WARNING: this is unedited.

please excuse the horrid quality of this short oneshot and have some angst, dear readers :)

When Seulgi sees her for the first time, the shorter woman is wearing a mustard-yellow coat, blue jeans and a pair of boots with light brown tresses cascading down her back, her smile soft yet radiant as she walks down the corridor towards the exit.

Seulgi thinks that she’s the most breathtaking person she's ever seen.

She doesn't notice that her shoelaces are untied until she steps on them, and a surprised yelp escapes her lips before her knees and palms slam against the white linoleum floor. She winces in pain, her face flushing in embarrassment.

She's brushing herself off when she hears a soft voice asking whether or not she was alright, and a touch on her back so light she thinks she's imagined it.

When Seulgi makes eye contact with her, she doesn’t want to look away (she memorises every feature, because breathtaking sights are always worth remembering.)

It takes a moment for her to snap out of it and notice the (very) cute frown of genuine worry on the stranger's face. She stands up straight immediately, gesturing awkwardly while squeaking out a jumbled “Y-Yes! I'm fine! Thank you!” before throwing in “H- Have a nice day!”

Her face burns redder by the second, and she hastily leaves the glowing warmth she misses the moment she moves aside.

She risks a quick glance over shoulder as she walks away, and she sees that the stranger had stopped in the middle of the lobby, facing the exit. No one seems to pay her any mind. Though a little strange, Seulgi doesn't think much of it. She lets her eyes linger for a moment longer before turning away.

(Seulgi herself doesn't notice people staring after her when she rounds a corner, heading towards the private rooms.)

Joohyun and Yerim ask what had taken her so long, and why her face is as red as Sooyoung’s when their giant friend is inebriated. Seulgi plops herself down in the chair next to Yerim's bed and burrows her face into her hands.

"Hello? Seulgom-unnie?" Yerim giggles at how red the tips of Seulgi's ears are. "Seulgi-jjing?"

Seulgi doesn't respond, seemingly dazed as she stares at the floor. “She's so beautiful,” she murmurs softly.

Joohyun raises an eyebrow, stopping mid-sip of her iced tea.

When Seulgi realises she had spoken aloud, her gaze darts back and forth between Joohyun's amused smirk and Yerim's gleeful expression. "Wait, I wasn't—"

“Seulgi unnie, does this mean that Sooyoung unnie and I don’t have to set up awkward blind dates for you anymore?”

“Y- You nosy satans never had to in the first place!”

They’re too absorbed in their scuffle to notice Joohyun’s face when reads her pager and suddenly runs out of the room without another word, the younger duo’s half-hearted yells of “Bye, unnie!” falling on deaf ears.

"So, did you get her name? Did you guys chat?" Yerim nearly jumps off the bed in excitement (even with the massive cast on her leg) as she starts bombarding a flustered Seulgi with questions.

"No and no." Seulgi fidgets in her seat.

"Ah. I see." Yerim's face turns somber. "This can only mean one thing." She places her hand on Seulgi's shoulder. "Unnie." She shakes her head with a dramatic sigh. "You embarrassed yourself in front of her, didn't you."

"No, I didn't! I tripped and, like, she asked if I was okay but then I just stared at her face for maybe a bit too long because how can anyone look that cute and— Damn it, Yerim, stop laughing at me!"

-

“You tried your best. We all did.”

“How could this— There was positive progress.”

“We know better than anyone that that guarantees nothing.”

-

Seulgi is alone in the apartment that night.

Sooyoung is out at a high school reunion party, Joohyun’s probably staying overnight at the hospital from her shift, and Yerim is still in the hospital receiving treatment for a broken leg bone (Seulgi told the younger woman not to copy those stupid challenge videos on YouTube, but Yerim just has to do whatever she pleases.)

Seulgi sits at her desk that’s littered with an assortment of papers and pens, sketching on a blank page.

The seconds tick by, accumulating into a minute and then an hour, and she still hasn’t budged from her seat.

She’s determined to get every little detail just right.

She presses the pencil a bit harder.

She doesn’t want to forget anything.

(She misses the soft ping from her bedside table as the the screen of her phone lights up.)

When she gets to drawing the eyes, Seulgi can’t understand the sudden pang of longing in her chest when she starts filling in the details of a pair of mesmerising brown irises.

Seulgi doesn’t understand why she’s drawn her radiant smile in a way that makes her swallow a sudden lump in .

An image flashes across her mind.

The way she had stood in the middle of the lobby, staring ahead, unmoving. How her back had looked so small, her frame seeming so fragile. The way she dipped her head, the way her hands shook by her sides, the way she took a step forward like she was afraid, how every action screamed hesitation and unwillingness and fear—

Like she couldn’t bear to say goodbye.

She doesn’t register the wetness on her cheeks until a tear falls onto the paper, where a complete sketch of the stranger she had seen in the hospital looks up at her with eyes that are bright yet no longer full of life, lips curving into a smile tinged with forlornness.

Seulgi doesn’t sleep that night.

-

08/01 [ Yerm ] — 03:29

when u visit tomorrow, bring the iced tea that hyun unnie likes

she fell asleep crying, so let's cheer her up :(

sleep earlier, bear unnie~

g'night zzzz

-

It’s been two days since Seulgi first saw the beautiful stranger.

It’s also been several visits to the hospital with unsuccessful attempts at bumping into the mystery woman again; Yerim complains how Seulgi's not even visiting to see her favourite squirtle roommate.

However, after she sees Joohyun for the first time in two days (even through they’re roommates) and pesters her with questions, complete with a sketch that Joohyun can’t bear to look at, they’re in Yerim’s hospital room when Seulgi finally gets the answer to her puzzle.

Seulgi learns from the older woman that the stranger’s name was Son Seungwan, or Wendy.

The name suits her, Seulgi thinks.

Seulgi learns that she’s the same age as Seungwan, that the latter could sing like an angel and had the kind, selfless soul of one too; that her favourite hobby was baking, and her favourite colour blue.

She learns that Joohyun and Seungwan were childhood friends.

“Her dream had always been to hold a concert one day, when she got better. When she could sing again.”

The sketch falls to the floor, but no one moves to pick it up.

“No. This can’t be it.”

“You tried your best. We all did.”

“How could this— There was positive progress.”

“We know better than anyone that that guarantees nothing.”

“She never stopped fighting,” Joohyun removes her glasses, jaw clenched.

“It’s not supposed to end like this.“

“…We’re doctors, Joohyun, not gods. We can’t fight what we’re not equipped to fight.”

“But I promised her.”

“I know. And I’m sorry there's nothing more we can do.”

Joohyun turns away to hide her glistening eyes. “But some battles just can’t be won.”

-

Seulgi also learns that Son Seungwan used to be Joohyun's patient who had been very, very terminal.

Sooo, I randomly wrote this during a study period in between exams LOL

If you don't understand what happened in the story, feel free to drop a comment and ask. I'll do my best to reply.

I really wish I could write better, and make my stories more riveting. I'll work harder in the future.

Nonetheless, I hope you enjoyed, and please leave comments. I’d love to hear your thoughts :)

See you again soon~

—afangirlmess (ง'̀-'́)ง