“People who are meant to be together will always find their way back to each other. They might take detours in life but they are never lost.”

-Anonymous

It’s been 3 months since the accident and since then, there were only 2 remaining survivors – him and her. They have been receiving the best medical care they could thanks to some “anonymous” non-profit organization that has been funding their hospital bills.

“Do you think they’ll ever wake up?” a young woman asked an elderly man as they looked at the two sleeping figures, whose rooms were adjacent to one another.

“Anything is possible, Nicole. They made it this far when no one else thought they would.” The old man replied.

“Whoever is paying for their bills must be seriously loaded. I think there’s something off about that organization. Don’t you find it suspicious how such a huge accident as the one they were in, never made it to news? There has to be a cover up or something…hmmm…”

“Your imagination is taking over again..” the old man .

“What? It really is suspicious! Besides, I want to know the people responsible for that accident. So far, I have concluded that it has to be more than two people. You can’t orchestrate something like that on your own! I’d like to scold at those irresponsible citizens for being the cause of someone else’s tragic loss! Not to mention, MY tragic loss of sleep during that time! My shift was just 1 minute from being over and yet, the 1 minute was extended to another 24 hours….” She took a deep breath and let out a long sigh.

The elderly man chuckled and patted her head. If only his wife lived longer, then they could’ve had grandchildren who’d be around her age too.

“What if they were actually lovers who got caught in tragedy? Come to think of it, they both look like they came from the same ethnical background – Korea? She’s pretty. He’s handsome. I think they make quite a good-looking couple! Should I tell the nurses and other doctors to pair them up or introduce them to each other once they regain consciousness? Kyaaaaa! I think it’ll be sooo cute if they do end up together! Finding love amidst such tragedy…how romantic!”

“Nicole!”

“What? Come on, Mr. Carter, can you please just play along? I’m really bored and stressed these days. I thought grandma sent you here to cheer me up? Pretty please?”

The elderly man just sighed and smiled. He nodded and this was enough as a cue for the young woman to continue.

“I think there’s a possibility that they’re married to one another. The rings on their fourth finger look so identical.”

Now this piqued up the older man’s curiosity.

“They have wedding rings?” he asked.

“Yup. That’s where we got the idea of pairing them up in the first place. It’s the only identifier they have. All their possessions got caught in the explosion. We tried to trace possible emergency contact persons but since this accident was labeled as a medico-legal and “highly-classified” case, there hasn’t been anyone who came to visit or claim to be their relative.

I really find it odd. Seriously, the government must be covering up something because an accident of this scale, especially one that involved a lot of foreign tourists and locals as casualties, should’ve made news! How can their family and friends know if they weren’t informed?”

Before he could answer, a team of healthcare professionals suddenly rushed to the young man’s room. It could only mean two things: either they were rushing because a Code Blue has been announced, or the coma patient has finally gained consciousness.

HIS POV:

Where am I? Why does my body feel so weak? Why are there tubes attached to me and what is with these machines? I tried to lift my hands and even that task alone, was a struggle. The first thing that caught my attention was the shining gold band on my fourth finger. Am I married? If that’s so, where is my wife?

I slid off the ring and tried to bring it closer to my view. There were initials engraved in it along with a message:

No. I couldn’t possibly be married. If so, I’d remember. I felt difficulty in breathing and the alarms on one of those machines started to sound off. Isn’t there supposed to be a call light button somewhere? My hands searched frantically as I was gasping for air. In less than a minute, the room was crowded with people wearing white coats and scrubs.

As soon as my breathing and vitals were stabilized, they began a series of questions.

“What’s your name?”

I opened my mouth to say something and then I stopped. I couldn’t remember. How can I forget something as basic as this? I could feel my anxiety building up. Why? How? Why is this happening? I don’t want to look like a fool and I tried harder to concentrate. I remembered the initials on my ring and perhaps, my real name had something to do with it. What were the letters again? S..? K? No. I think it was J? SJH.

“Shin Jonghoon.” I replied calmly. It was the first name I could think of that had the same initials as the one engraved in my ring.

“Ok. How old are you?”

“25.” The lie came naturally. Was I an actor?

“Do you know where you are right now?”

“The hospital.” I answered. Now this one is the truth.

“Can you please state the date and time today?”

“August 29. I think it’s probably 11:30am or 12nn?” I confidently stated. The doctors and nurses exchanged meaningful looks and for unknown reasons, I felt nervous. Did I say something wrong?

“Do you know where you are? Which city, state, and country you’re in?”

“America.” That’s all I could say. I am not even sure if that is right. All I know is that I am talking to a medical team comprised of foreigners. I am most definitely not in my hometown. Why? How did I end up here? What am I doing here?

“That’s good. You’re doing great, Mr. Shin. Now, can you please tell us the last thing you remember?”

“I…” I paused and thought hard. NOTHING. I can’t remember anything. I was starting to feel restless, and so, I began to scream.

“I DON’T REMEMBER ANYTHING! WHY?! WHY CAN’T I RECALL ANYTHING AT ALL?!!! TELL ME!!!!!!”

I attempted to stand up and pull out the tubes or wirings attached to me when they held me in restraints. The next thing I knew, I was close to falling asleep. No.

“No. Please. I don’t want to. Please. Just somebody please tell me what’s going on. Why don’t I remember anything? Why? Please..”

“It’s ok, Mr. Shin. You need to take some rest. Please don’t stress out yourself. We will do our best.”

That was the last thing I heard before my eyes closed and I drifted off to sleep once more.

3 days have passed since the patient, Shin Jonghoon has woken up from his coma. He was on a fast road to recovery, much to everyone’s delight and surprise. However, they couldn’t trace his relatives or any contact person. None of the data they gathered matched his profile. It didn’t take them long to conclude that their patient has gained memory loss due to the traumatic incident he was in. They tried to seek help from the Korean embassy and even the immigration but their reports weren’t prioritized.

“How can it not be prioritized? I told you, Mr. Carter. Something is up. The government or at least some bigwig is trying to cover his tracks. Whether the accident was intentional or a prank, it still doesn’t excuse the fact that lives were lost.”

“You watch too many movies, Nicole.” The old man just shrugged.

“It’s my way of relieving stress…wait…why are you so calm about this? You know something, don’t you? Tell me please!”

Mr. Carter sighed and told her the truth about the accident being a prank gone wrong by a senator’s son, a governor’s daughter, a prime minister’s son, and the vice president’s niece. He found out from the hospital director himself. The young doctor couldn’t help but to be mad about this. After she has calmed down, they went back towards the area.

“I hope she wakes up today..this is my last day as an intern in this hospital. Is it too much if I ask for a miracle?”

“I’d love to witness a miracle too, Nicole.”

They were getting emotional until she said,

“Besides, I still have to set these two up. Now that Hoon’s been cleaned up and all, he looks really cute. They’d make a really good-looking couple. I can already picture their love story being featured, or perhaps, translated into the big screen.”

“Nicole!”

Before he could say anything more to dispel her thoughts of pairing up her patients, a team of healthcare professionals suddenly rushed to the young woman’s room. It could only mean two things: either they were rushing because a Code Blue has been announced, or the coma patient has finally gained consciousness.

HER POV:

I opened my eyes and the first thing that greeted me was a blinding light. Where am I? Why am I here? Why does my body hurt like hell? I adjusted my vision and tried to take in my surroundings. Cardiac monitor, mechanical ventilator, infusion pumps, an IV pole that looks like a Christmas tree (from all the fluids and side drips), and more. It wouldn’t take a genius to figure out that this is a hospital. The question is, what am I doing here? How did I get here?

I tried to raise my arms and even a task as simple as that, was too much of a struggle. Then a shiny, gold band on my fourth finger caught my attention. Am I married? If that’s so, then shouldn’t my husband be somewhere in the room watching over me?

I slid off the ring and tried to bring it closer to my view. There were initials engraved in it along with a message:

No. I couldn’t possibly be married. If so, I’d remember. I felt difficulty in breathing and the alarms on one of those machines started to sound off. Isn’t there supposed to be a call light button somewhere? My hands searched frantically as I was gasping for air. In less than a minute, the room was crowded with people wearing white coats and scrubs.

As soon as my breathing and vitals were stabilized, they began a series of questions.

“What’s your name?”

I opened my mouth to say something and then I stopped. I couldn’t remember. How can I forget something as basic as this? I could feel my anxiety building up. Why? How? Why is this happening? I don’t want to look like a fool and I tried harder to concentrate. I remembered the initials on my ring and perhaps, my real name had something to do with it. What were the letters again? J? A? No. I think it was a Y? JYH.

“Jin Yeon Hee.” I replied calmly. It was the first name I could think of that had the same initials as the one engraved in my ring.

“Ok. How old are you?”

“23.” I tried to sound sure but I knew I failed.

“Do you know where you are right now?”

“The hospital.” I answered, gaining my confidence back.

“Can you please state the date and time today?”

“August 29. I think it’s probably 11:30am or 12nn?” I stated as a matter of fact. The doctors and nurses exchanged meaningful looks and for unknown reasons, I felt nervous. I knew what those looks meant.

“Do you know where you are? Which city, state, and country you’re in?”

“America.” That’s all I could say. I am not even sure if that is right. All I know is tha