They arrived at her home half an hour later, Yewon diligently helping her inside the building and, later, in the apartment. Fortunately, no one was there; not that Eunbi expected her parents to be home already, but it was a relief nonetheless.

            “Bedroom?” Yewon asked as the front door was locked and Eunbi nodded. “Okay.”

            Careful with her movements, the singer walked to Eunbi’s room and helped her sit on the bed. Yewon brushed off both of their backpacks and, instead of questioning Eunbi about the whole situation, like she thought Yewon would do, the girl pulled the chair next to her desk and sat down right in front of Eunbi, completely silent.

            The dancer was definitely feeling better than before—her mind wasn’t as clouded, and her breathing became more regular—but that didn’t help her under Yewon’s intense gaze. Eunbi wanted to shrink and disappear, but, since that wasn’t possible, she just focused her eyes on her lap and waited for the inevitable.

            Yewon sighed. “So, this is what you’re hiding?”

            Eunbi barely nodded.

            “For how long?”

            “Y... yesterday.”

            “Yesterday? Did this all start yesterday?” Eunbi nodded once more; she didn't need to look at Yewon to know she was frowning. “This is progressing way too fast. You’re throwing up blood and that doesn’t happen until, I don’t know, a week later? How can it be like this?”

            Giving a small shrug, Eunbi bit her lower lip. Yewon had a point and she was just as clueless, but she knew the situation couldn’t be good.

            “Eunbi?” Yewon cautiously called for her and gently grabbed her hand when Eunbi remained still. “Hey, look at me.”

            Hesitantly, the dancer raised her head and the heavy concern in her friend’s eyes almost made her whimper. Things weren’t supposed to go like that. This was all wrong.

            “You know, you need to do something about this, Eunbi,” Yewon said, voice calm, but filled with something that Eunbi could only describe as fear. “And we need to go to a hospital.”

            “W-what? No hospitals,” Eunbi frankly shook her head and Yewon frowned.

            “Yes, hospitals. I’m not letting you writhe in pain here, with some hanahaki that is progressing like a ing cancer. You could die, Eunbi, for ’s sake!”

            “I don’t want to! I-if I go, they’ll take it—”

            “If you go, they’ll help you,” the singer dryly cut her. “Please, Eunbi-yah, you know that hanahaki has only two ways of being cured. And, no matter how this will end, we need to get you to a hospital. They won’t take the flowers unless you ask for it, so stop trying to suffer alone!”

            Eunbi flinched; Yewon groaned and hid her face behind her hands. “I really,” her voice was muffled, but the pain was as clear as the summer sky, “I really can’t lose you, Eunbi-yah.”

            There it was, the reason why Eunbi wanted so much to conceal the flowers. Now, in front of a shaking Yewon, she really couldn’t afford to be selfish. “You w-won’t lose me,” Eunbi stuttered, “Yewon-ah…”

            “Then, let’s go to the hospital,” Yewon reasoned, slowly looking at Eunbi. “We can go and if you don’t want to get it out, we’ll just call Yerin. Y-you have her number, right? I’ll call her, if you want, a-and then you can confess and whatever she says—”

            “Yewon!”

            “What!”

            Both girls had their eyes glassy and burning; Eunbi, however, told herself she wouldn’t cry anymore. “I…” but even though she wanted to stand up and say she wasn’t going to tell Yerin, she couldn’t do it. Not with Yewon looking at her so helplessly.

            Eunbi closed her eyes. “Okay.”

            “Okay what?” Yewon let out an exasperated breath.

            “I’ll go to the hospital.”

            Eunbi knew that was the only way of getting Yewon out of her hair. Thus, even if she didn’t want to confront her friend about letting the flowers stay without telling Yerin anything, she could stall that discussion a little.

            “But,” Eunbi continued, “I’m too tired now. I’ll go tomorrow.”

            It was visible that didn’t please Yewon in the slightest, but, to her relief, the younger girl decided to indulge Eunbi. “Fine. But you need to go first thing in the morning, alright? And text me when you get there. I’ll go meet you.”

            Eunbi agreed and let Yewon go on about things she had read on the internet that could help with the coughing; she also let her friend make some tea and stay with her until late. Eunbi pleaded to Yewon to not tell anyone else, not even her parents, and the girl hesitantly nodded; she probably thought that if Eunbi would be going to the hospital as soon as possible, there was no need to tell her parents about it.

            The dancer felt guilty; she felt like she was leading on the most precious person alive, but there wasn’t much she could do now. Yewon would literally drag her out of the apartment if she told her what her real plans were.

            But, really. What was she thinking? There was no way she could’ve hidden this for long.

            “My mom’s calling me,” Yewon’s sweet voice filled her room. “I have to go. Call me if you need anything, ok?”

            Eunbi gave her friend a small smile and waved her hand from her bed. She closed her eyes and waited to hear the front door’s clicking to let out the long sigh she had been holding. “Isn’t this great,” she mumbled, lying on the bed and pressing her face on her pillow.

            Can this become any worse?

            As if the Universe felt challenged by her rhetorical question, her cell phone vibrated.

            Eunbi waited a few seconds, turned her body slowly and grabbed her backpack. Opening it, she fished her mobile out and unblocked the screen, hoping it was just a promotional message or something just as meaningless.

            Of course, she was wrong.

            It was him.

kimwooyoung

Ya

Hwang Eunbi

You know that I can see you online, right?

me

off

how did you get this number??

kimwooyoung

Wow, looks like last year didn’t teach you a thing.

I always get what I want. One way or another.

And you should be more careful with the way you

speak to me, Hwang.

me

oh, my ing god

the only thing last year taught me was to stay

away from manipulative little ers like you

now, kindly off, kim wooyoung

kimwooyoung

Pff. I don’t know why you keep saying that.

It’s not like anyone believes you anyway

Except that little singer or whatever.

The point is: I need a small favor.

me

i can’t ing believe you. you are NOT coming

to me after everything you did to ask for a favor.

holy ing .

kimwooyoung

Yeah, yeah, whatever. You know, everyone

Has had with your attitude, Hwang, me included.

Actually, if you weren’t the way you are, none of

That would’ve happened tsc tsc.

It’s solely your fault for not keeping quiet.

me

i’m not having this conversation with you,

and i’m not doing any sick favor you want me to

just off and never contact me again.

kimwooyoung

Or what? You’ll call the police?

Please, after the stunt you pulled in front of

everyone, it’s easier for me to get a restriction

order for you than anything, Hwang.

Pff, did you know that Professor Ong called me

afterwards? He congratulated me for being such

a role model to the University. Ah, really, so

satisfying. It’s a shame I had to leave, really. I’d love

to watch you deal with everyone looking at you like

a crazy, violent .

Eunbi’s eyes widened, unbelieving of his words. The dancer closed her eyelids, feeling a burning sensation at the back of her eyes. I’m not going to cry, I’m not going to cry after everything he did. I’m not letting myself get shaken by him. Not again. Eunbi took a deep breath. That conversation was meaningless to her; nothing the could say would make her ever consider doing something for him.

me

you are such a ing

i’m not listening to another word you say.

just. go yourself and leave me alone.

or else i’ll really give you a reason to get a

restriction order.

kimwooyoung

Wow, feisty as ever~

But, you see. It wouldn’t be smart to do that,

Hwang. Especially now that you have apparently

become closer to Jung Yerin.

me

what the are you implying, you sick er

kimwooyoung

Ah, it’s nothing really. It’s just that I still have eyes

and ears at your university, you know? Some birds

told me that you are developing a beautiful

friendship with your senior and we both know how

much you actually like her, don’t we?

And, sadly, I don’t think Jung Yerin would like to

be in your presence if she knew the things you did.

Me

I DIDN’T DO ANYTHING YOU ER

IT WAS YOU WHO FRAMED IT ALL

kimwooyoung

Oh, but that’s not what’s in the official documents,

is it? And besides Kim Yewon, who believes you?

Tsc, you’ve become quite discredited, Hwang.

Or you do you want to take the risk?

It’s fine for me, you know. It’s not like you can

prove anything.

So. Why don’t you be a good girl and help a friend out?

Like this, no one will be hurt.

            Tears pricked the corner of Eunbi’s eyes as she stared at the screen. Didn’t she have enough things to worry about? Now, past ghosts were back, haunting her when she had finally found some peace? Did the world hate her or something?

            This is really unfair, Eunbi thought, gnawing on her lower lip. What am I supposed to do now? To be fairly honest, Eunbi wasn’t that worried about Kim Wooyoung’s threat; that guy had already ed everything he could months prior and she knew she had her share of guilt in that. However, she had not told the whole story concerning him to Yerin and the that went down the previous year and it worried her that he could, somehow, drag Yerin into a mess and make things bad for the older dancer.

            Eunbi couldn’t have that happening.

            She looked at the screen again; there were a couple of things she could do and none of them pleased her. Eunbi could text Yewon and have the girl back her up, she could give in to Wooyoung and ask what the hell did he want, or she could go warn Yerin about that er.

            “Sure, how would that go, though?” she asked herself bitterly. “‘Hey, sunbae, I’m sorry, but you know when I told you I punched a guy in the middle of the campus and no one wanted to go get close to me afterwards? And that I just had a silly fight with him? So, yeah, actually, that guy’s a manipulative er that made me think we were friends and I did a ton of and there’s a lot more people hate me for, but, here’s the thing, he’s texting me. And I don’t really want to do anything. He may be mad about it, though, so, just in case he comes after you, I’m telling this beforehand,’ yeah, perfect” Eunbi murmured to herself.

            Letting out a low whine, Eunbi stuffed her head on her pillow.

            She couldn’t take long; what would she do?