24 hours remaining…

Tick.

 She slams helplessly on the cold merciless pavement. A foot embeds itself on her battered back, further aggravating her already weakened state.

Tock.

The weight on the foot shifts and she grimaces. The pain seeps through her bleeding wounds eliciting a whimper, which she tries and fails to suppress.

Tick.

She hears a curse coming from the person pinning her down - something along the lines of idiot, pathetic, and shame. A pair of boots comes within her line of vision, followed by a hand which slowly tilts her head up to meet the person squatting down before her. Their eyes meet.

Tock.

“You’re an idiot, Jung. Didn’t I warn you not to go near Tiffany again?” the person’s eyes burn with anger and she knows the beatings won’t stop until they get tired. A hard slap lands on her face after she fails in making an attempt at a reply. The assaults resumed.

Tick.

The sounds of a whistle, cutting through the cold winter air, shake everyone. The police have arrived!

A last kick to her gut made her curl inwards as the gang, who had just beaten her senseless, made their escape. She feels her innards scrambling within their cavities, giving her that unsettling feeling of nausea. 

Blood. She finds herself coughing it out to relieve of the bitter tang that tasted metallic. The foul smell of her own blood appalls her.

Tock.

The authorities arrive, along with a young woman about her age.

They find Jung almost lifeless on the unforgiving floor of the back alley. She is barely conscious of the soft hands that take her in its warm embrace. She barely hears the call for an ambulance made by the cops as she struggles to keep herself awake, only to lose the battle that was already won before she had even declared it.

Everything fades. Everything grows numb. Everything. Lost.

***

20 hours remaining…

“Jessica.”

She hears a faint voice resounding in her rousing consciousness.

“ Jessica.”

The voice grows louder, leading her back to reality.

“ Jessica.”

That voice tinged with a unique husky tone, she knows it very well. Her eyes open only to squint; the blanched light, being emitted by the fluorescent lamps, momentarily blind her.

She sits up and tries to catch the person who had awakened her, but she meets a pair of warm hands pushing her back down to bed instead.

“Silly girl. Rest.”

Tiffany, she realizes.

She tries to speak, but she finds herself mute.

With eyes now adjusted to her environment, she takes in what her vision could gather and she finds a raven-haired beauty hovering over her, gently brushing a few strands of her hair away from her face.

Tiffany.

Hwang.

The cause of her misfortune.

The very reason why she became like this.

The sole reason why she had been beaten in that dark alley a few hours ago – three to be exact – such a waste of her precious time, but she doesn’t care. No. Not for this one. 

Her hand slides slowly, reaching out to Tiffany, and the latter responded by clasping their hands and intertwining their fingers together. Tiffany’s forehead rests on their hands and not long after, she hears light sobs coming from the younger woman.

“Yo- you shouldn’t have come.” Tiffany’s voice came out soft amidst the sniffles and sobs, before it escalated to a near wail, “You knew what will happen but you still came. You big fool! What if I arrived too late?!”

Jessica only sighs in response as her eyes train towards the ceiling. With the strength she barely mustered, she answers.

“It’s okay. I will still die anyways.”

They both know what she meant. Her clock is ticking and her time is short. There’s no point in making second thoughts and pondering. She might regret it if she hadn’t come, and she didn’t regret the beating now, if it elicited some precious moments with Tiffany alone.

“Jessica, stop that kind of talk!” scolds Tiffany, hugging the older brunette in the hospital bed, “Stop being a fool. I don’t want you to get hurt!”

Another sigh. She knows it’s impossible to be this close to Tiffany without ending up half-dead later on. The young woman clinging to her desperately was a gang leader’s sister – one with a sister complex, if Jessica might add.

But Jessica didn’t care. Time is against her after all, and there are no second chances to sit by.

She struggles to sit up, wincing at the sharp pain that her nerves registered from her beaten limbs and torso. Tiffany’s weight made it even harder for her. With a defeated sigh, she lies back down. Her free hand finds its way onto the sobbing woman’s raven locks, smoothing them out as she comforts Tiffany. Finding strength in herself, she speaks once again.

“Tiff,” Jessica lovingly coos as she continues the younger one’s hair, “I’m sorry. I’m sorry for being stubborn, but I love you and I’m willing to risk my life for our love’s sake. Even though I barely have 24 hours left…”

***

30 days ago…

She was a loner who doesn’t want to be bothered by anyone. She found herself enrolled in a new campus with no familiar faces to trouble herself with. Her first few days of school had been uneventful and she was relieved that she didn’t have to worry about explaining her condition to anyone except the professors.

Jessica was at her body’s limit and when her physician had announced that she barely had a month left to live, the brunette found herself caught between two options – both weighing heavily. One had been to move away from family and friends – from her familiar abode – and into the unknown. Another choice had been to stay and feel the care pouring from everyone she had grown to love, only to leave them heartbroken when she passed away.

She chose the former, hoping that her death would deal a lesser pain for her loved ones. And here she was, at a university far from home, attending classes to pass the month that remained of her short life. She’d rather be normal, she thought.

She enjoyed her life as a student and had planned on continuing her last few days as someone who lived without regrets. So, she took every opportune moment to have fun. She studied and partied hard, all the while being careful not to get too close to anyone.

All that effort she had exerted to keep herself distant, had crumbled to pieces when she met one particular stubborn young woman by the name of Tiffany Hwang.

It was in one of those parties where the brunette found herself struggling as her body succumbed to the usual headaches and heartburns that plagued her since she was a child. Her breath grew shallow and her chest heaved in a struggle to provide her with oxygen she desperately needed. She was about to give in to the ceaseless drumming in her brain, until two hands caught her in the midst of fainting.

“Are you all right?”

She shrugged the help off, stumbling to walk away, all the while hoping that the person would just leave her alone. But the dark-haired woman didn’t. Tiffany did the opposite.

In her delirious state, Jessica tried to make out of the hallway that was reeking of alcohol and smoke. It didn’t help that she was having her moment right now.

‘Way to go to ruin my party!’ she thought as she allowed her hand to support her frame on the wall.

For the second time that night she fell, but was caught before she could kiss the floor. Her blurred vision registered a concerned look etched on her savior’s face. Her confused mind took in the raven locks that her rescuer sported as her own fingers made their way to catch an ebon tress.

“Beautiful.” she mindlessly blurted before she passed out.

***

29 days ago…

A soft hand organized her brunette strands as she took in the light that eased itself through the crack in the curtains. She shot up in panic, after realizing that she was not in her own dorm room, only to be calmed down by a pair of hands that pulled her back into bed.

Her heart skipped a beat upon feeling the presence of another person in the room. She turned, only to find a tuft of black hair partially covering the face of her companion.

“You’re finally awake,” her companion’s voice groggily spoke, “I was worried you’d never wake up. You had a fever last night…”

She became silent, when she found herself staring into the dark pools of familiar eyes – one that she had avoided whenever she walked through the campus because of the gang issues surrounding the girl. Her dread only came to reality upon seeing an intruding hand cupping her face, only to realize that it was Tiffany who came to her rescue that night.  

She swatted it away only to stare at the hurt expression on her savior’s face.

“I was only trying to help…” the raven-haired woman mumbled, rubbing her aching hand.

Jessica got up, neither casting a glance nor muttering a word to the person who took care of her. She didn’t like being helped one bit, because it made her feel more vulnerable and dependent. It took away her very purpose of running away from home. Her rescuer’s reputation didn’t help either, because Tiffany was often the cause of mischief on people who came near her.

“Hey,” a hand caught Jessica’s wrist, making her flinch at the sudden contact, “my name’s Tiffany Hwang, by the way. I’m sorry for letting you spend the night here. I was just worried about you and I didn’t know where you live so-“

She raised her hand to silence the younger girl, “I know you and it is fine. Thank you for taking care of me. I have to go.”

Jessica turned away once her hand slipped off from Tiffany’s grasp. She was about to leave, when another person barged into the room.

“Tiffany… Hey! Who is this?!” the newcomer’s voiced boomed throughout the room. Jessica froze in place upon registering the blonde-haired woman.

“Taeyeon,” Tiffany’s voice came out weak and vulnerable – not the confident tone that Jessica had heard awhile ago, “She’s a friend of mine. No need to make a fuss so early in the morning.”

The blonde cocked an eyebrow as she assessed Jessica from head to toe before her gaze shifted to her sister.

“I’m not buying that alibi, Tiffany. Who is this and why is she in your room?!” Taeyeon demanded as she pointed at the brunette who stood in silence.

“I – I” 

“I’m nobody. Sorry for causing trouble. I’m leaving now.” Jessica replied, interrupting Tiffany. She bowed at Taeyeon before proceeding to make her intended exit. She was about to pass through the door, when she felt a hand yank her by the collar and slam her against the wall.  

Jessica was stunned after realizing how much force Taeyeon could summon from such a petite body. She winced at the pain that seeped through her head once it had hit the wall. She soon found herself in close proximity with the campus’ notorious gang leader and Tiffany’s older sister.

Her muscles tensed upon the touch of soft yet strong hands on her shoulders. She could hear Tiffany’s protests against her sister’s rash behavior, but Taeyeon heard none of them as her attention remained on Jessica.

“You…” Taeyeon’s voice sounded venomous, “I warn you. Stay away from my sister. I’ll let you off this time…”

Taeyeon shoved Jessica once more before letting the brunette off.

Of course, Jessica complied with the blonde’s instruction. She didn’t mean to intrude with the dangerous affairs of Taeyeon and her gang, who were always watching Tiffany’s every move. Jessica had wanted to die in peace and Tiffany had just ruined her wish by pulling her into this mess.

She had thought it was the first and the last of her encounters with Tiffany, but her hopes were crushed when she ran into the woman the next day…

***

28 days ago…

“Hey… You’re okay now.”

‘Oh no. Not again…’ she thought as she quickened her strides with hopes of losing the persistent woman tailing her. Jessica’s steps turned into a sprint as soon as she passed through the doors of the building and stumbled into the university’s lawn.

“W-Wait! Please! Stop!”

The calls of Tiffany rang in her ears, but this only fueled her adrenaline as she picked up her speed.

‘Stop following me!’

Her body felt heavier as she tried to maintain her pace, but she ended up slowing down to catch her breath. Light footsteps came closer from behind and Jessica knew she failed in her attempt of escaping her pursuer.

“You’re fast!” Tiffany managed to compliment her mediocre physical prowess as the raven-haired woman came to her side with bated breaths.

“But not fast enough!” Jessica retorted bitterly as she plopped down helplessly on the grassy lawn.

The younger woman noticed, as she sat down beside the brunette, that Jessica was unusually pale and heavily breathing. Tiffany saw Jessica faint for the third time, but this time, she didn’t have to catch the brunette.  

***

27 days ago…

She woke up to find herself looking at eight pairs of eyes staring right at her. Two pairs were familiar as she identifies them to be Taeyeon’s glare and Tiffany’s concerned gaze. The rest only eyed her with curiosity as she sat up.

“You’re awake!” Tiffany piped as she hugged the living daylights out of the brunette, much to Taeyeon’s disapproval and Jessica’s discomfort.

Jessica slowly pushed the younger girl away, to prevent herself from getting into more trouble than she already had been, after accidentally meeting the gang leader’s sister once again. She silently cursed her failing health for the trouble it had gotten herself into. She silently got off the bed and made a respectful bow at the apparently fuming Taeyeon, who was expecting an explanation for her unexpected appearance in Tiffany’s room for the second time.

“I’m sorry for the intrusion once again. I didn’t mean to trouble you with my problems, and I didn’t mean to go near your sister yesterday. It was Tiffany who pursued me and not the other way around,” with careful words, Jessica explained her side.

Tiffany’s blo