I slightly smiled in sadness when I saw her sitting on her wheelchair, her hair has started to grow and she doesn’t look as skinny as the first time I found her. She’s been up all night I guess. I told her to have a rest but she never listened to me. I walked closer to her and wrapped her with the quilt I brought for her. I kissed her head and looked at the picture she’s been drawing.

“Is that me?”

She smiled. “Yes. Isn’t it beautiful?”

“Yeah. It’s very beautiful. I like it…. You have to take a rest. You’ve been drawing these since yesterday. Don’t you think it’s enough already?” I said as I took some other drawings on the table. She drew them all.

“I’m not tired, Chae.”

“What are all these for?”

For the first time, she finally lifted her head up and looked at me, “I want them at your exhibitions. And… guess what? I’ve asked the nurse to bring me a large canvas so I could draw something big and beautiful so you can sell it.”

I frowned, “What for?”

“I want to present it to my dad.” She said bitterly. I put down the drawings and squatted in front of her. I put away the paper she’s holding with my face on it, and snatched the pencil from her hand.

“Rest, please.” I murmured and handed her pills. She puffed and stubbornly took the pencil and paper again, insisting she won’t rest and clearly, she won’t eat her medicine.

“I don’t…”

“What date is this?”

She cut me off.

I rolled my eyes and looked at her seriously but she won’t look back at me. “Dara… I want you to stop counting on the days.” I said.

She didn’t give any answer.

I can’t take it anymore. I grabbed the paper and the pencil rudely and tossed them away. She scowled at me, the white parts of her eyeballs are turning red. She needs to rest.

“Why won’t you listen to me? Look at me, I’m devastated here.” I said sadly.

She looked away from me and moved her chair near the window, avoiding me.

I walked toward her again and stood behind her. “It’s Monday, 3th of July, 1 PM.”

She turned away. “It’s been…”

“1 month and 9 days. You’ve been waiting.”

She formed a small smirk on her face, “You knew, right? So I suppose you also know why I can’t stop drawing and why I don’t have time for the ing rest. I don’t have time anymore.”

“Yes you have. You don’t have to count on the time coz you have plenty of time. I told you it’s gonna be okay.”

“Chaerin, I love you… I appreciate your effort to try to get me fixed. But this isn’t something like we were in college anymore. This is life. Learn to let go. Let go of me. Let go of the idea of getting the cure for me. It’s useless. I don’t have time, I have to spend time effectively I don’t want to waste the rest of my life just laying on the bed being doped and unaware of things around me. It’s pathetic. Now move!” she raised her voice.

“Why are you saying this? You’re hurting me.”

“Yes it’s better I hurt you now than giving you fake hope. Just accept it. I will die. You will move on. That’s the end of the story. Stop hoping for miracle. Miracle doesn’t happen to someone like me.”

“Miss Sandara?”

I looked at the nurse standing by the door, she walked in hesitantly, “The therapist is waiting for you.” She said.

Dara starred at me for a sec, she says, “You have to go home. You have work to do, don’t you? Stop being such a child.” She said and let the nurse bring her out of the room.

I hate to watch her go away from me and the most important part is I hate to see her want me to go away from her. I know she’s just faking all that. She just wants me to be happy which we shared different thought about the way to make it happen. I mean, how can I be happy when the love of my life is dying alone? I’m not gonna let that happen.

I bended down to take the paper with my face drawn on it and pu