"Did you get my message? I want to go to the beach tonight. I wanted to tell you something important."

"Yeah I'm free. Why do you look so worried?"

"Hmm? No, I'm…it's nothing! Just that, it's really important, that's all. Make sure you come on time! I don't like waiting."

"I always leave on time. It's not my fault the bus is late."

"Don't make excuses with me. You can always check the bus schedule, can't you? I mean it, Sehun. Be there on time? For me?"

"Stop worrying already Minhee. I'll be there, I'll be there."

::::::::::

Sehun woke to the sound of loud raindrops splattering against the windowpanes. With blurred eyes, he sat up and absently looked at the grey clouds covering the sky. Autumn had finally arrived and gloomily so. It was usually at this time in the year where he dreamed more and more of Minhee. Of course, since this was around the time that she passed away. He remained still in his bed, staring blankly at the ceiling. Though a lot of time had gone by, the pain was still there, hovering above his chest. It came especially when he dreamed of her too.

When his phone rang, Sehun picked it up and squinted to see the caller ID. Jisoo – Princess -. A small smile came onto his face. Thinking of her never failed to make him feel better. He'd given her the nickname on his cellphone after that conversation they'd had about prince charmings.

"Hey."

"Hi." Cough. "This is Irene unnie's fault," she managed before going on a coughing fit.

He sat up immediately. "What the hell happened to you?"

"She wanted me to go with her to Lotte World with an ex-boyfriend, her first love. Well, I know Irene unnie still loves him, but she doesn't want to admit it. Anyway, it's a long story. We ended up staying so late last night and I didn't get home until past one…then I woke up at 5 because I couldn't stop coughing."

After hearing the third set of coughs, he stood, a little annoyed. "Why aren't you taking care of yourself better? Dammit, Jisoo." He grabbed a change of clothes from his drawer and his towel hanging on the back of his door. "I'll be there in half an hour."

"What? No, you don't have to-"

He hung up the phone and took a quick shower.

…

Jisoo frowned up at him as she took two coughing pills and downed them with water. He continued giving her the reprimanding stare, even as she gathered herself at the corner of the couch, tucked within a thick blanket.

"I only have a cough, not a fever."

"It leads to a fever if you don't take care of it properly." He sat down beside her. "Since we met, you've never gotten sick. How'd you get so weak?"

Jisoo moaned in annoyance. "I don't know. My head hurts from coughing too much."

He studied her flushed face and her watery eyes. She looked so vulnerable and it was an incredibly unfamiliar sight. Despite the fact that she wasn't looking her best, an odd feeling coursed through him. That same feeling that he felt when he kissed her the first time or when she'd run into the office looking like a wet puppy dog. The fact that she was sick and carrying some ugly virus should have turned him off, but instead, he pulled her into his arms and held her tenderly.

"Sorry, this is the best I can do."

Though she was about to protest, she was too exhausted to push him away. "You shouldn't be so near me, Sehun…I'm going to get you sick too." She closed her eyes and burrowed in the warmth of his body. "But I'm really happy you came."

"You knew I'd come if you called," he accused lightly.

She shook her head. "I didn't want you to though. I'm getting sleepy."

"Take a nap. I'll be here."

Sehun glanced up at the clock and noted that it was just past noon. Thankfully he and Jisoo had eaten an hour earlier with a healthy lunch that he'd prepared. He glanced down at the light brown bob of hair under his chin. Unable to help himself, he pressed his lips to the top of her head, feeling the pulsing warmth of her skin. He rubbed her arm several times in comfort.

::::::::::

"The first time I saw you, I thought you were the loneliest person alive. I thought, 'I really need to befriend this guy!' He's got nobody around him."

"I remember that. You wouldn't stop following me until I finally gave up and let you say your piece."

"Yeah! Those were the days, huh?"

"Why are you bringing up old stuff, Minhee? These days are pretty good too."

"Mm…I guess so."

"So, what's that important thing you wanted to talk about?"

Sehun carefully looked into Minhee's eyes. He saw tears. Not once since he'd known her had he ever seen tears in her eyes. Shocked, he could only stare helplessly. He felt an inkling of worry of what this might be that she needed to speak with him.

"Did someone hurt you? What happened? Tell me."

"I…" Minhee stared off to the sea, her eyes unwavering. She stopped talking for a long moment, just staring off into space. "Even though I'm like this, I'm really okay. You have to remember that."

"What? You…what's wrong?"

::::::::::

When he woke, he saw the top of Jisoo's head still leaning on his chest. He stirred, beginning to feel his muscles ache. Sleeping in that position was really bad for the back. He groaned lightly and moved in order to get out of the sofa. Once he did without waking her up, Sehun positioned her carefully on the couch then went to the bathroom.

He stared at himself in the mirror. That day at the beach felt, to the 19-year-old Sehun, like the end of the world.

"I'm sick. The kind of disease I have, Sehun, it's not something common. It stays dormant in the body for a long time. When I had my blood checked a few months ago, my doctor said something was really wrong with my blood cell count and my immune system wasn't working properly. He said…half a year, at the most."

Sehun threw cold water on his face.

"I wrote you a letter. I know it's stupid and corny, but I put it in a bottle and buried it over there. Don't open it until…until I'm not here anymore. This is the last time I step foot on this beach, you know. That's why I wanted you here. The last time I get to be in my favourite place in the world, I'm glad it's with you."

When he walked out of the bathroom, he returned to the living room and quietly watched Jisoo's sleeping form. How did she become so important to him in a short amount of time? He'd known her for a long time, yes, but neither of them had felt anything special towards the other until mere months ago.

The last time he'd let himself fall was with Minhee and since then, he'd made a personal promise never to do it again. Yet here he was now, on the verge of falling for someone else. The fear was strong. Especially now, when he couldn't help but recall all the memories he'd had with his first love. Trying hard to fight the feeling of panic, he walked over to the couch and crouched down in front of Jisoo. Gently, he pushed back strands of hair that fell over her face.

Slowly her eyelids lifted, and the green eyes he loved to look into, focused on him. "Sehun…"

"How are you feeling?"

"Have you been watching me sleep all this time?"

He let out a small smile. "I fell asleep too, but…for a few minutes, yeah I was."

"Did I drool?"

"No, but that would've been great. I would've taken a picture for revenge." He chuckled when she sat up and took a jab at his stomach. "I'm not kidding."

"Ugh I know." With messy hair, Jisoo touched her head briefly. "What time is it?" She felt the medicine wear off as the back of began to itch. She gave into it and coughed consecutively three times.

"Just before four."

Jisoo could see that underneath that easy smile was sadness. Even in his eyes, there was a hint of it. Feeling her heart grow heavy at the sight, she stood up and touched his cheek hesitantly. Despite her grogginess, she could still sense it.

"What's wrong?"

He gazed at her for a long moment, just looking into her eyes. He wasn't good at communicating how he felt with words. He merely rested his forehead against hers.

"I'm just glad you're okay."

Jisoo let out a silent sigh. It must have hurt him more to see someone in pain, simply because it was a painful