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Young Il-hyun was playing on a tube in the swimming pool. Mom. Please look at me. Mom. He called out repeatedly to his mother sitting in a chair, but she only sipped her wine and didn't give Il-hyun a single glance.
Wanting to draw her attention a bit more, he waved his hands above the tube as if shouting hooray, but his body slipped completely under the water. The water reaching the top of his head made him unable to breathe, and he flailed his arms. Help, help me. Mom! Mom, please save me! Mom! Gack, gack.
While his breath was fading, she finally turned around belatedly.
Her eyes, silently gazing while holding a wine glass, looked like those of someone waiting for him to die. Glug, glug, water entered his throat, and strength gradually drained away. His body sank endlessly downward. Strange. You shouldn't be able to breathe underwater. How can I breathe?
Moreover, he wasn't alone. Under the water, dozens of people glared at Il-hyun with eyes full of resentment. His body completely sank to the bottom among those with severed heads and cut-off fingers. Now the water's surface felt distant.
Those who had died miserably slowly approached Il-hyun. Young Il-hyun, terrified, screamed for them not to come. Then someone dove into the water. The person who swam through the currents and came down below the surface reached out without hesitation.
The moment he grabbed that hand to survive, his eyes flashed open.
Through blurry vision, a white ceiling came into view. He rolled his eyes left and right. IV lines hung in bunches above his head, and regular machine sounds could be heard. He moved his hands and toes. A nurse who opened the door and entered looked at him with a surprised expression as she checked on him. She disappeared, and soon several people appeared.
Bright light from a pen light poured into his eyes. Between his clearing vision, people in white coats appeared, and among them was Kang Yoo-jung. Are you conscious? Can you hear me? He wanted to speak but was blocked by an oxygen respirator. Instead, when he blinked his eyes, she bit her lips tightly with a joyful face. Her eyes turned red, perhaps trying to hold back tears.
The house he returned to after ten days hadn't changed. It was still peaceful, and the number of guards keeping watch over the house remained the same. Ja-kyung stayed in Kang Il-hyun's bedroom on the first floor, not on the second. Lying on the bed that still held his scent, she hugged his pillow and duvet and curled her body into a ball.
Tick, tock. It was a night when only the second hand of the wristwatch sounded particularly loud. Several times she got up to check if there was any contact from the hospital. When she tossed and turned, the bed felt especially wide. The bedroom without its master had lost even its warmth.
When she briefly closed her eyes, she had a dream. She went out with Kang Il-hyun, but he vanished without a trace. No matter how much she looked for him and called his name, he didn't appear, so even though it was a dream, her heart sank and she was afraid. She woke up like that and couldn't fall asleep again.
The time waiting for morning to come flowed too heavily. And when morning came, the first thing she checked was whether there was any contact from the hospital. Disappointed by the fact that there was no contact, she was also relieved on one hand that no worse news had come.
After going into the bathroom and washing her face so water wouldn't touch the stitched wound area, she came outside. Seeing her face swollen from not being able to sleep properly, the housekeeper looked at her with a pitying expression.
"Are you okay?"
Yes.... She nodded. Recently, the number of people asking if she was okay had increased significantly. She said she was okay, but she wasn't okay at all. One side of her heart felt prickly as if sliced by a knife, and even while eating or sitting to rest, she couldn't bear it because thoughts of Kang Il-hyun kept coming up.
What if something goes wrong while I'm here. Even though guarding at the hospital wouldn't make him recover, she was so anxious that she couldn't focus on anything else. After telling the housekeeper she would skip breakfast, she gathered her clothes, took the car keys, and tried to go outside.
She grabbed Ja-kyung.
"Where are you going?"
"To the hospital...."
Her gaze went down to Ja-kyung's legs. It was cracked, but she made an excuse that it was her left leg so it didn't matter. She let out a small sigh. After barely persuading her that she would ask another employee to drive, she went outside. She started the engine and drove the car.
After driving for about 20 minutes, Wang Han contacted her. To him who was furiously angry, she persuaded him that she would go in soon. She also heard the threat that from tomorrow she would be tied to the bed. After ending the call, she drove for a while and reached the hospital.
Since it was early morning, the parking lot was sparse, so she parked the car on one side and limped out. Entering the hospital, she sat on a chair in front of the intensive care unit as she habitually did and waited for time to pass. A nurse with whom she was acquainted came outside and discovered Ja-kyung, her eyes rounding.
"My, didn't you get discharged yesterday?"
Ja-kyung made an awkward expression. And then she delivered unexpected news.
"You came at just the right time."
"What?"
"He woke up early in the morning and was moved to a hospital room."
Overjoyed, she jumped up from her seat and shouted. Really? She nodded. Ja-kyung couldn't hide her joy and smiled brightly. After saying thank you several times, she hurriedly took the elevator to go to the hospital room.
Finding the hospital room wasn't difficult. Several men in black suits were already standing in front of the door. They recognized Ja-kyung and greeted her. Three letters of Kang Il-hyun's name were written on the hospital room door. He really woke up. Her heart pounded and emotions overwhelmed her.
Should I go in. She couldn't bring herself to open the door and caught her breath in front of it. She was about to knock when the door opened and several doctors came out in a line. Among them was Kang Yoo-jung.
She had a surprised expression when she saw Ja-kyung. She asked how she knew to come when she hadn't even informed Park Tae-soo yet. Her face also looked much brighter. The door closed so she couldn't see Kang Il-hyun. Her heart became impatient, and perhaps that showed on her expression, she laughed.
"Did he really... wake up?"
She had a troubled expression.
"Yes... But you probably can't go in right now."
"W-why?"
Ja-kyung asked with a nervous face, and Yoo-jung answered playfully.
"I lied that Ja-kyung ran away."
Even if you scream as soon as you go in, I don't know. She laughed and then disappeared with the medical staff. Ja-kyung had a bewildered expression. Why such a lie.... Carefully opening the door, Kang Il-hyun was sitting against the bed with his brow completely furrowed.
He really opened his eyes. Seeing him in one piece, tears suddenly surged. Not wanting to show her crying face, she turned away abruptly. Ah, I don't believe in God, but thank you God, thank you Buddha. Thank you for saving him. I will live doing many good deeds from now on.
She was choked up like that when Kang Il-hyun's voice of incredulous laughter was heard.
"You came? I was just getting damn pissed thinking you ran away again."
"...."
"But why are you turned around?"
"...."
When she still remained turned around, the smile disappeared from Kang Il-hyun's face.
"Lee Ja-kyung."
At him calling her name, the tears she had been holding back poured out. Patter, patter, large teardrops fell down her cheeks to the floor. Only then did he seem to understand the situation, and Il-hyun's voice became gentle.
"Don't tell me... you're crying?"
No, sob. Strange sounds came out as she tried to swallow her tears. His tone became even more affectionate.
"Come here. I want to see your face."
Reluctantly turning around, Il-hyun's eyes narrowed at seeing Ja-kyung. Her eyes and nose tip were red from crying, and she was undeniably lovely. He clenched his teeth to hold back the laughter and lust that rose together.
Fuck. It's not something to say after coming back from death, but he wants to lay her down and do it right now.
That sight should be captured in a photo. He looked for his mobile phone, but of course it wasn't there. To soothe his regretful heart, he beckoned her to come. Engulfed in desire for a moment, he checked her limping leg and his expression instantly hardened.
"Did you hurt your leg?"
"It's not serious. They said it's cracked."
"How did that happen?"
Remembering that incident again, Ja-kyung felt choked up.
"The CEO pushed me, fuck."
Who asked you to save me, who asked you to sacrifice your life to save me. Who told you to die because of me. Belatedly, guilt and upset feelings surged like a flood. As she continuously wiped away tears with her bandaged arm, Il-hyun pulled tissues from the head of the bed and tapped the bed for her to sit. When Ja-kyung sat, he wiped her tears and gently stroked her cheek.
Various emotions crossed his face.
"Seeing you cry because of me, I guess you won't run away in the future."
Without even thinking about what condition his own body was in, he was busy checking how much Ja-kyung was hurt. That made her feel even more sorrowful, and Ja-kyung continuously shed tears. Fuck. It's embarrassing. If the Wang brothers saw this, it would be a source of ridicule for life.
She barely stopped crying and was sniffling when Il-hyun reached out. If you're done crying, come here. I want to hold you. Carefully pulling her in so as not to press on her injured arm and body, he laughed quietly near her ear.
The earlier mischievous attitude was gone, and moisture lingered in his voice.
"Coming back from death... isn't bad either."