Luhan flinched when his professor dumped his graded work back at him, expecting a few harsh exchanges to come.

"Explain this. You simply wrote a few sentences and handed this up to me? Luhan, you aren't a young child anymore. You're 17, and I expect you to be able to do something much better than this."

It was surprisingly gentler than what Luhan had expected, and when he didn't answer, his professor sighed.

"Kris explained everything to me. I've seen how he nags at you sometimes in class about paying more attention, and you might not realize this, but he's actually rather supportive of what you're doing, even if he seems like he's discouraging you most of the time. I heard you're helping to look after your friend at the hospital, yes?"

A nod, and his professor smiled.

"I was once a volunteer at the very same hospital too, Luhan. I went through everything you did. I nearly dropped out of school because I wanted to take care of her everyday, 24/7, just to never let her out of my sight."

"Then...then what happened?"

"She left. She was already at the terminal stage."

Luhan held his breath, and his professor didn't wait for a reply as he handed Luhan a stack of notes. "These are extra notes and worksheets from the last semester, take time to go through them and it should help."

"Thank you."

His words of gratitude were almost a whisper, and decided that it was best for him to take his leave.

"Nicholas Sparks once wrote in Dear John: 'I fell in love with her when were together, then fell deeper in love with her in the years we were apart.'" The professor quoted as Luhan reached for the doorknob. "Think about it."

"I will." 

Jieun hugged herself tightly as the bed next to hers remained empty. Her parents had called the hospital to inform her that they had been sent on an urgent business trip in Arab, and wouldn't be coming back any time soon. They assumed that she should be fine on her own, especially since Luhan was taking great care of her. 

For some reason, she felt as though he wasn't coming that day. It was an irrational fear, she knew, because he came every day, but somehow she felt highly insecure that day - or maybe because it was true. It was already 11PM, way past the visiting hours, and there was no sign of him. No, not at all. 

She didn't know if guilt was building up in her, or that Jonghwan had unleashed her worst fear once again: that eventually everyone would leave her first, before she left them. 

Would leaving her save themselves the heartache? Would leaving them first save herself that heartache?

She hated how all those negative thoughts she used to coop up within herself were returning. It was a strange yet familiar feeling as there seemed to be two voices in her head, one telling her that she was just a sick and dying patient, while the other told it to shut up and have faith in her loved ones.

Jieun realized that she was growing overly dependent on Luhan, who didn't actually need a useless patient like her at all. Maybe he really didn't need her that much, maybe he didn't like her that much, maybe he found her a burden, maybe he was just like the rest...

Too many maybes, too many questions, and too many doubts.

A throbbing pain in her head was telling her to stop thinking, but her fears kept eating her up from the inside. She grabbed her blanket, trying to stop all those voices in her head from telling any more lies, and eventually all those bleached white cloths started to feel wet and cold from the tears that were dripping uncontrollably from her eyes. 

You're a burden to your parents, you're a burden to your friends, you're a burden to Luhan...you're unwanted.

"No...no...no!"

Jieun felt something inside her snap, and she cried herself to eventual sleep while constantly wishing that she wouldn't have to wake up to have to face loneliness again. 

Finishing up the last paper crane for the night, Luhan looked at the clock and realized that it was already twelve midnight - he had missed visiting hours, intentionally.

"Jieun-ah...you'll be fine without me for one day, right? I just need to feel what it's like...to be without you, in case you leave me one day..."

“Hold fast to dreams,
For if dreams die
Life is a broken-winged bird,
That cannot fly.” 
― Langston Hughes