The next day, Yoojin rushed to the hospital before Youngbin could corner her. When she stood over Sooho's body in the hospital bed, she broke down. She hated visiting the hospital, yet she had already been there twice that year. Once for Youngbin, which wasn't as bad, and now for Sooho, which was critical. They didn't know when or if he would wake up.

She didn't leave his side for hours. Before lunchtime, Youngbin came in to find his sister studying on Sooho's hospital bed.

"What are you doing here?" he asked with a sigh. "You should be at school. Come on, let's go."

"Not yet. I don't want to leave him all alone," Yoojin refused.

Youngbin stared at his sister, slumped next to the unconscious boy. He put his hand on her shoulder.

"Yoojin, is this what Sooho would want you to do?" the boy asked her.

She bit her lip, trying not to cry again. Even just thinking about Sooho not existing anymore was painful. But Youngbin was right – Sooho was a selfless person and would want her to live life to its fullest.

"No," she admitted. "But he's so lonely."

She looked up at her brother with sorrowful eyes, the kind that could rival Puss in Boots.

"I'll call Sieun, and he can stay here for a bit. You guys can take turns keeping him company. Just leave it to me and focus on yourself," Youngbin suggested.

He didn't want to talk to Sieun, but it was the only idea he could think of to make his sister go to school. That seemed to do the trick as Yoojin agreed. They took school off that day, but Yoojin just went to study in her room, avoiding her twin. Even though Youngbin didn't actively hurt Sooho, doing nothing was just as bad. Yoojin also tried to draw but her mind was blank, so she just studied like a robot.

The next day, she finally managed to go to school, and she somehow succeeded in avoiding Wooyoung for the first half. Yoojin decided to concentrate on herself for a while, even ignoring Sieun and Youngyi that week. During lunchtime, she hid in the art classroom. It was one of her go-to places when she needed to escape.

She sat in the middle, staring at her most recent painting – a nearly completed forest with a wandering girl. As always, Yoojin loved producing scenery and floral artworks. She was inspired by the way she could creatively express the emotions of flowers and how brush strokes could be so beautiful in their words. They were also usually very calming. 

Yoojin picked up the brush and continued the delicate lines of the trees. Wooyoung probably wouldn't come here but there had been a few instances when he'd sit with her and watch her paint during lunch. She smiled as she remembered his breath near her neck. In the old, beige art room filled with tables, chairs and canvases on stands, the paint brightened up the room. He had told her that her art was mesmerising, and she should go to an art school, instead of being a lawyer or doctor like her parents wanted. She even taught him how to draw a bit.

She shook her head, trying not to think about Wooyoung. That proved difficult when he entered the room, searching for someone. His gaze finally met Yoojin's. She didn't know what to do but she couldn't run away forever. Wooyoung did the wise thing and started with an apology.

"Yoojin, I'm sorry," he moved closer to her slowly. "I know I shouldn't have done that. I made a mistake. I didn't listen to you, and I betrayed your trust."

Yoojin carefully stood up, getting a better level to let it all out. Her gaze was hard, and her voice raised in emotion.

"I'm glad you know that you did wrong. Do you know what happened to Sooho? He's in the hospital right now. He could be," Yoojin sucked in a breath. "They don't know when or even if he'll wake up. You could be a murderer."

"I am not a murderer," Wooyoung almost shouted before lowering the end of the sentence.

He reeled in his anger, desperate for his girlfriend to believe in him. If the whole world hated him, he was fine with that – all he need was Yoojin to be on his side.

"You know I didn't do all that to him. He did the same damage to me as I did to him. After I kicked him last, he was still moving and talking – you saw that. It was Beomseok and the other guys who beat him up to that state," Wooyoung tried to persuade her.

"You still contributed to it!" Yoojin protested. "You could've helped stop it, but you didn't. I wanted you to be better than them."

"Maybe I'm not better than them."

"Is that what you're going with?" Yoojin asked hurt.

They stared at each other. The electricity that burned between them was different to their normal kind. Wooyoung knew he had to fix this.

"I'm sorry. What can I do to make it better?" he asked, moving closer to her.

"Wake Sooho up," Yoojin stated.

"I'm not a doctor," Wooyoung replied, willing to do anything else.

"I'm not someone who can always forgive you and your violence."

"I'm trying, okay?" the boy cried. "I'm trying so hard for you. I gave you some time alone."

Yoojin interrupted him, "You didn't even leave me alone for two whole days. I had to watch the thing that I hated most – you fighting and hurting yourself – with my own eyes. I don't want to be in pain all the time. It's too much stress and guilt for me."

Wooyoung hated where this was going. He stepped closer and held her hand, but she shook him off. The boy flinched. He wanted to brush that strand of hair out of her face. He wanted to hug her – but he restrained himself by clenching his fists.

"I think we should break up," Yoojin finally said the dreaded words.

His world came crashing down on him. Wooyoung needed Yoojin; she was his anchor, his sunshine and his camellia. She was the only person who could make him feel so happy and calm. She made him want to be a better person and without her, he feared that he'd resort to more illegal fighting. But she was beyond hurt.

"Please don't say that," Wooyoung begged. "I promise I won't beat people up like that anymore and I'll always listen to you. I need you."

"I can't trust you anymore."

Yoojin let a tear slip down. She didn't know what to do anymore. Wooyoung always knew how to make her feel better. He made her feel confident and loved – helping her break free from the pressures of her parents. Now, he was being influenced by the wrong people at clubs, at school and by his mother. They were still kids, young and immature. 'And first relationships hardly ever work out', Yoojin thought.

"I love you, Yoojin. Please, please, stay with me. I need you," Wooyoung was on the verge of tears. "Are you really going to throw away our special connection for Sooho?"

"This isn't about him. It's about us," Yoojin stated.

How could he make it right again? He couldn't. Yoojin saw things she never thought she would see; she was no longer the happy-go-lucky girl. Her wish and his promise were broken – cancelling each other out as fate decided to drag them through hell. Now, every time she looked at him, the scene of Sooho being beaten up replayed in her mind like a nightmare.

"I'm really sorry, Wooyoung. But I can't. I can't put myself through this anymore. I need some space for a while and it might be best if we break up," Yoojin tried not to choke on her words.

"It's not for the best. You know I didn't hurt him that much," he tried to negotiate.

"But you didn't stop the others. You didn't save him when you could've," Yoojin sighed. "Let me put myself first for once. I'm sorry, Wooyoung. It's over."

All that the boy could do was stare at her. "I'll always love you. Remember that. I'm not giving up. I never will."

Wooyoung wanted to kiss her and wipe her tears away, but he couldn't. He knew that the best thing right now was to give her space. Swallowing, he savoured looking at her beautiful face before walking out the room. It still hadn't hit him yet that they weren't together anymore. Wooyoung couldn't believe it; he wouldn't believe it. He trudged through the corridor, hoping he could save what they had soon.

Standing in the art room by herself, Yoojin finally let herself sink back into her chair. Her strong mask broke and her tears flowed out. She felt lonely, just like the girl in the forest she had painted. It was hard to believe that Wooyoung would betray her like that and not do the right thing, but she had to accept it. Yoojin threw the cup of dry paintbrushes across the room. Her heart was in pain. She was angry – angry at the world, at Beomseok, at herself and at Wooyoung.

Once her eyes had no more water left, she wiped her face and cleaned up the mess she made. She had no appetite and no will to paint, so she packed up and went to sleep in the classroom until the bell rang.

The next few days, Yoojin avoided Wooyoung and just hung out with Huiyeon and their other friends. She also visited Sooho a lot but hadn't seen or talked to Sieun and Youngyi since last time. Meanwhile, Youngbin felt guilty – he was keeping the secret that he hadn't told Sieun about Sooho yet. He was going to tell him soon as he promised, since he didn't want his sister to carry the burden of relaying the bad news. However, he wanted to do it after Yoojin's birthday he had been preparing, which was today.

The Sunday started off as a bright summer day – the perfect weather for all the plans Yoojin had made. But the girl was still curled up in bed, hiding from the sun like a vampire. She remembered that it was her first anniversary with Wooyoung – no, they didn't even make it to their first anniversary, and they weren't together anymore.

"Happy birthday, Yoojin!" Youngbin burst into her room excitedly. "Come on! Wake up!"

He threw the sheets off her small body, and she groaned.

"Give it back," she argued. "Let me sleep in. I stayed up late yesterday to study."

"Well, that's your own fault. The sun's up and we should go out. I made you breakfast. Mother and father already left for work, so get up," Youngbin said before exiting the room.

Yoojin shot up. Her brother made her breakfast? It had been a while since he last cooked for her. She climbed out of bed and opened her wardrobe. At the very front was the blue hoodie she bought last week. FML. She wanted to rip it up, but she probably wasn't strong enough. She wanted to throw it out, but it would be a waste of money. Then she wondered, would Wooyoung wear it today?

Shaking that thought out of her head, Yoojin put on a nice, purple summer dress. Next, her body moved automatically to her small jewellery box, and she opened it up. Her flower necklace from Wooyoung lay in the centre, waiting to be put on her neck. She bit her lip and closed the box. 'Not today', she told herself. As her gaze swept her room, it connected with the orchids in a vase on her desk. A present from Wooyoung on Valentines Day earlier that year. Why did everything remind her of him?

Yoojin quickly left the room, trying to erase the thought of the boy. She entered the dining room to see the table full of toast, eggs, ramen, seaweed soup and fruit salad.

"I wasn't sure if you preferred Korean or Western breakfast, so I prepared a bit of everything," Youngbin sheepishly admitted, disappointed that he didn't know his twin that well.

"That's alright. I like everything," Yoojin smiled gratefully.

They sat down and started eating. She tried the seaweed soup and complimented him on how nice it was. It was traditional for Koreans to eat seaweed soup for their birthday and Youngbin made it deliciously. He even gathered fruits, which she loved.

When they finished breakfast, Youngbin gave her a present. She gently took the big, white envelope.

"It's from me, Seokdae and Youngyi," her twin explained.

She thanked him and opened it up. Inside, it was a congratulations letter for an art academy along with its forms. Yoojin gasped, covering her mouth with her hand. It was the art academy she had always wanted to go to, and she'd been saving up for it for years – it costs hundreds of dollars.

"Youngbin..." the girl looked up at him, extremely touched. "How? When?"

"Yeah, sorry about that. I might've gone into your room and stolen some of your artwork to photocopy and submit," Youngbin grinned.

It was a well-known art academy and if you got in, you were practically guaranteed a spot in the best art high school and university. For the first time in years, Yoojin hugged her brother. He didn't like cheesy affection like this, but he let it go just this once. Her spirits were definitely lifting up and she was going back to being the happy girl she always was.

Next, Youngbin took her to the playground that they used to always visit. It was a big, grassy area surrounded by trees, and kids darted through the maze of colourful equipment. She wasn't a child anymore, but she loved to play like one. Releasing a cry of joy, she ran up the equipment and went down the slide.

"Wanna play hide and seek?" Youngbin asked.

"What? With just you and me?" Yoojin was confused.

Youngbin nodded with a shrug; just one round of her favourite childhood game. He told her to close her eyes and count to 60. Yoojin was suspicious but decided to go along with it and sat on the swing, closing her eyes. She might as well entertain him and the surprise he had prepared.

1, 2, 3...

She heard some shuffling in front of her.

...58, 59, 60.

She opened her eyes, blinking to adjust to the bright sun.

"Surprise!" a chorus of shouts bombarded her.

Standing in front of her was Huiyeon, Eunhye and two other girls from her school. They enveloped her in hugs and birthday wishes. Sharing laughs and presents, Yoojin enjoyed the time in the park. They played around and she could forget her worries, though it was a struggle trying not to wonder what Wooyoung was doing. Yet, he was doing the same – wondering what she was doing.

For lunch, the teenagers had Korean BBQ and then they went to do coin karaoke early. The day was short but perfect to make her feel better.

"Thank you, Youngbin," Yoojin said when they got home.

"No problem," her twin replied. "You know I'm always here for you when you need me. I know I'm not the best brother and I shouldn't have let last week happen, but I'll try and make it up to you. I won't bully anyone anymore, I promise."

Yoojin nodded, grateful for his apology. While their parents never cared for them, they were always there for each other growing up, and they would keep each other going strong and happy. Yoojin taught Youngbin that he shouldn't be like their parents and he should live with a kinder heart, so he'd try hard now. 

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Thank you for reading! I love you guys! It really means a lot to me. I loved writing this chapter too. What's your favourite kdrama? (Random question just to see if anyone will ever comment.)