"YOUR parents are here to see you," The nurse informed the seven young men while they lied down on their beds, "and like you requested, I asked them about your two friends. They told us that they left around a week ago."

Felix's heart ached at the thought of his friend and girlfriend leaving.

"Your parents also told me that your friends have no idea you're alive and well, so we can't really blame them for leaving."

Their hearts shattered.

"W-What? So they think we're d-dead?" Felix questioned, then glanced at his friends in worry and despair.

"Yes. But don't worry, your parents now know that you're okay and they can inform them, wherever they are."

Chan stared at the nurse with a questioning look.

"Do you know where they left?"

The nurse shook her head sympathetically, causing them to frown.

"Anyway, your parents should be here any minute now."

The nurse made her exit out of the enormous room, which allowed all of the seven to sit up straight with a thoughtful expression.

"How the hell are we going to find them now?" Jisung whined, staring at Chan.

"Okay, so we ask our parents when they come in if they know where they went, and hope that they know the answer."

Minho scoffed. "Hope? That's all we can do, hope?"

"What else can we do, then?"

The question made them go silent.

"And so we wait for one more week, pack our bags and then leave."

Seungmin sighed.

"Chan, are you sure we're in a good condition to do so?" He asked, motioning at their injuries.

"No, but we can always take care of each other."

They nodded at that.

"Yeah... When are we going to get discharged anyway? I don't think I can take this for much longer." Changbin retorted, causing Felix to shake his head in agreement.

Chan shrugged, "I hope it will be sooner than later."

☂︎

Jeongin bit his lip as he stared at the sight of his (slightly) older friend playing with Kkami, patting him gently with her palm.

"So that's why I wanted to know. Before you all left you guys have been... Different towards me, and I just- I wanted to know." Mal spoke, still petting the dog, then turned to Jeongin with a curious expression.

"Can I be honest?"

She nodded almost immediately. "Of course! Always be honest with me."

He bit the insides of his cheeks in reply.

"I... Ever since your mom was elected president of the United States, we thought- maybe that meant you were now too good for us, you know? Felix mainly. Our bank accounts were still frozen and he didn't know how to spoil you properly, yet you were doing everything for us. He was confused on how to pay you back while he had no money," he paused to catch his breath, "also the idea itself of being with the daughter of the president... I don't know, I think they found it intimidating. No offence, I just-"

"It's okay, Innie. Speak however you want."

He gulped at that.

"It meant that you were too good for us, and Felix was terrified of the idea of you leaving him for someone else, someone better. Probably Griffin... I think they were all scared of you finding better friends, you know?"

He sighed and tried to avoid her gaze.

"I know they were right, because for some reason I still feel shy around you despite us being friends for a rather long time now. I still worry that you'll find a better friend than me."

She shrugged, then set Kkami to the floor, and pulled her younger friend in a reassuring hug.

"There is no such thing as better friends than you. That's what I would've told them. I loved them all so much, and I love you too much as well. I could not ask for a better friend, if I can be honest. And I... I love Griffin, but not like that, you know? He's my friend, that's all."

He returned the hug and allowed one stray tear to leave his eye.

"I wish they had the chance to hear that."

Mal frowned at the sentence, then rubbed his back as a form of reassurance.

"Me too. But now you know, don't you? You know I can't find better friends. I tried."

A scene of the night before her family left the United States crossed her mind. She had asked Griffin, her ex boyfriend and her best friend, to come with her to get something they had forgotten in the school's gymnasium.

Little did they both know, they lost all of their friends and classmates from school that day.

Mal knew, from that moment, that she couldn't really depend on any of her classmates to get over her breakup with Felix and the loss of her eight friends.

"Noona, what's wrong? Did you remember something?"

She patted his back one last time before letting him go, sending a small, insincere smile. Jeongin sent her a baffled, questioning expression, which caused her to shrug her shoulder, unsure if she should even bring the topic up.

"No, Innie. Everything is fine."

____________________