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Seunghee always drops by the hospital to check on Jun during the week and she always finds Sorn beside him. Everytime she finds her there, she backs down and doesn't go through. She knows Sorn is in the wrong, but she doesn't want to talk to her just yet. She might blurt out unnecessary things if they talk about it now. And she doesn't want to face Sorn in that state. Jun's still unconscious, she doesn't want to hear crueler things from her that may ultimately affect their friendship.

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It's been six days. Sorn gets up early in the morning to visit Jun. She prays hard everyday that Jun finally wakes up from his slumber. The doctors say he's not in comma, but why is he not waking up yet? She's so worried about him, she almost can't doze off every night.

She enters the hospital entrance and walks straight to Jun's room. From the door, she hears some people talking. It's Chinese, she presumes his parents are inside. Then she hears a very familiar voice. It's Jun's.

It's as if heaven opens up a gate for her. She feels relieved a thousand times over. And with the feeling overwhelming her, she cries silently where she stands. She thanks the skies for saving his life. And even more if he returns back to normal, she won't ask for more.

She waits till his parents leave and sneakily steps inside the room. Her heart is beating fast, felicity taking over her whole body. Then she sees Jun with closed eyes on the bed, as if thinking of something.

"Thinking of recuperation already?" Sorn tells him with a smile and sits on his side.

Jun opens his eyes and sees her, then smiles regretfully at her, "Are you alone?"

"Yah." She knows he'd rather be happier if Seunghee is the one who stepped inside and not her. It's written all over his face. "You heard from your parents?"

He nods and say, "So I've been asleep for days. Have the others come to visit me?"

She's sure he only wants to find out about her. "Yeah, we've been here since day one. Seunghee unnie comes here often."

"Really?" the evident gladness surfacing from his expression.

"And she always comes in with Jeonghan-shi," she doesn't want to hurt him but she'd rather tell him the truth.

The joy that is instantly replaced by sadness engulfs him again.

"I was so worried about you," Sorn starts with a shaking tone. She knows it's not a good time and place for this, but she wants him to know how she's feeling. How she has always been feeling. Cuz that moment, she feels like lit up bomb slowly impending to detonate.

Jun looks at her now as she continues to tell him, with her eyes fixated on anything but his face.

"When I saw you here that day, with all those bandages all over your body, I felt really, really helpless. You looked like you will never wake up again and it scared me. I was so scared I might never see you again."

Jun brushes it off with a chuckle. "What are you talking about Sorn? I'm alive. This is just some bandage. This will come off soon."

He is still ignorant of her feelings until she starts crying. Hearing his laugh makes her feel feeble and weak and thankful he's alright again.

"Hey, what are you tearing up for huh? Come on, cheer up."

"I'm in love with you Jun," she cries infront him looking straight into his eyes.

Jun is stunned of the sudden confession. But she continues to tell him anyway.

"But just like you, I'm just chasing over someone who will never look back at me. Like chasing my own shadow. I know that much. But still, I'm not gonna erase this feeling for you. There might be a day when you'll need me too right? Just like you need her."

He looks away from her. He can't bear to see her like this. All this time, she's suffering from him too, the same way he suffers from Seunghee. He can't bear to mirror himself in a person he treats well.  It's unjustifiable.

"Maybe this world isn't turning right for us," he says. "I'm sure you know how I will respond to what you said."

"I know. And it's clear as ice to me. But still..."

"Won't you get tired of it?"

"I don't know."

It's like talking to himself. Aside from the physical pain he's accumulated from the accident and the emotional pain Seunghee gave him, now he's facing himself in the identity of his friend. It's too much to handle.

"Can I make a request though? Can I stay by your side until I find someone else?"

Jun is somewhat amazed by her determination. Though that's the only vision they differ at, she's willing to find someone else while he's obsessed on winning the girl no matter how hard it takes.

"Sure. That's the Sorn I know."

"Thank you."

They are friends. And if this love thing will only make everything worse for them, it's better to be just forgotten.

Behind the open door, a person is standing and hearing every word they are saying. He got there thinking of supporting her. He sees her everyday going to the hospital alone and he somewhat wants to comfort her. But unexpectedly, he hears her revelation. There's not much he can do about it. He can only grip his hands tightly in hurt and regret, bowing to himself. What can he do for her? Will she even be able to see him now that she confessed her feelings to another guy? Jisoo slowly walks away in defeat. There will be a better way for him, somehow, in some way.

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Sorn walks out of the hospital in dismay. She can't believe she just blurted out her feelings in front of Jun just like that. The happiness is just too much she isn't able to control herself from telling him. But contemplating about it now, she blushes furiously. She cups her face and feels humiliated. How am I facing him again?! She squeals inside scolding herself. Though she can only heave a sigh at it. It's done and she definitely can't take it back.

She remembers how she yelled at Seunghee a few days back. She's been repenting on her act since that night and she really wants to apologize to her. But everytime she sees her, she simply walks away. She's scared that she might still be angry with her for being unreasonable. But part of her knows she understands why she acted that way. She hopes she meets her soon. Or rather, she will try to face her and apologize directly.

She's in trance when Jisoo appears near her.

"Hey there," he greets.

Sorn jumps a bit, "Jisoo-shi! Hi."

"Where you from the hospital?" he covers the fact that he just got there.

"Ah, yeah. You heard about Jun?"

"Hm. Jeonghan told us. How's he doing?"

"He just woke up today."

"That's good news."

"Yeah, I'm really glad he did. I thought he'll be like..."

Jisoo is all eyes on her that it makes her a little uncomfortable, she stops babbling.

"Ah... never mind me."

"It's okay. You can tell me."

Sorn hesitates. There's something different about him right now. And she can't tell what.

"I'm okay. I just really have to go see Seunghee unnie right now."

"I'll go with you. I need to see Jeonghan too. There were at the library a while ago. Maybe they're out now."

"Okay."

Sorn walks silently as Jisoo stays beside her. She's depressed, he can tell. She's in fact thinking of how to face Seunghee. It's too hard to say sorry but she will. It's her fault. She acted too conceited.

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Jeonghan and Seunghee are together at one of the school benches reading something. Jeonghan tries hard to refrain her from thinking about Jun and Seunghee obliges herself with his effort. Jun may be important but Jeonghan is the most significant person in her life right now.

Sorn and Jisoo sees them as they are busy looking down their notes. They approach them directly, without further ado.

"Hey guys," Jisoo says.

Jeonghan and Seunghee look up to them and she is surprised to see Sorn, who's bowing at Jisoo's side and can't look at her.

"Can I talk to you for a minute?" Jisoo excuses Jeonghan from them.

"Yah," Jeonghan replies.

The boys distance themselves from the girls a few meters away, that they can't hear them anymore.

"Are you up for a drink tonight?" Jisoo asks Jeonghan.

Jeonghan is quite amazed. It's very seldom that he asks for a drink since he's not really into alcohol. "Sure. What time?"

"8 or 9?" Jisoo answers.

"Cool," Jeonghan replies.

Meanwhile, Sorn is finding it hard to begin their conversation and Seunghee is just awaiting her to talk. She sits down with her, a few feet by her side.

"Unnie... about last week... I didn't mean to yell at you," Sorn finally utters.

Seunghee just listens to her still looking at her notes.

"I was just too emotional and not being myself. I wasn't thinking straight. I only needed to vent out my anger on someone because I was too mad at myself."

Sorn faces Seunghee now, trying to apologize from the bottom of her heart. She bows infront of her.

"I'm sorry unnie. I said too much, I didn't mean to hurt you."

Seunghee sighs at the sight of her.

"Well, you know, I admit that it's partly my fault," Seunghee says looking at her.

Sorn lifts up her head and looks towards Seunghee.

"I regret that I didn't stop him from running or even ran after him."

Seunghee displays a very solemn expression, she can't let Jeonghan see something like this, and she can't let him hear what she says next.

"I really treasure Jun because he was the one who made me feel special when all my hopes that Jeonghan will be coming to me were falling down and I felt really miserable. I was really in dire straits the time he appeared in my life and I'm really thankful to him for being there, saving me from the loneliness I was smothering in."

Seunghee's tears are threatening from her eyes but she doesn't let them fall. She can't let Jeonghan see her crying now. While Sorn is so hurt listening to her, she must have been really hurt with her words that night. An apology can't be enough.

"But no matter what I do, I can't convince myself to return his feelings. No matter how hard I try, it's always, and it will always only be Jeonghan for me and it will never be him. But he was so good to me and after the times I rejected him, he was still there, still striving to support me. So I want to stay with him in return, no matter how long, to support him, be his friend and just do what I can for him."

"But it's really not your fault unnie."

"I'm actually aware of that. But I still want to blame myself. For not taking care of his devotion for me. So it's okay. It made me realize how much Jun really means to me when you got angry. I should really pay him back for saving me back then. Thank you Sorn."

"Unnie... I really thought you were mad at me."

"I wasn't. It was an eye-opener for me. I think I really needed that."

"Thank you!"

Sorn throws herself at Seunghee and hugs her tightly and Seunghee hugs her back. Letting go, Sorn says one thing that surprises her.

"Unnie, Jun has actually woken up a while ago."

"Really? Let's go visit him!"

"And... I also did something a while ago."

"Huh? What?"

"I actually... just confessed to him."

Seunghee smiles her widest in gladness and excitedly responds, "So what did he say?"

"Well... he rejected me."

Seunghee dismisses the smile on her face slowly.

"But it's okay. Like he is to you, I will not give up on him until I find someone else. That's what we agreed upon."

"And are you okay with that?"

"It's better than be pushed away right?"

Seunghee can only smile at her. Sorn's sweet smile is there again. She's a strong girl. And being rejected once will not tear her down easily.

The boys look at them from afar and can see they've made up somehow.

"Seems like they're okay now," Jeonghan says.

"They weren't?" Jisoo replies.

Jeonghan only looks at them and Jisoo too, both admiring them, thinking of the days to come.

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To be continued...

(16.02.29)