2016

They say that when you are about to die you see your whole life passing through your eyes. Every achievement and every regret.

Only when you are about to die.

And memories rise just like flashbacks.

“Take care, it might break!” A father helps a small girl that tries to place a bowl on a table.

“Hi, my name is Kibum” A little boy approaches a shy girl and for the first time she actually says hi back.

“Hey, I’m Tiffany” For the first time this girl run out of words because the beauty in front of her is astonishing.

“Key, if we ever get the unrequited love disease promise we’ll find a cure for each other?” A girl and a boy make promises while thinking about the future.

“I think I’m in love with her” Seeing the new girl giving her a eyesmile, the shy girl thinks.

“I’m so glad we became friends” The eyesmile girl says to the shy girl while the latter hugs her and cover her ears shielding her from bad noises that the whole neighborhood can hear when a fight is happening.

“This hurts” The shy girl feels burning when she watches the one she loves leaving with another.

“She came here to talk to me about him?” Her last memory is linked with pain.

They say that when you are about to die you see your whole life passing through your eyes. Every achievement and every regret.

“I’m not dying yet” The shy girl thinks when she opens her eyes and with a gasp of breath, close them again.

Outside the emergency room, Tiffany and Key seat side by side.

"Stop it, you’re making me more nervous” Key stops Tiffany hand from shaking.

“Somebody should’ve come by now. We’ve been here for like 1 hour. No news. I need to know if she’s gonna make it”

“You need to calm down. I think someone will eventually talk to us and inform us how she’s doing.” Key tries to minimize the worried state the girl is in.

Like he said, 2 minutes after their conversation a red-haired tall man came out of the emergency room. He looked at them. “Are you two related to a Kim Taeyeon?”

Key and Tiffany stood up and almost scared the doctor. Key spoke first. “I’m Key and I’m her friend. Her parents are out of town and we are the only ones here, she doesn’t have any family in the city.”

“Okay, do you mind sitting down a little? My name is Park Chanyeol and today I’ll be in Taeyeon’s care.”

In a more comfortable position, Tiffany started questioning with a worried face. “Is she okay? Can we talk to her? Is there a way to save her?”

Chanyeol, used to the amount of questions, didn’t take long to answer. “She is okay, by now. You can talk to her but one at a time. There is a way to save her, with the surgery. I believe you two by now probably now about her condition. Without the surgery, there is no way to help her.” He talked with a sad face.

“I’m not sure she wants the surgery” Key muttered.

“Then you must try to convince her. She’s not the first patient that comes and decline treatment. It’s up to her. If you excuse me, I have an appointment. I’ll give you two hours with her before a decision.” He sighed. “Remember, one at a time. I’ll see you soon” With a bow, the doctor left.

“You go first, Tiffany.” Key pointed at the door. “You have a lot to discuss with her. I’ll be waiting okay?”

“Thank you” Tiffany said making her way to the emergency room.

Entering the room, she felt her heart breaking. Taeyeon was breathing through a mask and she looked more skinny than ever. The emergency room was large and had light-blue walls, just like every hospital. Taeyeon had her eyes closed. “Hey” Tiffany whispered.

The girl who looked lifeless a few seconds ago, opened her eyes and welcomed Tiffany with a smile. “Hey” Taeyeon whispered back weakly.

“I need to tell you some things” Tiffany said.

“I’m all ears” Taeyeon kept smiling and made a gesture telling Tiffany to come closer. Tiffany seated on a empty space of the bed, almost face to face to Taeyeon. “Key told me about…how you felt about me.”

Suddenly the smile disappeared and Tiffany couldn’t figure out what was going on in Taeyeon’s mind. She simply answered an “Oh”. Since she didn’t get a reaction, she continued. “I invited you to my house. And you know, this thing happened.” Tiffany was shaking and Taeyeon took her hand and held it.

“I’m listening okay?” Taeyeon whispered and Tiffany nodded.

“You didn’t let me finish.” Tiffany looked at her straight in the eye, finally telling her what she failed to do earlier. “Minho asked me to be his girlfriend. And I couldn’t say yes.” She shaked her head. “I just couldn’t. It wouldn’t be fair to him and I told him that already and he’s fine. He’s not in love with me after all.”

“Why…why you didn’t say yes?” Taeyeon asked cautiously.

“Because I’m in love with you”

Taeyeon was in shock. “You what?”

“I think you heard…I’m in love with you” Tiffany looked at her and gave her a sad smile. “I took too long to notice. I’m too slow for these things. I’m sorry.”

“I’m in love with you too” That was the only thing Taeyeon could say.

“You know I already know this, right?” Tiffany chuckled. Taeyeon nodded.

“What do we do now?” Taeyeon looked tired and sad. “I think it’s too late. The doctor, the tall one. He told me I have to get the surgery done.”

“I can’t let you die. You need to do the surgery. I need you alive” Tiffany caressed her face.

“If I kill my feelings, you’ll have to kill yours too because I won’t love you back.” Taeyeon held Tiffany hand. “I don’t think there is a happy ending here”

“It’s better if we stay alive without feelings. You don’t want me to die for you and I don’t want you to die for me.”

“This is the only thing we can do?”

“I think so.” Tiffany knew this was the only way.

After accepting their inevitable fate, the girls stayed with other joking and talking about life and how things would be after the surgery. They didn’t want to spend their last time together with feelings complaining about the tribulations that they know they will face soon. 1 hour later, Tiffany decided to leave to give Key time to talk with his best friend.

Taeyeon gave Tiffany a kiss on the cheek and said “Don’t forget I’ll always love you”.

When Taeyeon stepped away Tiffany stopped her and held her face closer making her last request.

“Lower” A kiss on the cheek couldn’t be enough.

And they shared a first kiss. A first kiss. A goodbye kiss. Sweet and pure like their love, painful because it’s not supposed to last. When their lips met it made them feel like they belong together. That’s what love is supposed to be like.

“I’ll always love you too.”

With that, Tiffany leaves.

Key and Taeyeon spent time talking about life for a long time and they hugged each other so tightly that Taeyeon’s ribs almost broke. He apologized and she said it was okay, she did the same with him.

When she leaves for the surgery, there are tears in her eyes.

She gives Tiffany and Key a goodbye.

Their story end like this.

2020

A phone rings.

“Hello?” A man with deep voice answers.

“Hi, Park Chanyeol? This is Kim Kibum”

2027

Taeyeon is baking.

Well, she seemed to enjoy baking. She couldn’t say she loved it since love became a acquaintance, love became her past and now the emptiness is her present.

She enjoys baking.

Her days are usually busy at the bakery but the satisfaction of making delicious food with her bare hands is worthy.

Sometimes Kibum appears out of nowhere with his doctor/scientist/whatever suit and even though he grew up a lot he still looks like that same old high school boy that happens to be a fashionista. He enjoys the red velvet cake.

Taeyeon haven’t seen Tiffany since graduation. They parted ways and maybe she is living in a smaller town, but she couldn’t care less now.

It’s in the middle of her daily baking routine that she hears her cellphone ringing 4 times in a row. Usually Kibum is the one who calls her.

“Key is calling you”

It doesn’t surprise her. “Hello Key?”

“Hi Taeng. Are you busy today?”

She is surprised. With his busy routine, he never asks her out. “I just have to make cakes but they are almost finished. Not really busy”

“Okay, can you meet me at the address I’ll send you?”

“Fine”

“I have to go, bye”

“Bye”

Tiffany never thought she would end up working for her oldest sister, but there she is.

When she was young she always feared dentists, now they are just usual professionals.

Her days at her sister’s clinic are always busy. She has to take care of the schedules and she has to be good with time otherwise everything would be messy. She enjoys it, though.

It’s in the middle of her daily break that she hears her cellphone ringing. Usually her sister is the one calling her.

“Unknown Number is calling you”

It might be something related to the clinic, she thinks.

“Hello?”

“Hi, am I talking to Tiffany Hwang?”

“Yes, why?”

“Hi, it’s Kim Kibum”

Taeyeon parks her car at the address Kibum sent her she feels more than confused. Who would like to meet in a lab? Okay he is a doctor but that makes no sense to her.

She texts him. Key, you sent me to a lab?

After 10 minutes and no answer, she decides to enter the lab.

The inside is cozy and it doesn’t look like a lab at all. She only stops analyzing when a receptionist approaches her. “Hi, you must be Taeyeon. Kibum is waiting for you. Please accompany me through this doors.”

She is taller than her and she walks in a elegant way. “By the way, my name is Yoona” She introduces herself to Taeyeon.

After arriving in front of a door, Yoona is the one who open it and Taeyeon eyes is encountered with a pair of eyes she haven’t seen for years. When she stops staring, Kibum’s eyes turn to her. 

“Taeyeon”

“Key”

“We found a cure”

Park Chanyeol steps into the room.

The room is filled with silence.