A week before Seollal, Hayoung breaks up with Chungha.

The two are sitting at the Han River as they have a deep heartfelt talk about their relationship in these few months and where they could go from now. It’s a calm, cold evening with the orange set setting on the horizons. Sharing a can of beer, Hayoung says it after much thought.

“Let’s break up.”

She was expecting to be slapped, or the very least be shouted at, or have tears shed. But no. Chungha gives her a quiet look and nods. “Okay.” It slips easy out of , as if she was waiting for her to say it.

“W-Wait, you’re not mad? Shouldn’t you at least hit me or ask me why?” Hayoung appears flustered as this was not the reaction she was anticipating.

“Yeah, I kind of realized it somewhere.” She shrugs and sips the beer.

“Realized what?”

“Hayoung.” Chungha stares up at the orange sky. “You’re a sweet girl. You’re really kind, brave, outspoken—you’re so many things. I truly cherish the moments we spent together. But I know you deserve someone better than me.”

The girl looks at Chungha with wide, absolutely confused eyes. “…And who would that someone be…?” She raises her eyebrow.

“Oh, come on.” Chungha rolls her eyes.

“I think it’s funny how you don’t realize it when you talk about her all the time. Somewhere in our conversations, she’ll somehow come into the picture. I could see in your eyes that you really care for her. That you,” Chungha caresses Hayoung’s cheek gently. “…You love her more than me.”

Hayoung blinks once and blurts, “N-Namjoo?” She blinks once again and points at herself, “Me? I…I like Namjoo?”

Chungha snorts and laughs with a nod. “Yes. Yes! Yes, you do, dummy. I think you’ve mistaken it sometimes. The love you have between me and her. But its okay. I’m not jealous. But envious to have someone like her.”

Hayoung pauses and looks down.

She feels her cheeks flaring up as she suddenly notices it. The fact how she thinks about Namjoo, how she’s always in their conversations, always part of her daily life. She falls into silence and she is suddenly that shy girl once again who has zero experience in romance.

 “Look at you! You haven’t gone this red when I said those cheesy words to you! How unfair!” Chungha cries jokingly as she’s all smiles.

Yes, Chungha does admit that having Hayoung as her girlfriend during these months, have been nothing but beautiful. Although they’ve been careful and have yet to go deep under, but small kisses and pecks were just cute. But she knows it’s time to let her go.

“…I guess I do like her…” Hayoung hums awkwardly while scratching her chin. She looks shyly at Chungha, “But if we’re breaking up…can we still be you know…friends?”

Chungha gives her a smile and pats her back. “Of course!” She wraps her arm over Hayoung’s shoulder. “If Namjoo rejects you, you can just come back to me!” She jokes as their laughter flows into the air.

xxx

A few days before Hayoung breaks up with Chungha, Eunji learns that her distant uncle paid for all of her hospital bills over the month.

She is back at the house, recuperating from her injuries. But it isn’t the same as before—especially the empty bed next to hers. The other desk is void of her belongings, the room missing with her scent.

Nobody lied to her. It is a fact that Chorong is gone.

Eunji rests at the couch, boringly scrolling through the channels as the door bell rings. She grabs onto the crutches and takes a long two minutes to get to the door. But when she opens it, she attempts to close it immediately.

Alas, his feet were wedged in between before it could close completely. Eunji sighs and opens it back.

“Please uncle, just leave.”

“Is that what you say to me, when I, your only family member left who came all the way from Busan to pay for your goddamn bills?!” Sung Dong-Il yells at her face with a very thick accent that Eunji certainly did not miss.

It has been years since she left Busan and stopped living under the same roof as him. To her, it was hell.

To always be reminded that she was the cause of her grandmother’s death. To always be reminded that her parents are watching her from the skies. To always be goaded about the fact she was a burden by living with him. It was too much.

But to see him here again, after so long? Eunji hopes he just pisses off. The last thing she needs is a mental breakdown with everything happening.

“Okay, fine, thank you for paying my hospital bills. Happy now? Then, leave.”

The man ticks his tongue and yells, “You little, rude, ungrateful brat, you really did not change for the better!” He grabs onto Eunji’s ears and pulls it hard.

The girl shouts and shoves him away, “Stop it!” She leans against the door to catch her balance. It totally to not have functioning legs to help the situation.

“If you came here just to shout at my ears, then leave! I don’t need you in my life!”

“You are still such a naïve, little girl who does not know how to appreciate life. Just you wait when I die, you’ll come running back to my grave and realizing that everything I say is right!”

He gives her a scowl and eventually, turns away. The man walks back to his car, mumbling about her grandmother and parents being very disappoint to see what she has become. Eunji can’t help but to notice that he is limping from his left foot.

As much as the girl doesn’t want to be concerned for him, she does. After all, he really is all that she has left. Someone that shares her blood

“What happened to your leg?” She asks and immediately regrets it.

“Ask that again when you have woken up, girl.”

Eunji keep shut and silently watches the car engine starting up, the vehicle reversing back to the street and drives off into the distance until she longer can see it. With that, she closes the door and leans back.

“ing old geezer.” She mumbles and takes her crutches.

Hopping past the living area, she doesn’t bother to switch off the television. She heads upstairs amidst the difficult climb, goes into her room and locks the door shut. Dropping her crutches, Eunji collapses onto—not her bed, but Chorong’s bed.

She sighs and buries her head in the pillow that remains. The one place with her scent. The only place that contains their happy memories together.

“I hate this.” She mumbles and wets the pillow with her hot tears.

xxx

Ten days before Sung Dong-ill goes to visit his niece, Chorong learns that Eunji has left the hospital.

The information does not come from any of the housemates—the group chat is dead. Everyone is now privately texting each other and avoiding the place like it’s the plague. She gets this information from the person that she probably owes her whole life to—Kim Yongsun, a.k.a Solar.

On the night of meeting Changsub and Eunji’s accident, Chorong only had one place to run. It was Solar and Moonbyul’s apartment home.

Ever since the start of the semester, during the party that Eunji organized, Chorong took note of Solar’s words and the two started connecting again. They eventually grew close and now, she’s staying at her place until—she figures everything out.

After much pestering and persuasion from both Solar and Moonbyul on separate occasions, Chorong plans and totally intends to go and apologize or, say hi or—anything that would get her talking with Eunji.

But being the mess, she was, Chorong is stuck at the porch. Its doors never seem to feel this tall and intimidating. And then—she turns around and runs.

Her mission fails.

When Solar and Moonbyul come home to ask about Chorong’s mission, they become disappointed that their friend chose to run away again. So, the next time she goes, there’s something extra.

Flowers.

The flowers are more of Moonbyul’s idea, being the flirtatious, romanticist she was—that was how she managed to win Solar’s heart. And today, Chorong isn’t alone. She’s got a companion to guide her through this.

“Literally, sunflowers are the best thing.” Solar says as she’s dragging Chorong into the porch, clutching her arms together so she wouldn’t run away.  “Much better than being empty-handed.”

Chorong doesn’t say anything as she’s closing her eyes, inhaling and exhaling in a calm manner. She’s trying to prepare herself for anything when she meets Eunji.

Then, she feels the grip on her arm tighten. Chorong looks up to Solar who gives a warm, comforting smile. “You’ll be fine. Don’t worry.”

When they open the door with Chorong’s key, the house is surprisingly empty. By right, Eunji should be at home recuperating. But she’s no where to be seen. That’s okay too. Maybe it’s fate, Chorong thinks as she’s heading upstairs and into the room.

It feels weird to be in the room, the room where she and Eunji shared so many memories together, now void of everything. She places the sunflower into the empty vase on Eunji’s table and leaves as quick as the wind.

The next day, Chorong finds herself back at the house.

She’s in the car with Solar, but she doesn’t get out. Instead, she’s peering through the windscreen and wondering if she sees the sunflower still there, from the window. After much squinting and neck stretching, there’s—nothing.

The flower is gone.

A part of Chorong’s heart sinks upon that realization.

But Solar convinces her to go up and check if its really gone. Chorong hesitates for a moment, as there are high risks that Eunji will be inside. After minutes of thought, she opens the door and bravely enters the house. Solar looks on from the window with a proud smile.

She’s getting good progress. Solar thinks, hopeful that Chorong will stop camping at her place and then she and Moonbyul can start having —yeah, never mind.

Chorong opens the door and to her surprise once again, no one is home. That’s weird. But also, not weird. It’s noon and a time where everyone should be at the campus. She uses this chance and goes upstairs to the room.

The sunflower isn’t on Eunji’s desk. Her heart drops. But when she turns, there’s a surprise. It’s right there, beside Eunji’s bed, on the small platform where she usually stacks her textbooks.

Suddenly, a whole weight is lifted off her shoulders. Chorong smiles in relief and leaves the house.

The fact that the sunflower stays, gives her a tiny bit of hope.

xxx

Five days before Chorong gives Eunji the flower, something changes at the hospital.

Eunji is still hospitalized, mad and refusing to talk to anyone about what happened. Bomi comes every evening to check up on her roommate because otherwise, she will be failing her classes. Hayoung and Chungha are still together. Namjoo busies herself with campus activities. All of those things remain unchanged at the start of January. The one change is this:

Naeun wakes up.

--

a/n: happy new year everyone! this is another short chapter, but do treat this as a opening prologue for the 2nd arc of "every second with you"! Here, you will see how the events have changed since last year. The entrance of Eunji's distant uncle. The break up of Hayoung and Chungha. Chorong's attempts to make small, tiny but meaningful things. And most importantly, Naeun finally waking up. See you in the next update soon~