(8 months later)

Hyoyeon shot up from her bed. She looked around the empty ward that was already dark and lay back down. She sighed. Then she suddenly realised that her body had energy that she had never felt for the past eight months before. She felt light, totally different from her lethargic self for those months when her cancer cells were really hopeless. But now, she felt like she had hope. She felt alive.

She decided to rest for the night before the sun rises.

***

"Fany!" Hyoyeon smiled at the sight of her friend.

"You're awake!" Tiffany smiled back at her. "How are you feeling?"

"Much better," Hyoyeon said, "what happened when I wasn't around?"

"You'll know that soon," Tiffany told her. "The doctor told me about your condition."

"Really? How am I?"

"Apparently, though the hospital was short of blood bags, someone donated blood. The transfusion was a success. You're recovering quickly, and by maybe a few weeks you'll be discharged."

Hyoyeon smiled. "I guess... I can go home soon."

Tiffany smiled too.

"Thank you. For supporting me all these while."

"You don't have to be. Actually, there's someone else who you should really thank. He donated the blood to you."

Hyoyeon bit her bottom lip. Could it be...?

"He broke up with his girlfriend for two months already. All these while he's been waiting for you. When he knew you needed blood, he immediately went for a blood test to see if his blood type was approved. Apparently, it was."

For a moment, Tiffany's words sent her speechless. No name was said, but both of them knew who she was talking about.

"You knew about us all along?"

Slowly and carefully, Tiffany nodded her head.

***

(5 weeks later)

Hyoyeon woke up excitedly. It was the day that she could be discharged. The next day, she could be back to work.

Soon, she was discharged and was accompanied home by her mother and also, Tiffany.

"I'm going for a walk downstairs. Don't worry about me, I'll be coming back up soon."

She walked around the estate, admiring every object- the familiar smiles of her neighbours she used to see every day, the mailbox she used to check every day, the playground where kids would be shouting and having fun...

"Hyoyeon-ah."

There was no denial who that voice was.

She turned around to face him.

"Eunhyuk," she sighed.

"How are you now?"

"I'm fine, thank you."

"Hyoyeon, would you just give me a chance?" Eunhyuk pleaded, taking her hands into his.

"No." Hyoyeon struggled slightly from Eunhyuk's grasp.

"Hyoyeon, would you just-"

"No," Hyoyeon was persistent. "Let us just be friends, and let us stay the same after from this moment onwards... For now."

Before Hyoyeon started to tear up, she told Eunhyuk, "Go now, go, or I won't be able to allow you to do so later."

The sentence she had always wanted to say lingered in her mind; I won't keep you too close, or else I won't bear to leave you...