It was the worst hangover she had ever experienced.

Worst, because no traces of vodka, rum, or soju were remotely involved.  In fact, she couldn’t even remember how or when she had passed out.  But her temple throbbed and the aftershocks radiated from the left side of her head to the bridge of her nose.  The pounding pressure caused her sinuses to flare up and tension to build right in-between her perfectly manicured brows.  It would be wise to stay in bed, but a day at the local spa would be needed to cure the bloated face, blotchy skin and swollen eyelids.  She didn’t need a mirror to confirm all of this.  It always happened whenever she cried too much. 

And last night, she had cried her heart out.

When Jiyong called, it felt like her world had ended.  He might as well have told her that Amina had died, because that’s exactly how the news hit her.  Pain.  Sorrow.  Anger.  It was as if a great misdeed had befallen on the wrong person and she cried out at the unfairness of it all.  Why would anyone ever want to lash out on Mimi?  Mimi, her gently-bred cousin, who never once got mixed in with the wrong crowd.  Who never once got expelled from school or did anything rash to ever draw attention to herself.  She never spoke out of line or intentionally behaved in a manner that would disgrace their family.  Amina was raised to be polite and reservedly kind to all. 

Mimi was everything she was not.

Lifting her lashes slightly, Hanna let out a soft moan.  Early morning sunlight streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows, near blinding her in the process.  Why the hell are my living room curtains open? she inwardly groaned.  They were always powered closed before she went to bed each night.  It was always the last thing she did, after she downed a glass of wine and-

Living room?

She tensed, suddenly coming wide awake.  The firmness beneath her cheek was definitely not her mattress.  Nor were the deep sounds of hypnotic breathing her own.  Hanna held herself still while faint hints of spicy bergamot infiltrated her senses.  She immediately recognized the scent of his favorite aftershave and relaxed, melting back on top of Jiyong.  She must have been completely out of it last night to have fallen asleep in his arms.  Lifting her head carefully, Hanna angled her face until her line of vision encountered his scruffy chin.

He was knocked out.

Faint blue smudges cast beneath his eyes, its color deep against his milky, flawless skin.  His lips, lovingly bitten and worried, were stained red.  The lines of his mouth were relaxed, no longer upset.  The bangs from his hair swept artfully off his forehead, as if he had just run his fingers through them recently.  An arm cradled the back of his neck, while the other hand…  Hanna’s eyes traveled down, taking in all the tattoos and prominent blood veins until she found his fingers molded innocently around her hip. 

Hanna peered at herself.  Her arms were tightly bandaged in places, her nails clean and smartly trimmed.  She could see the first-aid kit laying on the nearby mason coffee table, its contents open and haphazardly a mess.  Gauzes of all sizes littered the top, while a pair of scissors sat off to the side.  A wide basin filled with pink-tinged water created a centerpiece, the vision filling her up with nostalgia. 

Details of last night’s confrontation were beginning to blur but the deep, heavy, angst feelings remained fresh.  All she could remember was attempting to reach Amina, while her cousin yelled at Youngbae to call for help.

Help?

HELP?

Flashes of red swam before Hanna’s eyes and caused her to lash out. She couldn’t remember the exact hateful words she had spewed, but knew they all pinpointed towards Amina’s stupidity in the end. 

Other than a flinch, her cousin didn’t react.  No matter what she yelled or what heated words she spat, Amina continued to ignore her.  Her young cousin continued to taint her hands with the blood of her persecutor, not showing any signs of letting up.  It was expected, but it still didn’t keep Hanna’s anger from boiling over inside.  She remembered trying to walk towards her dongsaeng but getting nowhere.  Heat from Jiyong’s mouth engulfed the side of her face and ear.  Every harsh whisper from Jiyong was punctuated by a hard grip around her waist.  At times it became unbearably painful and she couldn’t breathe.  But it her out of the insanity – gave her enough time to sink in the fury that radiated off his body in waves. If at all possible, he was more enraged than she was!  And that may have been what saved her last night.  That tiny acknowledgement allowed his sharp orders to penetrate through her intense anger.  She ceased her struggles and willed herself to watch bitterly while the rest of the scene played out.

Disregarded. 

That’s how hollow and empty she felt inside.  Every soft word Amina uttered to the nearly unconscious girl, brought pangs of betrayal to her heart.  To add more salt to her wounds, Amina had stayed with Nara – hopping inside the ambulance despite everyone’s protests.  Even Youngbae, whom she hated near as much, couldn’t get Amina to listen to his heartfelt pleas.  She had ignored them all, her face closed up and guarded.  Amina stoically answered the paramedic’s questions dispassionately and left them all standing there like fools.  She had left them… but not before their gazes met one last time.

The memory of disappointment found in Amina’s eyes still filled her with shame.

“Hey.”

Hanna jerked out of her musings and glanced up, catching sight of Jiyong’s steady gaze.  Her cheek rubbed against his chest and she could hear his heart beat loud and clear.  He was observing her, inspecting every hollow and curve of her face.  She knew she looked a mess.  After crying all over him until the wee hours of the morning, it amazed her that Jiyong was still even here.  The thought made her feel self-conscious, despite the fact that she was already sprawled on top of him.  She could feel their legs tangled up together underneath the small blanket, her hipbone pressing intimately against his crotch.  In self-defense, she carefully blanked her eyes and reverted to her old self-preservation techniques.  The very same ones that had taken her to where she was today.

“I didn’t say you could sleep over,” Hanna tartly admonished.

The corner of Jiyong’s mouth lifted.  “We live in the same building.  So technically, I don’t consider this sleeping over.”  His eyes twinkled at his own clever humor.

Hanna’s heart rate sped up, despite the warning signals going off inside her head.  She placed a hand gingerly on Jiyong’s chest and eased into an upright position.  The light throw fell down to her waist and her eyes automatically followed suit, encountering the obvious bulge between his spread legs.  Her cheeks heated and she quickly looked away, moving slightly towards the end of the chaise lounge.

“You should go.”

“How are your arms?” Jiyong replied, ignoring her orders.  Using his stomach muscles, Jiyong sat up and placed his hand on the makeshift bandages he created from last night.  He tsked underneath his breath.  “They need changing.”

He curled the leg behind Hanna towards his body and maneuvered himself so that he was sitting shoulder-to-shoulder with her.

“I can do it myself,” Hanna declared.

Jiyong his lips, restrained patience filling every fiber of his body.  “You were fine with me taking care of you last night.”  His eyes dared her to argue.  “Let me finish taking care of you now.”

He was right.  She was making a big fuss over nothing, Hanna thought to herself.  The stubborn tilt of her jaw eased away and her eyes softened in defeat.  With the slightest of nods, Hanna held her arms out.  She watched silently as Jiyong cut the gauze strips away, reveling red swollen gashes and puffy, scratched skin.

He grimaced in distaste.

“You need to get checked out,” he advised, grabbing the nearest ointment packet.  He cut into the foil wrapper and dabbed smatterings onto her wounds.  “The last thing you want is an infection.”  Working quickly, Jiyong reached for clean gauze and cotton pads before re-bandaging the area.

He repeated the same for her other arm.

The crown of his head was all she could see while Jiyong silently completed the task.  His blonde bangs swayed side to side as he methodically worked, concentrating on each effort like it was his last.  Inwardly, Hanna wondered what he thought of her physical altercation with Nara.  The horrid images and words he conjured were most likely justly deserved.  He probably attributed her to a loose cannon that couldn’t hold it together.  A real psycho on the prowl.

Inklings of remorse and embarrassment swirled inside.

“There,” Jiyong finished, taping off the wrap.  He placed all the supplies back inside the kit, snapping the lid shut.  “I’ll be back later tonight to change them before you go to sleep.”

Hanna puckered her brows, a hint of confusion shimmering in the depths of her eyes.

“What?” he boyishly grinned.  “You didn’t think I was going to leave you alone, did you?”

She thought exactly that.  “Yongie-“

His smile faded away.

“Gomawo,” Hanna quietly finished.

Jiyong’s eyes clouded and darkened with regret.  He shook his head.  “Aniyo,” he solemnly replied.  “There’s nothing to thank.  If anything…” He broke off, angry with himself.  “It’s partly my fault that things happened the way it did.”  Jiyong glanced down, lost in thought, before locking onto her gaze.

“Mianhaeyo,” he said.  “For not taking care of her like I promised you.”

The back of her eyes pricked with hot tears.

“I should’ve been there.”

Her lips trembled.

“Mianhaeyo.”

“It’s alright,” Hanna blinked rapidly.  She forcefully brightened her eyes.  “It wasn’t your responsibility to watch out for her.”  She swallowed a lump in .

“But-“

Hanna shook her head, cutting off his reply.  “I should have never asked that of you.”  She gazed fondly at him.  “I was so desperate to reach out to Mimi when she came back, that I took advantage of you.  Of our friendship.”  A frown appeared between her brows.  “I’m truly grateful for everything that you’ve done.  I know my uncle would have understood.”

They stared quietly at one another.

“And you?”

Hanna gave him a sad smile.  “I’ll be fine.”  She could see the reservation in his eyes.  “Mimi and I… We’re family.  We’ll always be family.”  She looked off to the side.  “She may be mad at me right now… but we always find a way to come together in the end.”  Hanna looked at Jiyong, her eyelashes fluttering as she blinked hard to convince herself.  “That’s what we d-do,” her voice trailed off, shaking badly.

Jiyong took in her pitiful state and felt his chest constrict.  His eyes were downcast as he nodded in quiet agreement.  Taking a chance, he reached for her.  Surprise shown in Hanna’s eyes right before her body crashed into him.

He held her tightly.

The sound of a beeping heart monitor machine droned quietly in the background.  A nurse’s aide came in, filling out the patient’s health chart with the latest stats.  She smiled warmly at the occupants in the room, taking in their tired and disheveled appearances.  The pregnant woman appeared wide and alert, while the more recognizable prolific man, with his sunshades on, was slumped heavily in his chair; his head braced against the nearest wall.  With no slightest hint of movements, she could tell that the gentleman was lost in slumber.

“The doctor will be right in,” the aide announced.

“Kamsahamnida,” Amina bowed from her seat.  She gave a tight smile and watched as the older woman took her leave.  Bracing her hands lightly on both arm rests, Amina began to push out of her seat – only to have his grip around the crook of her arm tighten automatically.

Youngbae roused quickly awake, righting himself in the process.  He blinked several times, feeling disoriented.

Amina glanced down at his grip.  “The doctor is coming for the final exam,” she softly explained, not wanting to further alarm him.  “They’ll probably release Nara-yah soon.”  She began to stand up but the hold on her arm remained firm.

“Where are you going?”

Amina looked at him.  “I’m going to check up on her.”

“She’s fine,” Youngbae argued in a low tone.  “Just let the staff handle it.”  He quickly appraised Amina, her blouse and wrap still stained in places from Nara’s blood.  He voice grew hard – just like it had been doing all night.  “You haven’t even slept.”

“I’ll rest when I get home,” Amina tersely replied.  It was the same response she had given him an hour ago.  And the hour before that.  She had told him repeatedly that he could leave, that he didn’t need to stay or should’ve even came in the first place.  But he continued to hover, restraining her with rhetorical questions and delaying her assistance.  He grew mildly exasperated with her, while she became increasingly annoyed with him.  Not wasting another second, Amina stood up and pulled away from his grasp.  She walked a few paces to the bedside and found Nara already awake, the younger girl’s profile turned away from her.

Amina swallowed.

Light bandages were wrapped around Nara’s arms and small slivers of medical tape were placed along the bridge of her nose to help alleviate the pressure on the swollen nasal septum.  The areas underneath her eyes were bruised and purple from the blunt trauma endured hours ago.  Her black hair fanned across the stark whiteness of the hospital sheets, while the rest of her body was tucked underneath the thin blankets.  She turned marginally at the sound of Amina’s approach.

“Nara-yah-“

“Why are you still here?”

The blunt question made Amina harden her resolve.  “I’m not leaving until they release you from the hospital,” she explained, for the second time that night.  When Nara remained silent, she continued.  “The doctor will be in for your final-“

“I heard,” came the curt reply.

Amina pressed her lips together and watched as Nara completely ignored her.  After a few hesitant seconds, Amina spoke up again.  “We finally got a hold of your aunt,” she ventured.  “She finally found a sitter for your brother and planned on catching the bus here.”

Nara remained silent.

“But I told her to stay back.”

Nara jerked back around.

“The company van is downstairs and will take you home whenever you’re ready,” Amina said. 

Feeling embarrassed, Nara’s eyes glistened and constricted.  “Why are you still here?  Just leave!”

Youngbae shot out of his chair.  “Yah!  Watch your mouth,” he seethed.

A burning flush crept up Nara’s neck.  She closed and silently fumed.

“Bae-yah,” Amina admonished, as she swiftly turned around.  She took in the stiffness of his profile and the tension in his shoulders.  Her eyes silently begged him.  “Please. Could you ju