[note: i apologize for any mistakes!!]

 

======

 

hwang eunbi has lost the meaning of what life is.

 

it's hard to blame her, she wasn't always like this. everything has either been taken away or deprived of her. she couldn't help but feel defenseless and defeated.

 

after the incident from that night, everything has gone downhill for the girl.

 

(it was a normal night for the hwang family, they were driving home from the movies. what made it more special is that it was their first time going outside with the newest member of their family — eunbi's adoptive sister — hwang yewon.

 

"appa, can i take yewon to the mall tomorrow?" eunbi asked her father who was the one driving. "sure, i don't see why not!" he smiled, happy to see his daughter fully accepting yewon into the family.

 

hwang eunbi had a kind heart, it was in her nature to prioritize and help others before herself.

 

"yewon-ah, i'm gonna buy you a bunch of new clothes." eunbi held her younger sister's hand as she chuckled. "really?" yewon's eyes lit up, brighter than the moon shining in the night sky. "of course! anything for my little sister~")

 

but that night took a turn that changed eunbi's life forever.

 

("aw, you two are adorable." their father turned to the two girls with his hands still on the steering wheel. "say, i'll treat you two to ice cr-"

 

"appa!" eunbi pointed to the side, seeing a truck coming towards them at full speed.

 

but it was too late.)

 

her parents failed to survive that day, it took away a part of eunbi that she could never take back. it was a memory that she never wanted to remember, it was all too vivid.

 

(the truck made bigger impact on the frontal part of the car more than the back where eunbi and yewon were sat, resulting in serious injuries on their parents.

 

eunbi woke up from her concussion, her head was throbbing and she felt incredibly dizzy. as her eyes slowly fluttered open, eunbi saw nothing but disaster; her parents were bleeding to death. meanwhile yewon was passed out with a few glass cuts all over her body, the same went for herself.

 

"eomma, appa..." she tried to call out, but she felt too weak to even move.

 

next thing she knew, there were people murmuring and screaming as they gathered around the scene. sirens could be heard from a distance.

 

when the paramedics arrived in an ambulance, eunbi fell right back into a state of unconsciousness. her next memory after thay was waking up in a hospital room.

 

"you're awake," the doctor with a male voice spoke to her. "follow the light please."

 

he shined a flashlight at her eyes, moving it from side to side to check if she was actually conscious. eunbi did as told, ending in the doctor nodding and the nurse checking her vitals.

 

later on, eunbi was sat up on the bed. she felt a bandage wrapped around her head and saw band-aids all over her body. those and a cast on her left arm. the door opened and revealed her sister in a wheelchair with the same bandage wrapped around her head, but she had a short cast on her right leg, indicating a fracture in her bones.

 

"y-yewon..." eunbi breathed out, tearing up. "eonni!" yewon cried out. she was younger than eunbi and grew up in an orphanage, she was much more vulnerable.

 

the doctor entered at that time, sighing. "you're both here, much better. it's better to deliver this news to the two of you at the same time."

 

and what he said next scarred the both of them for life.

 

"unfortunately, your parents couldn't make it.")

 

remembering that night always made eunbi shiver, it was traumatic. but matters only got worse when they were discharged from the hospital.

 

(arriving home in a van driven by her father's assistant, eunbi saw men in suits waiting at their front gate.

 

as soon as they got out, eunbi wheeled yewon towards the men. she was the least damaged person in the incident, being the farthest away from impact. but she couldn't say the same for her father.

 

"who are you two..?" eunbi asked cautiously.

 

"we're from the adoption agency, we're here to take yewon back." what? "no, y-you can't do that! i'm her sister, eunbi! i'm her only family left!" eunbi panicked, stepping back and wheeling yewon away with her.

 

"yes, we're aware." the other man spoke. "but your parents were her legal guardians. since yewon isn't of legal age but you are, we have the right to take her back."

 

eunbi's heart sank.)

 

it's been six years since all of that happened, eunbi was only eighteen years-old. after her only sister was taken away, eunbi was left alone with her parents' will, an entire mansion, and herself.

 

she could have all the luxuries in the world if she wanted, but even a house made of gold couldn't be the same as having her family back... or at least someone in life.

 

eunbi didn't have to work either, with both of her parents' wills combined, she could last for who knows how long — so her days were empty.

 

today, she decided it was finally enough. all of the materialistic things she owned had no worth to her, no meaning. it meant absolutely nothing, her life was the same.

 

eunbi decided to go to her favorite place when she wanted to cry or let everything out, the abandoned bridge near her parents' work building which was now being run by the same assistant who drove them home from the hospital that day.

 

she heaved a sigh, feeling the autumn breeze hit her skin. goosebumps formed around her body as she closed her eyes. eunbi didn't even realize it but a tear escaped her eye and slowly ran down her cheek.

 

holding the railing of the bridge, she muttered weakly. "goodbye..."

 

"WAIT!" she heard someone yell out, but that person was far too late. eunbi was already climbing the railing.

 

but soon enough, she felt someone grab her by her torso, pulling her down to engulf her in the tightest hug she's ever felt in a while. "GOD, HOW BAD COULD THINGS POSSIBLY GET FOR YOU TO RESULT TO THIS?!" the person, who appeared to be a woman, screamed.

 

"w-who are you, exactly..?" eunbi asked, still stuck in a state of shock. who was this woman and why did she stop her from taking her life?

 

"i'm jung yerin, you ." the woman pulled away and held eunbi's shoulders. "but that doesn't matter! who the hell are you and why were you about to jump off this goddamn bridge?!"

 

"i-it doesn't matter..." eunbi proceeded to walk away. but she felt the girl nearing behind her, until she felt yerin hold her shoulder, pulling her back. "can i at least take you out for a coffee so you can tell me what's going on? actually, you don't even have to talk. just let me help you... i insist."

 

seeing the genuineness in her eyes, eunbi nods but with much hesitance.

 

...

 

eunbi doesn't know how she ended up in this situation. taking a walk through the park, drinking coffee alongside a girl she just met. it all happened so quickly that it felt unreal.

 

"look!" the woman who went by the name 'yerin' pointed at a certain place. making eunbi's head turn, yerin giggles. "look at that dog!"

 

a silver toy poodle with a white leash, how sickeningly adorable. it reminded eunbi of her childhood dog, angkko.

 

"come on!" yerin said happily, grabbing the latter's hand and dragging her to the tiny dog whose owner didn't seem to be in sight. "yerin-ssi, what the f-" but as soon as eunbi met eyes with the small creature, she felt her heart melt.

 

the dog barked, approaching eunbi in attempt to climb her leg. "hi, little buddy..!" eunbi chuckled, handing her coffee to yerin before picking it up in her arms. "how cute~"

 

the dog barked again before proceeding to eunbi's face, "y-yah!" she laughed. "what's your name, hm?" eunbi looked for the tiny creature's collar.

 

"meonji..." she read it out loud, followed by a smile. "aigoo~ meonji, you're so cute!" but all good things must come to an end in eunbi's book; meonji's owner ran towards them. "meonji!"

 

"is this your dog, miss?" yerin asked the woman. "y-yes, i've been looking all over for him..!" she panted heavily as if she'd been running, which she probably was.

 

"sorry, little dude." eunbi pouted slightly at meonji. "you gotta go back to your owner..?" she let her words trail off, expecting them to be finished by the new woman.

 

"sowon," she answered, picking up meonji from eunbi. "kim sowon! thank you for looking after meonji, i was in a call with my sister then he ran away. a mischievous dog, really!"

 

"ah, i see." eunbi nodded. "well, we have to get going. bye meonji! bye sowon-ssi!" she grabbed yerin by her arm and dragged her away as the latter did previously.

 

"mission success!" yerin smiled, letting eunbi hold her arm as they walked to the park's exit. after eunbi retrieved her cup of coffee, she asked yerin, "what?"

 

"you smiled when you saw meonji~" yerin chuckled, showing her eye smile to eunbi. "that was my goal, to make you smile." eunbi shook her head as a response.

 

when they reached the exit, eunbi spoke up. "well, uhm... i'll get going now, yerin-ssi. thanks for the coffee." she was walking away until she heard yerin shout. "wait! i never got your name!"

 

eunbi halted and turned her head, "eunbi! hwang eunbi!" yerin smiled and gave her a thumbs up. "till we meet again, hwang eunbi!"

 

...

 

"till we meet again, hwang eunbi!"

 

those six words rang through eunbi's ears all week since that day. who exactly was jung yerin? who was the godsend that prevented her from taking her life that day?

 

whoever she was, she made eunbi happy. it wad almost as if she was 'the person' eunbi was looking for. her reason to stay.

 

but seeing that she hasn't seen the woman in a week, eunbi lost hope in ever seeing her again. resulting her spiraling back to her usual self.

 

5:43 pm

 

today, she wanted to go back to the bridge with the initial idea of finally leaving this one hell of a world. but deep inside, she had hopes of yerin being there, waiting for her.

 

and her hopes were right. there a woman stood by the railings. same coat, same hairstyle, there were high chances of it being jung yerin.

 

"yerin..?" eunbi called out, hoping the figure's head would turn.

 

she swore she felt her heart skip a beat when the woman turned her head, it was actually yerin. she smiled, "hwang eunbi, we meet again."

 

"what brings you here?" eunbi smiled softly, walking towards her. she stood beside yerin, leaning against the railings. "well, i usually go here for fresh air and to clear my mind."

 

eunbi quickly averted her gaze to yerin, "so that day..?" yerin chuckled, "yes, i was gonna do that but i ended up taking you out on a date instead."

 

"that was not a date." eunbi raised an eyebrow at her. "it is if you want it to be. do you want it to be a date?" yerin asked her teasing, making eunbi giggle a little. "enough about me, eunbi. why are you here again..?"

 

the said woman's expressions changed drastically, she looked away and at her fingers which she fiddled with. yerin sighed and grabbed both of her hands, "i know i'm still a bit of a stranger... but you can trust me."

 

eunbi forced a chuckle, "we just met. i've only seen you once, and that was last week."

 

that was eunbi's perspective, but to yerin it was far different. she's been admiring eunbi for a while, she just never got the courage to approach her. she only talked to her when eunbi had questions since she was class president.

 

("please welcome to the stage, high school's delightful dance team members... hwang eunbi, seo soojin, and lee jinsook!" the principal announced, making the entire crowd cheer. it was 'student concert' day at their high school wherein a bunch of students get selected to perform.

 

yerin sat in the crowd, unfazed by everything that was happening. until she heard a beyond melodious voice speak. "hi! we're the 'fantastic three'! we go by sinb, soojin, and yeoreum!"

 

she immediately looked up, only to see pure beauty on the stage. all three of them were pretty but the 'sinb' girl caught her eye. it was as if aphrodite and athena had a daughter together then apollo blessed her with a far more than beautiful voice.

 

she focused only on eunbi through the entire performance. and ever since then, she's been supporting eunbi in her school performances. every time her name was mentioned, yerin's ears perked up.

 

but she never approached eunbi, she could never do that. despite being an extrovert, she felt shy and weak at the knees at the thought of talking to hwang eunbi.

 

but there came a time where eunbi didn't show up to school at all. so she got her friend — choi yuna, who was a friend of eunbi's — to take her to her house.

 

when they got there, yuju went ahead because she was running late for her singing lessons. that's when yerin saw a black car arrive. a man exited and opened the the middle row door, revealing eunbi with her left arm in cast. then she brought out a wheelchair, heading to the other side to retrieve a girl with a short cast on her right leg.

 

yerin grew worried, what happened?

 

she happened to witness two men in suits taking the girl in the wheelchair away. eunbi cried out, being held back by the man who drove the car. yerin wanted to run up to her and console her, but she suddenly couldn't move.

 

yerin stood there, frozen in place, feeling her heart shatter at the sight of eunbi sobbing.)

 

"hi, i'm jung yerin. class president of seoul high school class, 2-a." yerin reintroduced herself as her high school self. eunbi's eyes widened, "class pres?"

 

"fantastic three's sinb?" yerin smiled along with her eyes, "the girl whose school performances i've watched from start to end all the time since the student concert day?"

 

eunbi let out a short laugh, looking into yerin's eyes right after. she didn't know how but eunbi felt herself getting lost in yerin's gaze. "hi, jung yerin. i'm hwang eunbi, member of the fantastic three, and the girl who asked you questions about the class time table."

 

"well, time table girl," yerin chuckled before offering her hand. "would you like to accompany me somewhere else than here so i can make you happy and prevent you from doing anything stupid?" said yerin, making eunbi laugh.

 

"that sounds delightful!" eunbi hopped on yerin's joke train, taking her hand and letting the latter drag her to who knows where.

 

...

 

"you brought me to your place?"

 

yerin had brought eunbi to her condo. they entered and eunbi looked around. the ambiance was cozy and comfortable, perfect for any season and weather.

 

"geez, yerin, at least treat me out to dinner first." eunbi said jokingly, insinuating something that was rather... sensual. yerin turned to her in shock.

 

"hwang eunbi, cleanse that mind of yours! we're gonna watch movies after i cook dinner, jeez!" yerin replied in an overly defensive tone which made eunbi burst out in laughter.

 

later on, yerin was finished cooking dinner for the both of them. she made chicken pesto pasta with garlic bread on the side, you could never go wrong with pasta and garlic bread.

 

"dinner is served~"

 

eunbi gasped at the meal that's been served in front of her. "oh wow, i-" she stammered, at a loss for words. she turned to yerin, "i'm speechless, really..."

 

"no need to flatter me, eunbi." yerin smirked. "i know i'm a great cook. now, choose a movie!"

 

they ended up watching 'the notebook', much to yerin's surprise. you'd think of eunbi as the type of girl to love horror movies and sad endings because they're 'realistic.' not the type to watch movies like 'the notebook.' which eunbi replied with something sassy, as expected.

 

9:07 pm

 

two movies later, eunbi felt her eyelids getting heavier and body relaxing. "yerin, i'm sleepy..." "then you should probably get home. come on, i'll walk you home."

 

the older woman stood up and lended eunbi her hand. as soon as she got up, eunbi let yerin lead her downstairs. "yerin, are you sure we should walk from here to my house?"

 

it occurred to yerin that if eunbi still lived in the same house from when she was in high school, it was a bit far. "you're right, i'll get you a cab."

 

they stopped at the sidewalk while yerin waved her hand at a cab that was nearing the two of them. the driver rolled down his window, "where to?"

 

"it's only her that's going, she'll tell you her address." yerin informed the male driver. "bye, eunbi." she turned to the younger woman.

 

"bye, yerin!" eunbi smiled, patting the latter's shoulder.

 

jung yerin felt the same butterflies she did six years ago.

 

but there was one thing she forgot to ask for. no, not a kiss goodbye... eunbi's number.

 

...

 

dialing a certain someone's number into her phone while walking back to her condo, yerin anticipated an answer. in fear of hearing "this dial cannot be reached, please try again later." yerin kept tapping her foot on the floor of the elevator.

 

"yerin?" it was none other than her high school best friend, yuju. "yuju! favor!" yerin exclaimed, weirdly happy to hear her voice. "hm... what?"

 

yuju was suspicious of the woman, usually when she would ask for favors, it was something either really extreme or plain dumb. "do you still have eunbi's number?"

 

"eunbi? as in HWANG eunbi?!" yuju asked in disbelief. "after six years, you decide to make your move NOW?"

 

"i know it sounds crazy but we're good friends now! but the thing is, i forgot to ask for her number..." yerin answered, embarrassed enough as it is. "please, yuju!"

 

"fine, but i can't promise you she still uses the same number." yuju sighed over the phone. soon enough, yerin received a notification from yuju. "thank you so much! i owe you big time!"

 

"jung yerin, let me ask you something." the woman said to her. "hey, i'm older than you. aren't you supposed to be using honorifics?"

 

"and you were supposed to make your move with eunbi six years ago, we all have our differences." yerin couldn't see yuju but the woman obviously rolled her eyes considering her tone. "why now? why now when you-"

 

yerin quickly cut her off before she could bring it up, "don't mind that, yuju. it doesn't matter. that's a grain of salt in the entire pacific ocean."

 

"if you say so..." yuju sighed. "just be careful, yeah? bye, yerin~" "bye-bye, yuju~"

 

...

 

new notification from: +82 02-***-****

eunbi!!

 

the said woman shot up from her bed, who the hell was that? she immediately opened the text and replied.

 

hwang eunbi

who is this??

 

+82 02-***-****

do you want today's time table?

 

hwang eunbi

yerin??

 

+82 02-***-****

no, it's class pres <3

 

hwang eunbi

how'd you get my number?

 

jung yerin

yuju

 

hwang eunbi

EH?? CHOI YUNA FROM HIGH SCHOOL???

 

jung yerin

yeah but i'm more surprised you still use the same number

 

hwang eunbi

i'm gonna block you

 

jung yerin

NOOOO :'(

 

hwang eunbi

goodnight yerin~

 

jung yerin

fine just don't block me ㅠㅠ

 

...

 

the following day, eunbi woke up to her house's obnoxious doorbell constantly going off. she groaned as she covered her ears with her pillow, hoping it would silence the ringing.

 

when she finally came to her senses and realized those doors won't open themselves, eunbi groaned and got out of bed.

 

10:45 am

 

eunbi unlocked and opened the front door, making her way to the gate. "who the hell could possibly be here at ten in the- yerin?" she furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. "eh?" she unlocked the gate.

 

"good morning to you too, sleepyhead!" yerin chuckled, making her way past the gate with a bag of mcdonald's in her hand. "how do you know where i live?" eunbi asked confusedly, a bit creeped out.

 

"i figured if you had the same number as you did in high school, you probably live in the same house too. and i was right, you do!" yerin explained, eunbi watching her find the dining room. "am i smart or am i smart, hwang eunbi?"

 

"you're creepy, how did you even know my address since high school?" eunbi fired back.

 

yerin fell quiet, concerning a certain hwang. "e-eunbi, do you happen to remember when two men in suits took away a girl you know who was in a wheelchair..?"

 

two men in suits, a girl, and a wheelchair... yewon?

 

"wheelchai- yewon?" eunbi's heart began to feel heavy, her knees started to feel weak and her head was in a daze. "h-how do you about know that..?"

 

"i was kinda... there." yerin answered awkwardly, scratching the back of her neck. "i'm sorry, it's probably a sensitive topic. i shouldn't have-"

 

"no, it's okay." eunbi reassured the woman. "how about we sit down for some breakfast and i explain to you what happened that day?" she offered, setting the table and everything. yerin could only nod and mutter out the words "yeah" and "sounds great."

 

...

 

an entire takeout bag of mcdonald's and one traumatic backstory later, yerin was in a pure state of shock. eunbi was simply sipping her orange juice which really just tasted like orange concentrate and a load of artificial sugar.

 

"so you mean to tell me..." yerin started. "that girl was your adoptive sister who you just met three months before and adopted a week before?"

 

"mhm."

 

"and then when you and your family were driving home from the movies, you got into a car accident with a truck and the truck driver didn't face any punishments because he's still hiding to this day?"

 

"yes."

 

"and the sounds of sirens bother you because they remind you of that night?"

 

"you understand me well."

 

"plus, the doctor announced that your parents were dead while you and your sister were still trying to process everything and were literally in casts?"

 

"yeah."

 

"then when you arrived home, the adoption agency dudes took your sister away and now you have no absolute idea where hwang yewon is?"

 

"precisely."

 

yerin suddenly stood up from her seat and made her way to eunbi, she made the woman stand up and hugged her abruptly. "i'm so sorry..."

 

eunbi was hesitant but nonetheless hugged her back, "for what? you had nothing to do with it." yerin sighed, "i should've approached you that day and comforted you..."

 

eunbi giggled, "you're weird, you know that?"

 

"i don't mind being a weirdo as long as i'm your weirdo." yerin joked, earning a slap to the shoulder from eunbi. "i'm kidding! i'm kidding!"

 

...

 

ever since that day, the two became inseparable. every second of every day, yerin was with eunbi. it came to the point that sometimes they wished the days were just a tad bit longer.

 

yerin cherished every moment with eunbi, she had the key to unlock her heart so she can feel true love. not to mention that one night after a day-long movie marathon.

 

("well, i should get going now." eunbi chuckled. "we just watched all three movies of pitch perfect, mean girls, clueless and a disney movie. are you sure we haven't watched everything on netflix? i've been here since early morning."

 

"right, i should get you a cab." yerin stood up, popcorn simultaneously falling off her shirt. "actually... can you drive me home tonight?" eunbi asked, scared to hear yerin's answer.

 

"oh yeah, i have a car! why didn't i just drive you home the first time? right, it was in the shop." yerin told herself, grabbing her keys from the table and heading out.

 

a few seconds later, she came back when she realized she had her car keys but not eunbi. "i totally did not forget you, let's go!"

 

yerin grabbed eunbi's hand and dragged her out, locking the door to her condo. when they arrived at the parking lot, eunbi and yerin got into the front seats.

 

the drive to eunbi's house wasn't exactly... quiet. there was a lot of singing taylor swift songs and screaming " YOU, JAKE GYLLENHAAL!" but when they finally got to their destination, yerin volunteered to drop eunbi off at her house's front gate.

 

at the gate, eunbi faced yerin. "hey, thank you for these past couple weeks... they've been really fun. i don't know if you've noticed, but i haven't visited the bridge in a while; so, thank you for that."

 

"no problem." yerin grinned, feeling heat rush to her cheeks. she just hoped the 'near-ending autumn, almost-winter' breeze covered it up. "if you need me, just call."

 

"well, goodnight, yerin." eunbi leaned forward to hug the woman, wrapping her arms around her neck. yerin responded by snaking her arms around eunbi's upper torso. "you make me... happy."

 

when they parted, eunbi opened the gate and made her way inside. but just a couple moments later, she came back. "yerin, you have my phone in your purse."

 

"oh yeah..!" yerin exclaimed, taking out eunbi's phone from her purse. eunbi asked her to store it in there because she couldn't trust herself with her phone in cars, she has a tendency to drop it and have trouble finding it. "here you go~"

 

"thanks!" eunbi chuckled before planting a quick peck on yerin's cheek, she immediately closed the gate right after.)

 

and that one time yerin took her home to her family's house.

 

("eomma! appa! i'm here!~" yerin yelled while eunbi stood behind her, a bit shy. "my baby is home!~" a woman exclaimed, running up to yerin to engulf her in the most loving hug. "oh, and who is this pretty thing? your girlfriend?"

 

"o-oh no, i'm not her girlfriend! i'm hwang eunbi, your daughter's friend." eunbi introduced herself, bowing ninety degrees to show full respect.

 

"she's respectful, i like her for you, yerin-ah!" mrs. jung daughter. both yerin and eunbi blushed at the remark.

 

"eonni!" a girl with short hair suddenly squealed, running towards yerin at full speed before tackling her. "your family's full of huggers, huh?" eunbi whispered to yerin, the latter only nodded with a giggle.

 

"you're eunbi? my sister's cru-" before the girl could finish her sentence, yerin covered . "that's enough, eunha! go set the table!" "jeez, fine!"

 

"what was she gonna say?" eunbi asked, clearly clueless. as clueless as the movie 'clueless.' "nothing~" yerin answered, obviously lying.)

 

but let's not forget the unforgettable meeting with yerin's friend and the owner of the dog eunbi had fun with at the park, kim sowon.

 

("yuju?!" "eunbi?!" they both screamed at the exact same time. yerin had set up a cute, little meeting for the three of them at a nice café.

 

as soon as they got settled at a table, yerin let the two of them catch up for a bit. but a certain topic came up that made yuju smirk.

 

"so, are you and yerin dating?" the mischievous acts of choi yuna.

 

yerin choked on her blueberry cheesecake while eunbi almost spit out the milkshake she was drinking. yuju couldn't help but burst out in laughter. "i'm kidding, oh my- you should've seen your faces!"

 

but out of the blue, meonji appeared and came running to eunbi. he hopped onto her lap and barked, "meonji?!"

 

"meonji, get back here- eunbi? YERIN?! YUJU?!"

 

"sowon-ssi?"

 

"SOJUNG-EONNI?!"

 

after much explaining, it appeared that sowon's sister was yuju's girlfriend and sowon's girlfriend, eunha, was yerin's sister. eunbi was trying her best to process everything... which she failed to do.

 

"speaking of my girlfriend, where is she?" yunu asked. "oh, you know yewon. she's probably at an art gallery!" sowon replied sarcastically.

 

wait, yewon? could it be?

 

"yewon?" eunbi's ears perked up. "yeah, my little sister, kim yewon." sowon replied with meonji who was having trouble staying still in her arms.

 

oh, never mind.)

 

and then finally came the day.

 

(yerin decided to take eunbi to her favorite spot to cool off other than the bridge, which they were evidently trying to avoid. it was a cliff by the ocean where you could park your car and watch the currents along with the sunset.

 

sitting on top of yerin's car, the two of them laughed at the stories they shared. "you really thought ice cream would help your swollen ankle?" yerin laughed out loud.

 

"well it was cold! i just didn't think it through because soon enough my mother scolded me for getting ice cream everywhere!" eunbi defended herself but ended up bursting out in laughter as well.

 

they laughed until they lost their breaths, sighing contentedly as eunbi rested her head on yerin's shoulder, the latter resting her head on eunbi's.

 

"eunbi, i like- no, i've fallen in love with you." yerin suddenly confessed, but eunbi seemed to be unfazed. "really?" she asked with a smile.

 

"yeah..."

 

"i think i've fallen in love with you too, jung yerin." eunbi felt her worries drift away as soon as she said that, she looked up at yerin and leaned closer. "what should we do about that?"

 

"how about this?" yerin said before closing the gap between them, capturing eunbi's lips in a soft, loving kiss.)

 

eunbi was happy, yerin was happy, they were happy.

 

everyday, it was either eunbi or yerin who came over to each other's place. sometimes they'd go on little dates like going out for ice cream, park walks, and mall dates. at other times, they'd be extravagant; like road trips to a beach that's far away, amusement park dates, or fancy dinner dates.

 

eunbi couldn't ask for anything more... but there was one thing.

 

lately, she's been having consistent nightmares of her past. it started in the car and ended at the front gate, exactly like before. it was as if she was reliving a part of her past she didn't want to go back to.

 

every morning, she'd wake up with palpitations and a heavy heart. she couldn't confide in yerin either because lately, the said woman has been feeling under the weather.

 

today, eunbi figured yerin was out on her 'secret escapades' again. she trusted yerin enough to know that yerin would never cheat on her. the woman has her own life apart from eunbi and she's aware of that.

 

as eunbi made her breakfast, she could hear something; not in real life, but in her head. sirens, police and ambulance sirens.

 

she covered her ears, "no... stop." but they only got louder and were starting to be accompanied by people murmuring. followed by the sounds of a defibrillator and a doctor yelling "clear!"

 

"NO, NO, MAKE IT STOP! PLEASE!" eunbi cried out, she felt like she was going crazy

 

she ran out the door, still in her pajamas, passing by yerin at the gate. "hey, baby- hey! where are you going?!"

 

eunbi was crying as she ran away, this obviously concerned yerin so she ran after her. "eunbi! eunbi, wait!" the two ran all the way to the place they had their first meeting, the abandoned bridge.

 

yerin watched as eunbi screamed her lungs out, alongside the words "MAKE IT STOP!"

 

"e-eunbi..." yerin could only whisper. once again, she was frozen in place and couldn't speak.

 

but that was soon gone when she saw eunbi trying to climb the railing, "EUNBI, NO!" she quickly grabbed the woman and pulled her down.

 

eunbi pushed yerin away, "LET GO OF ME! LEAVE ME ALONE, JUNG YERIN! JUST LET ME DO THIS FOR 'S SAKE!"

 

yerin started to sob, "NO, HWANG EUNBI! I'M NOT GOING TO LET YOU ING KILL YOURSELF! HAVE YOU GONE CRAZY?!"

 

they both fell into silence as they sobbed, their breathing starting to hitch. "eunbi, i know it's hard-"

 

"NO, YOU DON'T!" eunbi screamed at her. "N-NO, YOU ING DON'T! YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT IT FEELS LIKE TO LOSE YOUR ENTIRE FAMILY IN A SPAN OF LESS THAN TWO WEEKS! YERIN, YOUR LIFE IS SO PERFECT! YOU'RE A RAY OF SUNSHINE WITH A COMPLETE FAMILY, AND GOOD FRIENDS-"

 

"EUNBI, I'M DYING!"

 

eunbi's world stopped. what?

 

"congestive heart failure, eunbi. i've had it for years! my secret trips to who knows where?! i was at the doctor's for my checkups!" yerin cried but with a smile, a smile that showed her true pain. "and i thought it was over when i was getting better but guess what? I'M AT STAGE ING THREE! MY HEART IS WEAK AND ISN'T PUMPING ENOUGH BLOOD AS IT SHOULD! WE'RE TRYING TO FIND A VIABLE DONOR FOR MY HEART TRANSPLANT BUT WE STILL CAN'T FIND ANYONE... AT ALL. AND YOU KNOW WHAT'S WORSE, I COULD DIE AT ANY GIVEN MOMENT, HWANG EUNBI!"

 

"y-yerin..."

 

"i'm sorry you had to go through something so traumatic, eunbi. i just wish you wouldn't take your life because it's precious. i wish i could have a normal life, not one where i'm already counting down my days..."

 

just then, yerin collapsed.

 

...

 

heart monitor beeping, white light, soft bedsheets, and fluffy pillows. yerin knew where she was before she could open her eyes... hospital room.

 

"doc, she's awake." she heard a female nurse say.

 

staring at a blank ceiling, a doctor approached her. he pointed a light at yerin's eyes, telling her to follow it. when that appeared to be successful, the nurse checked her vitals before letting her family into the room.

 

"yerin!"

 

"my princess!"

 

"eonni!"

 

"hey... what happened?" yerin asked, oblivious at to what happened. the last memory she could recall was her with eunbi at the bridge and confessing she had CHF. "where's eunbi?"

 

"uhm..." her mother lowered her head. eunha held yerin's hand, "e-eonni, we found you a donor for your heart transplant. but the thing is... eunbi was the donor."

 

"WHAT?!" yerin yelled, immediately getting up. but her father held her, "yerin, no sudden movements!"

 

"e-eunbi..." yerin started to tear up. if eunbi donated her heart, then that meant she was... gone.

 

("YERIN!" eunbi screamed when yerin fell to the ground. she kneeled down and rested yerin's head on her lap. holding her face, eunbi cried, "love, no. please... stay with me! yerin, wake up! HELP!"

 

soon enough, paramedics came in an ambulance and rushed yerin to the hospital. eunbi had to ride in the ambulance which made her have a panic attack but the thought of losing yerin was much scarier.

 

they let the nurses and doctors take yerin away, in hopes they save her; unlike when they failed to save her parents. 

 

later at the waiting room, she met with yerin's family. they immediately hugged her. just then, a nurse approached her.

 

"are you hwang eunbi and jung yerin's family?" the male nurse asked. "y-yes, that's us..." "miss hwang, what's your relation to the patient?"

 

"girlfriend, i'm her partner."

 

"well, it appears that she still doesn't have a possible donor for her heart transplant; and the doctors informed me that even after conserving yerin's life, she's still in critical condition. are you sure you don't have any possible donors at all?"

 

eunbi saw the look of worry and defeat on the jung family's faces, it reminded her of her past. if it was for the love of her life, eunbi would do anything.

 

"i'll do it, i'll donate my heart."

 

"eunbi-" mr. jung tried to speak to her but eunbi cut her off. "no, sir, i'm completely sure of this."

 

"ma'am, are you REALLY sure? if you donate your heart, then you WILL be donating your life. and we still have to check if you're viable." the nurse told her, but eunbi wasn't going to change her mind.

 

"yes, i'm more than sure."

 

if eunbi was going to lose her life, she didn't want it to be by taking it herself anymore. as yerin said, her life is precious; but to eunbi, yerin is more precious to her than anything. if losing herself meant saving yerin, she wasn't turning back.)

 

"n-no, eunbi..." yerin sobbed into her father's chest.

 

later on, a nurse came in to give yerin a note that was apparently written by eunbi before the surgery.

 

to my dearest yerin,

 

by the time you're reading this, you'd know that the transplant surgery was successful. i know, i shouldn't have done something so drastic but it was worth it because it's you. i want you to know that i love you so much and i would do anything for you. if i was gonna die, i don't want it to be because i killed myself. with you in my life, nothing else really mattered. you brought color into my dull, meaningless life. you will forever be my sunshine girl, class pres. please live a long life for me, yourself, and all the people who love you. maybe in the next life, we can love each other forevermore with no problems. till we meet again, jung yerin.

 

sincerely yours,

eunbi :)

 

...

 

a few months later, yerin had been discharged from the hospital. the doctors estimated that she'd live for around four to six more years since eunbi had a healthy heart.

 

since then, yerin had a few goals she wanted to achieve. but she always visited eunbi first.

 

kneeling in front of her grave, yerin cried with a smile. "y-you , why'd you donate your heart, huh?! you must love me a lot. i love you so much, my eunbi. since then and forever."

 

she placed a bouquet of flowers next to eunbi's grave like she always did.

 

...

 

yerin was going to find hwang yewon and god forbid she wanted to find her before she dies. which was... surprisingly easy.

 

after the news got out that eunbi was officially gone, kim yewon reached out.

 

("yerin-ssi, over here!" yewon waved from a table at the same café sowon mentioned yewon to eunbi.

 

"yewon!" yerin exclaimed, taking a seat in front of her. "why the sudden meet up? we don't know each other that well." yewon sighed and started tearing up.

 

"i'm hwang yewon..."

 

what.

 

"when i got taken away from eunbi, i was devastated. two months later, sojung-unnie's family adopted me before i turned eighteen; because when i did, i would be kicked out of the orphanage. that's when i became 'kim yewon.' but please believe me when i say i tried my best to find my sister, eunbi... she meant everything to me and a night wouldn't pass where i didn't fall asleep with her being the last thing on my mind. please take me to my sister, yerin-ssi. i'm begging you...")

 

now here they were — yerin, yuju, sowon, eunha, and yewon — at eunbi's grave.

 

"baby~ we're here!" yerin giggled, holding another bouquet of flowers. "and as usual, i bought you flowers. but this time, i have more. here she is..."

 

"eonni, it's me... yewon. hwang yewon." yewon smiled, failing to hold back her tears. her girlfriend, yuju, and her current sister consoled her from behind. "i missed you so much, eonni. i'm sorry i was too late and i couldn't find you before this all happened. i love you so much, eunbi-eonni...."

 

...

 

when the rest of them left, yerin was left alone with eunbi. "i will never get tired of thanking you, my love. if it weren't for you, i wouldn't be here right now. i just wish you were here with me too. now, i promise i won't be stupid and do something that'll lead me to being with you already. i will live for as long as i can; for me, for you, for the both of us."

 

...

 

"she's dying inside, she wants to think that it's a lie, why, why?"

 

"she's in the rain. you wanna hurt yourself, i'll stay with you. you wanna make yourself go through the pain. it's better to be held than holding on."

 

"we're in the rain."

 

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