Yongsun held a cup of what used to be hot with black coffee on her left hand, the other in a tight grasp with Wheein's both hands. Byulyi was moved to the Intensive Care Unit, and Yongsun had no courage to ask Byulyi's sister what the doctor had said about Byul staying there. It was a bit one hour since they knew of her brain death, and each second, Yongsun knew it becomes more and more impossible for a chance at her survival.

Her eyes were red, and she can barely open them, but through what she could see, the hall wasn’t filled with nurses and doctors running to the other patients’ rooms for an emergency. Still, Yongsun found the hospital busy. With the many patients needing close monitoring and others even dying in the unit, with the different cries she’s heard and all the desperate weeps and even mourning people, Yongsun knew she could never find the hospital quiet.

Suddenly, she heard another suppressed sob from two passersby; a faint “dead” could be overheard in their conversation. Yongsun tried not to think of it.

Both eyes closed, in the hospital still filled with working people amid the unforgiving time, Yongsun is reminded of the time she spent with Byul.

She also had a coffee on her left hand that day, about seven years ago.

Contrary to the present, the coffee in the hands of 22-year-old Yongsun was hot, and definitely not black. It was a latte, a sweet vanilla one, as sweet and hot as the words Byulyi came to tell her that day. Byul's words were warmer than the coffee, however.

"Tell me, you haven't taken an hour of sleep yet, huh?" Yongsun remembers telling Byul, tip toeing in front of the latter as she said it. She remembers thinking of wrapping her arms around Byul's neck, but she didn't want a lot of people turning their heads in disapproval to their direction, especially because they're in front of their university's main building. Yongsun settled for a peck on Byul's cheek instead, which surely left Byulyi with widened eyes.

“It’s okay, I’m fine as long as I see you,” Byulyi replied, her lips as she tried to compose herself.

"Why? You want to sleep with me?" She remembers Byul added joking at her, swinging her left arm to wrap it around Yongsun as the latter dragged the both of them to a place Yong was thinking was empty at that time.

However, Byul’s words left Yongsun more surprised, as red as the hoodie she had that day. She took a sip of her coffee to hide her embarrassment, slowly sliding her other arm to Byul's waist.

Yongsun thinks Byulyi figured out she was embarrassed, because the younger pulled away for a bit to take a peek on her face. Byulyi wasn't wearing her glasses that day, so although it was a very small time, Yongsun swore she saw the way Byul's eyes shine the moment they met gazes, and she melted upon Byul's warm looks.

"Ah, you're so cute!” Byulyi exclaimed, pulling Yongsun in a tight half hug, which meant she sort of headlocked Yongsun. “I love you,” Byul whispered to Yongsun, but the shorter replied with a grunt and a few slaps on Byul’s arms.

Yongsun swears she wanted it to happen again, nonetheless.

“When will you stop doing that to me?” Yongsun groaned, fixing her hoodie, but shortly returned her arm to Byul’s waist. “Come on, let’s go to the library,” Yongsun continued, but Byul made a turn into one of the buildings’ corners and had her both arms pinning Yongsun on the wall.

“Unless I die, I’ll never stop saying I love you, though,” Byulyi said, voice deep, lidded eyes staring straight at Yongsun, to which Yong gulped. The next second they both found themselves inches away from each other, foreheads touching, eyes locked at each other. With that, Yongsun did not waste even a second to close the gap. She felt Byul smile against her, a hand creeping slowly on her waist, the other on her neck, so she took it as a signal and put her own arms around Byulyi’s neck, careful not to spill her coffee.

Yeah, Yongsun thought, though she never thought of anyone dying that time, unless anyone dies.

It was a bit too slow and a too passionate kiss. Note: too much, too much for college students making out on a small alley in their university. Anyone passing by would’ve thought the two were ready to undress anytime. Fortunately for them, it was Seulgi and Joohyun who saw them; though no one can say anyone was happy about it.

The crack on a small branch littered on the ground was enough to stop the two, with Yongsun throwing her coffee a few feet away from the both of them at the exact moment she heard the twig. It was Joohyun who did it, who looked so annoyed more than ever. Yongsun immediately pulled her hands to herself, looking at everything but the two, she could tell Byulyi was startled herself but the arm on her waist stayed where it is.

“So, uh… Heading for your next class, guys? I was gonna walk unnie to her next class too,” Byulyi claimed, clearing before doing so and leading the both of them near Seulgi and Joohyun. Joohyun rolled her eyes at that.

“Yeah, next class yourself, Byul. It’s ing six. Let’s just go home now, shall we?”

Seulgi smirked.

“I think Byul unnie’s studying something else, Hyun unnie.”

Yongsun wanted that day to end quickly as she turned into a darker shade of red.

The 29-year-old Yongsun now, however, would never want that day to ever end.

She woke up to the sound of Joohyun and their friend Seulgi talking not very far away from her and Wheein. Though all she can feel from her whole body was in pain, she tried to find Hyejin with her eyes, waking up Wheein when she placed her cold cup of coffee down on her side. There with Joohyun and Seulgi was Hyejin and Byulyi’s sister. She caught Hyejin’s eyes, but chose to look away to watch Byulyi by the window.

“Unnie, do you want something?” Wheein asked her, voice low. She felt Wheein’s hands press hers slightly, but she doesn’t bulge. She was lost in her thoughts, in her world, mind filled with only Moon Byulyi.

Surprisingly, she wasn’t crying. Not a tear was pouring out of her eyes, wetting her cheeks, or blurring her vision. She was rather… empty, somehow confused. Slowly, she stood up to walk over the window that separates her and Byulyi, Wheein following her soon after. Wheein didn’t know what to do.

“Yongsun-ah…” She heard Joohyun call her, but she gave no acknowledgement. She felt someone wrap their arms from her back, but she felt colder. She could feel eyes staring expectantly at her, but not once did she want to see anyone that moment. She heard a stifled sob, then another, then another and another and then she heard Hyejin excuse herself in a muffled, raspy voice, but she couldn’t possibly care less. She was motionless, just helplessly watching over Byulyi and she knew that but she couldn’t and she didn’t want to move. The hall was noisy now, but all she could hear was the slow beating of her heart.

“Please don’t die,” Yongsun whispered softly, hoping Byul would wake up from her brain death, hoping she would wake up from her nightmare.

“Please. Don’t die,” she repeated, hoping to get a reaction from Byul, but all she saw were her friends’ mourning eyes reflected on the mirror, and all she got as a response was Joohyun’s soft voice calling her name and wetting her cloth as her friend tightened her hug.

Not a single movement from Byulyi lying lifelessly on the bed across from her.