Minji's POV
All weekend, I couldn't find a place for myself. For some reason, I was internally worried. I didn't know what to do with myself. I constantly checked my phone, but I didn't take any steps. I couldn't. She wrote that it was the end, that she didn't want to discuss it, and, as it turned out, she was involved with Yubin. I had no right to forbid her from being happy if that's what truly makes her happy. But Yoohyeon, is it really true? I couldn't understand. I knew that Handong probably called her, but I didn't dare ask her about it. It would be too much. I've become too much like a lovesick teenager with a broken heart. I cry over every little thing. I just need to pull myself together. Where is the old me, strong and confident? Where?
During the first class, I tried to prepare myself and confidently entered the classroom. It was the class where I would have a lesson with her. I wouldn't show weakness. I would be strong and confident. I could do it. With determination, I went to that damn class. My palms were sweating like that of a nervous schoolgirl. What are you doing to me, Yoohyeon? You hurt me, you betrayed me, and yet I can't help but think of you. Even with Seul, I was able to forget about it overnight and move on. What are you doing to me?
As I entered the hall, dozens of pairs of eyes stared at me. Some continued their discussions, but that was a rarity in my class. Everyone knew it was better not to take risks. I involuntarily looked around, even though I didn't want to. Even here, I was showing weakness. But you weren't here. You simply didn't come. Do you not want to see me? Or are you afraid of me and my reaction?
"So," I began with a confident voice, "since the class representative isn't here, let's go ahead and take attendance."
"Woodz, Kim Yoohyeon, and Sorn," a girl answered.
"Do we know the reason?" I asked, trying to remain calm.
"Well, Woodz is probably still asleep, Sorn is at a competition, and Kim Yoohyeon is sick," the girl replied.
"Okay."
The news of her illness actually made me inwardly laugh. Oh well, if she's sick, then good luck to her. I guess someone else will handle the scientific aspect. We've been through this before. The class proceeded cheerfully. Perhaps her absence freed me, or maybe I was finally able to control my emotions.
Inside the classroom, I met with Handong. I walked in with a smile, wanting to joke around, but she looked at me with a frown that instantly made me tense. My mood vanished in an instant. I sensed that something was wrong. I wanted to ask, but before I could, the door opened and Yubin appeared at the threshold.
"What hospital is she in?" the woman asked me.
In that moment, I was stunned, trying to process the information. Who? Yoohyeon in the hospital? No further explanations were needed; it became instantly clear. But why wasn't I informed? A lump formed in my throat, making it difficult to breathe. Fear instantly gripped me, and I turned to Handong, who stood and looked at us.
"What happened to her?" I asked, not caring about anything else. Just tell me. I hope she's okay. My pleading eyes spoke volumes. I love this silly girl.
"I think she's getting better," Handong said, looking into my eyes.
"Why didn't you tell me?" I stood up from my chair, ready to shout. I didn't understand. I didn't even know what had happened to her. Again. Once again, I found out last.
"She asked me not to tell you," Handong explained, and I couldn't understand why. Why wouldn't she want me to know? Why?
At that moment, I felt Yubin's gaze. I looked at her with displeasure and said, "Go to her. Maybe she wants to see you more. She's scared of doctors; she's scared there now." It pained me to say it, but I love her, and I know she's a coward. I know she's lying in that hospital bed, worrying. I can feel it.
Yubin stood there, looking at me, deep in thought. She probably understood my words. All I wanted was to message Yoohyeon, but instead, I just turned my phone in my hands.
"Forgive me for not telling you," Handong said, "but I promised her that I wouldn't tell you. That was the condition for her to agree to the ambulance."
Both Yubin and I looked at Handong, wanting to hear more, and she continued, "I called her on Friday, wanting to express my displeasure, but I realized something was wrong. I went to see her, and it turned out she had a terrible cough and a fever all day. She looked completely unwell. Being alone at home with a fever, is she crazy? I didn't know what to do, so I had to call an ambulance. It turned out to be pneumonia, in the early stages, but it's good that we didn't delay. It can be dangerous. "
"It's my fault. I should have at least called her," I voiced my thoughts, thoughts that stung mercilessly. She was alone there. And I was glad she wasn't in class. What a fool I am.
"Go to her," Yubin said, "this is only my fault. I have no excuses. I saw how much she loved you and I couldn't resist the opportunity to hurt you. I gave her a choice: either she leaves you, or she loses everything."
"What have you done? What do you gain from it?" I couldn't resist, even though I was holding myself together with the last ounce of strength. My palms involuntarily balled into fists. It felt like one more word and she would feel their impact. Yubin tensed; I could sense it.
"Minji, I don't know. I wanted to hurt you. To hurt you because you always have the best. I'm tired of it. And this was an opportunity. I saw how important she was to you, and I decided to take that away from you. To take something away from you, even if it wasn't yourself. But in the end, something about her caught me—maybe her sincerity, maybe her vulnerability, maybe her innocence. I think I started to like her, I don't know why. I had no idea she would take it so hard. Although I should have known; her emotions are written all over her face. I'm sorry. But my sympathy is not for you, it's for her, for her feelings. She fought for you the best she could. She didn't even kiss me; she ran away. She didn't care about the consequences."
I broke down and hit Yubin. I couldn't control myself or tolerate it anymore. It was necessary. Only the sound of the slap sobered me up and allowed me to regain control. She looked at me, dumbfounded, as she placed her hand where I had hit her. Timidly, I got up and put on my coat. I turned to Handong and said, "Write down the address of the hospital. I have to be there. It's very difficult for her right now."
As I stepped out onto the street, the frost hit me in the face. It sobered me up. I understood everything: all her messages, all her oscillations between "I'm sorry, I can't live without you" and "we can't be together." Those damn photos! It seemed so obvious to me that only a fool would believe such nonsense. I should have found her. I should have told her that I wouldn't let her go. I should have just looked into her eyes. But I chose to give up.
I drove as fast as I could. On the way, I stopped at a store and bought her fruits and various things for tea.
Yoohyeon's POV
These walls press on me, injections and procedures pumped up, and the nights drag on endlessly. I'm scared. I miss her. I do not want to see anyone, communicate with anyone. I want to lie and think about how good it was for us and how it could have been if we were a little more careful. There would be so much, and it worries me greatly. I didn't see a definite way out.
I lay on the bed with my eyes closed, not wanting to engage in boring conversations with my roommates. They, too, rarely ask me anything, sensing my detachment. But as I lie there with my eyes closed, I suddenly feel a familiar and comforting perfume in the air. I want to open my eyes, but I'm afraid it might disappear like a dream, a mirage.
"Yooh," I hear her voice, so gentle and warm, and I feel the warmth of her hand on mine. I can't believe it. But oh, how I wish it to be true. Tentatively, I open my eyes, and there she is, peering into my soul with her familiar smiling eyes. I don't understand how she got here, I don't understand why she's not angry, but I just hug her, wanting to be in her embrace.
"How are you feeling?" Minji asks, pulling away slightly.
"Why are you here?" I whisper, not daring to take a deep breath. I can't believe she's really here.
"I'm here because you're here," she says, her gentle smile warming my heart. My god! I can't resist her. I'm selfish, I know, but I can't live without her. Tears flow uncontrollably from my eyes, despite my efforts to hold them back. I realize I should push her away, but it's beyond my power.
"Minji, I'm such a fool. I don't know how to explain everything to you now. Please forgive me," I choke on my tears, pouring out my apologies. I see the other patients leaving the room, sensing that we need some privacy. They don't know what's happening, but they understand that we need this moment. I'm immensely grateful to them.
"Hush, my dear," Minji begins, pulling me into her embrace, "you were scared for me, you wanted to protect me, but you were manipulated and confused. I don't blame you. It's her ridiculous games. To be honest, I never thought she was capable of something like this."
"I thought she envied you and wanted to ruin your career. But I don't understand why she didn't do that and instead started making demands on me," I ask, my voice filled with confusion.
"Because she realized that you are more important," Minji answers, her eyes filled with sincerity.
I look at her blankly. What? Am I more important to her than her career? But her education means everything to her! Sensing my thoughts, Minji continues:
"Puppy, in life, we always have to make choices. It's inevitable. Sometimes we make choices subconsciously, not even realizing it until life opens our eyes. I've always held onto my status, my work, but I missed the moment when you became the most precious thing to me. I've been choosing you for a long time. I'm willing to give up everything, go anywhere, as long as you're there. I know it may sound grandiose, but I have no doubts when it comes to you."
"I love you, Minji," I say, feeling the weight of my words.
"You are the most important person to me, and there's no room for doubt," she replies.
"My only dream lately was to see your lively gaze and your smile again," Minji confesses, gently stroking my hand.
"Minji..."
"What?"
"I want to kiss you so badly," I whisper, leaning in so that our lips are at the same level.
"I..." Perhaps she wanted to say something more, but my lips don't allow her to. The kiss is tender and filled with longing.
"I missed you so much, baby," I admit, finding solace in her arms.
"Why didn't you at least write to me when you had a fever?" Her question is warm, yet tinged with bitterness.
"I didn't immediately realize something was wrong. I thought it was just the aftermath of the alcohol," I reluctantly confess.
"You drank?" Minji pulls away slightly, looking into my eyes.
"Don't scold me. I just wanted to numb the pain. But it didn't make it any easier," I say, lowering my gaze. "A sad but truthful answer."
"I see," she snorts, smiling at me. "Your parents will kill me."
"They're away on a business trip. They don't know," I chuckle.
"Well, it's clear you were left alone at home," she says. "As for your parents, they might just kill me, and they'd be right."
"They'd probably kill me first," I reply, coughing.
"So, we'll hide from them until they soften," she jokes, defusing the tension. Nothing seems to be happening, and yet, so much is happening.
At that moment, a nurse enters the room.
"Can I stay?" Minji asks.
"Stay. Maybe with you around, she'll eat properly for once. The doctor has been complaining," the nurse replies, giving me a reproachful look.
"So, you haven't been eating anything here?" Minji asks, her tone serious.
"Yeah, well, not everything," I mutter as the nurse prepares to administer a drip. I tense up, holding my breath. I can't bear to watch. The fear of needles physically pains me.
"Relax, Yooh. I'm here," Minji assures me, seeing my reaction to the nurse's actions. The nurse just smiles and leaves without saying a word.
Minji's presence helps me relax, and I hold her hand as the procedure continues. And she asks:
"And how did you manage to stay here for a couple of days?" Her smile warmed. I just shrugged, not knowing what to say.
"Get well soon, my puppy," Minji repeated.
"I love you," I said.
"You are the most important person to me, there can be no doubt," said my beloved woman.
"My only dream lately was to see your lively gaze and your smile again." Minji answered, stroking my hand.
"Minji..."
"What?"
"I want to kiss you so badly..." Lowering myself, so that our lips were at the same level, I whispered.
"I..."
Perhaps she wanted to say something else, but my lips didn't allow her to. This kiss was so tender and sensual.
"I missed you so much, baby..." Pulling away from her lips, I whispered again, but we were interrupted by a quiet knock on the door.
"Be patient, we'll be home soon..." Looking at me with a longing, hungry look, Minji answered and got up from the bed and went to the door.
I was discharged from the hospital a week later. Minji came to see me every day, sitting by my side and holding my hand when I was scared. We talked a lot, although sometimes we would just silently gaze into each other's eyes, and that was enough for us. I realized that I loved her, and I knew it was mutual.
Miss Yubin apologized for what happened and said she was sorry, expressing a desire to be friends with Minji as well. We said that we would see about that. Woodz came up with an apology, which I accepted. To be honest, I no longer trusted him, but I held no grudge. Siyeon and Bora continued their arguments, full of love and silent struggle. Of course, Bora won, but who would doubt it?
What would happen next? We didn't know. It was more interesting to live that way. All we knew for certain were our feelings. We trusted and no longer doubted.
Once I said that love is nonsense, but now I can definitively say that love exists. It exists within us. It is difficult to hide it—her eyes shine with it, and a smile appears on her face. Could we have imagined that everything would turn out like this? Could we have dreamt about it? Unlikely. But here we are, standing together by the window. We simply watch the snowflakes falling, perhaps the last snowflakes of this winter, and we are content.
Dear readers, that might be it.
I feel a little sadness in bringing this story to an end, but it has been told.
I am grateful to all of YOU for your support. I have mentioned before: this story is important to me, and I will add it. Your support, feedback, and suggestions have helped me. Thanks for reading. Thank you for your support. Thank you for being there. Just thank you!
Your Author!
I might add a few more chapters from their lives!
I don't know when I will start writing something new, but there will definitely be another book about Jiyoo. Or Suayeon, who knows.
What are your preferences? Suayeon or Jiyoo?
(Note: The text has been edited for grammar and clarity.)