❝don't tell me to stay

quiet anymore.❞

stronger

[hyeji stared at nothing

in particular as she

heaved out a sigh for

the umpteenth time today.]

[holding onto yet another

test paper-math test paper

to be exact-which had an 'A+'

marked on it.]

[well she worked hard

for it as she had scored

'B+' for physics test last time

and had gotten a 'warning'

from her mom to score

better.]

[but lately things

have been bothering

her. alot.]

[it has been a week

since jihye had stopped

coming to school.]

[no one knew the reason

except for hyeji.]

should i tell

mark about

her condition??

*glances back

at mark who

was drooling

from sleeping

with his mouth

wide open*

[not noticing donghyuck

who was creepily approaching

her, she fiddled with her pencil

while lightly doodling onto her

test sheet.]

"BOO!!"

"WHAT THE

HELL!!!"

[hyeji shrieked as her

pencil tip broke, and

bumping their foreheads

together.]

"*groan* owww

is your head made

out of steel or what?!"

"*hiss* shut up

doghyuck you

creep!!"

[donghyuck regains himself,

quickly snatching her paper

out of her grip.]

"heeEy give it

back!! there's

nothing rocket

science about it!!"

"tsk tsk you're a

big fat liar! you told

us that you prepared

nothing for the test and

here you are scoring the

same score as renjun."

"do you want

me to get skinned

alive from my mom

then?? huh? hUh? huH?"

"......"

"renjun.."

"what does renjun

have to do with

the topic we're talking

about??"

"you both look

cute when mad."

"i don't know if

that's a compliment

but thank-"

"-BUT i am cuter."

"go to hell."

"you aren't the

only one in the

class so i'd be

'glad' if you both

could lower your

volume."

"*aggressively

rolls eye*"

"a LitTlE

jeALoUsy~"

[hyeji teases with a

smirk etched on

the corner of her lips.]

"i. am. not.

jealous!!!"

"*dramatically

clutches her chest*

nAeGa aNin~"

"dALeuN saLaM

pPaNhi~"

"ChYeOdaBonEun

nUnbicH~ jEAlouSy~"

"oh my god!

shut up both

of you! you

sound like a

dying cat."

[renjun glares at her

but the slight blush

that creeped upto

his cheeks were left

unnoticed by both

donghyuck and hyeji.]

"jeAlOuSy-"

"what the hell

mark when did

you even wake

up?!?!?"

"*goes back to

sleeping and snores

out loud.*"

"oh wait.

nevermind."

[after a long tiring day

at school, they were

finally going back to

their home.]

"*clings onto

hyeji* yahhh~

why are you

ignoring jiji~"

"*visibly ignores

jaemin with a

tinge of redness

evident on her cheeks*

whatever."

*acts cute*

is it because

i accidentally

left nana at the

doggy care center??

hmm?? hmm??"

"damn. they are

acting like a couple."

"now look who's

jealous pfft."

"RENJUN IS~"

"*smacks donghyuck

with his book*"

"*glances at

renjun*"

"what are you

looking at!"

"excuse me?

i wasn't looking

at you???"

"you were!

and i saw it!!"

"i- jaemin!!

get off me!!"

"stop ignoring me!

i already brought

nana home yesterday

safe and sound."

"okay okay

fine just-

get off me

i'm feeling hot."

"excuse me?! i'm

the hottest amongst

us all that i even

put the sun on shame."

"i have literally

searched everywhere.

in my pocket, in my bag,

in my pencil case, everywhere!

but i don't even see from

where i've even asked

for your darn opinion so

shut up you fugly racoon."

"*dolphin scream*

HAHAHAHAHHAHA

DID YOU JUST SEE THE

LOOK ON DOGHYUCK'S

FACE?!? I SHOULD HAVE

CAPTURED IT IN MY

PHONE!!! SKSKSKKSKS!!"

"guys guys please

quiet down. people

are giving us weird

look as if we are abnormal."

"in this ganggang

no one is normal."

"i second that

with all my butt.

i'd say my heart

but my butt is

bigger than my

heart so yeah."

"okay!! *claps*

eyes on me!!"

[everybody diverts their

attention to the youngest

member, waiting for him

to continue.]

"how about we all

go to the amusement

park and have some

fun?? it has been so

long since we last

visited one plus hyeji

noona promised to

hang out with us and

not just with *glances

at jaemin* you know who."

"whaaAt how is it

my fault that i wanted

to go on a date with hyeji

and plus, a date isn't-"

"yeah yeah we know

a date isn't a date with

more than two people

*scoffs loudly*"

"pfft! now look

whO is jealous."

"shut up if you

don't want to

have a taste of

my fist."

[as the bickering group

was about to cross the

road, hyeji stops them.]

"um...jisung i'm

sorry but today

i don't think

i can come along."

[the boys notices the

discomfort plastered

on her face.]

"oh...why??"

"is everything okay?"

"you can tell us

if something is

bothering you."

how am i suppose

to tell you about

jihye when she told

me not to tell you.

"i may be rude

sometimes-"

"*gasps* SOMETIMES???"

"okay fine!! i may be

rude all the time but

if anything is bothering

you, you can just tell it

to either of the boys but

i ain't listening to your

problematic shits."

"okay rude."

"are you busy or what?"

"i can even bring

nana along if that's

the case."

"guys guys! i just

remembered something

urgent and it's nothing

serious so go on without

me. i'll make sure to

hang out next time."

"awww that's a

bummer."

"it's okay noona

*smiles* priority

first."

[hyeji hugs jisung,

before waving at the

boys and running

off to the opposite

direction.]

[on her way till the

hospital, hyeji felt

like she was being

followed.]

[but she shrugged off

the weird feeling, as she

went inside the gigantic

building.]

"excuse me? do you

know where a patient

named shin jihye is at?"

[hyeji pants from running,

as she asks the female

receptionist.]

"*scans through

the list of name*

um..room number

107."

"thank you."

[hyeji immediately sprints

off, getting inside an elevator

nearby.]

[pressing onto the floor number,

she patiently waits.]

"she hasn't even texted

me since our last chat.

i just hope she's doing...okay."

[the elevator door opens.]

[hyeji wasted no time in

getting out as she immediately

sets off to finding the room.]

"104...105..

106...107. aha!!"

[but the moment she walks

into the room, her heart sank.]

"who might you

be??"

"i...um..."

"are you a friend

of my daughter??"

[hyeji bows at them,

nodding her head.]

"yes ma'am."

"um...can i have a

moment alone

with jihye??"

[the parents sighed, before

walking out of the room

leaving hyeji alone with

a pale looking jihye.]

"hey..."

[hyeji slowly approached

the sleeping figure.]

[all sorts of tubes were

connected to her body.

she had grown extremely

pale than she already was

before. jihye's eyes were

shut as she breathed through

the oxygen provided by the

oxygen mask placed over

her face.]

[she was barely alive.]

[and that sight tormented

hyeji. it hurt her.]

"hey...jihye...

it's me hyeji.."

"see? jihye, hyeji,

hyeji, jihye, our

names are quiet same,

funny right??"

[she joked in attempt

to wake her up.]

[hyeji lightly grabbed onto

her pale hand, kneeling

beside her bed.]

[jihye slightly moved her

finger, feeling the warmth

as she slowly yet weakly

opened her eyes.]

"hye..ji??"

"don't you think

we should let mark

know about this???"

[jihye weakly shook

her head, indicating

a no.]

"no....i don't

want to bother

him anymore."

"but-"

"i don't think

i can even survive

at this rate. i'm

too weak to even

undergo a surgery.

i'm going to die anyway."

"don't say that!"

"hyeji-ah..."

"hmm?"

[hyeji shifts closer

to jihye as she

noticed her having

a hard time speaking.]

"you guys grew so

close in a short span

of time and i'm...

really happy that mark

has already found a

girl who's much better

than me.."

[it was getting hard

for hyeji to hold back

her tears.]

[seeing jihye in this

critical condition

churned her internals

in complete fear and sympathy]

[especially when she had

witnessed her own father

dying right infront of her

eyes while lying on the white

hospital bed.]

[the beep sound coming

from the heart moniter

indicating he was dead, that

he was gone for good,

torn her apart.]

[everything made her

heart sink once again

at the painful memory

that came flooding

into her mind.]

"i'm sorry."

"don't be...i'm

sorry for being

rude on your

first day at school."

"but hyeji-ah...can

you please promise

me one thing??"

"*smiles* sure."

"please be the girl

that i could never be

and treat mark better

than i ever did because

he honestly deserves

the whole universe."

"okay??"

[that was it. hyeji

couldn't hold it

anymore.]

"*nodds*"

[she finally bursts

into tears, letting it

flow down her cheeks.]

"i'm sorry for everything

i said before- i *hiccups*"

"shh don't be.

you did nothing

wrong so don't

be sorry hyeji."

[a tear rolls out of

jihye's eyes. she felt

hopeless.]

i don't want to

die. i don't want

to die.

"hyeji...i'm scared.."

i don't want to die.

"there might actually

be a way, right?? don't

be scared, okay? let's

just hope everything

will be fine, hmm??"

hoping won't

hurt me, right?

▆▆▆▆▆