A little over 2 months have passed since Taeng had started working at the restaurant and he has been making positive progress financially and physically. He felt guilty for making Yul and Tiffany worry over his condition so he promised himself to take care of himself more. He started waking up earlier so he could have breakfast and he would make enough time so he could have dinner. His weight was returning to normal along with his abs and muscles setting back in place. He didn’t want those he cared about to worry about him so he was doing everything he can to take care of his health. His sleeping schedule was difficult to work out so he was still limited and not earning the appropriate amount of hours. His dark circles and eye bags were still apparent but Taeng thought since his diet was working out it could make up for the loss of sleep.

 It had only been more than 2 months but with Taeng working every day his savings had skyrocketed. The paychecks he had been receiving go straight to his funds for Tiffany’s airplane ticket, he always restrained from spending the money on useless things. Yul was happy to see his best friend growing in a better state with meat filling up what was bones on the blonde-haired boy’s body and face. But despite the progress on Taeng’s diet, Yul did his best to encourage Taeng to take days off so he could rest for the sake of his physical health. He knew his best friend was working himself to the bone and he didn’t like seeing him struggle so hard. Finals were vastly approaching and he knows Taeng is not one to slack off on studying. But no matter how hard Yul begged and pleaded for Taeng to stay home and sleep, he would always get the same response: “I’m fine Yul. Sleep is for the weak. Besides, I drank a lot of coffee so I hardly feel sleepy these days.”

 Since the winter holidays were coming around the corner, the restaurant would stay open later to feed workers who got off their shift late since everyone always takes the holidays off for vacation, more work had to be done to secure it. Umma had asked Taeng and Yul to work the later shifts to which they agreed. Taeng felt slightly relieved that with his temporary holiday work schedule he could relax a little more after classes were over since he didn’t have to immediately rush to work.

Yul and Taeng were busily studying in their respective rooms, taking advantage of this break to study and get some homework done before the busy night that awaits for them. Taeng yawns and stretches his arms, exhaustion waving over his body as he reads another word from his textbook. As much as he wanted to sleep, he had so much to catch up on for his studies and he didn’t want to fall another day behind.

His phone rings and vibrates against the desk, Tiffany’s name blinking on the screen she was requesting to video call. It had been a couple of days since they last talked, it made Taeng feel distressed that he hasn’t had a lot of time to talk with his girlfriend because of his busy schedule. Both of them were busy studying for finals but Tiffany had a lot more free time than Taeng. The times Tiffany wanted to call was when Taeng was at work and when Taeng wanted to call, Tiffany was in class.

It was hard.

 Taeng quickly picks up his phone and accepts the call, immediately placing the phone on his desk to rest against his open laptop. Tiffany’s face loads on the screen with a bright smile on her face.

 “Tae Tae Tae Tae! Tae Tae I love you!” Tiffany sang happily, her eye smile twinkling on Taeng’s screen.

Taeng smiles seeing the cute gesture his girlfriend did for him, he didn’t realize how much he missed her but seeing her face made his heart flutter and he wanted to cherish the moment.

“You’re adorable you know that?” His smile transforming into a grin. “Fany Fany Tiffany! I love you too!”

Tiffany chuckles, “Yah! Do you know what Fany means?”

“Yeah! It means right? I learned that from my English class!” Taeng proudly answered.

 “ByunTae!” Tiffany teased, sticking her tongue out to her boyfriend.

“Only for you,” The latter playfully retorted, mimicking the same gesture as the girl.

They both laugh and stare lovingly into each other’s eyes.

“Have you been eating well?” Tiffany asked worriedly.

Since their last talk, Tiffany was glad to see a little progress on Taeng’s physical appearance. His childlike face was starting to come back. She was touched her boyfriend kept his promise to take care of himself better.

Taeng energetically nodded like a kid, “Yup! 3 meals a day.”

“But you’re still not sleeping well I see,” Tiffany calmly stated, still seeing the dark circles under his eyes.

Taeng restlessly sighs, “I know but at least I’m eating well right? I told you, I’ll be able to rest a lot once final exams are over.”

 Tiffany pouts and crosses her arms, “No. You kept your promise about eating well, now you have to promise me to sleep better.”

Taeng sighs again, “Fany-ah….”

 “I’m serious Taeng,” Tiffany quickly replied with a monotonous tone.

The blonde-haired boy couldn’t help but smile and laugh seeing his girlfriend’s expression. Tiffany’s eyes widen seeing the response from her boyfriend.

 “Hey! Why are you laughing?!”

 “Because you’re just so cute and I love you so freaking much,” He replied, suppressing his fits of laughter.

Tiffany couldn’t help but blush to hear the words from the latter. The butterflies in her stomach erupt as her heart started to beat like crazy.

 “Idiot,” She murmured, looking away from the screen.

 “Only for you,” He replied sweetly, inching his face closer to the screen of his phone.

Tiffany couldn’t help but to crack a smile, she could never understand how this boy on her phone could never fail to make her smile or laugh.

“You’re lucky you’re cute otherwise that wouldn’t have worked,” Tiffany jokingly said, looking back at her boyfriend on the screen.

Taeng sticks his tongue out, “I love you.”

 “I love you too,” She replied sweetly, “But really, promise me Taeng. Your health is important to me.”

Taeng sighs again and finally nods his head in agreement. He would never be able to forgive himself if he went against Tiffany’s words.

 “Okay. I promise. I’ll start sleeping early from now on.”

“Thank you, sweetheart,” She replied softly, blowing him a kiss.

Before Taeng had the chance to blow her a kiss, he hears a knock on his door. He swivels his chair around and yells to the person to come in. He watches as Yul creaks open the door and peeps through the tiny crack.

 “You ready to go?” Yul said softly.

Taeng’s eyes widen, he swivels his chair back to his desk and looks at the corner of his laptop screen to check for the time. He was surprised at how fast time had passed that it was already time for him to go to work.

He tiredly sighs and nods his head, “Yeah I’ll be out soon Yul.”

Yul nods and slowly closes the latter’s day, walking away so he could wait for him in the kitchen.

Tiffany tilts her head seeing the sad look on her boyfriend’s face, “What’s wrong Tae?”

Taeng quickly looks up and shakes his head, “N-nothing! I just… I have to go.”

 Tiffany sighs as she runs her hand through her hair, “So quick.”

 “I’m sorry, I know I haven’t been able to call you as long as before but I promise to make it up to you okay?” He sincerely said, feeling his heart ache to see the sad look on the dark-haired girl’s face.

Tiffany slowly nods, “Okay… I’ll talk to you later then.”

Taeng softly blows her a kiss, “I love you, Tiffany. You know that right?”

 Tiffany tightens her lips, trying her best to prevent her tears from falling again as she fidgets with her fingers.

 “I-I know…” She looks into his eyes lovingly, “I love you too Taeng. Sleep well tonight.”

Taeng sends a reassuring smile as he blows her another kiss before ending the call.

Tiffany sighs and drops her phone onto her mattress. It was Wednesday which meant she didn’t have classes today so she was hoping to spend most of her morning talking with her boyfriend.

 Her mind started to wonder about him and his unusual schedule. She was always curious as to why he was always in a rush to leave when they called. She tried asking him a couple of times to which he always replied, “I have to go to a study session with Yul.” But she found it odd that they would have one every day.

Were exams in Korea that hard?

She groaned in frustration as her mind started to think about these things. It didn’t help that he wasn’t eating or sleeping well either that made her mind wander more.

 “What’s keeping him so busy now?” Tiffany asked herself.

She’s cried too many times thinking about these things, especially since she didn’t want to think of the one option that explained his new behavior and schedule.

 “Yul never lost weight or looked tired yet he’s always going to those study sessions with Taeng…” She thought out loud, thinking back to the times she would talk to Yul with Jessica. His appearance hadn’t changed at all yet Taeng’s was so drastic.

“I love you, Tiffany. You know that right?” Taeng’s words echoed in her mind.

She closes her eyes as she felt tears forming but she didn’t want to let them win.

“Is he…” Tiffany said softly, slowly opening her eyes to stare at the ceiling above her, “Is Taeng cheating on me?”

She quickly gasps and sits up from her bed, covering with her hands.

She vigorously shakes her head, “How could I say that? I trust Taeng with my whole heart…”

 Her hands fall onto her lap, silence fills the room but her thoughts were loudly ringing all around her head. She knew she couldn’t have these thoughts, let alone think of it to herself. She quickly gets off her bed and makes her way to Jessica’s room. She knocks and waits for the latter to come.

 Within seconds, the door flies open and a girl wearing baggy green pajamas was standing before her, rubbing her eyes and yawning.

“What’s up?” Jessica groggily said as she gestures Tiffany to enter her room.

“Can I talk to you about something?” Tiffany said quickly, rolling her thumbs in a circular motion.

“Of course,” Jessica placidly replied.

 She takes a seat at the edge of her bed and pats on the spot next to her for Tiffany to sit. The dark-haired girl strolls over and slowly sits down. Nerves were building up in the pit of her stomach as she continues twiddling her thumbs.

 “Are you okay? You seem off,” Jessica stated, sensing the strange aura coming from her best friend.

“Are Taeng and Yul going to study sessions?” Tiffany asked, ignoring the latter’s question.

Jessica’s eyes slightly widen, “What do you mean? Yul told me they’ve been going every day.”

Tiffany slowly nods her head and sighs, “I don’t know what I was thinking Jess…”

“Talk to me,” Jessica reassured, placing her hand on top of Tiffany’s.

“I just can’t believe I had the thought of Taeng cheating on me,” Tiffany weakly said, the tears forming back on her eyes.

 Jessica’s eyes widen seeing her friend almost break down, she quickly wraps her arms around the latter’s body and hugs her softly.

“What made you think that?” She calmly asked, trying to hide the anger thinking about Taeng cheating on her best friend.

 “I-I don’t know,” Tiffany sniffled, “We just don’t get to talk as much as we used to and when we do he immediately says he has to go. He hasn’t been taking care of his health well these days… I feel horrible just thinking that way.”

 “Why? You shouldn’t blame yourself, Tiffany,” The blonde-haired girl reassured, soothingly rubbing her back.

 “B-but I know he loves me, you can’t fake those feelings, Jessica. The way he talks to me, the way he looks at me… I-I can just feel it, it’s something you can’t fake,” Tiffany said as more tears rolled down her face.

Jessica allowed some silence to fall between them, she continues to rub Tiffany’s back caringly and letting the dark-haired girl cry out her bottled emotions.

 “Don’t let those pessimistic thoughts overwrite how you feel about him then Tiff,” Jessica finally said after some time.

Tiffany sniffles and looks up at her best friend who was sincerely smiling at her.

 “If you know he loves you then he does. You trust him right? That’s all that matters. If you trust him as much as he trusts you then there’s nothing to worry about.”

 Tiffany absorbed all the words the latter had just said to her. It meant a lot how sincere Jessica was being towards her, she was used to the constant yelling whenever she would console to Jessica when she had problems with Jay. Tiffany wipes her tears, replaying the words of Jessica in her mind and thinking of Taeng. She did trust him and she knew he trusts her, that’s why their love is so strong. Though they can’t see each other every day they never worry about things like cheating or hookups because to them, they could only see each other in their eyes. It never struck their mind that they would see other people behind each other’s back because they love each other too much to do that. Tiffany lets out a small smile as she reciprocates a hug back towards the blonde latter.

 “Thank you so much, I needed this talk,” She said tiringly.

Jessica hugs her tighter, “That’s why I’m here. Don’t worry Tiff.”

She then softly chuckles, “But if I find out he is doing something I’m going to kill him.”

Tiffany couldn’t help but laugh, “This is why you’re my best friend.”

 “Taeng! I need a pick up for table 14!”

“Taeng, customers are waiting at the counter!”

“Taeng, table 6 needs to be cleaned up for the next party.”

Yul watches as Taeng ran back and forth, taking care of each task that was handed to him. He was in charge of cooking but watching the blonde-haired boy run everywhere even made him exhausted. It was a very busy night for the restaurant and Taeng and Yul were the only workers there along with umma. He watched in worry and amazement as Taeng carried 3 trays filled with food to the party of over 10 people. One by one he places the plate in front of the respective customers and bows respectfully before attending to another table to take their order. Sweat was dripping down Taeng’s face and anyone could tell from a mile away how tired he was. He felt his legs shaking as he forced a smile to take the orders of the drunk men who were cheerfully singing a song.

 After taking their orders, he ran back to Yul to hand him the ticket and sped off to tend to another task before Yul had the chance to say anything to him.

“Taeng,” Umma said caringly as she approached him wiping down a table.

 “Yes, umma?” He breathlessly said, taking deep breaths to calm himself down.

“Take a break, let me handle the dine-in customers, you just go take care of the register and the take-out orders,” She sincerely said with a smile.

“Are you sure? I’m fine umma, really I’m okay,” Taeng reassured, forcing another smile.

 She shook her head and gently pushed him towards the cash register, “No no. I can handle this. I may be old but I can still run my business.”

He softly chuckled as he bowed in thanks and made his way to the register. Yul mentally thanked umma for letting Taeng take a break for a short time. He had been trying to tell Taeng they could switch positions but he was always running to the next task after he drops his ticket. Taeng stood behind the register and took a deep breath. He was started to feel weird and nauseous but he shook it off thinking it was just exhaustion coming into play. He takes a sip of water and wipes the sweat that was rolling down his face.

Customers started to come in a barrage up to the register to start paying for their bills. One by one Taeng took the payments and sweat started to break out again. He was starting to grow flustered at how many customers were coming up to the register that the nausea was returning to his body. Still, he ignored the painful feelings and continued to take the payments from the customers.

 Once the payments died down, customers who came in to order take-out started lining up. He couldn’t find a break for him to breathe as he took the customers’ orders by order.

“Hi, welcome to-gah”

 Immediately, Taeng felt his head writhe of pain and his stomach swirl. He closes his eyes and grabs his head with his hands to calm himself down. He took a step back, the noises of the customers complaining growing louder in his ear. The room started to feel as if it was spinning and the pain in his body was growing immensely.

“Taeng, are you okay? You don’t look so well,” He heard Yul say loudly, indicating to him that he was standing next to him.

Taeng tried to open his eyes but the bright lights made his head hurt more, he immediately closes them and felt the pain growing throughout his body.

“Taeng?”

Before Taeng had a chance to do anything, he collapses to the ground. His body forcefully hitting the cold ground beneath him.

“Taeng!” He hears Yul yell but his body couldn’t move.

 “Someone call 911!”

“Taeng!”

“Taeng!”

He hears Yul’s voice echo into silence.

Silence.

Then black.

“Hello?”

“Yul, how come you didn’t answer?” Jessica irritably said. She had been trying to contact her boyfriend for an hour and it wasn’t like him to not answer her calls.

 “I’m sorry…” He tiredly said.

“Have you and Taeng really been going to study sessions?” Jessica asked with a serious tone.

She hears the latter sigh on the other line.

 “Babe can we not talk about this right now please?”

Her eyes widen in disbelief, “What do you mean ‘not right now’? Are you hiding something?”

“No! I’m not…” He softly said.

“Where’s Taeng?” She demanded with a furious tone.

 “Jess…” Yul sadly said, wishing this small argument wasn’t happening right now.

 “Where is Taeng?” She asked again coldly, sending chills down Yul’s spine.

“… He’s in the hospital.”