It was their wedding anniversary, and she was waiting. For three hours now. They had agreed to meet at that fancy new restaurant at eight, and yet he didn’t arrive. Soo Yun would’ve taken a seat and ordered already, but Jaejoong had made the reservations so she didn’t know the name they were listed under. Before, they had always picked the most ridiculous name to go by in these types of restaurants, earning odd glances as they smile like idiots pretending to be Mister and Misses Shishlabob. But today wasn’t fun. Soo Yun had paced outside the restaurant like a true idiot, waiting for the man who never showed up. She tried calling, but he never picked up.

                She heaved out a sad sigh as she sat down, waiting no longer for Jaejoong, but for the final bus that night. The night seemed a lot colder than usual, and she shivered, noticing that she had been numb for a while now. Her pale face plus the makeup had made her look like a ghost. The inside of her chest shook and instantly she felt light headed. Soo Yun had to lean on her knees to balance herself. She must be hungrier than she thought, and she had thought nothing of it. Feeling so depressed about that whole thing, she didn’t even have an appetite and by not entering the restaurant, she didn’t eat. But seeing how her body reacted, she needed to get home and snack on whatever’s in the fridge.

                The bus screeched to a stop, and it took all her effort to stand up and walk in. She sat by the window and leaned her head on the cold glass. It felt nice against her burning head, which was weird, because before she was just shivering from the harsh breeze and now she craved the coldness.

She slouched through the door and once again greeted the dark, empty apartment. Soo Yun was so used to this, she didn’t even care anymore that nobody was home. What she did care, was her shaking chest. It felt like a gaping hole was placed right through her with wind constantly going in and out. She breathed out a hard breath and grabbed a nearby blanket, wrapping it around her. She didn’t even take off her coat and shoes; it felt like she needed to keep as warm as possible until she was sweating.

                The doorbell rang and Soo Yun groaned. She had just plopped herself down on the couch and somebody was forcing her to get up again. With wobbly legs, she dragged herself to the door. Right when she opened it, she had to wince, because the bright lights in the hall was hurting her and making her head bang. She closed her eyes tightly and swayed, hearing a frightened: “Soo Yun?”

_______

More bright lights seeped into her eyes and she moaned. She shifted making something under her crinkle, it felt like cheap paper. Soo Yun’s hair was stuck all over her face and neck; she had been sweating like a pig. She groaned and groggily opened her eyes.

                “Soo Yun?” a sweet voice greeted her. Bomi. “You okay?”

                “Yeah.” Her own voice on the other hand, sounded terrible.

                “You fainted. You know you catch colds easily, why were you out so long? You better be glad I came by your house,” Bomi scolded lightly. “Your cold spiked into a mild fever. You’re in the hospital.”

                Soo Yun rubbed her eyes. “Why the hospital, if my condition was mild?”