I rush over to the hospital without wasting a second more. Images of Woohyun and Chorong’s faces continue to burden my thoughts as I push open the doors and jostle my way through the doctors and nurses.

Fool...I thought to myself in frustration. They are such fools. Do they think they can leave me just so easily? Do they think this is a funny prank to pull on me like we are still a bunch of 8 year old kids?

I try to laugh. A crazy part of me thinks that perhaps by laughing this thing off, the curtains will be dropped and the outstanding performance from them would end.

But of course; that’s just the un-logical, selfish part of me thinking.

I see our parents sitting together, our mums huddling close and hugging each other for support. Mine is trying her best to comfort both distraught mothers of Woohyun and Chorong while our dads are pacing back and forth nervously.

I slow down in my steps and take the chance to catch my breath. I greet each one of them, not forgetting my manners even though my mind is already elsewhere.

I open my mouth, searching for my own voice to ask about my best friends’ well-being. But apparently, I lost it when I lost Chorong on the phone.

I heard her getting into the accident – I actually heard her car crashed.

Without realising, Dad is already grabbing hold of my two shaking hands and squeezes them gently. I lifted up my head to his eyes with my own petrified ones. He nods in understament.

“We’re still waiting for news. Chorong was wheeled in not too long ago, while Woohyun...” he pauses for a moment, inhaling sharply. “...we still don’t know what happened. But he’s been inside for over an hour now.”

That is all it took for me to come crumbling down, my two shoulders jerking uncontrollably as I let the tears fall over. I’ve never felt so afraid before, so afraid of losing two of the most precious people in my life.

I bury my face deep into the palm of my hands, unable to stop the loud sobs from escaping. I’m not ashamed to cry so openly, especially not when I’m on the verge of losing both of my best friends in one night.

Everything changed when we were 15 years old. I remember, it was raining so heavily that day and Chorong had left for her grandmother’s hometown for the weekend, so it was just us boys.

With nothing to do and time to kill, we decided to just laze around while playing video games in Woohyun’s spacious and comfy bedroom.

I was just about a life away from ‘killing’ him off completely when he took me off guard with a sudden question.

“Do you like Chorong?”

My thumb froze momentarily on the game console, giving Woohyun the chance to escape and sneak up an attack on me. I couldn’t care less though. What bothered me at that point was his out-of-the-blue question.

“Why did you ask me that?” I tried to keep my voice under control even though my heart was beating ten times faster than usual. I didn’t know what the feeling was. I usually get it whenever I’m near Chorong or if someone mentions her name.

Crazy, right?

“Well...I don’t know,” Woohyun shrugged nonchalantly. I made a silent ‘tch’ sound. So typically Woohyun, acting all innocent and oblivious to everything just so he could trap people with his questions. “They say ‘A guy and a girl can’t just be best friends forever...’”

I put my console down and turned to look at him. I had already given up on the game, thanks to his successful interruption. I heard the rain droplets making ‘tok-tok’ sounds on the windows as I tried to comprehend what he was saying.

“In this case, if you haven’t noticed...” I began, choosing my words carefully. “...it’s us two boys and only one Park Chorong. If you’re really going by that statement, don’t you think it’s a little far-stretched?”

Woohyun grunted. I smiled. I know I’ve got him this time.

“Stop being all so wisdomsy here.” I rolled my eyes. Only he would come with such words. “I’m only asking you a simple question – do you like Chorong?”

“Do you?” I shot back, picking up my game console once again. And then I wished I hadn’t.

If I had just answered his question straight-forward, if I hadn’t bothered to know about his true feelings...maybe I wouldn’t have lost Chorong to my best buddy.

Maybe...there’s a chance that she would be happy with me now.

After what it seem like eternity, the doors to the operating theatre finally open, and the doctor walks out with a grim expression on his face.

I can feel my heart dropping instantly.

“Woohyun-ssi has suffered severe burns all over his body and it’s affected him entirely,” he drops the bomb without wasting a second more. I can already feel my legs unbuckling underneath me. “We’re still trying our very best here. For now, it’s an 80-20 percent chance that he can pull through this. Let’s all hope for the best.”

He patted Woohyun’s father lightly on the back before excusing himself.

The cries came and the wails cannot be stop any longer. My mum holds onto Woohyun’s mother tightly, whispering words of encouragement into her ear.

But before I can even register what actually is happening, another door opens and this time, the doctor that is attending to Chorong approaches us.

She too, doesn’t have a comforting look on her face.

But she hesitates for a moment, studying each one of our faces carefully as though she can’t decide on how she should break the news.

If the sane side of me didn’t work, I would have lunged forward and strangle her to get the truth out. Damn it, tell us already.

“I’m sorry, but Chorong-ssi...” again, she stops.

I hold my breath, not daring to even move an inch.

“...she’s in coma now.”

The final blow.

I drop to the ground on my knees, the second round of tears already engulfing me.

Why are both of you doing this to me?