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Weeks blurred since Chaeyoung's therapy began. The initial days were tumultuous, a constant battle to keep her spirits up. Her hair started falling out just days into treatment, yet she remained breathtakingly beautiful in my eyes.

Some nights, I'd build castles in the air, planning our future together. Other nights, the future felt impossibly bleak, a terrifying void that filled me with anxiety and exhaustion.  But I couldn't give up.

"Come on, Chae, eat, please?" I'd plead, sometimes for hours, only to watch her nose bleed or vomit up everything she'd managed to swallow.

"Sorry," she'd whisper, shaking her head.

"Come on, just one bite, please?"

Finally, she'd relent.

Sleep was a luxury I couldn't afford.  For weeks, I'd been running on fumes, constantly vigilant, jolting awake at the slightest movement in her hospital bed.

I held her hand, the numerous tubes connected to her arm a stark reminder of her fragility. Her hand was ice-cold.

She smiled at me, a radiant, defiant smile.

"Do I look like Einstein now?" she asked, a giggle escaping her lips.

"Yeah… a pretty Einstein," I replied, my voice thick with emotion.

I leaned down and kissed her forehead.  She smiled, her eyes sparkling.

"You look sleepy," she said softly.

I shook my head. "No. I'm fine. You should go home. Unnie will be here soon. She can take care of me."

It took nearly an hour of pleading and arguing before Jeongyeon and Nayeon finally arrived.

"Yeah, Mina, you should go home first. We can take care of Chaeyoung," Nayeon said.

"You've become closer nowadays, huh?" Chaeyoung teased, her eyes twinkling as she looked at the two.

"No, she's been harassing me," Jeongyeon retorted, playfully pointing at Nayeon.

"You like it anyway," Nayeon shot back, grinning.

Jeongyeon rolled her eyes, a smile playing on her lips.

I felt a wave of relief. I could trust them.

"Alright, but I'll be back tomorrow morning," I said, kissing Chaeyoung's forehead one last time.

"Take care," she murmured.

I nodded at Jeongyeon and Nayeon before leaving the room.  I couldn't count the days I'd spent there, a mirror image of the time Chaeyoung had spent in the hospital before.

My eyes felt heavy as I settled into the taxi.  The exhaustion was bone-deep.

Back home, I collapsed onto my bed, the sheets still faintly carrying her scent.  The weight of my exhaustion finally pulled me under.

The weeks of sleeplessness had taken their toll.  Thankfully, our friends had been incredibly supportive, keeping my decision to drop my studies a secret.

I'd cry silently, the worry of losing Chaeyoung a constant ache in my chest.  Sleep was elusive, haunted by recurring nightmares of Chaeyoung slipping away, always just beyond my reach, leaving me jolting awake, searching for her sleeping form in the hospital bed.

"Minari…"

Another dream.  Chaeyoung was smiling, calling my name.  I tried to speak, but no sound escaped my lips.

"You don't have to worry about me anymore," she said, her voice serene.

The setting was unfamiliar, shrouded in darkness.

"Oh, come with me first," she smiled, walking towards something unseen.

I followed her, drawn by an unseen force, until we reached a familiar place—the bridge.  She stood in the middle, leaning against the wall, waving at me.

I joined her, watching her gaze out at the water below.

"Our special place," she whispered.

This dream felt different, gentler than the others.

"Oh, look! There's a koi!" she pointed.

I saw the fish she indicated, swimming against the current, alone, separated from the school.

"I wonder why it's not swimming along with the current," I thought, watching Chaeyoung's serene smile as she watched the fish.

I wanted to speak, to tell her how much she meant to me, but I couldn't.

"I actually heard a Japanese tale about koi fish when I was still in my first year," she said, turning to me, her eyes sparkling.

She began to tell me the legend of the koi fish swimming upstream, their perseverance rewarded by transformation into dragons.

I listened, captivated by her words, by her presence.

"You remind me of that fish," she said softly.

I looked at her, my heart aching.

She gently took my hand. "You kept swimming upstream of my current."

"But… there would be much greater things along the waters, I believe that," she whispered.

I opened my mouth to speak, but a powerful, dark force pulled me away, tearing me from her embrace.

"Bye-bye, Minari…"

I woke with a jolt, my phone ringing insistently.  My head throbbed, a dull ache spreading through my temples.  I answered, Nayeon's voice a frantic cry.

"Chaeyoung!"