A/N: This is a double update, make sure you read the previous chapter

CHAPTER 31: Best Friends (2)

In the morning at school, after what happened in front of Mina's house, Mina asked Jihyo firmly. "Did you see it?"

Jihyo was silent.

"Did you see it?!" Mina asked in a louder voice.

"Yes.." Jihyo answered softly without looking at Mina.

Mina gulped down her saliva before saying, "Forget whatever you have seen .. Suppose you never see it .."

"But Mina .. Will you be silent with--?"

"You don't have to worry." Mina told Jihyo firmly.

"How can I not be worried? You--"

Mina cut her words with firmly saying, "This is not your business. I can take care of it by myself." She told that and went away.

Didn't want to bother Mina with questions, Jihyo chose to obey her to remain silent. She didn't ask more and tried to be more understanding with Mina's behavior.

Maybe she just need time. She's a tough girl, I know it. Jihyo thought.

However, day by day Mina became more and more quiet. Jihyo barely see her as Mina she used to know, but Jihyo couldn’t do anything except staying by her side.

But seemed Mina didn’t want it.

 "You go home Jihyo, I'm going to the restroom." Mina once again excused herself to go to the restroom after the class end.

Naturally Jihyo searched for her uncle, because she always avoided him with going to restroom or hiding somewhere. But this time her uncle wasn't around. Then why’d Mina not going home? Jihyo questioned herself. Even without waiting for Jihyo's reply Mina was already going away.

Somehow, Jihyo felt very anxious, as if something bad happens. She was already letting her bus to go twice. She chose to sit on the bus stop as she thought about Mina. But time was passing by, and she felt that she should erase all of her bad thought. This time, she didn't miss her bus and went inside.

As she sat on the back seat of the bus, she got a call. Surprisingly it was from Mina.

Jihyo directly picked it up. "Yoboseyo Mina? Have you--"

"Jihyo ya.." Mina cut Jihyo’s words with a plangent voice.

That made Jihyo felt her worry seemed become true.

Moreover when Mina said, "I want to apologize.."

"Apologize? For what? "

"For everything .. If I ever hurt you, you know I did not mean it.."

"Mina, what are you talking about?"

Jihyo heard Mina was sobbing. In the middle of her sobs, Mina said, "I want you to keep thinking of me as a powerful smart girl.. but it's getting harder and harder, and I just can't take it anymore.."

"Mina, what are you saying? I don’t understand."

"I'm sorry.. that I can't be with you any longer.. Thank you .. thank you so much for being my friend .. Your care is really important to me.."

Feeling that it was a sign of a bad thing happened, Jihyo asked fast. "Mina, where are you now?"

"I hope you can live a long happy life.."

"Mina ya!!"

And the last thing Mina said, was... "Goodbye Jihyo ya .."

"Mina yaaaa!" Jihyo shouted from accross the phone, wanting Mina to still listen to her, but she was already hung up the phone.

"Ahjussi, stop the bus please!" Jihyo immediately asked the bus driver.

But he casually said, "Just wait until the next bus stop."

"I can't ahjussi, please stop the bus. PLEASE STOP THE BUS NOW!"

#bgm: Infinite - Eternity (intro)

Jihyo went out from the bus and ran back to school.

Don't do something stupid, Mina please.

Every moment they shared together was suddenly flashing in Jihyo's mind.

“Shall we be friends?" Mina reached out her hands.

“The important thing is that I feel lucky to meet you this morning, you're different.” Mina smiled at Jihyo.

Mina ya, please hang on... I’ll be there.. Jihyo begged as she wiped her tears and kept running.

“Remember, you're special .. so you deserve a special treatment as well .." Mina winked at Jihyo.

"Thank you for thinking of me like that, Jihyo ya. Thank you for being by my side.." Mina cried in Jihyo’s hug.

As Jihyo reached school, she went straight to the restroom and found Mina already lying on the floor. Jihyo’s heart was dropped as she saw blood was covering her wrist. And a razor was found not far from Mina’s body. Jihyo directly approached. She took the razor and ripped off her skirt. She bandaged Mina's wrist with that.

Please hang on, Mina .. Jihyo’s tears were running down her cheeks.

And suddenly Mina's phone ringing. Jihyo took it and saw that the one who called was Driver Dong. She picked it up immediately. "Ahjussi, please come to the school, quickly! Mina is in danger! "

After saying that, without waiting Driver Dong reply, Jihyo hung up the phone and immediately put Mina on her back. She carried Mina and ran looking for a help. In front of the school building, she met the school guard. He was surprised with Jihyo carrying the dying Mina.

"W-what happened??"

Jihyo ignored him and directly went to the front gate as she saw Mina's car coming.

Driver Dong came out from the car and ran to carry over Mina and brought her inside the car. Jihyo then followed to get inside the car. In a second, Driver Dong speeded the car to the hospital.

Along the way, Jihyo was crying as she tried to wake up Mina.

Mina ya, why’d you do this?

As they reached the hospital, Mina was immediately rushed to the Emergency Room.

As the door closed, Driver Dong asked Jihyo. "What is actually happened?"

"I don't know..” Jihyo said as she wiped her non-stop tears. Jihyo was surely looked a mess, her skirt was ripped off and her uniform was covering with Mina’s blood. In the middle of her sobs, she tried to explain to Driver Dong. “She called me and said goodbye. As I thought there must be wrong, I immediately ran to the school.. and--- and I found her in that condition.. " Jihyo covered her face with her hands as she remembered the frightening scene she just saw.

Didn’t consider Jihyo’s mental state, Driver Dong asked, "Where did you find her?"

"In-- in the restroom .."

"Did anyone else know?" He asked as he stared at Jihyo deeply.

"Only the school guard"

"OK. You wait here. I'll go for a while .." Driver Dong told Jihyo firmly before he stepped out to leave. But before that, he didn’t forget to say, " You'd better zip your mouth tight. If anyone asks about this incident, don't say anything. Understand?"

Jihyo was confused with his order. "Where will you go, ahjussi?"

"Just wait here." He said before he ran outside.

With that, Jihyo was left alone in worried. Her body was shaking and she still couldn’t stop crying. Please, don’t leave me, Mina ya... I don’t want to be left anymore.. Please, hang on..

After a few moment, the doctor came out and said that Mina's critical period has passed. Mina was fortunate because she was quickly discovered before she lost too much blood.

“Patient Mina is now resting in the room. She'll need to stay in the hospital for a moment, because once she wake up, we'll give a series of psychological treatment.” The doctor paused to fix her glasses before saying, “We know that she tried to do suicidal. So now you can go to her room, you can stay next to her, but try to minimize the interaction with her. Call us once she wake up, okay?”

Jihyo nodded firmly in respond.

The doctor walked closer and patted Jihyo’s shoulder softly. “You should calm yourself, too. You did good. You saved life today.” The doctor smiled before excuse to go. Jihyo was relieved that Mina was okay, but tears was still coming down her cheeks.

Jihyo felt calmer when she approached the sleeping Mina in her room.

She was sound asleep, like there was nothing in this world would harm her. But her face was a bit pale, as the effect of losing much blood.

Jihyo was standing there for a few minutes only to see Mina, her best friend. She felt so relieved that Mina was still here, in front ot her.

But then, Driver Dong came to the room. Jihyo turned her head and saw that he came with few nurses who brought a moving bed. They then approached Mina and moved her to the moving bed.

Jihyo was panic. "Ahjussi, where would you bring Mina?"

"I'll take her home." He said firmly.

"Home? Would she need to stay here,. The doctor told me--".

He cut Jihyo’s words with saying, "She'll be treated in the house."

With that, they moved Mina from her room, but Jihyo blocked their way. "No, please let her hospitalized.. She even haven't woke up yet..

"Just get out of my way!" Driver Dong told Jihyo firmly.

But Jihyo resisted. "No.”

That made him to shove Jihyo to the floor. “I told you to move.”

Jihyo directly got up and ran to catch them, “Ahjussi, pleaase.." She still tried to block them but failed.

Then the ambulance were successfully bringing Mina away from her sight.

Jihyo shouted in desperation. "Mina yaaaa ..."

-00-

Jihyo was really worried over Mina. Surely, there must be something that triggered her to decide to end her life. Jihyo thought it must be from her family. So, Jihyo firmly opposed the idea of taking Mina back to the house. But she couldn't do anything but crying.

In the next day until few days after that, Mina didn’t go to school. Teacher Han told Jihyo that Mina absent because she was sick. Jihyo tried to contact Mina multiple times but her cell phone wasn’t active. Jihyo even went to Mina's house but there were many guards in front of her house making her scared to get closer.

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