A/N: shout out to @sleeplesswritersaito for reading the draft for this. Thank you! <3 And i hope everyone enjoys this! Thank you for reading Save You till the end (even if I made you wait long for every update).

Olivia woke up with feeling light as a feather. She slept soundly through the whole night and if somebody saw her then, she was almost sure they would’ve seen her smiling in her sleep.

It has been a long time since she felt like this: like her heart would burst out of her chest any minute. She was relaxed and excited at the same time, unable to wipe off the silly grin on her face.

As she went down for breakfast, her father who had been nursing a cup of coffee looked up from his reading with a curious gaze; seeing Olivia humming her way through making toast.

“You seem happy.” Mr. Kim said while Olivia only smiled. 

I am happy, she thought just as a face appeared in her head.

Every day was a routine: wake up, get ready for school, ride the bus, attend classes… but today felt exceptionally different and as Olivia bounded up to the school building’s steps, she couldn’t help but notice the way her feet moved briskly through the halls, rushing towards her first class.

This was probably the most excited she has been to attend Math class. Though she knew she wasn’t rushing to study Math at all…

But to actually see her favorite classmate. 

Last night, she and Jungkook had kissed. And it wasn’t just a kiss; it was a kiss and many more kisses, and the best kiss she had ever received from someone that it had her dizzy and blushing at the mere thought of it.

Even more so, the way Jungkook smiled down at her like she was the most amazing person that has ever walked the face of the earth made her feel elated.

Olivia couldn’t help the giddiness bubbling in her chest as she approached her classroom. She paused by the doorway, made sure her dress wasn’t rumpled and fixed her hair a bit before finally entering.

The room was almost full even though there was ten minutes to go till the bell officially rang. Her eyes searched for him and as it landed on his seat, she was disappointed to see his usual slumped form missing. 

Huh. Strange, Olivia thought; knowing Jungkook usually came earlier than she did. She sat down on her seat which was near the front row and waited, eyes staring almost longingly at the door.

A few minutes later, he entered.

But it was a man she had never seen before who eventually introduced him as a substitute for Mrs. Chan since she was on a sick leave for the day.

He gave a short exercise and let the students do whatever they want right after. And it was horrible considering it gave Olivia so much time to sit on her chair and wonder; occasionally glancing back at the empty seat at the back of the room.

~~~

Olivia didn’t see Jungkook that day. Or the day after that, up until the weekend passed and Monday rolled in again and he still wasn’t there. By Tuesday morning, she was feeling restless, not to mention worried of his absence that she finally made up her mind to contact him. 

The only problem was she didn’t have his number.

But the school probably does, she thought and made her way to the records office.

A distinct lemon scent filled her nose as she entered the small office. On her way there, she contemplated on how to ask for Jungkook’s contact information; debating whether it was a good idea or not especially since he seemed like a very private guy.

He might hate me for getting his number this way, she thought but figured it was better than having to feel troubled for not having at least an inkling on what’s happened to him. 

As she approached the secretary’s desk, Olivia already made up her excuse as to why she needed the information: which was to give Jungkook some notes that he missed and to ask for help on a project they were partnering in. The secretary bought it instantly and agreed. Unfortunately, she didn’t have Jungkook’s contact number either.

“I only have his brother’s, sweetie. He’s the legal guardian; though I know that Jeon kid lives alone.”

“Oh…” Olivia visibly deflated, chewing on her bottom lip as she heard her only option slipping away. A split second later, a light bulb sparked in her head as she recalled one tiny detail:

I know that Jeon kid lives alone. The secretary’s voice echoed in her consciousness and before Olivia could stop herself she was already asking,

“His address, maybe?”

~~~

Olivia stared up at the run-down building in front of her, then looked back down at the small paper in her hand to check whether she was at the right place or not. After confirming the building number and street name, she knew she was at the right place.

She gripped the paper bag in her hand where a few pieces of Danish bread and chocolate cookies lay inside. She recalled Jungkook mentioned how much he liked them when she brought some for herself during their tutoring sessions.

The complex was only a bus ride away and a few minutes’ walk from the station. The neighbourhood was quiet and very different from the suburban one she lived in. As she walked to the door, Olivia almost bumped into a really tall guy with dyed blonde hair and curious eyes.

“Who are you?” He asked quite directly and Olivia felt herself shrinking back from his probing gaze.

“Uh… Olivia. I…I’m looking for Jungkook?”

His expression turned slightly surprised before asking, “Jungkook? Jeon Jungkook?”

“Yeah.”

“Are you his friend?” 

“Yeah.” She answered again then bit her lip, thinking whether it was right to even call him a friend when they already kissed.

The guy raised an eyebrow, looking even more surprised yet contemplative at the same time. It’s almost like he couldn’t believe she had said yes, and it made Olivia wonder just how lonely Jungkook must be to have his neighbour this surprised at the fact that he had a guest. 

“Um. He’s up on the second floor, last door to your left.”

Olivia was relieved she was at the right place and gave him a smile. “Thank you, sir.”

“Just call me Namjoon.” The guy said as he gave her a half wave before moving out of the complex. Olivia entered and climbed up to the second floor, easily spotting Jungkook’s apartment. Once at his door, she tucked a hair strand behind her ear and knocked.

She heard a shuffle and the sound of locks clicking before the door finally swung open, revealing Jungkook in a white shirt and gray sweatpants.

He didn’t looks sick as what Olivia presumed and it annoyed her a little considering he looked okay enough to head to school. At the thought, she immediately felt ashamed and scolded herself; thinking she didn’t have the right to judge him and that Jungkook probably had some other things to take care of that’s why he’s been missing school.

“Liv?” He asked and the nickname made her heart race. 

Or was it the sound of his voice? She thought as Jungkook met her eyes. He looked surprised. 

“What are you doing here? How did you—“

“I’m sorry. I asked the office for your number and they didn’t have it and…well, they knew where you lived so I thought to visit cause you’ve been out for days and I—“ I got worried, she wanted to say as she approached the end of her blabber. “I just…” She shrugged. “I just wanted to see what’s up.”

Jungkook merely stared at her with his infamous blank expression as she spoke and Olivia felt a chill run down her spine when she saw how he didn’t smile at her once.

“You shouldn’t have come here.” Jungkook finally said and Olivia felt like she had just been slapped. “Why would you ask the school for personal information? And why the hell did they even give it to you?!”

Olivia was stunned at his tone: pissed yet his face was calm. But there was anger reflected upon his dark orbs. There was no warmth, no kindness, and the current situation she was in was breaking her slowly on the inside.

It was almost like meeting Jungkook on the first day all over again. Only worse.

“I—I’m sorry I just… you were out for days, Jungkook. I got worried—“

“Go home, Olivia.” Jungkook said and his harsh tone knocked the breath out of her. “Just go, and don’t come back.”

Without another word, Jungkook stepped back inside and shut the door on her face. Olivia gasped out as she heard the locks being clicked back into place and the sound of footsteps weakening as he moved away from the door.

Olivia wanted to scream at him for being so rude and for shutting her out like that, but she couldn’t seem to breathe at how tight her chest felt. Her hands shook slightly, causing the bag to fall to the ground with a thud.

Go home, Olivia. Just go and don’t come back.

Jungkook’s words resonated in her thoughts and she felt a tear finally slide down her cheek. Before she knew it, she was already running.

~~~

Olivia wiped her cheek harshly as she made her way downstairs, not wanting to cry even if every fibre of her being hurts from Jungkook’s rejection. She could remember his eyes: how unkind they were—how angry he was and she wasn’t even sure what she did wrong when she only came to check up on him.

Because she was worried…

Because she cared about him.

“Hey.”

Olivia jumped slightly at the call, causing another tear to escape from her eye. She wiped it off immediately before facing the source.

The blonde guy—Namjoon—stood to her right, hand on his door knob and already halfway into his unit. He was looking at her with a gaze Olivia translated as concerned and she smiled to cover up the fact that she was dying on the inside.

“Oh, hey.”

Namjoon remained silent, contemplating his words. “Did you…see Jungkook?” He asked almost cautiously.

Olivia opened and felt herself about to break. She knew she had to make this quick. “Y—yeah. I did. And I’m just… gonna go.” Another tear slipped and she cursed herself for being so weak.

“It was nice meeting you, Namjoon—ssi. And thanks for the help.” She added in a rush, all the while avoiding eye contact before practically running out of the building; leaving Namjoon staring at her form till it disappeared to the next street.

~~~

Sh*t.

Jungkook cursed himself over and over again as he laid on his bed, burying his hands in his hair in frustration.

He didn’t expect her to come at all and figured he had underestimated her. He wasn’t mad at her for visiting. In fact, the moment he opened the door and saw her, Jungkook was beyond joyful and wanted nothing more but to pull her in and kiss her face silly. 

He missed her so much. 

But then it appeared. And Jungkook was catapulted back to reality so hard, he felt the ground shaking beneath his feet.

Jungkook saw the numbers hovering over her head and felt his throat close up; his heart breaking for the millionth time. He didn’t come to school for that very reason, unsure if he could face Olivia with those numbers staring him down.

If someone knew about his ability, they would’ve said he was being pathetic and a complete to a girl whose main reason for visiting was to check on his well-being.

So you know the numbers? So what? Olivia’s young, surely she has a long way to go…

Jungkook swallowed hard and pressed the base of his palms over his eyes, feeling his heart ache so much he was having difficulty to breathe. 

Pathetic? Maybe. Except Olivia didn’t have years to live; not even a year or months...

She had days.

27 days, Jungkook thought sadly and angrily at the same time; the number like a rope tied around his neck, threatening to choke him to death.

Olivia would be gone in twenty-seven days and Jungkook didn’t know what to do. He had lost a lot of sleep because of it, unable to swallow the truth that Olivia was dying and there was nothing he could do about it.

Knock knock.

Jungkook looked up, face scrunching in confusion considering he never got many—any— visitors. And with how he had acted a while ago, he was dead sure it wouldn’t be Olivia.

When he opened the door, he was surprised to see Namjoon, his neighbour from downstairs, looking at him with a gaze he translated as disapproving.  Jungkook swallowed slightly as the numbers appeared on his head, seeing the many years he had yet to live. 

Somehow he wished it was Olivia’s instead. 

“Can I help you?” Jungkook asked.

“Your friend.” Namjoon said and Jungkook perked up, not expecting the statement. “The girl… Why did she cry?”

Cry? Jungkook bit the insides of his cheek and clenched his jaw till he could taste rust on his tongue. He hated himself for making her cry. He absolutely hated himself.

“It’s none of your business.” He spat and Namjoon held up his hands.

“You’re right, it’s not.” Namjoon said and Jungkook felt even more upset with himself. “I was just asking how you could practically push everyone away—even the one’s making an effort to get close to you—and be a complete  while at it. You couldn’t have just rejected her nicely?”

“You don’t know anything.” Jungkook said, voice cracking slightly as he clenched his fist.

“You’re right. I don’t. I don’t know what’s going on with you two or what your problem is. Heck no one probably knows anything about you. But I’ve been living here long enough to do know how you’re practically an expert at avoiding everyone and keeping to yourself. Maybe you like it, okay.” He raised his hands in surrender before looking at him sternly. “Fine by me, but can you be alone without hurting anybody?”

Jungkook was surprised by Namjoon’s outburst, his words ringing in his ears it was almost deafening.

“Why do you care?” Jungkook snapped at an attempt to hold himself together. Namjoon’s words held so much truth he felt himself sinking into the chasm of his own demise. “Do you even know her?”

“No. But she was nice and she even brought you something.” Namjoon shrugged. “I just thought I’m doing her a favor by beating the crap out of you for making her cry.”

“You’re going to beat me up?” Jungkook asked, not at all scared. In fact, he wished he would. He deserved it.

“I meant that figuratively; like beating you up with words till you feel guilty about what you did.” He said before pointing to the floor. Jungkook followed his gaze and found a brown paper bag at his feet. He crouched down to get it and when he looked inside, he felt like he’s been punched in the gut. 

She remembered, he thought as he saw the neatly packed cookies and bread inside.

“She seemed like a really nice girl.” Namjoon said.

She is.

“Why’d you ask her to leave?”

“Because…” Because I can’t take seeing her and knowing she’d be gone in a few days. I don’t want to watch her numbers trickle down to 0—to watch her die before my very eyes…

Because I love her and that would kill me. 

“Because she’s the one leaving,” Jungkook said instead. “And I won’t ever see her again, so why bother?”

Namjoon looked at him and sighed. “She’s switching schools?”

“You could say that.” Jungkook answered. He couldn’t exactly tell Namjoon that he knew Olivia was going to die in a matter of days.

“Well you’re an idiot. If she’s leaving, then shouldn’t you be spending your time with her and making the most out of it?”

Jungkook snorted, “Since when did you become a love expert?”

“I’m not. It’s a general truth, .” Namjoon rolled his eyes. “Look, you don’t push someone away when they’re already leaving…”

“Yeah? What do you do?”

“You ask them to stay.”

Jungkook paused at his words and felt his heart break once more. Namjoon sighed and told him to get himself together before finally turning away; leaving Jungkook alone in the hallway with the cold hard truth.

If only I could, he thought. 

If only I could.

~~~

When Jungkook returned to school, Olivia felt like a new student again.

The boy who once smiled at her whenever she passed by the hall no longer met her eyes and kept his head down and stared at his feet as he walked. They ignored each other in class, went to the library at times when they knew the other wouldn’t be there. They avoided each other like the plague and little did they know it was tearing them both apart on the inside… that the hurting was never one-sided.

Olivia was on her way out of the campus one day when she saw Jungkook heading out of the building. He was wearing his usual black ensemble and Olivia felt her heart ache at how mundane it was—how normal he looked when she could barely keep herself together these past few days. She felt the urge to approach him, wanting to demand answers as to why everything changed so suddenly. She wanted to ask what she did wrong and how she could make it right.

She was so lost in thought that she hadn’t seen the incoming motorcycle rushing towards her.

“Hey! Mo