"When you get a new heart, will I still be in there?" She says, barely a whisper. "Will I still be in that heart?"
"You're not just in my heart," Jeongguk replies truthfully. "You're in the blood flowing through my veins, you're in my mind, you're u...
"Imperfection is beauty, madness is genius and it's better to be absolutely ridiculous than absolutely boring."
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Carrying two plastic bags in his hands, Jeongguk shuffles down the hospital hallways. The walls that used to be grey and colourless in his eyes were no longer sad and gloomy. Instead, he found himself more comfortable being here now than he was about a week ago.
It's been a few days since the day they painted the walls of children's playroom. The memories of that night, running through the halls with the two people he can call his friends were one of the best things that has ever happened to him and he can't ever get it out of his mind. Perhaps, it's the only thing that's keeping that smile on his face for the past few days.
Yerim still visits him occasionally. Sometimes they'd go out to the rooftop and she'd tell him all sorts of lame jokes. All of them make him laugh equally hard until his stomach begins to hurt. Sometimes they'd spend their days sitting in each other's rooms eating cupcakes whatever sweets they can find in the cafeteria.
Jeongguk smiles even more.
His heart quickens as he stopped outside of room 202. He tiptoes a little to peep in through the small window on the door and when he detects no movement from inside, he slowly and quietly slides the door open.
The room is empty and Jeongguk doesn't know whether or not he should be surprised. After all, this is Park Yerim we're talking about. Of course, she wouldn't just sit still in her room. She'd be out and about every chance she had. Despite knowing this, Jeongguk can't stop the frown that's spreading across his face. He just hoped that by the time she comes back, the food wouldn't go cold.
He sets the two plastic bags down on the table at the side of the room and looks around. Her room is almost like his, except with more colour and a more cheerful aura. Just by stepping into this room, Jeongguk could basically feel the comfort radiating from its walls. Or maybe it's because it's Yerim. Maybe her presence touches not only hearts, but even the objects around her can't resist her charms.
Jeongguk paces around the room and sees a box under the bed; supposedly Yerim's hidden stash of milk boxes. He smiles to himself as memories of the first time Yerim had given him a box of strawberry milk. He'd found it so delicious that he spent about an hour drinking it, taking sip by sip really slowly just so he could savour the taste even longer.
He tries to resist the urge to take another one. Maybe he can ask Yerim for it later? But that would be shameless of him, wouldn't it?
His eyes then land on the nightstand beside her bed. Unlike the last time he visited her room, there's a photo frame sitting on top of it face down, as if Yerim was trying to hide the photo. Jeongguk knows that he's invading personal privacy, but he can't help but feel a little curious. And so he goes over and picks the frame up, observing the photo in it.
