***

9:22 pm

Joohyun found herself engrossed in a phone call with her former professor. Her computer screen showcased a research paper that had captured her attention—an investigation into Cancer Stem Cells (CSCs) and the potential of genetically modifying Mesenchymal Stem/Stromal cells (MSCs) to aid in cancer treatment.

“Yes, Professor, I've received the file. Do you believe there's a possibility to utilize this research to enhance patient survival rates?”

“I understand that it is still a long way for this to be a cure, decades even. However, I do think we can develop this into a treatment strategy that significantly improves patient survival rates” Joohyun suggested

Professor John let out a soft sigh before answering, “Yes, that is true, it is a possibility. But it’ll take years for us to develop this research to be a proper practical treatment plan for patients. Furthermore, there are ethical considerations, given that MSCs are sourced from human tissues, such as bone marrow.”

Contemplating the matter, Joohyun ventured, “What if we sought collaboration with institutions like the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center? Could their expertise potentially expedite progress within five years?”

“Professor Irene, even with their expertise, vast resources, and leading researchers, the research requires a substantial financial investment that I'm afraid we lack,” Professor John pointed out.

Of course, funding  Irene chuckled bitterly

“I’ll keep researching this further but there is so much that we can do here at Oxford, I suggest you do your own research about this and tell me what you can find” 

Joohyun nodded understandingly, “Okay professor, thank you so much for helping me. This meant a lot to me,” she said with utmost sincerity

“Professor Irene, I’m sorry for asking this but I must ask. This research effort, is it personal to you?”

Joohyun's answer was soft and fragile yet strong and determined, “Yes, Professor, this cause is deeply personal to me.”

“And can you maintain a professional approach despite the personal underpinning?”

“Don’t worry professor, I can. I am a doctor first and foremost. I have sworn to put humanity first before myself and my feelings. However, when the objective aligns with a personal connection, why shouldn't I dedicate myself to both?” she replied

A soft chuckle can be heard from the other side of the line, “Your response is exemplary, Professor Irene. It's no surprise that you're now a professor. I'll be in touch if I come across further insights.”

“Thank you so much, Professor John. I'll eagerly await your email,” Joohyun expressed before ending the call.

Joohyun looked up from her desk, staring straight at the moon and she began to whisper her prayer

Hey Moon, please give Seungwan a miracle, give Hyunjoo a miracle, and give me a miracle to help them. I’ll do anything, Anything at all, I will endure everything. Just let me save them. She begs in the silence of the night

*

10:23 pm

Joohyun was just about to go brush her teeth when suddenly her phone beeped repeatedly. Abandoning her toiletries, she hastily grabbed her coat and dashed out of the room, her panic palpable.

"YERIM-AH! SOMETHING HAPPENED TO SEUNGWAN! I'M GOING TO HER!" she exclaimed, her voice laden with concern, as she searched for her car keys frantically.

Goddamnit where is that key! Seungwan could be in danger!

Yerim swiftly opened her bedroom door, encountering the visibly agitated young professor. “Unnie! What's going on? What happened to Seungwan unnie, and why are you tearing through the room?” she questioned, her own worry surfacing.

“My car key, squirt! Where's my car key?” Joohyun urgently inquired.

“Check your coat pocket,” Yerim suggested.

Frantically searching for her coat, Joohyun finally located the key in her pocket. Relief washed over her. “Oh, thank goodness, squirt! I need to go to Seungwan's apartment right away. Please call me if anything happens, okay?” she instructed her sister.

“Unnie, hold on a moment. Can you slow down and tell me what's going on?” Yerim requested, trying to catch up with the situation.

“My phone gets a notification from her smartwatch, it means that something is wrong with her and I need to go to her immediately. Everything could go wrong with her body in an instant” The older Bae explains as she puts her shoes on.

Just as Joohyun was about to rush out, her phone rang insistently. She hastily answered the call, her voice edged with anxiety, “Seungwan-ah? Are you okay? Where are you? Stay still, I'm coming to you right now!”

However, the voice on the other end provided unexpected answers that halted the young professor in her tracks.

“Eh? What? Irene unnie, just take a deep breath,” Seulgi's voice reassured her, replacing the expected response of Seungwan.

“Seulgi? Wait, that's not important right now. Where is Seungwan? Is something wrong with her? Did you call for an ambulance?” Joohyun's words came out in a rush as she desperately sought answers.

“Unnie, please calm down!” Seulgi's voice remained soothing, “She's okay, why are you so panicked? She's perfectly fine.”

This revelation left Joohyun bewildered. “But I received a notification from her smartwatch. It means something must have triggered it. Something happened to her, right?”

“Well about that…Hehe” The young manager then chuckled sheepishly

“I..uhh... I actually lost my phone for the third time this week”

Joohyun was taken aback, “WHAT? THE THIRD TIME?”

“See? You got angry too” Seulgi said and Joohyun swears she can hear the young manager pouted, which doesn’t make sense! How can she hear someone pouting through phone calls?

Joohyun cleared , “I’m sorry, please continue Seulgi-yah” she said

“So I told Seungwan about how I lost my phone, again. But then she got angry, real angry to the point that her heartbeat elevated and I guess that must’ve triggered the sensors?”

Oh dear goddess, so all of this is chaos because Seulgi lost her phone for the third time in the same week and Seungwan got Angry?

She shook her head, both relieved that nothing had happened to Seungwan and bemused by Seulgi's antics.

Well, she might have been on the brink of losing her sanity due to worry, but at least there was an unexpectedly lighthearted explanation for the ordeal.

“Ah, okay, but what are you doing in Seungwan’s apartment this late Seulgi-yah?” Joohyun asked the young manager

“What do you mean, unnie? I sleep here, I live here,” Seulgi replied matter-of-factly.

The young professor's brows furrows, “Huh?”

“Yeah, I've been sleeping and living here for the past two weeks, unnie. Didn't you know that? I thought you were aware by now,” Seulgi explained.

“No, I had no idea, Seulgi-yah. So you've been living with Seungwan? But aren’t you supposed to be busy with your dates with Sooyoung?” Joohyun questioned as she walked toward the living room sofa.

“Well, yeah, kinda? But that doesn’t mean that I’ll leave Seungwan for her, hell no! I rather die than abandon My Seungwannie.”

“The moment we were back from Jeju, I packed up my things and moved into her apartment. I Couldn’t and I Won’t leave her in the house alone. Anything can happen in an instant with her condition, and I need to be close by at all times to react quickly if something were to happen,” Seulgi explained with determination in her voice.

I can’t never beat Seulgi can I? I think Seulgi would literally hire an assassin if someone dared to separate her from Seungwan, Joohyun think to herself amusedly.

“But aren’t Sooyoung going to be jealous?”

Seulgi snorted, “Nah, she understands. She Needs to understand. Me and Seungwan are like a one-plus-one pack, unnie. The same goes for you, if you want Seungwan then you need to accept me too, you know?”

The young professor chuckled warmly. To tell the truth, if Joohyun doesn’t know any better, she would be burning in Jealousy right now. But knowing how important Seulgi is to the young novelist and how Seulgi adores and is protective of Seungwan, she can’t deny that the duo is inseparable. It would take a literal sword to separate them from each other.

“Okay – okay, I get it Seulgi-yah, anyway, where is Seungwan then?” Joohyun asks the young manager.

“Seungwan? Oh, right! I think she’s at the rooftop now, you know, calming herself down” Seulgi replied

Sometimes their dynamics are really amazing, to be able to act this comfortably around each other requires a massive amount of trust. I wonder why Seulgi wants to hide just how rich she is from Seungwan

“Are you sure she's going to be alright?”

“Don't worry, unnie. She'll be fine. She never stays mad at me for more than half an hour,” Seulgi reassured with a hint of confidence.

“So, why are you calling me? I think you won’t just call me using Seungwan’s phone to tell me that you lost your phone right?” Joohyun asked.

“Ah, right! I almost forgot. I wanted to ask for your help unnie, that’s why I called you” The young manager said

Joohyun nodded, “Okay? What is it?” she asked softly

“Well, I need to go to the U.S. for a couple of days and this time, I can’t bring her with me because this is my family company problem. As I before, I can't leave Seungwan alone at home. And I'd be a bundle of nerves if I did, not knowing she's alright. I need someone I trust to stay with her,” Seulgi began explaining.

“You're aware of Seungwan’s tendencies—she'd say she’s fine when she's not. That's why I need someone she trusts, someone she's comfortable with. Luckily, that's you, unnie!”

“Sooo, unnie, could you… umm… you know? Stay with Seungwan for a couple of days?” The young manager asked with a hopeful tone.

Joohyun's brain short circuit for a moment,

Staying with Seungwan? Doesn’t that mean that we’re going to be alone? Just the two of us? In her apartment?

The mere thought caused her heart to accelerate inexplicably, and her cheeks flushed with warmth.

“Hello? Unnie? Are you there?” Seulgi's voice broke through the momentary daze that had overtaken the young professor.

“Ah, umm, so it would be just the two of us? What about Yerim?” Joohyun asked, trying to regain her composure.

“Well, you can bring Yerim along if you'd like, but why are you so shy, unnie? I'm just offering you the perfect chance to take care of Seungwan. So, what do you say?” Seulgi's voice held a hint of playful teasing.

Joohyun paused to consider. Seulgi's point wasn't without merit; this opportunity would indeed allow her to care for Seungwan, cook for her, spend the entire day with her, and be the first person Seungwan saw upon waking and the last before sleeping.

Even just imagining it makes the young professor's heart warm and full of adoration for the young novelist and maybe, just maybe, she started to have this image of a family with the young novelist.

Hold on, Bae Joohyun! Slow down a little, will you? You're getting way ahead of yourself. This is what happens when you fall in love, huh? You become this eager.

“Okay,” Joohyun finally answered.

“Okay?”

“Yes, I'd be happy to do it.”

“Great! Just wait till Seungwan hears this! Oh, there she is—hi, Wan-ah!” Seulgi's voice was full of excitement.

Through the phone, Joohyun could hear Seungwan's voice, loud and clear, “YAH! KANG SEULGI! WHAT ARE YOU DOING WITH MY PHONE AND WHO ARE YOU CALLING THIS LATE AT NIGHT”

“Geez, don't shout, Wan-ah! It's Irene unnie!” Seulgi replied to her best friend.

“WHAT? WHY ARE YOU CALLING JOOHYUN UNNIE? YOU'RE SO DEAD, BEAR!” Seungwan's voice came through, a mix of surprise and mock anger.

“Umm unnie, I think she’s mad, like mad-mad at me, I need to go before she kills me. See you soon, and don't forget our deal, okay? Bye!” Seulgi's voice rushed and then there were a few more exchanges of raised voices before the line disconnected.

Joohyun chuckled softly, shaking her head. She truly admired the dynamic between the two friends. Their relationship was one of the most beautiful she had ever witnessed.

So, now what? I need to think about what to wear, what clothes to bring... Should I bring Yerim along too? Of course, I should!

***

The next day

10 am

Joohyun and Yerim engaged in a discussion within the confines of the car, parked in Yerim's university parking lot.

“Are you sure you’re going to be fine Yerim-ah?” Joohyun asks her sister.

Yerim nodded resolutely, her expression firm. “Of course, unnie. Seungwan unnie's apartment only has two bedrooms. One is for her, and the other is Seulgi unnie's. If you were to stay in Seulgi unnie's bedroom, then where would I sleep?”

Joohyun furrowed her brows in thought. “You could sleep in Seulgi's bedroom, and I'd take the couch in the living room.”

Yerim let out an exasperated sigh, her hand rubbing her forehead in disbelief. “UNNIE! Are you seriously missing the point here?” she exclaimed.

Perplexed, Joohyun blinked. “What do you mean?”

“Ugh, seriously! The reason why I don’t want to stay in Seungwan’s apartment is not because there's a lack of extra bedrooms. I'm suggesting that you should go because you need some time alone with Seungwan unnie!”

Understanding dawned upon Joohyun, her eyes widening. “Ahhhh,” she murmured in realization.

“Yes, 'ahhhhh'!” Yerim mimicked her sister, her tone dripping with playful exasperation.

“But what about you?” Joohyun's concern seeped into her voice. “You'd be alone at home. I just don't want to leave you on your own,” she admitted softly.

A tender smile curved on Yerim's lips. “Unnie, have you forgotten that I'm the sister of a doctor? Your sister, remember? I'll be perfectly fine! Our apartment has everything I need. What more could I possibly want? Besides, if this matters to you, then it matters to me too. Don't worry about me—I'll be just fine, unnie,” she reassured her older sister with a comforting nod.

“So I’m going alone?”

The young Bae nodded, “Yup, go and spend time with Seungwan unnie. She needs your company.”

“Alright, just give me a call when your classes are over for the day, or when you're ready to come home, okay? I'll still drive you every day. And don't worry about meals—wait, no, let me cook and I'll drop off food at our apartment when I'm staying at Seungwan's,” Joohyun expla