Yuri picked up the rice with her chopsticks and stuffed it in . Taeceyon placed another glass of water on her tray while observing her carefully. She was like this for days since the departure of Nichkhun. They didn’t talk about the situation yet and Yuri acted like nothing had happened. Watching her hold in the last ounce of sadness within her, Taec felt like he needed to speak up.

   The patient sat on her bed, still gulping up the few drops of water in her cup and the last grains of rice at the end of the bowl. Taecyeon sat beside her and gave her a hard glare.

   “What?” she asked when noticing his stare.

   “About Nichkhun…” he started. She stuffed more food in her cheeks.

   “There’s nothing to talk about.” Her brother sighed in despair. He reached through his back pocket and took out three pieces of paper. Yuri stopped chewing and took a glimpse at the plane tickets laid out on the table.

   “Mrs. Horvejkul gave these to me.” Yuri didn’t move and simply stared at the tickets clearly imprinted the word: ‘Thailand’ on it. “She invited us to her son’s wedding… In case you were interested. Yoona said that she would use the third one and I already accepted to go as well.” Yuri swallowed the rest of her food and dropped her utensils beside her bowl.

   “I lost my appetite,” she stated while jumping off her hospital bed. Taec quickly grabbed her shoulders before she could run off.

   “Don’t avoid the subject, please,” he pleaded with his hands gripping onto her shirt. She swallowed, hardly able to move properly. “If you don’t come, I understand. It must be hard for you. Not coming would be totally understandable.” He paused for a second and resumed calmly. “One thing is certain, Nichkhun is waiting. That’s all I have to say,” he simply stated, slowly lessening the grip.

   Yuri remained immobile. Thinking about it made her want to go even if she didn’t want to get hurt. “Why do his parents want me to go anyways?” she asked perplexed. Taecyeon raised his shoulders, clueless.

   “I don’t know.” Yuri frowned and rolled her eyes. “But you should consider going anyways.” Taecyeon put a convincing yet forceful expression on his face to persuade his sister.

   The key to her future with Khun was right on front of her, but she couldn’t make up her mind. Was going after Nichkhun really the right choice? Why would his parents want Yuri to come when she was a sure cause of trouble? Perhaps this was a huge trap, or simply a last chance to see him. All the events were confusing her.

   “Fine, I’ll go, but remember that I’m still recovering. If I get sick, this will all be your fault,” blurted out Yuri finally giving in. Taecyeon merely smirked, satisfied with her answer.

   After a few days of preparation, the siblings and Yoona left for Thailand for their friend’s special day. They packed just enough for the 2 days they were to spend in the foreign country. The moment Yuri stepped out of the airport, she felt uncomfortable. Thailand was a beautiful country. She couldn’t argue with that. However, the environment felt weird considering that the Horvejkul’s ruled this place.

   They hopped into the nearest taxi and ordered the driver to bring them to the wanted address. All three of them sat in the back seat, with Yoona in between the two siblings. The nurse sat in the tiny vacant space and made herself small. Taecyeon abruptly grabbed her seatbelt and shut it tight for her. Yoona gazed at him astonished.

   “Not too tight?” he asked like a gentleman.

   “A-Aniyo,” she answered while attempting to cover her face with her hair. Yoona moved slightly closer to Yuri out of pure discomfort.

   “You two are awfully awkward.” Both gazed out the window to avoid Yuri's mocking stare. “Are you two dating by any chance?”

   “Of course not!” they shouted at the same time, making even the driver react to their screams.

   “Ok, relax. It was a joke,” assured Yuri with a scornful tone. Taecyeon swallowed his thick saliva and Yoona turned to her phone to keep away from the accusations. Yuri laughed at her companions and turned her gaze out the window. It was simply a wonderful environment. The rich district was full of playing children, beautiful houses and mesmerizing landscapes. Korea was pretty as well, but this setting was completely unique.

   While observing the passing mountains and the complex architecture, Yuri thought of everything and nothing. She felt at tranquility looking outside. Then the thought of the Horvejkul’s occurred to her again. Why did they have to ruin her imagination as well? They even bothered her in the mist of peace.

   Her mind moved out of her surroundings and began to imagine the wedding that she was about to attend. The thought of Victoria and Nichkhun together annoyed her entirely. She wasn’t exactly sure whether she felt anger towards Nichkhun for giving up on her so easily, or whether she felt disappointed in herself for ruining him in the first place.

   Yuri peeked through the crack of the plastic bag in her hands. The dress she had bought for the event was neatly folded inside. What was the use of trying to be noticed? Victoria would obviously steal all the attention, being his bride.

   Bride… The word made her shiver, especially because she wasn’t the one being called it.

   Before she knew it, they had already arrived to the ceremony building. Taecyeon gave the money to the driver and got out first to open the door for the ladies. Yoona came out, giving him an awkward bow while Yuri stepped on the cement without even concentrating on her current actions. She was excessively nervous.

   “You should go ahead first, you’re the reason that we came here in the first place,” whispered Taecyeon as Yoona came up from behind to join them. Yuri nodded and hesitantly made her way to the rest rooms, a little further down the halls, through various tips and turns.

   She hid behind the bathroom doors and took off her clothes to slip on her formal ones on. They fit to perfection, and so did her shoes. After zipping up the back of her dress, she came out to contemplate herself on the mirror. Yuri fixed the scarf on her head covering her bald scalp, and applied a thin amount of lip gloss before sighing in despair.

   “This will have to do.” She glanced at her watch and realized that it was almost time for the ceremony to begin. Gliding out of the restrooms, Yuri walked through the hallways in confusion. Everything looked the same from when she came in. How was she supposed to tell which way to go? Her eyes wandered to every inch of the hall, looking to get back from where she came from.

   She managed to find a slightly opened door with a visible silhouette of a man. Perhaps she could ask him how to find her way around. Pushing the door open, her jaw dropped.

   “Nichkhun oppa!” she exclaimed.

   “Yuri-ah, what are you doing here? How did you get here?” he questioned before getting up from his chair and walking towards her. He wore a suit that made him look unbelievingly more attractive that usual. The prince stood face to face from Yuri, keeping a minor distance away to avoid trouble.

   “You didn’t know? You’re mom invited me. I thought you knew,” she confirmed faking her good mood.

   “Ah…” he simply made out. Silence reigned for a few seconds until he spoke again. “You look weird in that dress. Who picked it out?” She gave him a harsh stare and smiled sarcastically. 

   “I know. Can you not rub it in?” In reality, he thought that she looked completely gorgeous despite her missing hair. Her short dress exposed her long and flawless legs and the makeup made her look lovely. A smile crept up the side of his face. “What are you smiling at?”

   “Nothing, it just amuses me that you take me seriously.” She remained passive and Khun felt the need to break the tension. “Are you mad at me?” Without any clarifications, she already understood that he was referring to his departure the other day.

   “Ani. Why would I be mad when all this mess is my fault to begin with?...That’s why I’m paying for it now.” She took a few steps inside his room as he followed. Yuri played with his hair brush and bow placed cleanly on the table. “So, you’re getting married, huh?” Tears wanted to come out, but she retained them well. “Are you letting me on my own?” His eyes grew. “I’m kidding.”

   “Yuri-ah, don’t be upset, please. You really weigh on my mind when you feel bad.”

   “I’m not upset.” Their eyes were locked in one another. “Even if it hurts now, I’ll learn to get over you, even if it takes me forever.” Yuri began to pace around again. “I understand why you decided to marry her, and I’m grateful that you made that choice or I wouldn’t be here right now. So, I support you and Victoria one hundred percent, because in the end, I know that you’re doing this for your parents, for Victoria’s family and… for me.”

   “Stop it.” She continued to ignore him.

   “So, get married today as if it were me standing beside you. You’re doing this for me Khun oppa.” Her shuffling feet began to lead her past him and out the door, but he disallowed it. His hand clutched hers as she attempted to exit. Yuri glanced at their hands tightly glued together.

   “Let’s… Run away,” he pronounced seriously. “Let’s get out of here.”  Yuri was tempted to agree, but rapidly remembered to be reasonable.

   “Nichkhun oppa, let go of my hand.” He held on even tighter.

   “Don’t leave me…” These words were powerful and they resonated in Yuri’s ear. Despite his plead, she pulled away and wiped the tear falling down her cheek.

   “In the end, we can only be friends, nothing more that that.” Still, without any eye contact, they parted painfully. Yuri marched outside his room and ran away as far as possible. For once, she didn’t preoccupy about her tears. They came out on their own.

    Standing pitifully in the middle of the room, Nichkhun felt like he had just lost a part of himself.