The next morning, Sooyoung finishes dressing up for school and begins to brush her hair till it looks presentable. She stares at her reflection in the mirror for a few seconds and then smiles.  The tall girl puts down her brush and walks over to the bed where Yuri’s hand-made scarf is splayed across. Sooyoung takes the scarf and wraps it around her neck, letting her nose and mouth get buried underneath the garment. She inhales deeply, letting the faint scent of Yuri calm her mind. While looking at the Yuri’s letter that’s hanging on the wall by her bed, Sooyoung smiles to herself.

“Even if I’m the only one wearing the scarf right now, I know you’re next to me,” Sooyoung whispers.

She grabs her school bag and heads downstairs to say goodbye to her parents before heading out the door. To her surprise, she finds Yoona and Tiffany waiting outside her house. She is shocked because she knows their houses are pretty far from hers.

Sooyoung stands in front of them and smiles. “Hey guys. What brings you here?”

“We just want to make sure you’re really okay,” Yoona replies honestly.

“You really scared us yesterday when you disappeared from campus, Sooyoung,” Tiffany adds. Sadness flickers in her eyes. “You were really upset on the roof yesterday, and it looked like you were about to give up on everything.”

Sooyoung extends her arms and wraps them around her friends. “Please trust me when I say this, but I’m okay now. But I am sorry for the way I’ve been acting lately. I’ve been thinking so selfishly when I should be thankful to you guys for caring and worrying about me.”

“We forgive you,” Tiffany says as she smiles into Sooyoung’s shoulder. “But are you really okay? You don’t need to hide how you really feel from us.”

Sooyoung smiles softly, attempting to reassure them. “I’m still recovering, but I haven’t felt this… light since Yuri died. I’ll be okay in time.”

“What happened that caused this big change in you, Sooyoung?” Yoona asks curiously.

The taller girl merely keeps smiling.

“I’ll tell you guys at school when we have lunch. Come on. Let’s go girls.”

~~~

When lunch came, the girls sat together in their usual spot on the roof for the first time in a long time since the death of their precious friend. They quietly eat their lunch, talking about small things before getting to the bigger question, waiting till Sooyoung is ready to tell. Once their food was finished, Sooyoung summarizes the events that happened once she left the school’s infirmary.

She explains to Yoona and Tiffany how she was about to jump from the bridge to kill herself, but thanks to Jessica, she was saved and that through the blonde’s own misfortunes, Sooyoung realizes how wrong she’s been acting this whole time. She briefly tells Jessica’s story to her friends, causing a solemn expression to form on Tiffany’s and Yoona’s faces, already feeling sympathy for the blonde they have yet to meet.

Sooyoung tears up when she explains that she visited Yuri’s family to apologize for her behavior and found the gift Yuri left behind for their fifth anniversary. She tells the contents of the letter, saying them word by word because she’s memorized it by heart, and explains the significance of the scarf she is wearing.

“Because of Jessica, Yuri’s family, and the final gift Yuri left for me… it’s the reason why I’m back on my feet.” Sooyoung smiles softly to herself, burying her face more deeply into the scarf, the faint scent of Yuri flowing into her nostrils.

“I’m really glad you’re starting to recover, and I’m really glad that this Jessica helped save you,” Yoona says softly.

“I don’t know even want to know what would have happened if we found that you also…” Tiffany immediately trails off, not even bothering to finish the thought.

Sooyoung quickly wraps her arms around both her friends and squeezes them tightly. “I’m really, really sorry for worrying you guys. I still feel so bad about it. I was just so… empty. I was in a dark place… But everything will be okay.” The tall brunette unwraps the scarf around her and loops it around both Yoona and Tiffany with a gentle smile. “Yuri is gone. Even though it’s still painful, we have to accept it. Yet even though she’s gone, it doesn’t mean we’ll forget her.