Sooyoung sat next to Sungjae and looked into his eyes. She tried to find the warm, smiling eyes that she had grown so used to seeing before she rejected Sungjae. But the eyes that faced her now were cold and empty.

“Oppa,” began Sooyoung.

“What do you want, Sooyoung-ssi?” blurted Sungjae coldly.

Sooyoung never knew that the sound of her own name could hurt so much. This was the first time Sungjae had called her by her name so coldly. But she knew she had no one to blame but herself for the fact that she was no longer “baby girl” to Sungjae but merely “Sooyoung-ssi”.

“Oppa, I…” mumbled Sooyoung, afraid that Sungjae would flare up again. “I’ve been wanting to talk to you.”

“You are now,” replied Sungjae curtly. “So what is it? I’m tired after talking to Mrs. Yang and the kids. I need to rest.”

“I’m sorry, oppa. I won’t take long,” said Sooyoung.

But despite Sooyoung saying this, she realised she didn’t know how to continue as she stared into Sungjae’s cold and blank eyes. Sungjae put up with a minute of uncomfortable silence before saying, “If you’re not going to say anything else, then please let me r-”

“I’m sorry I rejected you, oppa,” said Sooyoung in a rush.

Sungjae stared into space for a while, before replying, “I don’t need an apology, Sooyoung-ssi. You’re at perfect liberty to accept and love whoever you please. I have no right or ability to force you to accept me. There’s no need to apologise. I don’t need your pity.”

“I broke up with Dohwan-oppa the night you were admitted to hospital, Sungjae,” continued Sooyoung.

“Why would you do that?” asked Sungjae with the same cold look. “He can give you all that I can’t.”

“No, he can’t, oppa. I accepted Dohwan-oppa only because I wanted you to give Yeri a chance. But I realised my true feelings only after I started going out with him. He helped me see it too,” explained Sooyoung, as she fished out the bloodstained sheet of paper from her pocket and tried putting it into Sungjae’s right hand. “Yeri herself came to tell me that she had given up on you and wanted me to tell you my true feelings. Oppa, I’ve read what you wrote. I do, oppa. I do.”

“So you want me back only because Yeri doesn’t like me anymore?” Sungjae’s words were expressionless but they cut through Sooyoung more sharply and effectively than a knife through butter.

“No, oppa. How can you say that?” protested Sooyoung.

“I’m not your plaything to pass around from one friend to another, Sooyoung-ssi. I think that’s all the toying I can handle. Maybe you can toy with Dohwan next, I don’t care. I’ve already lost half of my body’s mobility. Please let me keep whatever that’s left. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m tired and need to rest,” Sungjae replied curtly, as he crushed up the piece of paper in his hand and let it drop on the floor, before closing his eyes and turning his head away.

This was too much for Sooyoung to bear. She got up and nearly ran out of the ward, her tears flowing before she reached the door. Had she not been in such a hurry to leave, she would have seen the solitary tear that leaked from Sungjae’s closed eyes.

…

Joohyun and Changsub were sitting at the same café they always met at to discuss Sungjae and Sooyoung’s problems.

“Why is it always the two of us who have to pick up after them?” complained Joohyun.

“Like I said, it’s because our best friends are idiots,” replied Changsub flatly. “Have you managed to coax Sooyoung out of her house yet?”

“No. I’m convinced she’s going to stay in her house and wither away. Mrs. Park and I have tried everything. How can a person stay in her house for a whole month and not leave? She’s going to be the one needing therapy if she continues like this!” ranted Joohyun.

It had been a month since that fateful conversation between Sungjae and Sooyoung and they had not spoken since. Sungjae had started on his physiotherapy and doing his best to maintain a positive outlook to life. The doctor was even certain that he would regain sufficient psychomotor skills, though he was still doubtful about complete recovery. Sungjae would also most likely have to take a semester off from school to recuperate. Despite this, Sungjae did his best to keep up a cheerful outlook. However, he would turn cold and clam up at the first mention of Sooyoung. His friends didn’t dare to push it, as they were scared of causing Sungjae to lose his temper and accidentally inflict more harm onto himself. Sooyoung, on the other hand, had ran home after that fateful conversation with Sungjae and locked herself in her room. Mrs. Park and Joohyun had initially thought that she just needed a few days to calm down and straighten her thoughts. But a few days stretched to a week, a week stretched to a fortnight and a fortnight stretched to a month. Sooyoung never left her room except for her meals and to use the toilet. Sooyoung’s handphone remained switched off for a month and she refused to talk to anyone. When Mrs. Park saw her at meal times, it was as if Sooyoung was an idling car with no driver behind the steering wheel.

“She’s determined in staying in this state, you gotta give her that,” commented Changsub.

“Any luck with Sungjae?” asked Joohyun.

“Nope. Always happy and chatty until Sooyoung is mentioned. Then nobody can squeeze a word out of him,” replied Changsub.

“How are we going to break this stalemate?” Joohyun almost shouted in her frustration.

“We need something that neither of them can push away,” said Changsub.

“Oh why didn’t I think of that before? Thanks for enlightening us, Captain Obvious,” replied Joohyun, her voice sagging with sarcasm.

“Yah! I’m just voicing my thoughts. Now try thinking of something constructive to say,” retorted Changsub.

The pair cracked their heads for another half an hour to no avail and just about gave up before Joohyun asked, “Do you think we should ask Mrs. Yang for advice?”

“Hasn’t she already tried talking to Sungjae and Sooyoung before? She told me that she did and apparently both of them gave her quite positive responses,” said Changsub.

“We can tell her about the situation now. I think she’s still unaware that Sooyoung and Sungjae are in this state. The last time she came was when Sungjae woke up from his coma,” replied Joohyun.

“Sure. We’re out of options anyway,” said Changsub with a shrug.

“Shall we head there now? It’s just after lunch and most of the kids should be having their nap now, so she should be free,” said Joohyun.

“Okay sure, let’s go,” Changsub picked up their tab and the pair headed off to the orphanage.

Joohyun and Changsub sat in Mrs. Yang’s office twenty minutes later. Mrs. Yang served them lemonade and sat down at her seat.

“So what’s the matter today? The both of you look so serious. Has anything happened?” asked Mrs. Yang.

The pair explained the situation to Mrs. Yang and her expression grew more and more serious as they continued.

“So Mrs. Yang, we were thinking if there was something that neither of them have any form of resistance against. But we can’t seem to think of anything,” said Changsub with a crestfallen face. “The six of us have tried everything we can think of to get Sungjae to stop this. I think the same can be said for Joohyun-ssi and her friends. We’re at a total loss. If anything, we think Sooyoung might need to seek psychiatric help soon if she doesn’t break out of this.”

“We’re trying to figure out a way to break past Sungjae’s barrier first. I’m sure once Sungjae is willing to reach out to Sooyoung, Sooyoung’s behaviour will turn around completely,” said Joohyun. “But why is Sungjae behaving like this in the first place?”

“There’s a reason we do certain things for and to the people we love, Joohyun-ah,” said Mrs. Yang. “There’s a reason he’s treating Sooyoung this way now. Deep down he still loves Sooyoung. Sometimes, we treat the people we love badly because we know they are the ones who will forgive us in the end.”

“Aish~~ Why does life have to be difficult? So what do you think we can do to tear down their barriers?” asked Changsub.

Mrs. Yang continued to think in silence for a while. After a few minutes, she said, “Well, there is something that we can consider. But I’m hesitant.”

“What is it, Mrs. Yang?” asked Joohyun eagerly.