Chapter 1

Ahn Yujin clutched the silver bracelet tightly in her hand. She looked up at the red light outside the operation room.

"You have to be okay, Minju-unnie." Yujin whispered softly. "You promised me that you will not leave me."

Ever since Kim Minju came into Yujin’s life, she became her everything. When Yujin was feeling happy, Minju would be there to share it with her. When Yujin was feeling down, Minju would be there to encourage her. When Yujin was feeling lost, Minju would be her guiding light.

She should have been with Minju that night. She shouldn’t have let Minju be alone out in the storm by herself.

Yujin was deep in focus studying for an upcoming exam when her cell phone rang.

“Yujin?”

“Minju-unnie? Where are you?”

“I’m at uncle Song’s diner. His part time worker is off tonight, so I came to help him close up for the night.”

The diner was located very close to Yujin and Minju’s school, so it was very popular with the students. Everyone loved the elderly man that owned the diner and they would help him out whenever they could.

“Unnie, are you okay to go home in this weather?” Yujin asked as she looked at the storm raging outside her window.

“Don’t worry about me. I will be okay.” Minju reassured Yujin. “The bus stop is just outside the diner.”

“Okay but call me as soon as you get home though!”

“Yes, mom!” Minju teased. “And don’t worry too much about me. You have to focus on your exam.”

“You know this exam is a piece of cake for me!”

“Right, how could I have forgotten, Ms. Top of the Class!” Minju said with a laugh.

Yujin laughed along with Minju but then her voice softened. “Just be careful, okay?”

“I will.” Minju replied softly. “Love you.”

“I love you, too.”

Yujin was getting worried when she didn’t hear from Minju. Just when she was able to call Minju, she received a phone call from Minju’s parents. Minju was waiting for the bus when she was hit by a fallen tree branch.

Yujin’s heart stopped when she heard the news. She rushed to the hospital immediately. When she got there, Minju was already in surgery.

Now, she sat outside the operation room, waiting for the surgery to be over.

She looked at the bracelet in her hands. She and Minju had matching bracelet. Her initials were engraved onto Minju’s bracelet and hers had Minju’s initials.

Yujin touched Minju’s initials on the bracelet with a shaky hand. “Please be okay.”

Just then, the red light outside the operation room turned off. Yujin and Minju’s parents got up from the chairs immediately. 

The doctor walked out of the operation room and looked at them. “Are you Kim Minju’s family?”

“Yes, she is our daughter.” Minju’s father answered. “How is she?”

"Your daughter suffered severe head trauma.” The doctor paused. “We tried our best but I'm really sorry, we could not save your daughter."

Yujin shook her head and took a couple of steps back.

The doctor was lying. This could not be happening. Minju could not be gone.

She did not see the doctor bowed his head before walking away.

She did not see Minju’s mother sobbing uncontrollably.

She did not see the nurse approached Minju’s father holding a small piece of paper.

Nothing mattered to her anymore.

Minju was gone.

Yujin just slumped onto the ground as her whole world crumbled around her.

* * * * *

Down the hallway in a dimly lit room, Choi Yena sat quietly next to the bed looking at the  sleeping form of Jo Yuri.

Yena reached over and brushed a strand of the hair off Yuri’s face.

"Yuri..."

A oxygen mask covered her pale face. It was so rare to see Yuri without her smile.

Everyone who had met Yuri could never tell that behind the infectious smile, was a young girl who was born with a heart defect.

Yuri had lived everyday to the fullest. Because, "everyday that I live is a gift," Yuri would always say.

When Yuri was born, the doctor had said that she would not live past the age of 5, but she had defied the odds. So, Yuri had treasured each day that she got to live.

Since Yuri was young, for each day that she lived, she had put a marble inside a glass jar. Now that she had lived to age 18, there were now several jars of marbles on the shelves of her room.

Yena looked at the current jar of marbles that was on the night table beside the bed. She picked up a small bag that was next to the jar and took out a small marble. She opened the jar and placed the marble inside.

“Look Yuri! Another marble!”

Yuri loved putting the marbles into the jar. She often would have a big smile on her as she do it. 

Yena had never met someone who was so vibrant and positive about life until Yuri came crashing into her life.

Literally.

Yena checked her watch as she rushed quickly to get to her destination.

She was late. Very, very late.

“Eunbi-unnie is not going to be happy with me!” Yena grimaced.

She quickened her pace. She was so focused on getting to her destination quickly that she did not realized someone was turning out from the corner. That person smacked right into Yena and the drink that was in the person’s hand spilled onto Yena’s light-coloured shirt.

“I’m so sorry!”

Yena looked up and saw a girl with her hair tied up in a ponytail bowing apologetically at her. The girl was wearing the uniform of the school that was just around the corner from where they were.

“I was listening to this really song that Gyuri-unnie recommended and I wasn’t paying attention to where I was going. So, I didn’t see you and I didn’t know that you were coming and I…”

Whatever anger Yena felt towards this girl disappeared as she watched the girl rambled on.

“So, I’m really, really sorry.”

Yena shook her head in amusement. “Do you always talk this fast?” 

“What?” The girl looked taken back by Yena’s comment.

“Nevermind. And don’t worry about this.”

“Are you sure?” The girl asked. “I should make it up to you. How about I buy you a drink? Or food? Or both?”

Yena laughed. “You really are a funny girl.”

“My name is Jo Yuri. What is your name?”

“I’m Choi Yena.” Yena shook Yuri’s hand. “Jo Yuri, it’s really nice to meet you.”

Yena chuckled at the memory of her first meeting with Yuri.

Yuri had never let her condition hold her back. She would go after things that she thought it was worth fighting for.

It was Yuri who confessed to Yena first. And when Yena was not sure about her feelings, it was Yuri who fought hard for their relationship.

She had shown Yena how to live her life without regrets. And she had shown Yena what is love.

Unfortunately, their happy times did not last long.

Yena looking up at the clock on the wall, checking the time for the tenth tIme in the last five minutes. She was really looking forward to this night. She and Yuri would be celebrating her birthday at her apartment. With her roommate working the late shift, it would just be the two of them spending the special night together.

Just then, the doorbell rang.

Yena took one last look around her. After feeling satisfied that everything looked perfect, she went to answer the door. Her face lit up when she saw Yuri standing on the other side holding up a small box.

“Happy birthday, Yena-unnie!”

Yena accepted the gift then pulled Yuri in for a hug. “Thanks Yuri!”

Yuri walked into the apartment and went to sit down on the couch. Yena closed the front door then went to sit down next to Yuri. She put her arm on Yuri’s shoulder and pulled her close.

“Are you hungry yet? The food is ready.”

Yuri shook her head. “Can we just stay like this for awhile?”

“Of course.”

Yuri wrapped her arms around Yena’s waist and buried her head underneath Yena’s chin.

“Is everything okay, Yuri?”

“Everything is fine.”

“Are you sure? You seem kind of down lately?” Yena asked in concerned.

“I’m okay. I have just been tired lately, that’s all.”

Yena pulled back and looked down at the girl in her arms. “Yuri, I know you. I know when something is bothering you. Please tell me?”

Yuri bit her lips and kept her head down. “We can talk about this tomorrow. Today is your birthday. Let’s go eat!”

Yuri wanted to get up from the couch but Yena stopped her. “Yuri, please! I can see it in your eyes that something is wrong. Tell me please?”

Yuri sat back down on the couch and sighed in defeat. She turned to face Yena. “I haven’t been feeling that great lately, so I went to the doctor’s for a check up.”

“And…” Yena was suddenly afraid of what Yuri was about to tell her.

“The doctor said... He said that my heart is failing.”

“Yuri...” Yena was loss for words as she was not expecting the news at all.

“The doctor said that my heart will be getting weaker and the only way is for me to get a heart transplant, but the waiting list is very long and chances of finding a match could be very slim…”

Yuri trailed off. She looked at Yena who was sitting next to her with an unreadable expression.

“Well, the doctor originally thought I would only live until 5, so I have gained a lot already.” 

Yuri laughed but Yena could tell that there was no humour in it.

“And I’m sorry Yena-unnie for dragging you into this. It’s my fault to ask you to be in a relationship with me despite my condition. You shouldn't have to deal with this.”

“What are you talking about?” Yena finally broke her silence. “I chose to be in a relationship with you because I…”

Yena faced Yuri and looked into her eyes. “Because I love you. And we are going to get through this together.”

“I always have known that this day would come and I have never been afraid before. But ever since I met you, I just want to spend more time with you. I don’t want to leave you.”

Tears were streaming down Yuri’s face. It broke Yena’s heart to see Yuri like this.

“Yuri, promise me that you will not give up.” Yena gently wiped the tears away from Yuri’s face. “That you will fight till the end? Do it for me. For us.”

Yuri nodded as Yena pulled her into her arms and hugged her tightly.

Yuri had kept her promise and had faced her condition head on. But Yena knew that time was running out for Yuri. She could hardly stayed awake anymore and she spent most of the time sleeping. It pained Yena to see Yuri slipping away like this.

She picked up Yuri’s hand and it gently. “Yuri, you have to hold on for just a little bit longer, okay? You have to do it for us. There are still so many things we have to do together.”

Yena brought Yuri’s hand to her lips and kissed it softly.

“Please stay with me, Yuri. I’m not ready to let you go yet…” Yena whispered as a tear rolled down her cheek.

Suddenly, a nurse walked into the room, startling Yena. “I’m sorry but we have to prepare the patient for surgery.”

“Surgery?”

“Yes. We have just received notification that a matching donor has been found. We have to prepare for surgery immediately.”

“They found a matching donor? Yuri, did you hear that?” Yena whispered into Yuri’s ear. “You are going to be okay!” 

Yena touched Yuri’s face before standing up. She watched as the nurse prepared the machines before wheeling Yuri out of the room.

After months of waiting, Yena could finally see the glimmer of hope that she had been hoping for.