The first thing Hwang Eunbi heard, after being hunched over a toilet for about ten minutes, was Yewon’s concerned call.

            "Eunbi-yah?" Yewon’s sweet voice filled the restroom and Eunbi knew she had to get herself together before stepping out of the bathroom stall or else her friend would freak out at how wrecked she was currently looking. "Are you okay?"

            Eunbi didn’t answer immediately; the girl took a couple of deep breaths, got a piece of toilet paper and cleaned the blood from the corners of . Eunbi swallowed hardly, trying to push the petals back down and stood up, flushing the toilet down. Eunbi took another deep breath and opened the white door with shaky fingers.

            Her eyes met with Yewon’s eyes—wide, dark and worried eyes—and Eunbi tried to ignore the uncomfortable turn her stomach did. She forced her lips to turn up, poorly faking a smile. “Yewon-ah, no need to look so worried,” Eunbi said in what she thought to be a reassuring tone. “I’m fine—”

            “Please, don’t lie to me,” the shorter girl sighed and pursed her lips out, rather looking cute than angry. “You know how much I hate this, don’t you? You know, after running out of the practice room as if there was a timer bomb, it’s pretty hard to believe you are alright. Also, do you think I haven’t noticed the amount of time you’ve spent inside that stall? Seriously, Hwang Eunbi, do you think I’m dumb?”

            Eunbi swallowed, feeling the ghosts of the petals inside . She shrugged, hoping it seemed seem nonchalant enough to convince Yewon that it wasn’t a big deal. "It's just an upset stomach, Yewon. I didn’t want to throw up in the class or something."

            "Is it, now?" Yewon incredulously inquired, quirking an eyebrow. Yewon was way too smart to believe Eunbi’s half-assed lie, but she didn’t have much else to offer; Eunbi wasn’t in a condition to properly lie. Thankfully for her, though, Yewon simply sighed instead of pressing on the subject. “Alright, but you know you can tell me if you aren't fine, don't you? Actually, please, tell me if you aren’t feeling fine."
            "Of course, I do know," Eunbi rolled her eyes, internally rejoicing for being out of the hook for now, and offered her friend a smile that didn't reach her eyes. "Don't worry so much! I promise it’s nothing serious. See? I’m completely now okay." Yeah, that was a little of a stretch, she thought as Yewon’s brow deeply furrowed.

            Her friend scanned her for a second and Eunbi let out an honest chuckle; it was such a Yewon thing to worry so much about her.

            Kim Yewon was one of the sweetest and caring girls Hwang Eunbi had ever known. They had met when they were kids, being inseparable since day one. Eunbi and Yewon had very different personalities and people expected them to eventually grow apart as they got old, and, indeed, Yewon became the type of girl loved by everyone and so adorable that it was physically hurtful, whereas Eunbi was often put on detention for defying some stupid order or making inadequate jokes in the middle class.

            They weren’t supposed to go along, but, in the end, they did.

            Eunbi never understood why Yewon had stuck with her through all those years, even attending to the same college, but she was thankful. More often than not, Eunbi felt guilty for being such a troublemaker and having Yewon worry about her so much, but it was stronger than her and without a doubt, in the majority of time, Kim Yewon was her savior.

            Due to that, it was only fair that Eunbi complied to a few rules they had made years ago. They were really silly, being a fruit of a child’s imagination, but one of them, one that was supposed to be respected up to this day was: if you are doing something that you can’t tell your best friend about, then you shouldn’t be doing it. Truly, Eunbi tried her best to not break it and she had been pretty successful—with the exception of a couple of recent events, but those weren’t her fault—until now.

            However, this was something that she simply couldn’t tell Yewon about and nor could she stop it. Perhaps, after all the things they’d been through, after everything they’d shared with each other, this situation shouldn’t be the rule-breaker. Eunbi was sure Yewon would understand what was happening with her if she explained, because, after all, this was not uncommon. But things were more complicated than that.

            There was someone Eunbi liked; a long-time crush. It was the type of crush that got her blushing at the most inconvenient moments, that had her screaming against her pillow at the sheer memory of the person and had her crying on her bed wondering about how she could be that into someone she barely talked to. It was that bad.
            Sure, having a crush is an acceptable topic to discuss with your best friend—hell, it was the most obvious topic to talk about! What kind of years-long friendship they had if she didn’t feel comfortable to tell Yewon about her helpless crush on her senior? But, again, it was more complicated than that. Eunbi’s crush was something she kept to herself just because it felt good. It may sound selfish or childish, but it was something unique about her life. It was just her huge and innocent crush.

            It wouldn’t be a problem, though, if it had remained as an innocent crush. To her defense, Eunbi didn’t think her feelings would evolve that much; she didn’t think her heart would turn her admiration into something profound and painful; she didn’t think it would become something completely out of her control.
            What Hwang Eunbi felt now was love.

            And love, out of all things, is dangerous. Of course, love is something special and beautiful; it’s one of the most important feelings. However, being in love lowered one’s body defenses to a very, very dangerous illness.

            Like this, Eunbi felt her heart clench; she was in love with her senior, a gorgeous and talented girl called Jung Yerin.

            She's literally the most popular, the most adored and the most wonderful person Eunbi had ever set eyes on. Eunbi told herself at the first day her heart fluttered around the older that it was fine; just a crush wouldn't hurt. After all, how could she remain indifferent to the other’s smiles and pretty laugh echoing in the practice room while they all danced? How could she not stare, with her cheeks sweaty and red, the older as she occasionally taught moves to them? How could she?
            Eunbi let her defenses down and it shouldn’t be a surprise what was happening now, though that but that didn’t make it any easier.

            In her defense, Eunbi had never been in love with someone before and she didn't know where all those blushes and small smiles were leading to; she didn't realize that sooner or later her life was going to be endangered. The feeling was just so satisfying, so warm. It didn't even cross her mind where she was getting herself into.
            Eunbi let herself fall in love and made herself susceptible to the dreaded, unexplainable illness that was hanahaki. Said illness turned the beauty of love and flowers in a death sentence. Medicine, religious figures and even the most skilled theorists couldn’t come up with the reason why it appeared or how it took control of one’s body, but the fact was: it existed. Whenever someone fell in love and somehow that feeling felt imprisoned, locked away, flowers started to bloom inside their lungs, slowly blocking their air ways. There were two ways of getting rid of it: confessing and being accepted—which usually led to happy life—or undergoing a surgery, taking out the flowers and the feelings for that person.

            Eunbi had forgotten about all of that.

            Jung Yerin was just so beautiful, intelligent, gentle and funny that Eunbi felt herself soar when she was around her; Yerin’s voice was so angelical that Eunbi could die hearing it; the way Yerin danced was so breathtaking that Eunbi managed to forget all the bad things that had happened to her.

            Yes, Eunbi had been stupid. Amidst her giggling and blushing; she had forgotten about all the danger it implied… until that morning.

            At five am, she woke up coughing, feeling something solid on . Eunbi didn't think about what the hell that was, she just started coughing more and more, desperate to get it out. It eventually rose to and she spat it on her hand, blinking away the tears, some even falling down her cheeks.

            Her eyes had widened as she saw a wet, black petal. Eunbi's breath had quickened and she tried to calm herself down as she got out of bed, eyes fixed on the petal like it would explode at any given moment. Eunbi had turned the lights on and she took a better look at it.

            It was a petal—one that weirdly reminded her of an obsidian colored rose garden. It reminded her of dread, hatred and fear—a lot of fear.
            It fit perfectly well with the situation.
            Eunbi tried to not panic and closed her fingers, crushing the petal inside her hand. This was ridiculous; she was ridiculous. Now, on top of everything, she was developing hanahaki. As if it wasn’t enough to be struggling with her own thoughts and future, the universe had to give her that.

            It was real, though, and she had to decide. Eunbi could grow some balls and confess to Yerin—which depending on the result, would leave her in a hospital bed, waiting for a surgery—or she could remain silent and let the flowers grow—and eventually die.

            The most logical option was to mark an appointment, get a surgery and go on with her life. It just didn’t make sense to die from a love that had no future, because, it was obvious that Jung Yerin would never have feelings for her. But Eunbi wasn’t thinking logically.

            The taste of loving someone has been new to her and she found it too inebriating, too addictive to enjoy the idea of ripping off all the feelings she had for that unreachable girl.

            But, then… would she let herself die?

            Eunbi eyed Yewon, both girls making their way through the empty halls now and pondered on the younger’s reaction. Would Yewon be angry at her if that was her decision, if she really decided to...? Would she be sad? Would she be indifferent? Of course, she’d be angry, Eunbi thought, she’s my best friend and she won’t let me carry on with this if it means I’m going to die.

            “Eunbi-yah, what’s wrong?” her soft voice made Eunbi startle a little, earning a quirked eyebrow. “Is your stomach still upset?”

            “No,” Eunbi shook her head, smiling. “Or,” she felt the taste of blood on her tongue and her stomach sank, imagining having to throw up petals again—Yewon definitely would see it and she couldn’t afford that, “maybe, it is. I don’t know.”

            “If you aren’t feeling well, you can go home. I’m sure your teacher wouldn’t mind,” Yewon thoughtfully offered. “You are her favorite, after all,” her friend nudged Eunbi’s shoulder with hers and she allowed a short laugh to escape her cracked lips.

            “I’m not her favorite,” Eunbi mumbled, but linked arms with Yewon. “But, um, I guess I’ll go.”

            Yewon nodded. “You deserve a day off, anyway,” she continued. “You’re inside this academy at least twelve hours a day and this cannot be healthy. No, don’t give me that look. I’m being seriously. I get that you love dancing, Eunbi-yah, but your body can’t handle this much of practice, you know? Especially, if you’re sick.”

            The dancer faked an annoyed sigh. “Okay, mom,” she dragged the last word to sound like a rebellious teenager and Yewon chuckled.

            “I wouldn’t have to act like your mom if you took better care of yourself, you know?” the younger scolded and looked straight into her eyes as they stopped before the dance practice room that it should be empty by now, since it was their break.

            “Yeah,” she agreed in a whisper and allowed Yewon to bring her in for a hug. Eunbi rested her head on Yewon’s shoulder and closed her eyes a little. Her chest was starting to hurt, and she couldn’t help but wonder how much time she had before it became impossible to breathe.

            She didn’t know if she wanted to find out.

            “Uh, hi?”

            Eunbi’s ears were filled with a beautiful and hesitant voice. She jumped out of her friend’s arms to look at her side.

            Standing just a few meters away was Jung Yerin, the cause of the obsidian petals pooling on . Eunbi coughed. “Hi,” her voice came out weak and she watched the older girl’s brow furrow.

            “Are you okay?”

            Eunbi felt her heart swell with the small question. Does she care about me? Eunbi thought, a dangerous glint of hope snaking its way into her mind, but she brushed it off. Stop, Eunbi, Yerin cares about everyone, she’s just that kind.

            “She’s not,” Yewon answered before she could open again and Eunbi glared at her. Her friend seemed completely unfazed as she kept going, “actually, I’m pretty sure that she feels worse than she’s letting me know. But at least I convinced her to go home.”

            The always smiley Yerin looked concerned. “What’s wrong, Eunbi-ssi?”

            Eunbi stuttered and felt a heat creep up her neck, hearing Yerin say her name. It wasn’t everyday she got to hear that blissful sound.

            Yewon rolled her eyes and poked Eunbi’s arm. “She’s a little out for the moment, sunbae, her stomach is feeling bad and she threw up in the bathroom. Which, actually makes me think that I should go home with you, Eunbi-yah.”

            Eunbi’s head snapped towards Yewon, trying her best to ignore her blush. “N-no, you have a presentation to do. I can get home by myself.”

            Yewon looked like she wanted to protest, but the girl glanced at Yerin and something changed in her eyes. The singer’s lips curled in a small, yet mischievous smile while she slowly nodded. “Alright. But I think it’d be better if someone helped you at least for now… oh, Yerin-sunbae! Can you help Eunbi gather her things? And also make sure she leaves the academy? Because, if I know her well, it’s possible that she’ll try to stay as soon as I turn my back,” Yewon giggled and Eunbi felt like all the blood on her body had rushed to her feet.

            The dancer tried shake her head and say that was definitely not necessary, but her words disappeared as she felt a ghost touch on her arm. Almost snapping her neck, she looked to her side to see Yerin way closer than she was before.

            “Of course,” it was like Yerin didn’t even think about it. “Don’t worry about it.”

            “Thanks,” Yewon sweetly smiled and looked at Eunbi. “Text me as soon as you get home, okay?”

            Eunbi sighed and nodded. She watched Yewon walk away, hoping her legs weren’t as wobbly as she felt. It actually didn’t matter a lot, since Yerin’s fingers brushed her skin and she sincerely lost contact with reality for a moment.

            The touch was gone way too soon. “Eunbi-ssi? You look really bad… do you want me to get the nurse…?” Yerin asked, stepping away for a moment.

            “Ah, no, thanks. I’m—I’m actually okay,” Eunbi tried to sound as reassuring as possible, but the look in Yerin’s eyes told her she hadn’t been really convincing. “I mean, I’m not completely fine, but it’s not something that’ll kill me. Yewon just worries too much.”

            Jung Yerin smiled, but Eunbi noticed how it didn’t reach her eyes. “She seems like a nice girl.”

            “Yewon is,” she agreed, a little more comfortable since they had switched topics.

            “Must be good to have a girlfriend who cares so much.”

            “Yeah, she’s—wait what?” Eunbi frowned and her face scrunched in a grimace as Yerin avoided her eyes. “Yewon isn’t my girlfriend! Ew, no. I mean, she’s my best friend and I love her a lot, but definitely not like that. Ugh, no, she’s like my sister.”

            “A-ah! I see! So, it’s like this then,” Yerin let out an awkward chuckle and Eunbi quirked an eyebrow, tilting her head.

            “Did you think she was my girlfriend?”

            “Ah… yeah, I mean. You two are always together,” Yerin shrugged and the laughter she let out was even more awkward. “But, um, never mind it, then! That’s good—I mean, that you have someone who you consider a sister, not that you don’t have a girlfriend and, uh, why don’t we go inside and get your things? Are you going by bus?”

            “I, uh, yeah,” Eunbi flustered nodded.

            “Great! I’ll walk you to the bus stop, then!”

            Eunbi’s cheeks became warm again.

            For a moment, she forgot about the scrapping on and the pain on her chest.