“Oppa, I’ll make you proud! You’ll be waiting until I return, won’t you?” 

 

Kwon Yuri had excitedly waved to him, smiling brightly as she always did. That kid always smiled the best. 

 

Soft music whooped through the air lazily as he walked toward the glass counter. Peering through the transparent glass, he carefully gazed at each cake deliciously waiting to be eaten. 

 

“Can I help you, sir?” a woman behind the counter questioned. 

 

“Ah…yes, can I get that cake with the girl sitting on top?” he asked pressing his finger against the glass. “And wrap it up nicely. It’s for a special dongsaeng.” 

 

The woman smiled and after paying for the cake Donghae started toward the door stopping, however, when his phone started ringing. 

 

It was his was mother. 

 

“Yes, mom?” he answered with a smile. 

 

“Where are you?” his mother sounded urgent. 

 

“Why? I was just buying a cake.” 

 

“Come to the hospital, quickly.” 

 

Suddenly sensing that something was wrong, he stopped in his steps. 

 

“What’s wrong, mom?” 

 

“Come quickly.” 

 

“Mom, what happened? What are you doing at the hospital? Did something happen to dad?” 

 

“Yuri…she’s been in an accident.” 

 

Donghae’s hand suddenly gripped onto the handle of the box tightly. A bad feeling, a very bad feeling was spreading through him. 

 

Yuri had gone out earlier to film a movie for a project she was doing for school. It was for a class she had the hardest time with. Promising to do her best to ace the class she’d gone out without looking back. 

 

She was so innocent…why would something, anything happen to her? 

 

He started for the hospital right away and when he arrived he’d forgotten about the cake he’d abandoned in the passenger’s seat. 

 

The hospital was buzzing noisily. As he reached the counter he stopped a doctor and some nurses wheeling a bed down the hallway. 

 

Yuri…wasn’t too hurt, was she? 

 

“Mom, mom, mom!” 

 

He spun around to see a crying son running toward his mother. Staggering back he glanced around to see families sitting worriedly at the chairs nearby. Some had their hands clasped together silently praying to God, others were quiet, sullen. 

 

It was then that he spotted a girl with her hair tied up to the side of her head as Yuri always tied hers. 

 

“Dad!” she called before jumping off her chair. 

 

It wasn’t Yuri. She wasn’t Yuri.  

 

Having lost all sense of direction, he suddenly forgot where he was. 

 

“Sir, excuse me,” a nurse walking by called. 

 

Donghae stepped out of the way and watched her push a cart of medicine down the hallway. Chasing after her, he grabbed her arm. 

 

“Where’s the Emergency Room?” 

 

His footsteps had gotten louder the more he neared the ER. Turning around the corner in an lost state he paused when he spotted his mother and Yuri’s parents sitting at the side chairs. Their heads tilted toward the ground. 

 

“Mom,” he slowly walked toward his mother. 

 

“Donghae!” 

 

“Where’s Yuri? Has she come out yet?” Donghae questioned. 

 

His mother shook her head. 

 

“What happened? Is she alright? She’s alright, isn’t she?” he wondered clutching onto his mom’s shoulder. 

 

His mother glanced away as if guilty before placing a hand on his. 

 

“The building they were in caught on fire and Yuri couldn’t get out in time…”

 

“What? But she’s alright now, isn’t she?” 

 

“Because it was difficult to locate where they were…Yuri was caught inside for a long time…” 

 

He slowly pulled away his hand. 

 

“It’s been said she’s been severely burnt, they’ve placed her in cool water when she arrived.” 

 

The pain she must have gone through was so utterly horrible that he couldn’t even imagine it. Yuri had been caught inside the flames for a long time…Had she cried? Yuri didn’t like pain. When she’d scraped her knee, she cried. Whenever she bled, she cried. How had she gone through the fire? 

 

Donghae couldn’t speak. He was unable to even lend a comment or say his condolences to her parents. 

 

He couldn’t sit still for a minute, so he remained standing. 

 

The ER doors opened every now and then, but only doctors and nurses who weren’t operating on Yuri walked out. His heart would jump whenever the doors opened before he’d be flooded in disappointment. How long would Yuri make them wait? 

 

Quarter to 8 the doors finally opened and the doctor in a long white lab jacket walked out. 

 

“Kwon Yuri’s family members,” he called out. 

 

They raced toward him like a pack of hyenas chasing after leftover carcass. 

 

“How is she?” her father questioned. 

 

“Please tell me my baby’s alright…” Yuri’s mother’s voice quivered. 

 

Donghae pressed his lips together nervously waiting to hear the result. 

 

“Yuri is sleeping off the anesthesia and pain killer we’ve given her. It will be often that she will complain of pain,” the doctor explained, “she’s currently suffering from third degree burns. That means her skin tissue has been totally destroyed and will result in extensive scarring.”

 

The cries of Yuri’s mother sent a thick lump down into Donghae’s throat. 

 

“How much…how much of my daughter’s body has been burnt?” 

 

“She’s suffered the most shoulder down,” the doctor started. “She’s currently sleeping in the intensive care unit. In the morning we’ll move her over to a private room where she can recuperate in peace. We highly suggest therapy as she’ll have a hard time walking and moving again.”

 

After a moment of silence the doctor bid them farewell and walked off. Still unable to soak in the reality of the matter, Donghae couldn’t speak. 

 

“What to do? Yuri…my poor Yuri…my baby girl…” her mother cried hopelessly clutching onto her chest. 

 

“Donghae,” his mother placed a hand on his arm. 

 

He couldn’t turn to look at her. 

 

“We should go home, only family members are allowed in the intensive care unit,” his mother whispered. 

 

Patting his shoulder to comfort him she started down the hallway and he followed like a robot. Before turning around the corner, though, he turned back to look at the ER doors. 

 

That night he sat at the kitchen table alone staring at the cake he’d bought her. She was supposed to return so he could happily give her the cake to congratulate her for her hard work. Yuri was supposed to blow out the candles and they were supposed to eat the cake together. They were supposed to talk about her friend’s boy crushes and about the next movie they wanted to see in theaters. 

 

But Yuri hadn’t returned. 

 

Opening the box, he pulled out the cake and stared at it. The girl sitting on the cake was so pretty. Yuri would have surely liked it and would most likely kept it as a memo. 

 

She was just a high schooler. An innocent girl who didn’t know anything. In a few month’s time, Yuri was supposed to graduate from high school. How would she walk to school in her condition? How would she be able to go out her friends like that? 

 

How many tears would she shed in the process? 

 

They were such difficult thoughts that Donghae couldn’t bear. Replacing the cake back into the box he stuck it in the fridge and climbed into bed. 

 

Skipping university classes the next morning, he started for the hospital. During breakfast, his mother had reported to him that Yuri had been moved to a private room. He was aware of the fact that his mother realized he’d wanted to go back ever since he returned from the hospital. 

 

Slowly treading through the hallway, he wondered if she was awake. Would she be smiling as she often would? Would she wave at him? Call him names? 

 

Stopping in front of the door he tried to gather himself. No matter how she looked, he had to smile happily to encourage her. He would tell her she was pretty no matter what. He couldn’t let her cry no matter what. 

 

Swallowing the last of his saliva he pushed the door open and walked in. 

 

Yuri’s mother who was sitting beside the bed immediately turned and smiled. She had been holding onto Yuri’s hand. 

 

Walking in, he closed the door suddenly now nervous. 

 

“Hi,” he greeted after a second. 

 

Yuri’s blood shot eyes smiled at him. 

 

“Oppa,” she quietly called. 

 

Stopping beside the bed, he placed a gentle hand on top of her head. Though the blanket was covering her, he could see the bandages wrapped around her arms and feet. It was such a painful sight. 

 

Yuri smiled back at him and he was aware of the tears suddenly glistening in her eyes. 

 

“Oppa, I was waiting for you. I saw you in my dreams and you were holding a cake.”

 

“Oh yea?” he smiled. 

 

It hurt to see her try so hard to be cheerful. 

 

“Mom, I’m tired.” Yuri told. 

 

Her mother nodded. 

 

“Go to sleep.” her mother placed a hand onto the side of her face. “I’m going to go get some coffee, I’ll be right back.” 

 

When they left the room, Yuri’s mother started shedding tears as soon as the door closed behind her. Donghae turned to look at her sadly. 

 

“She was crying this morning,” her mother sobbed, “she must have been so scared alone. Yuri won’t let you know it hurts, but you can see the pain in her face when she smiles. I wish we could take away all her pain and make it our own. Donghae, the doctor has told us not to talk about the incident, so try to talk about things that will make her laugh. I know she’s been waiting for you, please help me look after her.” 

 

Donghae nodded before watching her walk off into the hallway. Falling against the wall, he felt it fall then. That tear. 

 

 

“Oppa!” Yuri complained walking into his house and slumping down onto the coffee table in front of him. 

 

Donghae glanced up from the book he was reading. 

 

“What?” he asked insincerely. 

 

“Mom says that you’ve been gaining weight recently,” Yuri crossed her arms. “She suspects that you’re seeing someone.” 

 

“Yah…” Donghae started. 

 

“Oppa, you still look the same. You don’t look like you’ve gained weight at all.” 

 

He frowned, narrowed his eyes, and laughed. 

 

“Ok, I know.”

 

“But you don’t like anyone, do you?” 

 

“Who knows…” 

 

“Oppa, I went to see my Taeyeon’s grandmother yesterday. She’s a fortune teller and she says that my future is very fortunate because I will marry a very sincere man. Do you believe in fortune telling?” 

 

Donghae leaned forward in his seat and lightly hit her on the head with his book. 

 

“What are you doing here? Get back to your house.” 

 

Yuri placed both hands on her head and made a face at him. 

 

“I just wanted to see you for a bit,” Yuri stood up. “But oppa, even if you’re fat you’re still handsome!” 

 

He watched her skip out of the house and chuckled before returning to his book. 

 

Twisting the doorknob open, Donghae glanced in to find Yuri wriggling on her bed helplessly and crying bitter tears alone. 

 

Though young, Kwon Yuri was actually a very prideful person. That gummy smile of hers never failed to show on her face even on the worst days she had. Watching her writhe in pain alone burnt his heart, but if he stepped in he wasn’t sure how to console her. Seeing her like this pained and scared him. 

 

Closing the door he left for home. 

 

“Where were you yesterday?” questioned Sungmin pushing over a cup of coffee toward Donghae. 

 

“Hospital.” 

 

“What! Did something happen to your family? Why didn’t you tell me?” 

 

“Yuri’s in the hospital.” 

 

“Really?! The cute next door neighbor kid?” 

 

Donghae nodded. 

 

“Why? What happened?” 

 

“The empty warehouse they were using for a school project burnt down and she was trapped inside.” 

 

“Is it bad?” 

 

“Third degree burns.” 

 

Sungmin’s face contorted in sympathetic pain, “It must be painful.”

 

“I feel kind of useless. I don’t know what to do for her. I feel afraid to talk to her. What if I say something hurtful? She’s already traumatized by this incident and there’s going to be therapy too. It’s going to take years for her to recover as well. I can’t believe this happened to her.”

 

“Donghae, it’s ok.” Su