An hour had passed before they could go back to her room… finally he decided to talk about Dara about her operation… as much as he too disagrees with it… her family and their friends were all right… this is the only way to take her suffering away… and he’ll try his best to accept anything that will come out after her operation… she had enough… and he can’t be selfish over her anymore… it’s just her giving her more pain… and if that will always happen, might as well let go of her…





They reached her room and saw two familiar people inside her room… Dara was up… and no sign of pain could be seen in her face… she was in all smile looking down at the crying girl on her lap… while a man behind the girl was caressing her back to make her calm…






“I’m so sorry Dara-ah… I hurt so much… I’m supposed to be your best friend but I’m the first one who hurt you… I was too selfish… I shouldn’t-..”





“Sohee-ah…”





Dara cut her off… reaching for her chin to lift up her face to look at her… she smiled down at the crying girl before she wiped off the tears on her cheeks…Jiyong and Heechul just watched them… until Jiyong decided retreating his way before coming inside her room…





“You’re not in fault… you’re still my best friend no matter what… plus… I too was selfish moreover, insensitive towards your feelings…. I’m sorry…”





Sohee was stilled… at first she just looked at her friend in disbelief… before she reached out her arms and hugged Dara tight…and began crying on her shoulders…






“Stupid… I should be the one asking for an apology here… and here you go again beating me to it… could you just shut up and listen to me… you’re not insitive… I’m just the b*tch here trying to get everyone’s attention…”






Everyone including Dara and Jiyong who heard her chuckled at her… Dara caressed her best friend’s back while Sohee continued crying…






“Pease Dara… you have to fight that sickness of yours… you can’t be that weak… please be healthy… or else I’m really going to steal Jiyong away from you…”






She said as she pulled out from their hug… Dara smiled cheekily at her… before landing her gaze towards the man behind Sohee… Heechul smiled at her…






“I will not let you…”






She said before turning back to Sohee… Sohee finally stopped from crying and finally curved out a smile…






“I know you’d say that…”






She then glanced back at Heechul and reached out for his hand… the man wholeheartedly accepted her hand and locked it with his… Seeing it, Dara felt lighter and happier knowing that her best friend finally found someone that she could call hers…






The two didn’t stay long… Heechul needed to catch up something out of town… and he’ll take Sohee with him even how many times Sohee rejected his invitation, in the end he made her say yes…





Sohee met with Jiyong on their way out of Dara’s room… there were no more heartache for her whenever she sees him… Heechul had taught her about the difference between possessing and loving someone… and all she felt for Jiyong back then was not love… but rather the feeling of possessing someone… she was just too envious of her best friend that she got blind and set everything that she wanted the same as Dara…never did she knew that there’s nothing to be envious about… that just beside her was the man who would give everything just to make her happy…






“I’m sorry… for causing too much trouble for everyone… and for not telling you everything… I know I was the main reason of your heartache… I’m really oppa…”






Jiyong smiled down at her… had his gaze to Heechul before looking back at her…






“I should thank you…”






Sohee looked up and looked at him, confused…






“You helped me strengthen my love for her… and helped me realize that no matter what had happened… I just couldn’t let her out of my system and especially my heart… so thank you…”






He hugged her, who’s likely still dumbfounded with what he just said… she closed her eyes and savored his warmth… this will probably the last time that she could hug him like this… and just as she thought… in the end… it’s not love that she feels for him… not the same skip in her heart when Heechul enveloped her in his arms…






“Sohee-ah… let’s go…”






She let go of Jiyong… and turned to the man beside her, before locking her arm with his… both guys nodded with each other… before the two made their way to their destination… Jiyong watched them as they walked away… feeling happy for them and wishing that someday he and Dara could walk hand in hand again just like them…





--






Seunghyun was nowhere to be found… probably he went back to his work… Jiyong told Dara’s family that he’ll talk with her… thus, giving him the time to be alone with her…






He went back in her room and saw her lying down again with her closed eyes, but upon hearing the door closed she immediately opened her eyes and turned to him wearing a a peaceful smile…






He approached her and helped her to sit down… she reached for his hand and caressed it in her face as she closed her eyes… feeling his warmth is enough for her to live a whole day of pain… he watched her again with tears in his eyes…






“Do you feel well…?” 






He asked her which earned a slight nod and a smile from her… the visit of her best friend earlier really helped her to feel good even just for a moment…






After a while she opened her eyes… he bit his inner cheeks to suppress himself from being emotional once again… Dara dropped his hand on her lap as she reached for his face and cupped it between her hands…





“Have you been crying…?”






She whispered… he let out a breath as he parted his lips… looking directly in her tired eyes… how could possibly happen for her eyes to look so tired when she’s even sleeping the whole day…?






“No I am not…”






He lied… which earned a slight pout from her… 






“Then why are your eyes so swollen…?”






He held her hands on both side of his face and pulled to kiss it before placing it on her lap…






“Maybe because of the lack of sleep…”






She looked at him worriedly… he just looked away before sitting next to her in bed and hugging her skinny body… he rubbed her shoulder as he let her rest her head on his chest…






“Don’t worry about me babe… I should be the one worrying about you… look you’re so skinny… and pale… you should eat more… how can you wear those y bikinis you’re dreaming to wear if you look like a stick..”






He joked… despite the tears that were soon to escape his eyes… she pinched his arm but too weak for even felt it as a pinch…






“I’m still be able to wear one of those someday… just wait till I get discharged from this hospital… you’re eyes will pop out from their sockets because of my iness…”






She retaliated… she forced out a laugh despite the stream of tears flowing from his eyes… never was he a crybaby… but hearing these things from her was breaking his heart piece by piece… he bit his lower lip… listening to her plans, their plans once she got out from the hospital… she could hear him muffling his sobs… could feel his trembling hands with hers… she then suddenly stopped…





“We can get through this Jiyong-ah…”






She broke out from their hug and faced him… reached up to wipe the tears off his face and leaned towards him to kiss his lips… he could feel her dried lips against his… felt her tears that wetted his cheeks once again…






After their kiss he pulled her again to a hug… squeezing her body as if it will be their last to share a hug… for a while silence surrounded them…






“Please… take the operation... for me… for us Dara…”






She tried to push him but he held her tight… he cant just see her pleading face… it might just change his mind…






“Jiyong-ah… you know I don’t want it… I’ll take my medicines regularly… I promise… not just that operation… please…”






She started crying harder… she just can’t take the operation again… too afraid that it will be the cause for her not to come back to him again….






“No Dara… listen to me… this is the only way… I don’t want to see you suffering again baby please… don’t torture yourself anymore… please do it for us…”






“I’m scared of not seeing you again… I’m scared Jiyong-ah…”






He hugged her tighter caressing the back of her head… burying his face on her neck… smelling her scent… 






“No… we’ll still see each other… I promise baby… I won’t lose you again…” 






She stayed silent… gripping on his side tightly… crying her eyes out… after a while she calmed down… that’s when he decided to pull out from their hug…






“Baby… please take it…”





She bowed and nodded slightly… he sighed in relief before reaching for her face and caressed it once again…






“Everything will be fine…”






He said despite the uneasiness he’s feeling inside… he needed to be strong for her… that’s the only way she could be strong herself…






“Saranghae…”






She said as she rested her head on his chest again… probably the last night she would be in pain…and probably would be the last night she could be with him… no one knows what will happen next… might as well make the best of each moment they have left…






“I love you more Dara…”