Chapter Three: August 1st, 1902

Korean Empire, year 1902

The spring had finally come, and the cherry blossom tree was blooming to a beautiful pink color. The sun shone high up in the sky.

A girl was sitting on the hospital bed with a book on her lap. She sighed, how she wish that she could go outside with that person right now. The windows was half opened and curtains in the room followed the movements with the wind.

Without her noticing, someone creeped inside the room, trying not to make any sound. That person took the opportunity to place the bouquet she just bought to the other girl's lap, when she had all her attention outside the windows.

The girl on the bed turned her head startled to see who it was, a relieving sigh could be heard when she saw that it was just her. "You startled me, Xiuyan!" The other girl just chuckled and placed a quick peck on the sick girl's forehead. "Sorry Stephanie."

The girl named Stephanie pouted with a blush on her cheeks, looking down she saw the bouquet of pink roses, "Thanks for the roses." She picked it up and smelled at the fragrant roses. These pink roses reminded her of the cherry blossom trees outside of her windows.

The blonde girl smiled when she saw Stephanie happy about the flowers she bought her. Picking up a paper bag from the nightstand, she asked if she wanted some Hangwa, "I bought some Hangwa from the shop around the corner, do you want some?" She showed her the bag containing the Korean dessert inside. The other girl's eyes immediately sparkled when she heard the word 'Hangwa', she nodded her head like a little kid. Xiuyan sighed at the childish girl and fished up one of the sweet dessert to her.

While Stephanie had all her attention to the sweets, the other girl didn't know if she should tell her about the news. Looking sadly at her, she decided to still tell her, "Stephanie, I will be gone for a while together with Yifan."

Stephanie glanced over at her suprised, with a last bite of the Hangwa, she asked, "When are coming back? Next week?" If she just knew that those two siblings may never return.

The other girl shook her head. "I don't know if we would come back."

There was a silence before Stephanie began to speak again, "Are you perhaps going back to China? In that case I will come with you as soon as I had my surgery." She took the blonde girl's hand to her own, but the Xiuyan's expression told her exact what Xiuyan wanted to say to her without actually opening and let the words out. "Why not?! You can't just leave me alone here! You are the only one I have..." Stephanie looked down to and let the tears flow freely down to her cheeks. With only a father as a family who worked in the military, he was always busy with work. That's why he barely visits her. Coming to Korean Empire as an American family was hard enough.

Xiuyan hugged her and whispered in English, "Don't cry, I hate seeing you cry like this."

"Then stop say this kind of things!" She laid her head on the other girl's shoulder and gripped the shirt by the collar tighter.

Sooyeon, the actual real name of Xiuyan, couldn't help to feel very guilty. The reason for leaving was to never witness Stephanie die during the surgery, her surgery is scheduled at her birthday, August 1st. It was only four months left and she wants already to leave.

the crying girl's back, she could feel her own eyes get watery. "Stephanie..."

4 months later

Running as fast as she could, the blonde girl dashed inside the hospital to search for a certain patient room. When she finally found the room she was looking for, a bunch of doctors, surgeons and nurses stood right in front of the room. She ignored the questions they asked her and pushed aside them to get inside the room. She felt a rush of relief when she saw the person she wanted to see, laying on the bed, looking very weak.

"Stephanie!" She went and gave her a big hug.

"You came back!" The girl sat up from her bed and smiled happily. "My surgery is soon, then after that we can spend more time together!" Stephanie grinned. Unlike from her other self, Miyoung from the Joseon Dynasty, Stephanie knew nothing about Xiuyan's secret.

"Yeah, let's be together." The older one said and at the same tim