The long ride was a total agony. No matter how much I tried, I couldn’t take my eyes of Jinyoung. Trying to read his totally unreadable expression. He has always been like this, so good at keeping secrets, so good at hiding his true feelings.

He stopped in front of the grey door and slid it open. A white room revealed itself with a strong smell of chemicals and hospital.

We stood unmoving in front of the door staring at Jinyoung who was already inside. He stood beside the bed with a pained expression. I took a step into the room. It felt sad. A young girl with pale skin was lying on the white bed. Her chest moving up and down, her eye lids shut. There were tubes all over her body. On her hands, her nose, her legs. It was hard to tell if she was still alive in such a horrible condition.

Her long slender right hand lay casually across her stomach, as though she was only taking a short nap. I stepped a little closer to her, watching her face intently. Still as beautiful, as goddess-like. Her nose bridge was high and sharp shaping her features perfectly. Her eye lashes long and thick like a doll. A fragile beautiful doll. 

We were all in the room now looking at this unmoving doll. Gongchan knelt down beside her bed shaking her hands. Sleeping beauty, your prince has arrived.

Tears welled up in my eyes and I bit my lower lip immediately, fighting back the urge to cry. Instead, I was staring at Jinyoung. He slumped into the couch beside the bed watching me. His lips slightly parted. His eyes showed yearning. He was waiting.

He didn’t have to speak or ask, and I was already in his arms. He held me dearly whispering something inaudible. It was the warmth I loved. His arms caged me tightly but carefully, protecting me. Jin Ah’s sobs could be heard somewhere across the room. Sandeul’s soft comforting whispers to her. My eyes were closed listening to Gongchan.

“Wake up.. Y..A.. CHOI MIN HEE! WAK.. UP.. YA..H!” His voice broke in between, but he continued shouting. Shouting at a doll with half her consciousness.

I sunk deeper into Jinyoung’s embrace. He whispered again, this time I heard his musical voice.

“You know why now do you my princess? I love you.”

I squeezed my eyes for a while and pushed him away slightly.

“But you were… top…” but he didn’t wait for me to finish.

“She vomited on me once I reached. I put her in bed and was preparing to bathe. Then you came. Nothing more.”

I flinched. How stupid I was!

“What happened?”

He pushed me away gently and stood up, facing the others. Gongchan was suddenly in front of him grabbing him by his collar.

“HYUNG…TELL ME… TELL ME WHAT… WHAT HAPPENED TO HER?!”  

I tried to pull his hands away, but his grip was firm. It seemed that he was never going to release until Jinyoung explain himself.

Shinwoo was leaning against the wall near the door. He smiled at me, but that didn’t touch his eyes. It looked totally fake. I avoided his eyes instead, staring at my shoes.

“Guys, Min Hee didn’t came back for me. She came back for you.” Jinyoung said looking at Gongchan. He released his grip immediately before back off and tumbled to the group with a dazed look. It was like his strength was away suddenly.

Baro was beside him immediately grabbing his shoulders. Even Baro couldn’t hold back his tears. A tiny speck dropped as he couched beside his dongsaeng.

Jinyoung continued lifting my hand against his chest. I could feel his heart beating against my hand.

“Years ago, she asked me to act out a scene to cheat you. So you would think that she was in love with me instead. All these years I’ve kept this secret from you, because I tried. I tried to stop her. But she left eventually.”

He paused and glanced at Min Hee.

“When she came back looking healthy I was happy. But I couldn’t be sure because she didn’t contact me at all over the years. I thought she left for good. I didn’t know! Then one day she was waiting outside my door, bleeding from her nose. I thought something was wrong so I brought her to the doctor. It turns out that, she didn’t fully recover. Her cancer cells were spreading again. This time worst than the last.”

He paused again, because Gongchan gasped and punched the floor suddenly with his tight fist. I was about to run over when Jinyoung stopped me, shaking his head. Gongchan was crying now, face buried in his knees. My heart wrenched looking at him. 

“She wanted to continue cheating you, but the old plan won’t work anymore because I have Ji Hye already.” He squeezed my hand as he said.

“But I had to take care of her. Her mom left her after her dad’s death in a car crash when they were living in the states. She was on her own with no kin. I couldn’t ignore that. Few days ago she fainted. Then I brought her to the hospital and she didn’t wake up since. The doctor said that the cancer cells had already spread throughout and she was at the last stage. There was only…”

He waited again, inhaling deeply. He scanned the room as if mentally preparing everyone with his sorrow gaze. 

“Death.”

The word rang in my ears. Death. There was no hope for her, not anymore.

The atmosphere in the room was heavy and horrible. The word was a tight slap across our faces.

Gongchan crouched against her bed now, crying into her arms. I couldn’t bear to see it so I buried my head in Jinyoung’s chest again. Sandeul and Jin Ah left, because she was practically crying her eyes out. And in the corner of my eyes, Shinwoo exited the room without a sound. 

I wiped my tears away while Jinyoung patted my back lightly whispering comfort. But Shinwoo’s expression was stamped into my mind.

I’m sorry.