The same apartment.

The same bed.

The same loveseat.

The same night view.

The same… Kwon Seobang.

Jessica fought hard to stay awake. It didn’t matter how tired she had been after that eventful day, she didn’t want to sleep if it meant taking her eyes off the girl lying beside her.

“I wonder if you know how much I love you.”

Yuri raised both her hands up in the air. “This much?”

Jessica smiled and spread Yuri’s arms further apart. “Hmmm… Definitely more than this.” she pondered for a moment, and then stretched them even further, sprawling Yuri’s arms over both ends of the bed.

“Much better.” Jessica stated.

“Uncomfortable, Sica baby.”

Yuri’s comment caused quite an uproar. “You just called me Sica baby!” Jessica exclaimed in joy as she pounced on top of the tanned girl, not helping with her situation.

“Did I use to address you in that way?”

Jessica nodded frantically, emphasizing her delight.

"Well it's a good name, my Sica baby. But uhh... uncomfortable..." Yuri groaned.

"Too bad for you. And…" Jessica gently slapped Yuri on her shoulder upon remembering that she had a score to settle. “Why were you all awkward to me this morning?”

Yuri looked away immediately. “No I wasn’t!”

“You did. You were fine all morning till Sunny talked about Sooyoung.” Jessica sat up and crossed her arms. “Come clean, Kwon Yuri.”

“I…” Yuri pouted. “Do I make you laugh?”

“Ohhh…” Jessica understood immediately. “My little jealous seobang.”

Yuri frowned. “So Sooyoung’s the funniest person in your life?”

“Yes.” Jessica replied without hesitation.

It made Yuri uncomfortable again. She lay on the bed, arms still outstretched, drowning in that bottomless pit of green called Jealousy.

“But…” Jessica lay back on top of Yuri and went on to say, “No matter how good Funny is, it can't compare to the feeling that Happy gives me. And there’s only one person who can make me Happy.”

Yuri chuckled a little, but soon found herself unable to contain her happiness; letting it manifest into uncontrollable laughter.

Jessica Jung is a cheeseball…

Jessica laughed along after Yuri’s contagious laughter had gotten to her. “Are you that happy?”

“Yes, I am that happy being your Happy.” Yuri chuckled and wrapped her outstretched arms around the blonde. “Why isn’t my happy Sica baby sleeping yet? It’s not like you to stay up.”

Jessica became solemn. Inhaling deeply, she admitted, “I’ve been getting nightmares.”

Yuri chuckled. “Cucumbers again?”

“Of the accident.”

Somewhere inside Yuri, the lights had blacked out and the world had turned dark. The clinging fear that someone had tried to murder her was now coming back and hitting her full force.

“I hate him, Yuri. I can never forgive him for what he’s done.”

Yuri fell silent as the waves of uncertainty hit her again and again. What would happen on a second attempt? How many times could a person cheat death? At the back of her head, she couldn’t shake off the intense worry for the unpredictability of the situation ahead, as well as the equally intense fear of not being able to see Jessica again should anything untoward happen.

Still, in order to be the ideal Kwon Seobang to Jessica, Yuri had concocted a few rules in her head.

Rule One: Jessica's needs above yours.

“Silly. They're just nightmares.” Yuri managed a smile and stroked Jessica’s hair. “Look. Aren’t you hugging Happy now? I’m right here, and perfectly strong too.”

"Perfectly strong?"

"Yes." Yuri proved her point by hugging Jessica even tighter.

“So you're just going to suffer in silence through those headaches? What am I to you?”

Rule Two: No secrets.

Jessica’s tone bothered Yuri a whole lot. She knew better than to upset Jessica any further. Inhaling deeply, Yuri finally gave in. “I’m sorry.”

“How bad are they?”

“It comes and goes. Sometimes it gets really bad, but usually they’re manageable.”

Jessica raised her head up and looked straight at Yuri’s face. “Tomorrow, I’m bringing you back to the hospital.”

Yuri stared at the face of the girl for several seconds, her chest tightening a little under Jessica’s sad gaze. This was just another thing to be added into the list of worries. Truthfully, Yuri was scared; she had had the feeling that the headaches were a sign of bad things to come, and thus had been reluctant to face the music, preferring to put it off and enjoy the days she had with Jessica as much as she could.

Rule Three: Make her happy.

But, Jessica was her world now and Yuri would do anything to please her. Nodding her head, she agreed with Jessica’s suggestion. “Don’t worry. I’ll be fine. In fact, the doctor might even chide us for wasting his time.” she joked, hoping to ease up the depressing atmosphere.

Rule Four: Be strong. Act if you have to.

Fortunately, Jessica had lightened up a little and attempted a slight smile. “Thank you for acting strong for me, Yuri. But you don't have to. I'm here for you.”

The dark place that Yuri was in was now illuminated with that little glimmer of light that Jessica brought. Just for a while, for now, while Yuri was at her most vulnerable, she allowed herself to depend on the girl beside her. She crept into the blonde's arms while the latter stroked her hair gently.

“You’ll be okay, Kwon Seobang.”
Yuri smiled in the girl’s arms, feeling the list of worries fritter away. “It’s no wonder I proposed to you. You're perfect, Sica baby.”

-----

Another morning.

The same apartment.

The same bed.

The same loveseat.

The same morning view.

The same… Sica baby.

A restless Yuri had got up early that morning for no reason. Fully washed up and with Ma juice in hand, she tried settling on the loveseat to enjoy her daily morning drink but found it hard to keep still.

Effects of last night… she giggled as she got off the loveseat.

Strolling through the apartment, she stopped by the bedroom door and took a long look at the figure on the bed. She smiled as she observed the girl's sleeping face, proudly reminding herself that that pretty girl on the bed was her girlfriend.

Rule Five: Take a few minutes everyday to savor the girl's pretty face.

The next stop of her stroll was Jessica’s enormous bookshelf. She sipped on her Ma juice with one hand and used her other to go through Jessica’s endless library of novels; a bulk of them being romance.

"I guess this explains why Sica’s such a cheeseball..." Yuri muttered under her breath.

With a finger running past book after book, she stopped upon noticing a particular box stashed inconspicuously at the bottom of the shelf. The box wasn’t anything special, but the fact that its familiarity brought back the dreadful headaches had garnered her attention.

“Gawd…” Yuri groaned as she rubbed her head. She was even more curious to open the box now despite the possibility of experiencing severe pain thereafter. Retrieving the box from the shelf, she placed it on the table and lifted its lid.

Yuri’s suspicions were right. It was a Pandora’s box of evil headaches being unleashed as soon as it was opened.

However…

It also contained the bittersweet letters from Jessica throughout the years; solid, hard evidence that documented everything that they’ve been through. Yuri took the time to go through all of them in detail, rereading several of them just so she could experience that part of their love story she couldn’t remember.

She had teared up, and she felt an immense sympathy and indebtedness to Jessica for the suffering she had undergone the past few years.

Rule Six: Never hurt Jessica again.

Argh… It seems to be getting worse. Yuri rubbed her temples in a futile effort to ease the pain. Gritting her teeth through the ordeal, she continued fumbling clumsily with the contents in the box, still wanting to satisfy her curiosity.

Her fingers caught onto a piece of rubber. Picking it up, she smiled brightly when she saw the numbers “22” and “21” on the little eraser.

I remember this... From the first few days of high school…

But the sound of the doorbell had cut short her thought process. Stuffing the eraser into her pocket, she hurriedly got up from her chair and proceeded with heavy steps to the door.

Little did she know that that piece of wood was the barrier that separated her from the man who was responsible for her current state, responsible for her tumultuous relationship with Jessica, and responsible for the unnecessary amount of pain that had rained on them all these years.

Yuri observed the man for a while, feeling the pain in her head escalate to higher levels. “Hello… Who are you looking for?”

“Yuri?” the man asked. “Don't you recognize me?”

“No…” Yuri struggled to say as she grabbed her head in pain. “Who… are you?”

“Are you okay?” the man stepped into the apartment and asked in concern.

“Who… are you…?” she asked again, keeping the man at arm's length and wary of letting strangers into her apartment. Eventually, the headaches got worse, forcing Yuri to drop down in excruciating pain.

“Yuri!” The man immediately got down to help Yuri back up. Observing the girl for a moment, he said, “You need a doctor now.”

“Get the hell out of our house.”

Sica…

“Yuri needs a—“ but before he could alert Jessica to the urgency of the matter, she had walked forward and pushed him away.

“Get out!” Jessica reiterated as she held onto Yuri, stumbling a little when the girl’s deadweight tumbled on her.

“Yuri? Yuri!!”

It was then when she noticed that something was amiss. The girl had fallen unconscious.

Mr Jung walked back towards the two girls and forcefully tugged Yuri away from his daughter. Carrying the tanned girl on his back, he turned to a helpless Jessica and said, “Call 911. I’ll carry her downstairs while we wait for the ambulance.”

-----

The estranged father and daughter stood outside the apartment building, anxiously listening out for the wailing sounds of the ambulance siren. There was nothing in Jessica’s mind now except for Yuri’s welfare. She didn’t even care about the fact that the man she abhorred was next to her, and carrying the girl she loved on his back at that. She stood by the road, panicking as she waited for the ambulance.

It came shortly after. Jessica watched helplessly as the paramedics attended to Yuri and hoisted her onto the stretcher, before wheeling her into the ambulance.

Yuri…

“My car's nearby.” Mr Jung said as he began walking over to the parking lot. “I’ll drive behind the ambulance.”

Without hesitation, Jessica followed closely behind her father. Panicking so hard that she could hardly breathe, she merely sat at the passenger seat as soon as she had entered the car and never said a word.

As they drove on to keep up with the ambulance, the man watched his daughter slowly crumble by the second, as her look of helplessness transitioned to one that screamed despair. When the dam finally broke, she began bawling uncontrollably, gasping for air and clutching at her chest. Still, she never took her eyes off the ambulance; no matter how the tears stung her eyes, no matter how they blurred her vision. She would continuously wipe them away with her fingers.

There was little Mr Jung could do to alleviate the suffering she was going through, but as a father, as a man who wanted to make amends, he handed her a napkin and spoke up. “Don’t worry; we’re reaching the hospital soon.”

She didn’t respond in any way, which came as no surprise to Mr Jung. Trying not to be disheartened, he focused on driving, making sure that he stayed close to the ambulance; the one thing he knew not to lose, else his daughter would crumble.

However, as cruel as fate would have it, traffic came to a standstill at some point. All cars lined up along Seoul’s streets in stagnancy.

“What’s going on?” Jessica asked.

“Wait here.” Mr Jung said as he unbuckled his seat belt and exited the vehicle.

Nevertheless, Jessica didn’t listen to the man. She exited the vehicle right after him and ran towards the ambulance that had stopped right in front of them.

“What’s going on??”

“There’s a massive car accident ahead. There’s no way we can get pass this in the next 20 minutes.” One of the paramedics explained.

“Then just turn around!! Make a detour or something!” Jessica requested frantically.

“It’s a one-way road, Miss. It’ll be too dangerous. And don’t worry; Miss Kwon’s case is non-emergent.”

“But…”

“Let her out of the ambulance.” Mr Jung spoke up. “The hospital is just 3 blocks away. I’ll carry her there.”

“Sir, we’ll be able to get to the hospital within the next 20 minutes. Bringing her there yourself will just make a difference of 5 minutes at most. I suggest you wait till they clear it up.” the paramedic urged.

“Open the doors now.” Mr Jung stated coldly.

The paramedic sighed at the man’s request. “Okay.”

Jessica’s eyes lit up a little as she saw Yuri again; the little hopefulness she desperately struggled to derive from seeing the girl's face, amidst all the darkness she was in.

The paramedics helped the unconscious girl onto her father’s back. “Don’t worry, Jess. We’ll get her to the hospital now.” the man began running ahead, with Jessica tagging along behind him.

Being a man of his age and condition, Mr Jung was already breathless within the first few minutes. His chest tightened as he kept running, struggling to maintain his grip on the girl.

“I’m sorry… for everything…” he softly said to the unconscious girl on his back.

Step by step, he ran, feeling the sharp pain stab into his chest with every landing of each foot. Step by step, he swallowed the pain, bearing the physical discomfort and accepting it as his rightful punishment.

“Yuri… You better be okay… I need you to take care of my daughter.”

-----

“We’ll take it from here, Sir.” the nurses ran forward and attended to Yuri immediately upon seeing the man.

Jessica watched as the nurses wheeled Yuri to one of the wards, slightly alleviated that Yuri was at least in the hands of the doctors now. Taking a while to catch her breath from all that running, she turned around with the intention to thank her father,

but the man had collapsed. He lay on the floor; gasping for air and drenched in sweat.

“Dad!!” Jessica ran forward and attended to her father in a split second. “Somebody, help!!”

-----

“I need you to take care of my daughter…”

“Sica…” Yuri groaned as she opened her eyes slowly, adjusting to the bright lights of the hospital ward.

“You’re awake??” the familiar comforting voice of the blonde resonated in her ears. It was a great thing to wake up to.

“Hey beautiful.” Yuri smiled and turned to look at Jessica who was lying beside her. She noticed her reddened eyes and flushed cheeks almost immediately. “Am I at the hospital again? I made you cry again, didn’t I?” she said as she stroked Jessica's cheek gently.

Jessica shook her head and hugged the tanned girl tightly, tears falling from her reddened eyes.

Yuri brought up a hand and stroked the girl’s beautiful locks as the latter cried in her arms. “Silly. I’m fine.”

“You’re not… You collapsed…” Jessica shook her head and cupped the girl’s face, tears continuously flowing down her cheeks and leaving wet patches on Yuri's hospital gown.

“Yuri… There’s a blood clot in your brain… The doctor says you’ll need surgery…”

Yuri wasn’t taken aback by the news. She had known all along that the headaches weren’t a good thing. Clenching a fist hidden underneath the blanket, she forced a smile through her quivering lips and said, “Then surgery it shall be.” She used her other hand to grab Jessica’s firmly.

"It's brain surgery, Yuri... The risks--"

“It’ll be okay." Yuri reassured the girl, refusing to let her delve in any negativity. "I'll be fine. And silly, I thought you were gonna be my pillar of strength. So why is my pillar of strength still crying?"

Jessica put up her best fight against the wave of fear with Yuri's reassurance. But it was hard. The tears just wouldn't stop.

"Come here, Sica baby." Yuri pulled Jessica closer to her and brought a hand up to stroke Jessica's cheek. "When all this is over...”

Jessica stopped sobbing for a moment and kept her eyes on Yuri’s earnest gaze, bracing herself for the words that Yuri was about to say next.

“After the surgery, I’ll marry you.”

-----

The man sat up in his bed, gazing out of the window and pondering on the incident earlier.

She called me Dad just now, didn’t she?

The sound of the door to his ward opening garnered his attention. His eyes lit up as the familiar blonde haired girl stepped into the room.

“Jess?” he removed his oxygen mask.

The blonde made her way closer to her father’s bed. “How are you feeling?” she asked, albeit coldly, without looking at the face of the man.

Mr Jung smiled. The presence of his daughter was already more than he could ask for. “I’m alright. How’s Yuri?”

Jessica looked down, lips quivering, eyes filling up with tears. “She needs surgery, because she has a subdural hematoma. Do you know what that is? A blood clot in her head.” Jessica struggled to say, “That was left by the accident.”

Mr Jung remained silent as his daughter threw bombs of hostility and blame towards him again and again.

“It’s all because of what you did.”

The man looked down, not knowing what to say. An infinite amount of apologies wouldn’t even constitute for anything. He was starting to worry that his daughter would never forgive him.

“I’m only here because Yuri told me to.”

Mr Jung looked back up at his daughter, who was now looking at him straight in the eye. “She told me to give you a chance, despite everything that you’ve done.”

Mr Jung’s uncharacteristic silence throughout gave Jessica the reassurance she needed. She knew that he had indeed, been doing soul-searching. Walking towards the door, she stopped and took a deep breath, preparing herself to say what she had meant to in the first place.

“Thank you for carrying Yuri to the hospital.”

Mr Jung smiled as he watched his daughter leave the room.

“Thank you, Yuri.”

-----

“Ahh... My gorgeous wife is back.” Yuri smiled as she watched the blonde enter the ward.

Rule Seven: Flatter your wife. It's free.

Jessica smiled through her teary eyes upon hearing the sensitive “wife” word as she crawled up onto Yuri’s bed. “Looks like I’ll be spending the night on a hospital bed with you again.” she muttered as she made herself comfortable under the covers.

Yuri put an arm over Jessica’s shoulder as the latter leaned in. “I’m not complaining. Any bed with you on it is a good bed.”

Jessica cupped Yuri’s face with her hands and smiled. “Keep flattering your wife like that, and see what that gets you.”

Looking into the Jessica’s eyes for several seconds, Yuri leaned forward and engaged her wife in a long awaited kiss. Though brief, Jessica’s visit to her father had left Yuri longing for the girl.

She was beginning to feel afraid.

“The surgery’s scheduled for tomorrow, Sica baby.” Yuri delivered the news. She could see the blonde’s eyes grow sadder upon hearing it.

“Don’t worry.” Yuri embraced the girl into her arms and maintained her strong front. “Brain surgeries are common. I’ll be fine.”

Jessica nodded, holding back the tears in her eyes. “You have to, Yuri... You have to. You cannot leave me again.”

Yuri chuckled and patted the girl on the head. “Silly.” she managed to say, withholding the unsettling fear that resonated throughout her body. She knew she had to be strong for the girl in her arms, despite how increasingly hard it was becoming. “Of course I will. I still have years to serve under Sergeant Sica.”

Rule Eight: Jessica loves a Kkab Yul anytime.

Jessica laughed a little as she gave Yuri a peck on the cheek.

There was a knock on the door before it opened.

“Ahhh. My two best friends in the entire universe.” Yuri smiled as the two tall girls made their way in and walk towards Yuri’s bed, faces stern.

“Aww, c’mon. It’s not like I’m dying." Yuri whined.

The two girls stood by Yuri's bed, still silent.

"Hey hey. Don’t you dare hold that thought in your heads. It’s equivalent to cursing me.” Yuri scolded.

Sooyoung scoffed and shook her head while Yoona bit on her lip, teary eyed. “Kwon Yuri. You better live through this. Or else.” Sooyoung joked as she raised a fist.

“She’s right. Or else.” Jessica held up a fist in Yuri’s face as well.

Yuri laughed and flashed her dorkiest smile as she grabbed Jessica’s hand. “Of course, of course. I’m officially scared of the fists.”

“Yuri…” Yoona started sobbing as she leaned forward to hug the tanned girl.

“YA Im Yoona. I’m not dying.” Yuri emphasized again as she gently knocked Yoona on the top of her head.

“I know… But…” Yoona sobbed, unable to go on.

Sooyoung sighed and scratched her head. “Weakling. Can’t you put on an act at least? You graduated with a degree in theatre for godssakes!”

With her last bit of effort, Yoona broke off the hug, gritted her teeth and stopped herself from crying.

“There, better.” Sooyoung patted the girl on her head.

“Choi Sooyoung.” Yuri began, garnering the latter’s attention. “Do me a favor, and confess to Sunny.”

Sooyoung went all red at Yuri’s comment. “W-why. I’m not the one she’s interested in.”

Yuri shook her head and sighed at her best friend. “You can be so thick sometimes, Sooyoung.”

“What do you mean?”

“Just do it, okay? No more questions.” Yuri stated.

Sooyoung frowned, confused. “This is your weirdest request ever, Kwon Yuri.”

-----

That night, Yuri stayed awake, refusing to succumb to fatigue. As for Jessica, a night of crying had taken its toll, and she had fallen soundly asleep in Yuri's arms.

“I might not see you again after tomorrow.” she teared up as she brushed her hand through Jessica’s hair over and over again. “If I don’t survive through this, take good care of yourself on my behalf okay?” she whispered as she kissed the top of the girl’s head.

Yuri held the blonde closer to her, feeling an overwhelming sense of fear of not being able to see the girl again. For tonight, while Jessica lay asleep, Yuri dropped her act. She cried hard, allowing that fear to take over her senses. For tonight, she would lose herself in Jessica's arms, she would savor the girl's face, she would be overwhelmed by her strawberry scent, and she would indulge in the luxury of holding her to sleep like it was the last night in her life.

It was painful, it was scary, and it tore repeatedly at Yuri's heart.

And then there was the little silver lining.

Yuri had spotted the little eraser on the bed stand, and it brought a little smile to her face. That little piece of seemingly insignificant rubber that had been there from the beginning, bore the best witness to their love story. It didn't matter that Yuri couldn't remember. That little eraser did. Jessica did.

Rule Nine: Jessica Jung is the best thing that could ever happen to you.

“I love you, Jessica Jung Sooyeon. Always have, always will.” Yuri whispered in Jessica's ears as the girl shifted a little in her sleep.

There was a gentle knock on the door. Gazing upwards to see who it was at this hour, Yuri smiled at the person who had slowly entered the ward.

“You shouldn’t be up, Mr Jung.”

The man inched towards the bed quietly. “Yuri, you're awake?”

Yuri smiled, quickly wiping the tears in her eyes. “Don’t worry. Sica’s sound asleep.”

Mr Jung laughed a little. “As she always is, eh?”

“Yea…” Yuri said as she looked down at the blonde.

“I came here to apologize.” Mr Jung began. “Everything that has happened has been entirely my fault. I was wrong, and I can never do enough to make amends, but I will never stop trying.”

Yuri shook her head. “It’s okay, Mr Jung. What matters is that you’re in the YulSic Army now, right?”

The man was over the moon with Yuri's magnanimity. He laughed, nodding his head. “You are really something, Yuri. You know that? I've always liked you.”

Yuri laughed along, feeling more than happy about being on good terms with her future-in-law. "Ahh. I see you've fallen for my charms too, Mr Jung."

"I sure did." the man laughed heartily, something that he hadn't experienced in a while. “Thank you. For fighting for Jess.”

“Come here.” Yuri said, raising her other arm out. Mr Jung did as she asked, and the next thing he knew, Yuri had pulled him in for a group hug, taking him by surprise. He grinned and patted Yuri’s back, whilst hugging her and his asleep daughter.

“Yuri, Yuri. You better be okay. I need you to take care of this stubborn girl.”

“I will, Dad.” Yuri smiled cheekily.

-----

The hospital.

The crowded ward.

The familiar faces.

Jessica Jung.

“My dear Yuri, all ready for the operation? Do you know that they’ll literally drill through your skull cap to get to your brain??” Sunny exclaimed, much to Jessica’s disgust, who narrowed her eyes at the shorter girl.

“We don’t need your gory details, thanks.” Jessica stated.

Sunny pouted. “But it’s a fact. And I bet Yuri will look great with short hair. Charming and handsome… Oh my...”

Yuri laughed when she noticed Jessica and Sooyoung’s murderous glares. “Why of course. I’m tall, dark and handsome.” she joined Sunny in inflating her ego.

“Still in the mood to joke around, huh?” Taeyeon entered the ward and walked over to the bed, dragging along a teary-eyed Tiffany.

“Of course. I have a name to live up to, you know.” Yuri replied.

“KKAB YUL!!!”

Yuri sighed as she recognized the loud booming voice immediately. “Yep, I was referring to that... name.”

The lady stomped into the ward and cupped Yuri’s face. “My kkab Yul… When the surgery is over, Mommy’s going to cook you your favorite food okay?” she said, smothering kisses all over the girl’s face.

“Aww... Mom! Stop! Everyone's here...” Yuri begged. The laughter in the ward only served to make her even more embarrassed.

“There, there.” Mr Kwon said as he pulled his wife back. “YA Dr Kwon. Be strong, survive through this and make us proud. Got it?”

Yuri smiled and nodded, before pulling both her parents in for a big hug. Of course, along with Jessica who never left the hospital bed.

"Ahh. My happy family.” Yuri chirped at her complete family unit.

“Sorry I’m late!” a voice came from the door.

“You came!” Yuri exclaimed as her parents broke off the embrace.

“Of course I would.” Hyomin walked over and smiled at the couple huddled on the bed. “I pushed back my schedule today to support you.”

“Thank you.” Yuri said, noticing the girl’s reddened eyes. She instantly knew the real reason as to why Hyomin was late; after all, it was a brain surgery that Yuri was up against.

“Thank you.” Jessica followed after, pleasantly surprising Yuri.

“Now that’s my good wife.” Yuri teased and patted the blonde on her head.

“It’s time for Miss Kwon’s surgery.” The nurse who entered the ward announced. The mood in the ward seemed to have dampened suddenly. Everyone became quiet.

“Awww, guys for the umpteenth time!! I’m not dying!!” Yuri declared. "Everyone, come here."

Everyone lightened up a little at Yuri’s comment, and then gathered around Yuri’s bed. The tanned girl smiled as she took a good look at her little circle of people; the greatest people that was more than anything she could ask for.

Yuri braced herself as she began her little speech. “Before I go in, I have something to say to everyone.”

She turned to the blissful couple first. “TaeNy, you two have the most stable and perfect relationship ever. You make everyone out there jealous. Even me." Yuri joked. "Have a happy marriage, okay?”

Taeyeon and Tiffany nodded. “We will, Yuri.” Taeyeon replied.

A face full of tears, Tiffany walked forward and held Yuri’s hand. “When you're better, we'll have a cook-off contest between you and Tete okay?”

"Can't wait to beat Taengoo."

"YA, don't be too cocky." Taeyeon responded.

"Fine, fine." Yuri giggled before turning to the next person.

“Sunny, you’re the wisest and coolest person I’ve ever met, but please, stop using that to your advantage.”

Sunny nodded, understanding the hidden meaning behind Yuri’s message.

“And also, continue being a good assistant to my wife.” Yuri added.

“Why are you talking like you’re at your deathbed?!” Sooyoung scolded with Yoona already sobbing in her arms.

“Just let me finish.” Yuri stated; her tone a lot less cheerful than before. The room had also gone back to its previous solemn atmosphere.

“Mom and Dad, you are the best parents anyone can have. Live to a ripe old age and continue loving each other, okay?”

“My silly daughter, I’m sure you’ll be able to witness that.” Mr Kwon struggled to say as he put an arm over Mrs Kwon who was already rendered speechless with tears. There were no more façades, no more strong fronts, just raw emotions.

Yuri nodded and smiled, knowing she was the only one left to maintain a strong front. “Minnie, I know how important your career is to you, but don't neglect your love life. I really hope you'll find someone."

Hyomin was sobbing uncontrollably by now, with her head hanging down. Bracing herself, she raised her head back up and managed a smile; the same “creepy” smile which Yuri fondly remembered.

“Yoong, you may be the youngest out of us but we can’t take care of you forever. Someday, you'll need to be the one taking care of others. And, your special someone is somewhere out there, just waiting to meet you. So stop fretting about being a third wheel.”

“Yuri…” Yoona sobbed uncontrollably as she leaned down to hug Yuri. “After your surgery, we’ll go out and have fun like the good old days, okay? I promise I won't bail out on grocery shopping anymore. And I'll do my chores--” she paused and choked on her tears.

Yuri patted the girl's back to comfort her. “Sure sure.”

Turning to the tallest girl in the room, Yuri shot her a stare. “And you, cut down on your food intake. If you can’t, at least eat healthy. And also…” Yuri slightly gestured in Sunny’s direction with her eyes. “You know what to do.”

The usually prideful Sooyoung was bawling in everyone’s view. With a last bit of effort, she forced herself to swallow the tears and shoot a glare at the girl on the bed. “I will, Yuri. I promise.” she said solemnly.

“And lastly…” Yuri turned to the girl beside her. “My Sica baby…”

Jessica looked up and with both hands, cupped Yuri’s face. The tears were already streaming down the latter’s face.

“I love you, I love you, and I love you.” Yuri said.

Jessica nodded, smiling. “I know, Kwon Seobang.” she said before leaning in to kiss the girl on the lips; a deep, long, and warm kiss that they spoke of the immense fear they both shared.

“I love you forever, Kwon Yuri.” Jessica said. “I’ll be waiting for you to marry me.”

Yuri smiled as she gazed deep into the girl’s reddened eyes. “Can’t wait.”

Taking a final good look at everyone in the room, Yuri made another attempt at a dorky smile.

TaeNy

Sunny

Mom and Dad

Minnie

Yoong

Sooyoung

and…

Jessica Jung.

“I’m ready.” she told the nurses, who proceeded to wheel the bed out of the ward. The gang followed along behind.

“Yuri ah! We’ll see you later!!” Yoona screamed as the bed trailed down the hallway.

Yuri smiled and swallowed her tears as she raised a thumbs up to the gang.

-----

Jessica held tightly onto Yuri’s hand, following beside the bed as it made its way to the operating theatre; the warmth from their intertwined fingers bringing about a slight sense of comfort.

It was albeit too short a journey.

“Sorry Miss, you can’t enter beyond this point.” the nurse told Jessica.

With much reluctance, Jessica kissed Yuri just one more time and then stared straight into her eyes for several seconds.

"Yuri..."

The voice of Jessica saying her name became something that Yuri missed all of a sudden. The girl’s face, her scent, the way she looked at Yuri, all became memorable bits of the dreadful departure that was imminent.

It was killing Yuri to leave Jessica. It was killing Jessica to leave Yuri.

Yuri bit on her tongue in a final attempt to prevent the tears from spilling. Pulling the blonde back down, she kissed her deeply, again and again and again, not wanting any kiss to be their potential last.

But inevitably, as with life always is, there would always be a last.

"Be strong, okay?" Yuri struggled to say.

When they finally parted, Jessica looked at the tanned girl lovingly.

“I’ll be waiting, Kwon Yuri.”

Yuri nodded, savoring Jessica’s face for the last few moments.

Rule Ten: To love Jessica Jung forever.

“I’ll see you later, Sica baby.” she reassured as their hands slowly parted.