Thirteen years ago

Kim Taehyung laid down on the hospital bed, he felt weak and tired as his skin was pricked with all kinds of pins and needles. He couldn't count the number of times the nurses had injected him. His skin hurt.

His mother suddenly walked in looking physically drained, her eyes worn out. She sat close to him and started to cry. His heart ached watching his mother shed tears like this. As far as he knew, she had always been a strong woman but seeing her like this showed the extent of her pain.

"Eomma, are you crying?" he whispered lifting his hand up to wipe her tears but she quickly wiped it off herself sniffing quietly.

"It's nothing sweetie. I just got something in my eye" She said but Taehyung knew it was a lie. He may only be ten but he knew when adults lie. He could just tell.

His father suddenly rushed inside "How is he?" he whispered gently stroking Taehyung's forehead.

"He's looking better" His mother answered then his father grabbed her hands.

"Yeobo, I need to talk to you privately" he said. He took her few steps away from where he was but he could faintly hear their conversation.

"Five hundred million won? where are we going to get that kind of money?" His mother suddenly cried.

His father shook his head. "I will borrow, take a loan from the company. Sell the house...."

"The house? Oh God!"

"But what can we do, Tae needs the heart transplant. We can't let our only son die like this but even if we sell all these, it won't be enough"

His father's head was bent. He looked deeply agonized.

"If only we could get a donor" His mother whispered breaking into fresh loads of tears. His father wrapped his arms around her.

"If only, but miracles do not exist" he whispered.

Taehyung felt like crying but he held himself back trying to think happy thoughts in his mind. He didn't want to add to his parent's frustrations. He knew his parents were well off but not that well off to gather such huge amount of money in such a short period of time.

He wanted to tell them not to worry, to let him go peacefully but they would never listen to him. They would fight tooth and nail to ensure that he lived. Why? Because they where parents and he was their only child.

He just closed his eyes and tried to sleep but he was uncomfortable due to the fact that he was even having difficulty breathing.

He was given a tranquilizer and when he woke up, he found out he wasn't alone. Some other person had occupied the other bed beside his own.

He looked to see who it was and noticed a pale skinned girl with long dark hair lying on the bed. She opened her eyes when she caught him staring and Taehyung backed off.

She suddenly sat up on the bed and looked at him with a bright smile. She was pretty with dimples on each sides of her cheeks and Taehyung felt a crush for the first time in his life.

"Who are you?" He asked.

She didn't answer and just looked at him.

"What is your name?" he asked again but still, she remained silent. Then she suddenly came nearer to him and Taehyung felt his weakened heart beating fast.

She bobbed her head up and down, indicating that she wanted him to talk again and so he did.

"What's your name?"

She was looking at his lips and Taehyung realized she was reading it. It was then he knew her condition. She was a special child. She slowly withdrew from him and made a hand sign he definitely didn't understand.

When she saw he didn't understand her, she grabbed a pen and clip board hanging on top of her bed's head board and started to write then she showed him what she had written.

Sulli

He nodded his head and she wrote again then thrusted the book to his hand.

What's your name?

Kim Taehyung and I'm ten years old.

I am twelve. but I will be thirteen next month.

I'm sick. The doctors say i have cancer. They say it's in my blood.

She was a terminal patient just like him. He continued writing

What about your parents?

I don't have parents. They died since i was a baby. I live in the orphans home now.

Taehyung felt bad for her.

Will you get better?

Taehyung noticed her hand hang in the air when she read the words but then she turned to him and offered him a weak sad smile.

No! I'm going to die. There is no money to treat me. What about you?

I need a new heart but my parents can't get one.

I'm sorry

They communicated with each other by writing on the clip board back and forth. When his parents came back to see him, they where happy to see him smiling and they instantly took to Sulli.

"Appa, what if she can get one of those things they put in the ear?"

His mother smiled. "Hearing aid?"

He nodded. His father shook his head. "You're right but they are really expensive. However, it will be better if she can hear with her own ears and speak with her own mouth"

Taehyung looked at Sulli sitting down beside him on the bed. He really admired her. She was going through so much on her own with no one else to support her except grumpy looking nuns who came from time to time and yet, she always had a smile on her face. She had long stopped chemotherapy and she grew thinner everyday. They had even shaved her long beautiful hair. It's not like he was progressing any faster, he too was deteriorating just like she was but the joy of knowing each other and seeing each other's faces every morning made all the pain worth it.

One day, they where walking on the hospital's ground. Taehyung sat on a wheel chair and Sulli pushed it from behind. She insisted on it even when a hospital staff accompanied them. They finally stopped close to a bench and Sulli sat down staring at him with sad eyes. Bothered, he wrote on the clipboard.

Are you alright?

She wrote back.

I'm fine

You look like you are going to cry.

I'm not going to cry. Big girls don't cry

Then Taehyung smiled.

Tomorrow is your birthday. I have a present for you. I'm going to show you tomorrow. I know you're going to like it!

Tears suddenly fell down her face and Taehyung felt a burn in his chest which was definitely not the physical kind. He had never seen Sulli cry not even when they would prick her skin with big injections to collect blood. She always still smiled. Whatever that was bothering her now must really be hurting her.

Please don't cry he wrote

I'm just a bit sad and happy that's all.

She smiled at him and Taehyung felt better.

I never asked before but where is your home?

Army. It is called Army

Taehyun chuckled.

Army

She chuckled back but then looked at him with a sly smile

What is it?

I want to teach you a word.

She stopped writing and made a hand sign. He looked totally clueless.

What does that mean?

It means i love you

Then she leaned down and placed a small kiss on his cheeks. Taehyung's eyes widened in shock as he stared at her blushing face.

Let's go she wrote hurriedly and started wheeling him back to the hospital.

The staff who was with them had a reddened face as she watched the two little children.

Taehyung couldn't stop thinking about the kiss and kept looking at Sulli who was lying down on the same bed as he was, her eyes closed with small tears lining her eye lashes. He was worried about her but he cuddled closer to her, falling asleep instantly unaware of his parent's presence and the look of pity in their eyes.

The next morning, he woke up but Sulli was not with him. He searched for her with his eyes but she was nowhere to be seen. His parents suddenly entered with smiles on their faces and with doctors at their backs

"Tae, Tae you're going to live. You are going to get surgery!" his mother said cheerfully.

But he didn't care about that now. "Where is Sulli?"

His parents looked at each other but one of the doctor's intervened.

"We have to perform the surgery now. We can't afford to waste any more time"

Taehyung was already choking on his own tears. "Eomma, Appa...where is Sulli?" he cried harder but he was quietened the instant he was given a shot of tranquilizer and wheeled to the theater in his unconscious state.

Taehyung woke up hours later, feeling excruciating pain in his chest. His parents sat close to his bed with relieved smiles on their faces. He lifted his chest and saw stitches.

"What happened to me?" he whispered.

"You had the heart transplant. The surgery was a success Tae. Now, you're going to grow up healthy and strong just like any other normal child"

But Taehyung felt a strange feeling in this new heart of his.

"Where is Sulli?"

His parents expressions faltered.

"Did she leave the hospital? Today was her birthday. I already have her present. She can't just leave without telling me"

He smiled brightly. "I want to tell her that i received a new heart. I want to tell her I'm going to live again"

His mother suddenly burst into tears and Taehyung was in a state of confusion. With a heart breaking expression on his face, his father handed him a note from his pocket.

"This will explain everything much better son" he whispered.

Taehyung practically snatched the paper from his father's hand and when he read it, his whole world collapsed.

Dear Taehyung.

I'm very sad writing to you today. Maybe it's because of what I'm going to do but still, I am happy because it's going to make you happy. Two weeks after we met, I had already decided to give you my heart because you are funny, smart and you have so many years left for you. You said you are going to be an artist someday and i want you to achieve that. You are the only one that ever made me laugh or smile so I thought that if there was only one good thing i can do for you, it will be to give you my heart. I'm going to die anyway, the doctors say I can't live longer so i was happy to do this for you. Don't cry. Don't be sad. The only thing i want is for you to one day help others who are just like me and to protect the heart I'm giving you out of love. Be happy Tae. I love you

Yours forever, Sulli

Taehyung crumpled the paper crying his heart out.

"Taehyung be careful. You just had surgery" his mother cried.

"Why would she do that? It's her writing! Her writing"

"I'm sorry Tae. We tried to stop her but she insisted on it because she cared so much about you. Besides, she was the most compatible person to give you the transplant. She was an angel, an angel. All we can do now is honor her memory" His mother said crying with him.

Sorrowfully, he looked at the custom made bracelet he had made for her with her name written on it and he knew in his heart he would never get over this pain.

Present time.

The conversation had made them reach the cemetery and stop in front of an old grave stone. The look on Taehyung's face was one of torture and guilt and Jimin found himself taking his hand and squeezing it.

"I attended her funeral and they buried her with the bracelet in her hand. it was one of the most difficult times of my life"

"Why didn't you tell me about her?"

Taehyung smiled sadly. "Thinking about her, talking about her was difficult for me. I decided to just keep the pain to myself and instead focus on keeping up my promise to her"

Jimin nodded his head understandably.

"That's why you are so bonded with Jung min and invested in the orphanage"

Taehyung nodded his head. "Yes, Jung min reminds me of Sulli and as for the orphanage, I want to do everything that I can to help those unfortunate children who are just like Sulli"

Jimin smiled at him. "Sulli will be proud of you"

Taehyung looked uncertain. "You're sure?"

Jimin nodded and looked straight into his eyes. "Yes, because i am. I'm really proud of you"

"I'm really sorry that I kept this from you. You're my best friend. I should have told you"

Jimin cupped his face. "What matters is that you've told me now"

They where looking at each other eye ball to eye ball before Taehyung slowly wrapped his arms around his waist, brought his head closer to his and pressed their lips together. It wasn't a passionate wild kiss, it was soft, pure, simple and short He pulled away from Jimin and made a sign language to him.

"What does that mean?"

He smiled. "It means I love you"

Jimin thought he couldn't have fallen any harder for Taehyung but he did, right at that moment.
Taehyung looked embarrassed, his cheeks dusting pink as he took Jimin's hand in his.

"Let's pay our last respect to Sulli and then head back to the camp"

They both looked at the grave stone engraved with the name Lee Sulli.
They bowed then left the cemetary hand in hand. They didn't let go of their hands as they kept stealing shy smiles at each other before they finally reached the camp.

"The couple have finally arrived!" Namjoon called out in a loud voice. Everyone looked at them and they hid their faces. Jung min ran up to them hugging them fiercely and Jimin found himself loving the little child more and more but he was seriously dreading the moment when they would part. He couldn't even imagine how Taehyung must be feeling.

The group had a little sight seeing of the forest reserve. They saw some of the animals but the children where particularly kept away from the dangerous ones. All the while, Jimin kept looking at Taehyung, studying him. He was happy he came back to the past to discover this side of him. He had never even known of Sulli or that he had a heart problem when he was young. He was thankful to Sulli for saving Taehyung. He couldn't imagine a world where he didn't know him.

That evening they all gathered around a camp fire where they ate food already prepared by the staffs. The kids where sent to bed earlier while the adults all had bottles of alcohol and talked about random things far into the night. Jimin noticed that Jungkook and Taemin where not sitting beside each other and seemed not to have spoken to each other since that day. Jimin was a bit bothered by it. This was something he had wanted to happen before but now, he felt bad. He had a mind to ask Taemin what happened.

Since they where all tired, they all decided to retire to their tents postponing the naughty things Kim Seokjin had planned till the next day. Jung min was sleeping in their tent so Jimin and Taehyung laid down on either sides of him. They stared at each other for quite a while, silently conversing in their minds before finally whispering Good nights to each other and falling sleep.

Jimin...Jimin...

A soft voice called out to him in the middle of the night. Jimin opened his eyes and looked at Taehyung but he was fast asleep so where was the voice coming from?

The voice spoke again.

Come outside Jimin

He felt something in his pocket and took it out. It was the card. With his heart beating fast, he quickly stood up and got out of the tent. The whole camp was quiet and there seemed to be no one else awake but still the voice kept speaking to Jimin.

To the river Jimin

With slow calculated steps, Jimin walked over to the river and paused when he saw an unknown figure seating on a chair with a fishing rod in hand. He walked closer to the figure and saw who it was. It was the palm reader but she looked different. Younger, cleaner and better dressed. He thought it wasn't her but he peered closer and saw it was definitely her. On sensing his presence, she turned to him and smiled.

"Sit beside me Jimin. I'm going to answer all your questions"

Jimin hesitated at first but decided to risk it as he sat down on the chair close to her.

"Shall we begin?" she whispered.

Thanks for reading. It was a roller coaster writing this chapter. This is for all those who wanted an earlier chapter. Hope you enjoyed it. Have a great day!