Jinyoung arrived at the hospital and saw Sooyeon sitting with her face to her hands.

“Sooyeon-ssi, where is Jooyeon?” he asked hurriedly. “Is she ok?”

“Well obviously she’s here in the hospital and it’s even more obvious that she not ok!”

“Woah, easy,” said Jinyoung. “What happened?”

“Unnie told me to tell you in case she…” then she trailed of, as if the idea was too horrific.

Sooyeon told Jinyoung of her sister’s medical history. Ever since she was 5, she has been diagnosed with an incurable cancer. It was only by miracles that she’s lasted until her present age of 18.

“She said she wanted to feel what it’s like to live normal, fall in love, and all that,” said Sooyeon, her voice starting to quiver. “She loved you, you know. But I only want to save you from heartbreak. To put it bluntly, she doesn’t have long to live.”

Then the doctor came out. Jinyoung and Sooyeon quickly got up to hear the verdict.

“Is my sister alright?” asked Sooyeon anxiously.

“For now. But I’m sorry. Her time is tallied. I’m really sorry,” said the doctor sadly.

“May we see her?” asked Jinyoung.

“Yes, but please be careful. It will not do to stress her.”

Jinyoung and Sooyeon went inside the room. There was Jooyeon, lying down on her bed, almost deathly pale, but at the sight of Jinyoung her face glowed all over again and she managed a weak smile.

“Sooyeon-ah, Jinyoung-ah,” she said quietly.

“Hi unnie,” sniffed Sooyeon.

“Hi Jooyeon-ah. How do you feel?” asked Jinyoung.

“A bit weak, but I’m alright,” Jooyeon replied. “The doctor said I could be released in a day or two, so I could…before I…”

“H-How long have you got left, unnie?” asked Sooyeon. She felt like she didn’t want her sister to answer, but she also wanted to know.

“About a month,” said Jooyeon.

Sooyeon’s tear ducts failed her and she cried and cried. Even Jinyoung was getting teary-eyed, but angels only cried when something extremely tragic happened. He was not meant to cry yet.

“Sooyeon-ah, don’t cry. It’s still a month. It’s a long way yet,” said Jooyeon, reaching out and her little sister’s hair.

“But what happens after that? We don’t have any family anymore. It’s just you I have left,” cried Sooyeon.

“You have Jinyoung,” said Jooyeon calmly. “Please take care of my sister when I’m gone.”

“I will, of course, but don’t talk about going just yet,” said Jinyoung, fighting to keep his voice steady. “When you get out of here, we’ll make the most out of your month. Ok?”

Jooyeon smiled. “Right.”