One Day, Long Ago Chapter 26

“Would you rather be blissfully ignorant or would you rather be pained and aware?' ~Halsey

Song for this chapter// Hug Me by Jung Joon Il (SungJae’s cover)

Joy’s POV

For the past couple of weeks things I’ve been wallowing in my sorrows in alcohol and ranting every second I could about Tae Kwang and Eun Bi. However that was never enough to appease me, so I concluded that I needed to see Tae Kwang one more time to properly talk it out. I texted him and called him to meet up, yet he wouldn’t pick up. Therefore I felt the need to resort to the last option available to me.

I pushed the key into the keyhole to open the door. He gave me the key so that I could come over whenever I wanted. It especially came in handy in situations like these. I entered the spacious flat, taking off my heels in the doorway. I went over to the light switch to turn the light on when I noticed light streaming in from the bathroom. The door was open ajar, inviting me inside like a welcoming host.

My legs failed as I collapsed to the floor at what I discerned right in front of my eyes. Blood. Red crimson blood. Blood trickled along the cracks in the tile of the bathroom floor. The menacing color of red continued to travel through the cracks till it reached me. My eyes followed the trail of blood to discern thousands of spilled pills and tiny fragments of glass and then to the dreadful source.

Tae Kwang.

My breath hitched in my throat. I tried to blink, hoping it was only an illusion, yet I was too petrified to even dare blink. Tae Kwang’s back was leaning against the frigid tile. His pressed white shirt was now crinkled and stained with his own blood. My eyes immediately went to his injured hand. Shards of glass were stuck in his flesh, which was oozing of crimson blood.

Terrified, I remained at a distance, away from the glass with my hand hovering in the air as if I could reach him. I so desperately wanted to help him, but the fact was that I was too scared… of him.

The pills that littered the floor came from orange prescription bottles. My eyes caught the label of one. The pills belonged to him. The air reeked of alcohol and I instantly knew that the potent and deadly mix of pills and alcohol could wreak havoc on Tae Kwang. Tears pricked my eyes at the realization of what transpired in this place.

Through my misty eyes, I saw Tae Kwang’s eyes on mine. Chills ran through my spine at his intimidating gaze. The Tae Kwang I saw now was the not the guy I fell in love with. He was someone I could no longer recognize.

His pallid complexion appeared even more so with the crimson blood smeared against his pale skin. His complexion was tinged with blue as he remained silent. His eyelids fell and his head tilted to the side on his shoulder. I was paralyzed by the fear coursing through me. I felt the need to take action and help him, yet all I could manage to do was be still and stare. At moments like these I hated myself.

“Gong Tae Kwang!” A girl’s scream shattered through the still silence. It was Eun Bi. Without reluctance she ran to his side, getting cut by the glass shards in the process. I gasped only to witness the glass cutting into her shin, yet her attention was solely on Tae Kwang. “Gong Tae Kwang! Hey! Come on, please. Look at me, Tae Kwang!” She kept shouting his name as her fingers trembled against his pallid skin till his bloodshot eyes were visible. A hoarse chuckle ripped from his throat. I was stunned by his laughter. My eyes widened at his deranged disposition.

Who was he?

“.” His voice leaked of acrimony as another throaty laugh escaped from his cut lip. He glared at the ceiling light then lowered his eyes to his bleeding hand.

“What did you do? Gong Tae Kwang!” Eun Bi asked as she kneeled beside him. The way her fingers trembled against his skin and the look in her eyes was absolute misery. The misery that could only be caused by seeing the one you love like this…

“I. I. ed up. That’s what…“ Tae Kwang answered in a strangled voice. Eun Bi clutched her phone to her ear, pleading to someone with such distress evident in her voice.

“It’s Tae Kwang. He relapsed. He swallowed his pills with vodka. There’s glass everywhere and his bleeding hasn’t stopped! His skin is turning blue! Please help us! Please! Hurry!” Eun Bi’s phone fell from her hand when Tae Kwang grabbed her arm with his uninjured arm, causing Eun Bi to pause.

“Lee Eun Bi… I’m sane…” The words that left his throat brought Eun Bi to tears but she quickly blinked them away.

“Gong Tae Kwang. You’re going to be all right. Keep your eyes open for me, huh?” Her gaze trembled with fear before switching over to me. Her resilience bewildered me in such a situation. She approached me, breaking me out of my astounded state. Eun Bi grabbed me by the shoulders, staring right at me.

“Get yourself together, Joy. Get it together! If you don’t get it together right this instant, Tae Kwang might die! So get the hell up and help me move him.” Her steadfast actions were dauntless as she rushed over to grab Tae Kwang’s bleeding side.

I willed myself to snap out it or else Tae Kwang might bleed out to death. I placed his arm over my own shoulder, lifting Tae Kwang up from the stained tile floor. His skin was cold. Too cold.

It felt like a nightmare. It was a dream that targeted my deepest fear within me. The flashes and sirens of the police cars and ambulance pulsated my heart, inducing panic. My drenched hair clung to my face as the emergency responders rushed Tae Kwang into the ambulance as the night sky poured down rain. My eyes followed every movement from the running officers to the apartment residents that were watching from a couple feet away. I was in the midst of chaos. Standing there, I felt so utterly helpless until a police officer escorted Eun Bi and me to his car. The view of the fading red and green ambulance colors grew blurrier.

How could this happen? What prompted Tae Kwang to do this? Unanswered questions haunted my mind, inducing to sobs as I sat