"Jonghyun… Jonghyun, are you asleep?"

The drowsy boy lifted his heavy eyelids, only to see a blurry figure standing in front of him. He was shocked to see Yoona leaning close to his face, poking his cheeks. She was wearing a lovely white gown that almost blinded his sight. Jonghyun jumped up from his seat, trying to remember where he was. The last thing he remembered was being at the hospital with Jieun. So why was…

"Am I dead?" Jonghyun asked her. The white scenery changed to the same abandoned chocolate shop. The two were sitting across from each other with a box of chocolate at the center of the table.

"I don't know. You seem alive to me." The girl laughed, but her sweet voice faded into a fake giggle. "Am I dead?"

Jonghyun didn't know what to say. He turned to the window, surprised to see the window become like a television screen. In the screen, he saw Jieun with Luhan. The two were holding hands, hugging each other, and kissing each other. The two looked so happy, but it made Jonghyun feel miserable.

"Jonghyun," Yoona called him. She pushed the chocolate box towards him. "Here, have some."

The young boy accepted. He wasn't hungry, nor was he craving for sweets. He just wanted to fill in the empty void in his chest. Before he took a bite of the chocolate, Yoona gazed into his eyes with a tender look.

"Jonghyun, I love you," she confessed. Jonghyun paused abruptly. The surface of the chocolate barely brushed against his pearly white teth. His heart raced, but he wasn't flustered. He had been dying to hear her saw those words, but for some reason, he just didn't feel it. He didn't feel it…

"Oh no," he whispered to himself. He dropped the chocolate, but Yoona managed to somehow catch it with her hands.

"I love you, Jonghyun," she repeated. She stared at him, her brown eyes shimmering under the brilliant light above them. "Stay with me?"

"I…" The words wouldn't flow out. He was only left with stammering "I" as his gaze met hers. Why? Why now? Why was it—

"Too late?" Yoona finished his thoughts, surprising him. The soft look grew cold and sad. "Are you going to leave me? Leave me like Luhan?"

The next thing Jonghyun noticed was finding his hands cupping hers, squeezing them, one arm embracing her shoulder. He pulled her into a tight hug, feelings tears trickle down his cheek.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," he whispered, muttering on her shoulder. "I'm sorry, Yoona. I'm so sorry."

"Jonghyun."

Her voice changed. It was sweeter, softer, and more familiar. He felt his heart skip a beat, and when he pulled back, he saw Jieun standing in front of him. His brows furrowed, but he still had a sympathetic expression on his face.

"Jonghyun, are you happy?" Jieun asked him. Her voice changed, and he knew that it was Yoona's. Yet, it was still Jieun standing in front of him. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," Jonghyun said, wiping away his tears. "I'm good."

"So can you let go?"

It took him a while to realize that he was holding onto a key. He looked back at the woman, who now appeared to be Yoona. Yoona looked tired, exhausted. A dark shade colored under her eyes, her ankle enchained to some kind of rusty chain. She smiled weakly, as if she had been patiently waiting for him to unlock her chains—to free her.

Jonghyun broke into a smile. "Yeah, I'm ready."

He bent down, slipping the key into the key hole. With one simple twist, the chains broke apart, and Yoona evaporated into mist.

"Thank you," her voice echoed. "Thank you…"

Jonghyun lifted his eyelids. He looked around, trying to figure out where he was. 

The hospital, he reminded himself. He gazed his eyes upon the girl who was resting on the bed. With a soft smile, he reached over to her hair and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. He looked at her for a few more minutes, then looked away with a look of disappointment.

Again, he couldn't protect the girl he liked. He didn't want Jieun to be the next Yoona, but he could sense that she was going to be one. Both of them liked Luhan, and both of them got severely injured.

Except one died and the other didn't, Jonghyun thought, trying to comfort himself. He squeezed Jieun's hands, only to wake her up.

"Jong…hyun?" she called softly.

His heart skipped a beat.

"I'm here," he cooed, his finger running down her cold cheek. She gave him a small smile. She stopped smiling when she saw tea