The end comes sooner than Sooyoung anticipated.

She's dying, lungs hollowed out by the sounds of her coughs, airways clogged by the hydrangeas in full bloom being generated by every single cell of her body. Each cough that escapes Sooyoung's lips squeezes out more and more flowers, creating a lovely carpet, much like a trail of bread of two orphans finding their way deeper into the forest of the witch.

Seungwan can only stand outside her room, back shaking against the flimsy door, fists trembling with helplessness as her idiot welcomes the last of her days with open arms and savage coughs.

As soon as Sooyoung's coughs still, she rushes into her room and picks up the taller girl from where she was laying down.

🥀

Seungwan lays Sooyoung gently on the back seat of Sejeong's car and they rush her to the hospital.

"Wannie, did you get the seonjiguk I asked for?" Sooyoung weakly calls from the back.

Seungwan turns to her with sorrow in her eyes. "Just go to sleep, you idiot." She manages to say through similarly-choked lungs.

🥀

"Are you sure about this, Seungwan?" Sejeong asks her when they took Sooyoung into surgery. "You're essentially dooming yourself with this decision."

Because they're roommates, Sooyoung isn't the only one stupid enough to catch the hanahaki disease.

She nods weakly, not trusting opening in fear of the petals falling out of her lips. She's going to be fine, at