Title: Sacrifices

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     "hey hyun...did you seriously adopted another kitten?"

     "why not? i saw this lonely furball few blocks away from here earlier so i decided to take it here," hyunjin patted the kitten's head as it purred in satisfaction.

     "we have six cats living here now but...oh well," yejin muttered under her breathe.

     yejin sighed before an itching sensation in her throat surfaced, signaling the urge to cough. hyunjin rushed to her side and tenderly rubbed her girlfriend's back after coughing roughly.

     "yah, your coughs are getting severe. i told you we should go see a doctor," hyunjin scolded, eyes worriedly stare at yejin who was still coughing.

     "i told you, i'm fine. nothing to worry about, hyun," the girl reassured, another cough made its way out her throat. hyunjin snickered before giving yejin a light smack on the head, "your cough says otherwise."

     "i'm fine, really. just needs some rest and i'm all good!"

     she pinched the cat girl's cheeks, giving it a kiss when she saw her finger marked it red. "alright, head to bed then. i'll give you soup and medicine," hyunjin sighed.

     yejin saluted, marching her way to their bedroom before a sneezing sound could be heard throughout the house. This alarmed hyunjin, who gazed at yejin who was walking to their bedroom.

     "i'm fine!" yejin yelled, trying to calm the nervous hyunjin down.

     hyunjin went to the kitchen to get the ingredients for the soup she'll be making for her girlfriend, which she hopes would help her feel better.

     it has only been a few minutes when hyunjin finally finished making soup for yejin, rushing to the bathroom to get the medicine before heading back to the kitchen. she placed the soup on a tray along with a glass of water and a medicine.

     hyunjin walked gently inside their room, careful not to drop the plate she was carrying. she pushed open the door with her foot and peered inside, only to see an unconscious yejin on the floor and four cats blissfully resting on their bed.

     the cat girl's breath caught in her throat as she hastily set the tray down before running up to yejin— who seemed to have a swollen face, a red nose, and rashes covering her face.

     "oh my god—yah yejin! choi yejin wake up!" she yelled, lightly slapping her cheeks.

     the door suddenly went wide open when heejin arrived, "hey i heard screaming—oh my, wait here i'll call for emergency," the bunny hopped her way out again, calling for help.

     hyunjin's tears streamed down her face as she wailed while clutching yejin. an ambulance arrived in less than a minute and whisked yejin away to the hospital. hyunjin, of course, accompanied by heejin for comfort and support.

     yejin had already been admitted to one of the apartments when the two arrived. it left them rest assured when the nurse told that she was fine and having her rest.

     hyunjin and heejin hurried to where yejin's room is though the nurses there didn't allowed them to go inside yet as the doctor was still checking up on her. the two let them do their work, not wanting to make it any longer.

     few minutes have passed, the doctor finally went outside yejin's room before heading to the two. "are you two her relatives?" the doctor questioned.

     "her parents are out of town, we're her friends," heejin informed instead of hyunjin who was still crying her heart out as the doctor nodded his head.

     "i suspect that her rashes and other symptoms are the result of allergies. coughing was actually her first symptom, the itchiness caused by the allergen made her throat swollen and slowly blocked her airways causing her to be out of consciousness due to lack of oxygen...

     ...i gave her allergy tests previously to determine what she was allergic to, and the results revealed that she has a pet allergy, but she's much more sensitive to cats or cat fur."

     "miss choi also told me that she had known about it since she was a child and that she had not experienced an allergy attack in a long time. is it possible that she was exposed to cats and as a result developed this condition?"

     hearing the doctor's statement, hyunjin sobbed even harder, knowing that it was her fault for keeping cats inside their home.

     "yes. they have six cats in their house, actually," heejin answered for hyunjin as the bunny patted her friend's back.

     "this wouldn't happen if i didn't started collecting all the cats in the street," hyunjin cried out as heejin comfortingly rubbed her back.

     "she'll be fine, hyun. don't blame yourself, yejin won't like that."

     the doctor nodded his head once more, "i see. if that's the case, i'm afraid you'll have to put your cats up for adoption or find another method to get your pets out of your house so you can bring miss choi home. if not, miss choi's condition could deteriorate, putting her life in jeopardy."

     heejin studied hyunjin's expression to see how she would react. she adores cats, but she knows that yejin is the only love she can't afford to lose. "can we visit her inside?"

     "sure, but keep your voices down to a bare minimum so the patient can get some rest. stress can raise histamine levels in her bloodstream, worsening her allergy symptoms. i'm going to leave now, and i'm hoping miss choi gets better soon," the doctor ended their conversation before finally leaving along with the nurses.

     heejin assisted the cat girl into the room, where they discovered yejin peacefully resting in a hospital bed, her face and entire appearance were now fine as if nothing had happened.

     her eyelids fluttered open when she saw the two, especially hyunjin, who was still having a mental breakdown.

     "hyunjin-ah," yejin called out as the mentioned girl immediately went to her side, tears streaming down her face before pulling out a smile. "why are you crying?" yejin chuckled, her hand making her way to wipe hyunjin's tears away.

     "idiot, of course it's because of you. i was so worried i thought i'm gonna lose you, don't do that again please," hyunjin buried her face on yejin's hand before sobbing yet again, yejin couldn't help but chuckle at how vulnerable her girlfriend look right now.

     hearing hyunjin's remarks, on the other hand, made yejin feel loved and cherished. even seeing heejin, they were both here for her. She grinned as she realized she had friends like them—though hyunjin is her girlfriend.

     "i'll leave you two for a while, i'll be outside if you guys need anything," heejin informed with a smile before heading her way out the room.

     "yah, why do you look like you like seeing me cry because of you, huh?" hyunjin lightly smacked yejin's shoulders as the two of them laughed.

     "and by the way—why didn't you told me you were allergic to cats? you could've said it sooner so that we won't end up like this in the hospital," smacking her once again but this time, hyunjin added pressure making yejin rub the part she smacked.

     "seeing you smile because of those furry whiskered creatures is actually cute. i'll risk anything for you if it means your happiness," yejin explained, nervously scratching her nape.

     hyunjin's eyes worriedly stared at her, "yeah, but not like this! your life and your entire existence are far more important; your presence alone can brighten my day!" i know love can make us do crazy things but— not to the point where you'll even give up your own life."

     yejin held the cat girl's hands to calm her down, "i'm sorry then. sincerely."

     "you know it's fine, i'll always forgive you," hyunjin kissed the back of yejin's hand as she snuggled herself in her palm.

     for a moment, the room was deafeningly quiet until yejin decided to break it, "how about your six furry babies back in the house? are you seriously going to give them up? if you are, we could buy a hypoallergenic cat for me to be safe."

     "no need, darling. i admit that it will make me sad but seeing you like this drives me crazy, i'll give them up for you."

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