i'll wait | hwabyul |

for

A series of vibrations from her phone woke Hyejin from her nap. She glanced over to check the caller ID, it was from a number she'd never seen before.
Who in the right of mind would call at three in the morning?

"Is this Ms Ahn Hyejin? This is Seoul National Hospital, and we'd like to inform you that patient Moon Byulyi is awake."

Hyejin could feel her heart beating faster and faster as as the cab whizzed its way to the hospital that she'd gone to every day in the last two weeks.

Yongsun and Wheein, too, had come down after being woken up by Hyejin's excited phone call at three in the morning.

Yongsun and Wheein went in first, with Hyejin following closely behind them.

She couldn't believe it. The girl who she'd been so worried about over the past fortnight was now right in front of her, twirling with her shoulder-length hair completely oblivious to the fact that she was in a hospital ward.

"Byulyi-ssi it's good to have you back! We were all so worried about you, especially Hyejin here, gosh, she visited you every single day," Wheein said, smiling brightly even though it was approaching four o'clock.

"We'll leave the two of you alone to talk, we're outside if you need anything!" Yongsun called out as they moved towards the exit.

"Byul-ah, I missed you. How are you? Did the doctor come just now? Are you feeling alright? It's really good to know that you're okay. Gosh, I missed you so much I don't think I can put it all into words." Hyejin grabbed the older girl's hand tightly, her eyes wet from her happy tears.

Byulyi picked up the letters on the table beside her bed, expressionless. Slowly, she leafed through them, only seeming to get more puzzled as she read.

"What's wrong, Byul-ah?"

Byulyi took in a deep breath. "Sorry Hyejin, what you're writing about in the letters, what we once had? I don't remember any of it."

Hyejin could feel the hot tears that threatened to fall. She struggled to hold herself together, which wasn't easy, given her heart which had just shattered into a million pieces like broken glass.

"It's okay, I understand. It's not your fault," she barely whispered as she turned around to leave the room.

This is all your fault, Ahn Hyejin, she thought as the tears streamed down her cheeks.