook her head in a speed of light.

“You shouldn’t leave in the first place.” Her voice was sharp, accusing in contrast of her tired eyes.

Seulgi couldn’t bear this anymore. She didn’t like it that she felt like she was being left out of this conversation. This girl was a stranger. Wendy didn’t even know her. How could she speak like that? As if Wendy belonged to her.

“She won’t go anywhere.” Before thinking much, Seulgi found herself spoke. Now both of them shifted their gaze onto her. Wendy’s stare was warm; a smile in her eyes, a sign of gratitude. But the girl’s stare was steel cold, and –Seulgi felt sick again upon recognizing it— sympathy.

“I don’t know who you are, but it would be better if you refrain yourself from this matter. Corona’s well being is my priority, and she needs to come with me.” She spoke with such an elegance that made Seulgi stunned for a while.

“That’s my line. Who the hell are you and what are you doing suddenly being all familiar with Wendy?”

The girl suddenly laughed like a crazy, like Seulgi’s question was the funniest joke she ever heard. She stood up and crossed her arms in front of her chest, looking down at Seulgi with amused gaze.

“Suddenly being all familiar, is it? You’re wrong. It’s true, you don’t know anything about me. So how’s about this? You shut your ugly mouth up and let me talk to Corona so I can save you from heartbreak later,” she snapped out, poisons dripped all over her words.

“You don’t talk like that to Seulgi.” Wendy’s voice was quiet, but it was a stern one. The kind that made you just stopped whatever you were doing.

“No. You don’t talk like that to me,” she said to Wendy in icy cold tone.

“I won’t go back. You better leave.” Wendy’s words was a muted sound of ocean wind. She turned her head so that she wouldn’t face the girl.

The girl heaved a miffed sigh.

“You don’t even try to hide your disgust of me.”

Wendy remained silent and Seulgi started to her felt uneasy with this situation. Where the hell is the bus? Why doesn’t it come faster? Why is this afternoon so quiet? Where are the people? She wanted to escape this weird drama as soon as possible. She didn’t want to face this crazy girl anymore. There was something so wrong about the model-look-alike girl. Not only her gibberish talk, but also her attachment to Wendy. The softness and warmth that lingered in her gaze; the concern about Wendy’s condition. Seulgi knew it all, so she did understand, thus she restrained herself from punching her. But she was unsure about their past and it made her restless.

She pulled out her phone and was about to call the taxi when the girl suddenly flared up.

“You’re gonna die! You’re dying! Shall I watch you die in the arm of your sweet Seulgi and do nothing?” She screamed, her hands gripped Wendy’s shoulders tightly and shook them in a rapid movement. Wendy still didn’t look at her. She was facing Seulgi, but her eyes were closed and Seulgi could see tears were rolling down her cheeks.  

Seulgi couldn’t stay still anymore. She stood up and slapped the girl across her face, pulled her hands off of Wendy. She could hear Wendy’s muffled cry, and it made her angrier. Then she saw the girl’s bleary eyes and it made her felt a guilt she didn’t suppose to feel.

The girl didn't even flinch. She only let out a sardonic laugh, her stare stabbed Seulgi in the throat. 

“That’s right. Let’s do it if that’s what you want. Let’s see if in your last breath you’ll remember me and my offer to fix you.” The girl’s voice was trembling with anger, desperate words were falling from her lips.  

Seulgi hissed to her.

“Shut up. Don’t you see Wendy is sick? Don’t you have any ability to considerat….” Her words were cut by a loud banging sound of something crashed the metal seat. Seulgi turned around. The soft autumnal light peeked through green-tinted fibreglass shade, illuminated the last breath of the day, and everything seemed like a slow motion scene in the movie.

Wendy was lying there on the bus stop seat, unconscious.

Seulgi leaned her back on the white wall of the hospital and feeling the sharp smell of disinfectant stabbing her nostrils. Her head was throbbing, her heart was sinking. They –she and the girl— had brought Wendy to the hospital’s emergency room where they put numerous tubes and tools to her. Now, they –the medic, doctor, whatever— had wheeled her to the other room to take scan or photo or… Seulgi just didn’t understand. She remained in the corridor of the hospital, sitting on waiting chair, feeling her energy was dry.

The girl sat next to her, but they didn’t speak to each other. Seulgi snuck a glance at her, studied her perfectly lined side profile. She looked serious typing something on her phone, and when she was silent like this, Seulgi could almost admire her again.

Her mind went back to Wendy and the throbbing in her head became even more severe. What is it, Wendy? You’re sick and didn’t tell me anything. Always brush me off every time I touch the subject. What is it? Seulgi was afraid, so afraid that she might lose Wendy. She didn’t want to lose anyone again. It was enough for her family to left her alone. Not Wendy too, not Wendy too.

Before knowing it, Seulgi had already murmured that forgotten prayer in her mind.

“She will wake up.”

The girl’s voice broke the silence of the hospital’s corridor. Seulgi questioned her with her eyes, but the girl averted her gaze.

“But she won’t last very long. The symptoms had started roughly two years ago, so right now she must be in the last stage,” she paused, then added between her sighs, “It would be hard for total recovery. Almost nihil with conventional medic.”

Seulgi took all her words with a blank stare. How… why? How could she know it? Wendy never went to any doctor, any hospital. So, how?

She let out a dry laugh, then coughed.

“Conventional medic,” she murmured quietly, but Seulgi could catch her mocking tone. It was strange, that Seulgi thought she accustomed with her mocking now. She just met her two hours ago but Seulgi guessed that was because the girl only threw mocking words to her.

“You sound like you know much,” Seulgi commented. She was curious, but she decided to hide her curiosity, masking it with a flat tone.

The girl dug something from her branded handbag, a paper –business card?— and handed it to Seulgi. Seulgi squinted her eyes, read the name printed in stylish, bold font.

Dr. Joy Park

Clinical Laboratory of D-Project

CNH National Institute for Disease Prevention

Seulgi jaw dropped. She stared at the girl wide-eyed, like looking for confirmation. Doctor? Laboratory? What is this? She never heard about National Institute for Disease Prevention before. What is her relationship with Wendy? Millions of question jostled in her head, raced with the thought of dread; the nightmares.

i hope you guys still following this story