If you believed in love,

It won’t betray you.

If you waited for him,

He will return for you.

Even if difficult things happened between all of them, school days still continued. There were still sadness between them but they should keep on moving forward.

“Krystal-yah…” Her classmate called her out. She was looking at the window still spacing out.

“Oh…” She finally got the thought of it and come back to reality. “What is it?”

“Why is Kai absent today?” Krystal looked at her classmate’s concerned eyes. She felt that many people still accepted Kai even if he’s just a loner by his own self.

“I don’t know.” She grimaced and slowly, took out her cell phone. Still no message from anyone? I hope unnie would be fine.

“What are you looking at?” Her classmate tried to peep. But, she quickly hid her cell phone. “Are you really his girlfriend?”

“Why?” She couldn’t keep up with her striking words. She felt that it was really only to help his situation. “Of course.” She tried to give a smile.

As the teacher quietly entered, Krystal looked at Taemin’s reaction. His eyes were filled with blankness. She also noticed Sulli looking at him, also filled with jealousy.

Sulli’s heart never experienced such as suffocating feeling. It was killing her inside out. She tried to touch her throbbing chest. She couldn’t get into touch with him because she was never involved in the first place. She just frowned while stealing glances at him. Just an outsider, she’s satisfied with her own way of handling her heart.

Just after classes, already lunch break. Krystal searched for the presence of Sulli. She called out to Sulli who was heading at the rooftop. Krystal waved at her but she seemed to be going forward only.

“Yah!” Huffing and puffing, Krystal caught up to her. “Still having trouble sleeping, I guess.” Krystal noticed the eye bags on her friend’s face. “You…did you cry?”

“Well…” Sulli said whilst walking. “Kai didn’t arrive home.” She smiled lightly. “His family owned the hospital so he slept there… and Taemin… I never got to see what happened to him.

“Didn’t you hear?” Krystal wanted Sulli to feel even a slight of hope. “Heechul-oppa…he talked with his parents. He’s going abroad with Geun Young-unnie… to get cured there.”

“What?” Sulli’s eyes dazzled after hearing the news. They arrived at the rooftop. They both took out their lunch boxes. Sulli still waited for Krystal to continue her story.

“Mnmm…well… I heard it from Mom. They will schedule their flight this Saturday already. I think it will coincide with your tennis tournament. And, I think Taeminnie-oppa will see them go.”

“Really?” Even if she was happy with the news, she just hid sadness with her words filled with concern.

“So… how is it? Good news, right? Heechul-oppa fought for her. Even if it meant that, there was no assurance that Unnie would be cured fully.” Krystal took a teaspoonful of rice.

“Mnmmm… Is Taemin alright?”

“Of course… but, he never talked about it. He was sad that… he still couldn’t get the love…”

“You…probably know their story right? Of how they met and everything…”

“Yeah… But, do you want to listen to it?” Krystal took a deep breath. “It’s not something I should tell you. Ask Oppa.”

“Oppa…” Sulli put her head down. Thinking of it, she never addressed him as such.

“Oh, right? You’re the only one from the class who never once addressed him as that.”

Sulli, thinking about it, she chuckled loudly. She didn’t mind that Krystal even thought of her as a lunatic.

“He doesn’t look so old for me.”

“Haha.” Krystal chuckled with her. “But, try to ask him, Sulli-ah. I know that he would tell you.” Krystal squeezed her hand.

Could I really get an answer from him? He would just shove me away, right?

“I wanted to practice more so I’d be going to stay here all night with the sunbaes . So, Krystal, you’d be visiting Unnie right? You’d see Kai there, please make him rest. He’s really a handful.”

“You really know him, huh?” Krystal looked at the sky. “Even Icarus couldn’t reach the sun…”

“Hey, what are you blabbering about?” Sulli patted her friend’s shoulder and stood up. “Do you really like Kai?”

“WHAT?” Krystal was shocked. “Me? Liking him, what do you think? I don’t…even… “

“Hey…don’t be too defensive. Anyone could like him, haha. And, it was just a joke.”

“Fine, you got me with that.” Sulli helped Krystal to stand up. These two friends even if they were young they really are coupled with problems. Even if they are like that, they still wanted to solve those problems and never turn their back on those.

Classes resumed. Sulli never got to ask Taemin about the past. She never thought that classes are already over. She headed over to the tennis club room.

“Oh…Sehun-ah, up for a match?” She saw her same aged tennis club companion/friend, Sehun who was sitting comfortably and trying to tie his shoes.

“You’ll never win, Sulli-ah.” Sehun smirked naughtily at her.

“Let’s do it then.” Sulli was thrilled.

Meanwhile, Krystal arrived at XXX Hospital and tried to visit her unnie whom she never got to talk with even if she knew that she came back. She brought flowers and goodies on the nearby shopping mall to surprise her.

She just saw outside of the room, the haggard-looking Kim Jong In. He was quite tired as he was sitting   while putting his face down filled with restlessness.

“Yah!” Krystal tried to surprise him. She went to the side and sat with him.

“Why are you here?” Kai twitched his brows, waiting for the reply.

“Not that I don’t know Unnie.” Krystal noticed that Kai was not inside to watch over his noona. “Why are you outside?”

“Because all of them wanted me to eat and rest. They even wanted to say it to my father. Tsk.”

Krystal shrugged as he looked at his face that looked so thin. “Hey…have you eaten?”

“No..how could I eat?”

“Here. “ Krystal showed a plastic bag filled with food, food and food. Kai’s eyes dazzled as he smiled brightly like an obvious child.”First, let’s go inside. They might catch you.” She winked.

Careful not to wake up the recovering Geun Young, Krystal tried to see her condition. Meanwhile, Kai immediately ate all of the potato chips, even the doshirak especially prepared for Geun Young.

“Hey are you…” Kai like a child got alarmed with her.”no… continue eating.” Krystal never got to see his childish side like this. He’s like me always getting to have a strong front, never even getting to have a shoulder to cry on.

“Yah…. Soojung-ah, who cooked for this?” Kai said while stuffing his mouth with the rice.

“Hey…careful—“ Krystal twitched her brows. She tried to quietly think of what Kai had said. “What did you call me, you insolent fellow?” She got close to him and pinched his nose. “You glutton. What did you call me?”

“Soojung, why? I allowed you to call me by my first name, but I can’t call you as just Soojung?”

“Oh…really? You’re very gloomy yesterday so I thought that it was a joke. Okay, now… you’re MY Jongin.” Krystal chuckled.

“What? ‘MY’ Jongin?” Kai got troubled by her getting to be played at by her own words.

“No… no…” Krystal defended herself. “It’s because I’m your fake girlfriend in school, right? I just had to go with what my instincts as your fake girlfriend…” Krystal’s heart skipped a beat by what she had called him. It echoed on her mind.

“Oh…yeah, that boring contract. They never get to mess with me. Thanks.”

“Only a thanks?” Krystal tried to pinch now his left ear with certain intensity.

“Ouch…”

As they were like love birds having to spend a lot of good time between each other, Geun Young woke up and screamed in pain. Kai tried to look for the doctor-in-charge and they were sent out of the room.

Krystal looked at the pain-stricken Kai. He was frozen, troubled and shaking. He fell on his knees. Krystal helped him to get up and tried to sit on the vacant chairs just outside of the room. Kai’s eyes felt like crying, but he held it in.

“J…Jongin-ah, you could cry…” She tried to lean his head on her shoulders. “It’s alright.” She tried to run her hand on his hair.

On her shoulder, Kai cried. Krystal hugged him as he buried his face on her chest. “It hurts, Krystal. I don’t want noona to leave me.”

“She won’t.”

Already 8 PM

Sulli was exhausted of all the practices. She heard someone talking at the phone near the front of the gate.

“Who is that?” Sulli was scared of ghosts as she slowly wanted to see the face of that.

“Boo!”

“Wahhh!” She shrieked.  It was only Taemin. “Yah! Pabo-yah!” She yanked him on his arm.

“Ouch.”

“Why are you here?”

“It’s because Krystal called me…”

“Really?” Sulli pouted. “I thought you are waiting for me.”

“Me? Wait for you? Huh?” Taemin was already freezing due to cold. He held his hands together to produce heat. He really did wait because he was afraid that Sehun would interrupt him again. It was only Kim Heechul who was on the other line, talking to him because he was still at school in the middle of the night.

“Why aren’t you at the hospital?” Sulli tried to touch his freezing hands and blew on it. “You’re freezing…”

“Well… it’s not on my jurisdictions already.”

“Really?” Sulli held his hand. “Try to hold my hand. It’s quite cold.” Taemin felt the heat all over his body.

“Not really?” He blushed like a red tomato. Taemin stole glances at the tall girl. “You know why? Because, I’ve already given up on noona.”

“Why?” Sulli batted an eyebrow. Taemin just shrugged it off and continued to usher her on his car.

“Hmmm? Think of it. It’s because I’ve found someone I got to take care of.”

“Who? Krystal?” Sulli never got to know the answer.

“It’s a secret.”