Seoul, October 19th

Heehyun tried to stay calm in her seat, but no news from Hana and Sejeong from the inside of operation room till now makes her even nervous. She rubbed her face in worried, waiting and praying for her best friend’s condition. Around her, she can see Doyeon, Yoojung, Mimi, Seongwoo, Daniel, Chaeyeon, and Chungha looked hopeless as much as her.

After a few hours sitting without any update, Heehyun felt suffocated. She decided to leave the waiting room. She can’t stay there any minutes, she thought she could faint anytime soon every time she saw the nurses coming out and in, bringing the medicine and blood stock.

And the last thing she need right now is staying in the same room with Seongwoo. Every time she saw that guy, she felt the urge to hit his face but she knows it’s not a good idea to do.

So Heehyun walked to the hospital’s yard and sat in one of the benches, shivering when the night wind hit her skin because she didn’t bring her jacket, but it’s good to rest her mind so she stayed there. She let out a sigh, thinking of what just happened.

From the glimpse of story they told in hurry, Heehyun knows she can’t totally blame Seongwoo for this incident. Seongwoo was also one of the targets, along with Nayoung. But Seongwoo kept his mouth from telling the whole story and it made her furious. And why that stupid Ong didn’t bring Nayoung to the hospital right after she got stabbed? And why Nayoung didn’t say anything on the party? And why Heehyun didn’t realize Nayoung’s weird condition? She saw how Nayoung trembling and sweating and seems in pain, but she ignored it, didn’t think much of it. She can’t believe she ignored it when she could have asked her. Her own best friend for years. Heehyun bit her lips to prevent herself from breaking down.

Unconsciously her hands moved to her purse, looking for the small box to warming her body. She frowned when she didn’t found it on her purse. Where–

“Are you looking for this, Unnie?”

Heehyun turned to see Chaeyeon standing beside her, her hand showing the small box Heehyun’s looking for earlier.

Chaeyeon gave her a smile. “You can’t smoke in the hospital, Unnie, but I can accompany you to go to that café across the hospital if you really need this.”

“God, what was I thinking…” Heehyun sighed. She just remembered her promise to Chaeyeon in the party. A day hasn’t passed yet and here she is almost forget about it.

She gestured Chaeyeon to sit beside her, which Chaeyeon did. As they sat side by side, now Chaeyeon can observed Heehyun closely.

“I never saw you so stressed like this, Unnie,” Chaeyeon put the cigarette back in her purse and offered a coffee can for Heehyun, who accepted it with thanks. “I saw how you stressed when we worked for your case, but you never looked so pale like now.”

Heehyun gritted her teeth in frustration. “Someone stabbed her stomach, Chae... She was bleeding so much, she even vomited blood, she fainted, she– I don’t know how long she held her pain, why she didn’t tell us, and– oh God, she needs surgery and transfusion, what if–” Her tears finally wetting her cheeks.

“Sssshhhh... Unnie, calm down, you shouldn’t think like that,” Chaeyeon pulled the older girl into a hug. She let Heehyun rest her head in her shoulder. “I’m sure she will be fine, Unnie. Sejeong Unnie and Hana Unnie are there, they will do everything to save her.”

They sat like that for a while, with Chaeyeon non-stop rubbing Heehyun’s back. It scares her, how Heehyun trembled in fears and never stop mumbling Nayoung’s name in her cries. She never saw Heehyun so fragile, so weak, and so frustrated like this. But she also learned that Heehyun really loves and cares about her best friend, despite the childish fight they often did in front of Chaeyeon. They stayed like that until Heehyun finally calmed down and stopped crying.

“I’m sorry for acting like this... You must think I’m so weak, eh? You keep seeing me in my vulnerable state,” Heehyun chuckled as she wiped her tears, “Thank you for staying with me, Chaeyeon-ah.”

Chaeyeon shook her head. “You don’t have to say thanks, Unnie, and no, I don’t think you are weak. It’s understandable to feel scared and worried. I’m glad I can help you in your vulnerable state.”

“You are like my savior, you know,” Heehyun smiled. Feeling better than before. “You always there for me whenever I’m feeling stress or sad.”

“You’re exaggerating. I just happened to be there when you feel stress and sad,” Chaeyeon said with a blushed in her cheeks. “You must be really love Nayoung Unnie.”

“Of course I do. She’s just a hopeless kid since the first time I met her. I can’t help but gotta protect and take care of her,” Heehyun grumbled, but Chaeyeon knows Heehyun still worried about Nayoung.

“I guess… I’m jealous of her,” Chaeyeon said slowly, almost whispered, but Heehyun still heard it.

“Jealous?” she blinked, not understand, but she saw the blushes on Chaeyeon’s cheeks and can’t help but laugh at it. “Hey! I told you so many times that I don’t love her that way! Oh no no no, God, she already has Sejeong, I’m not gonna ruin their relationship… And no way I love her that way! No!”

Her face just looked so funny in between disbelief and disgusted and Chaeyeon giggled at it.

Heehyun straighten her position. Her eyes stared at the dark sky above them. “All these years knowing her, Nayoung often hurt herself way too many times that we even lost counts. You named it: bumped into something, tripped over her own legs, sprained her wrist out of nowhere, and many more. She has this big scar in her elbow when she worked on one of her assignments during college, that’s her biggest injury,” she smiled a bit remembering the accident. “She’s like the maknae in our circle. All of us love her and will do everything to protect her.”

“You mean, all the member of The Arc?” Chaeyeon asked.

Heehyun nodded.

“How long have you known her?”

“Since toddler, I guess? She was the shy type, a crybaby, afraid of anything and everything, and always followed her Unnie to everywhere. She didn’t like to be left alone and trust me, you don’t want to hear that kid’s crying. The Kim Nayoung you know now is The Kim Nayoung who has been undergone many revolutions,” Heehyun laughed at her own words. She opened the coffee can in her hand and sipped before continuing her story. “We used to live in the same neighborhood, we even went into same school until my family moved into Busan in our 5th grade in elementary school. We lost contact after that. Then, before I went to high school, we moved back to Seoul and I met her again. I noticed how she changed a lot. The little Nayoung I knew was a diligent kid who loves studying and learn how to draw because she wants to be an architect like her late mother. The Nayoung I met on high school surprisingly enjoyed performing on a stage, singing and dancing in front of many people. I guessed Jiyeon and Sojung somehow managed to drag her away from library and found out about her other talent.”

She sipped her coffee again. Talking about the past made her feel a bit melancholic, she can’t help but smiled. She didn’t know since when she felt comfortable around Chaeyeon, but it feels nice, so she continued to talk.

“We’ve been together for years, Chae, of course I love her… She’s stupid and clumsy and everything else, but she’s still my best friend. You heard that? Best friend. We are like partner in crime. There’s no need for you to feel jealous… Ew, I can’t imagine myself with her.”

“I understand, Unnie,” Chaeyeon laughed. “I just… I think it would be nice if I could be one of those people you love,” she whispered the last part, but Heehyun still heard it.

“What do you mean?”

Chaeyeon had to think fast to cover what she just said. “Uhm, I mean… I saw you and your friends, and you all are so fun and talented and I’m sure you love each other so much. It must be nice to have those people as your friends. I envy that so much. After your own family, The Arc must be the most important thing in your life.”

“That’s true,” Heehyun nodded. “The Arc is my life. All my best friends are my family too. If anything happened to one of them, it would affected all of us too.”

Chaeyeon could only nod. Yes, she envied The Arc so much. She never had group of friends like Heehyun and the others. She also realized how boring her life is. After graduating from law school and started working, she rarely spend her time with her friends. Just like her, her friends are also busy with their own lives. It’s so different with Heehyun and her friends. During the case, she witnessed how Nayoung and everyone else supported Heehyun that they even came to the trial separately, although they were busy with their own works. Chaeyeon could feel how close they are to each other, and that’s one thing she never had in her life.

“I’m thankful to have The Arc in my life,” Heehyun smiled, her eyes still staring at the night sky. “Well, they can be so annoying and stupid sometimes, but that’s what makes my life colorful and never boring.”

She smiled fondly and sadly at the skies that Chaeyeon felt her heart hurts. And just like the first time she met the girl beside her, Heehyun just looks... So beautiful. So pretty. Even her side profile is so perfect that Chaeyeon could only stare in awe.

And she just realized she fell in love with the girl beside her.

With Ki Heehyun.

***

Sejeong took a seat beside Nayoung’s bed and slowly grabbed her hand. The surgery finished an hour ago and Nayoung hasn’t awake yet. Of course, she just had a big surgery, Sejeong knows, but still feel anxious. She bit her lips as her mind replaying the incident, how Nayoung’s bleeding and fainted in front of her, how her condition was getting worse during the surgery, but Nayoung made it through the surgery. She’s still alive and Sejeong was about to cry in relief in the middle of the surgery.

She cursed herself for being stupid and didn’t realize Nayoung’s condition. She is a doctor! She can’t believe she didn’t ask anything when Nayoung strangely sweating and shivering right beside her. Sejeong took a deep breath, trying to control herself. She looked at the sleeping figure in front of her. Nayoung seems fine but Sejeong knows that she hasn’t really passed the critical state. Her condition has to being monitored with the machine attached to her. She still needs transfusions and intubation tubes because of her inability to breathe on her own.

If only Sejeong noticed Nayoung’s condition earlier, if only she asked, if only-

“You spent almost five hours in the operating room, Dear. I suggested you take a break and not staying up like this.”

Sejeong turned and saw Hana came in with two nurses following her. Sejeong stood up from her chair and moved to the edge of the bed. Letting Hana do her job as she checked Nayoung’s condition.

“She’ll be fine, right?”

Sejeong’s frantic question made Hana sigh. She beckoned the two nurses to leave her with Sejeong in the room.

“You’re a doctor, Dear. You’re the surgeon who handled her in the operating room and you saw her chart. You saved her,” Hana said softly as she held Sejeong’s trembling hands. It’s a rare sight to see Sejeong like this, but Hana understands. “She’ll be okay. She promised you she’ll be alright. You have to believe her.” Hana rubbed Sejeong’s back.

“I know, I trust her, but-”

“I understand, Sejeong-ah, I know exactly how you feel right now,” Hana said, eyes closing for a second as she remembered the incident years ago. It’s still vivid in her memories, as if it just happened yesterday. “I know how it feels to see someone we love lying in the hospital bed and we can do nothing but hopelessly waiting for her to open her eyes. When Mimi had accident, I was so afraid that she wouldn’t make it, I was so afraid if she would have gone before I could say sorry and tell her I loved her. It was killing me to see her like that I was even willing to take her position, if I could.”

How Mimi lying in the bed for weeks, eyes closing and no one knows when she would awake, how Hana waited for her day and night, crying alone in her seat beside the bed as she whispered her name over and over again, hoping for Mimi to heard her. It was so hard.

“I promised to Sooyeon Unnie that I will take care of Mimi... I promised that, but I didn’t know what Mimi was feeling or thinking, and a lot of things happened after that and I didn’t know what to do. And then the accident happened... And I had to wait so long for her to wake up only to found out she didn’t remember me after that. I really almost gave up.” Hana sighed, trying to calm down. “It’s really hurts me... but the whole accident also made me realize that I’m so afraid to lose her. I don’t want to lose her, she’s my everything and she’s the reason for me to live. I can’t just give up on her and finally we are here, still together.”

Hana smiled when her eyes met Sejeong’s. She knows how hard everything is for Sejeong now and she needs someone to support her.

Hana cupped Sejeong’s cheeks with both hands.

“She will be fine and you have to trust her. This is not easy but you both will get through this. But for now, I want you to rest and get some sleep. I’ll call someone to stay with Nayoung.”

Sejeong nodded. “I’ll stay here for awhile before heading back to my room,” she said as she looked at Nayoung.

“Don’t push yourself. You have to stay healthy and be by her side when she wakes up.” Hana patted Sejeong’s cheek. “I’ll see the others and tell them about Nayoung’s condition.”

***

“We’ve managed to stop the bleeding and close the wound. But for a few days I think we’ll keep her in the ICU for more observation. Nayoung is still in critical condition. She is still unconscious and needs an intubation tube to breathe.