Ki-joon shook Hae-kyung while calling out to her and when she didn’t answer, Hwan-gun pulled out his phone and called an ambulance. The ambulance arrived and she was loaded into it. Ki-joon followed in the ambulance and Hwan-gun took the stage to calm down the guests who had become curious about all the noise.

At the hospital, the doctor examined Hae-kyung and told Ki-joon that he didn’t have to worry too much about Hae-kyung, she seemed to have suffered a great shock but other than that she was healthy. They would calm her heart rate and after that she would wake up. Ki-joon sat at this sister’s bedside and hoped she would be okay.

“Sunbae, how do you know Lee Hae-kyung?” Hwan-gun asked.

“Well, I knew her father more than I knew her. I guess you could say he was my benefactor. But do you think she’s going to be okay? She didn’t look very good.” Min-jae replied.

Hwan-gun was getting antsy and hoping the event could be rounded off soon so he could leave and find out what had happened to Hae-kyung. All the guests were being shown around the premises by the hotel employees and the guests told him how much they loved the concept of a retreat in the city. He nodded absentmindedly and thanked them for coming. Ah-reum noticed that Hwan-gun was getting more distracted as the night went on and she decided to call to find out how Hae-kyung was doing. She dialed Hae-kyung’s number but her cellphone rang from her purse which had been left at the table when she was taken away. She picked up the purse and tried to go through the phone to see if she could get Ki-joon’s number, but Hae-kyung’s phone was passworded. She let out a frustrated sigh and hoped her friend was okay. She couldn’t do anything else since she had no idea how to reach Ki-joon and she told Hwan-gun. All they could do was wait and hope they would get news somehow.

It was the night of her 13^th birthday. They had had a small party, just the three of them, and everyone had retired to bed afterwards. The night was cold and some of the cold seeped into her room. She pulled the blanket tighter around her body and snuggled deeper into her bed. Suddenly, she heard the door of her room creak open and she opened her eyes to see who it was.

“Oppa, what are you doing in my room? Are you sleepwalking again?” She asked as she threw the covers off her body and stood to face him. Min-jae had been sleepwalking for as long as she could remember and he would find himself in different parts of the house. Her and her father would for being so scatterbrained even in his sleep. “Oppa.” She said and snapped her fingers in front of his eyes. She turned around and turned the table lamp on, when she looked back at him, she was taken aback by what she saw. No longer was he the smiley oppa her father took in when she was seven, gone was the innocent look in his eyes and the softness of his face. The person who stood before her looked cold as ice, his eyes filled with rage and hate such as she had never seen before. “Oppa?” She asked, taking a step back from him.

“‘Oppa’? Ya, why am I your oppa?” He sneered, walking closer to her. “I waited this long and finally, I will exact my revenge.”

“Wh-what are you talking about? What did I ever do to you?” Her voice trembled. She was terrified of the man who stood in front of her and she didn’t know how to defend herself.

“It’s not your fault I guess, you just shouldn’t have been born as Lee Hong-joo’s daughter.” He said and shoved her on the bed.

“Oppa, please don’t do this.” She pleaded, tears filling her eyes. She couldn’t understand what was going on.

“I said stop calling me ‘oppa’, I AM NOT YOUR OPPA!” He snarled and slapped her.

“Appa, appa chebal guhaejuseyo.” She cried out.

“Shut up!” He said and flipped her on her face, he pushed her head into the mattress to muffle her screams as he put a hand underneath her nightdress and pulled down her underwear. She struggled beneath him and he grabbed both of her hands and pinned them above her head. She cried silently into her bed as he her, again and again, and she hoped she would die.

Ki-joon sat next to Hae-kyung and held her hand, he watched as tears rolled out of the corner of her closed eyes and he tried to wake her but she wouldn’t respond. He held her hand to his cheek and his eyes filled with tears. He knew she was having the nightmare again and he knew she wouldn’t be able to wake up from it until she relived the entire night again. He remembered the first time he had witnessed her having the nightmare, he had gone to visit her while he was in college and she had lived in a studio apartment so they had to share the sleeping space. He had gotten up to use the bathroom and had noticed her whimpering in her sleep. That was the first time she had told him about it. She had told him that while her mind knew she was dreaming, her body always felt imprisoned, unable to move until the events of the night were completed and she had had to relive that night over and over again over the course of her life. He had cried so much for not being able to do anything to help her and their love for each other had deepened.

She finally opened her eyes and looked around. “Joonah? What am I doing here?”

“You passed out at the party. The doctor said you experienced a huge shock.” He replied.

“I’m fine. Where’s my phone? I need to call CEO Seo.” She made to sit up and Ki-joon held her down.

“Where do you think you’re going?” He scolded gently.

“I need my phone.” She replied.

Ki-joon looked around but he didn’t find it. “I’ll call it for you, maybe it’s back at the hotel.” He dialed her number and someone answered on the first ring. “Yeobseyo?”

“This is Hong Ah-reum, how is she doing?” Ah-reum said, her voice filled with worry.

“She’s fine, the doctor said she suffered shock but she’ll be fine by tomorrow.” He replied.

“That’s a relief.” Ah-reum sighed, next to her Hwan-gun relaxed.

“Is CEO Seo there by any chance? She wanted to talk to him.” Ki-joon asked.

“Yes, he’s right here.” Ah-reum replied and passed the phone to him.

“Yeobseyo?” Hwan-gun said.

“I’ll hand the phone to her, hold on a second.” Ki-joon said and passed the phone to Hhae-kyung.

“Seo Daepyonim, I’m really sorry about the party. I hope I didn’t cause too much trouble.” Hae-kyung said.

Hwan-gun was so relieved to hear her voice and then he felt his anger rise because she was apologizing for passing out. “I’m so glad you’re okay. The party ended without much trouble, just focus on getting better.” He answered.

“That’s good to hear. I will stop by the hotel when I get out to pick up my things.” She said.

“No, I’ll bring them to you now. Which hospital are you in?” He asked.

“Erm, Joonah which hospital is this?” She asked and when he told her, she told him the name.

“Alright, I’ll be there as soon as I can.” Hwan-gun said and he hung up.

Hae-kyung handed Ki-joon’s phone back to him and rested against the pillows properly.

At the hotel, Hwan-gun got into his car and Ah-reum knocked on the window, “I’m coming with you.” She said and they drove to the hospital. Since it was almost midnight, the traffic wasn’t heavy and they arrived in fifteen minutes. They found her bed and went to her.

“Oh, I was so worried about you. Why did you pass out like that, are you sick?” Ah-reum asked.

“No, I’m not sick. I just saw something that was really shocking to me.” Hae-kyung replied with a weak smile.

Hwan-gun watched Hae-kyung and noticed how she avoided looking at anyone when she talked, he wondered what was bothering her.

“Hae-kyungah, I’m going to get some coffee okay? I’ll be right back. Anyone want anything?” Ki-joon asked.

“I’ll come with you, I need to calm my nerves too. I’ve been so worried.” Ah-reum replied and she and Ki-joon left.

“Are you sure you’re really okay?” Hwan-gun said, taking the seat Ki-joon had vacated.

“Yes. You really didn’t have to come all the way to hospital to give me my things back.” Hae-kyung replied.

“That was just an excuse, I had to see you for myself. You don’t know how worried I was, I thought something terrible happened to you.” Hwan-gun said. He reached out a hand and touched her hair unconsciously. “I’m so glad you’re okay.” He said.

“What are you doing?” Hae-kyung asked, as their eyes met. She felt her heartbeat quicken and she gripped the sheets tighter.

Ki-joon felt his legs finally give way and he leaned against the wall. Ah-reum stood next to him, gripping her Styrofoam cup of coffee in her hand.

“Are you okay?” She asked.

“I was so worried something was going to happen to Hae-kyung. She’s the only family I have left.” He said, staring into his cup.

Without realizing what she was doing, Ah-reum pulled him into her arms and patted him on the back with her free hand. “It’s okay. She’s okay.” She whispered as she comforted him. Ki-joon hesitated for a minute then he buried his head into her shoulder and let her whisper to his troubled soul. He felt strangely comforted by her, he pulled her tighter and sighed again.

Ah-reum realized she was getting herself into a dangerous situation but in the moment, all she wanted to do was take his pain away and reassure him that his sister was okay. She felt a twinge of jealousy at how deep his love was for Hae-kyung and wondered if she would ever have someone love her like that. As she rubbed his back up and down, she decided she had to do something about becoming attracted to Ki-joon.

Author’ Note: Hello everybody, I hope you’re all doing well. I hope you like this chapter. I realize that this story is more of a melo than my other stories but I’ve always wanted to write this genre and I thought you will enjoy it. Please make sure to leave comments and let me know what you liked and what you didn’t like. Don’t forget to subscribe and upvote. Thank you.