“They said it was not a major kind of accident,” Sooji started, “Nobody died so you don’t have to worry.” Apparently, Hoseok was mumbling to himself if he had killed someone during that accident and Sooji knew the whole story about what happened to Hoseok from some nurses who took care of the both of them.

“The rain was really pouring down hard uh?” Sooji asked and it reminded him of that day. He nodded, “I was careless.”

“No you weren’t,” Sooji denied, “I can see it in your eyes. You’re hopeless, Jung Hoseok.”

She was damn right. And she saw right through him.

●

“Speeding is a dangerous thing, Jung Hoseok,” Sooji scolded him like a little boy, “Moreover you were riding a bike.” Hoseok scoffed at her words. In the past few years, he had sped through the lonely streets of Gwangju for more than 4 years of his life and never gotten into an accident, even during a heavy downpour. That day was his first time.

Hoseok thought, how can this girl be so talkative but pretty at the same time? Other people in the hospital will think that Sooji was annoying because she talked too much and her voice could probably be heard at the end of the room, but somehow, Hoseok found it comfortable. Somehow, he did not feel lonely in that shared hospital ward.

“Oh, I just remembered, if you’re looking for your stuff, it’s in the drawer right next to your bed.” Sooji said and she was right. Hoseok found his wallet, phone, cleanly washed clothes, some other things from the seat of the bike, and his watch.

Or more precisely, his father’s watch.

He widened his eyes at the object and quickly wore it around his left wrist. Checking that the watch was still working and not a single crack could be detected on the screen, he breathes a sigh of relief.

“Mwoya,” Sooji asked, “Amongst the many people that woke up after a coma in this place, and despite having a smartphone, you’re probably the first one that did not touch it first but took your watch instead.”

“This,” Hoseok showed her the object on his wrist, “Belongs to my late father.”

But instead of an ‘I’m sorry to hear that’ from Sooji, she responded, “Oh, we’re in the same boat then.”

●

As Hoseok went to the toilet to change the hospital shirt he was wearing to the clean shirt from the drawer, he saw that there were three more patients in the same room aside from Sooji and himself. The boy nearest to the exit door was sleeping (or maybe in coma – Hoseok does not know) and the girl beside the boy was sitting up on her bed with a Macbook in front of her. She started at Hoseok with her bloodshot eyes as he walked past her, while the sleeping boy who was on the left of