A pair of hands caressed her face, slowly moving her around. She frowned as she felt herself being lifted. The warmth of the broad chest that hugged her made her feel safe, somehow, it was all she needed. She tried to open her eyes, but a bright light was blinding her completely. As the warmth left her, she felt panicked, her mind frantically searching for the warmth again.

“Chaerin, wake up honey, please.” She heard a voice saying. One voice she could recognize miles away, Jonghyun’s. She moved her head slightly as she felt her own eyes slowly opening. She looked to her side, there was Jonghyun looking at her with worried eyes, dark shadows decorated his eyes, his hair a silvery mess, his clothes slightly rugged. She smiled at him as she tried to sit up. A stinging pain on her arm made her flinch, and she looked at it. An I.V tube was inserted under her skin. She widened her eyes and looked around, she was at the hospital.

“What am I doing here?” She said, her voice a pitch higher due to her anxiety. Jonghyun stood up and caressed her face. She gulped as she looked at him.

“I found you and unconscious on your room. I didn’t knew what else to do. I thought the worst.” He said, his eyes getting watery. “I got so scared someone might have –”

“ me? Did you saw any door opened?!” She almost yelled at him. He lowered his face as a few tears escaped his eyes.

“I’m so sorry Chaerin, I didn’t knew what else to do.”

“They’re going to lock me up here for too long. I need to work, I need –” She stopped abruptly as she remembered everything that happened at her room. “Where’s Dara?”

“She’s down signing some papers.” Jonghyun said. Chaerin nodded as she looked at the door, afraid Jiyong’s image would pop out of nowhere. She looked at Jonghyun, pondering whether she should tell him what she saw before fainting. “We should be able to get you out tomorrow, if they say you’re good to go.” He said. She nodded as she gulped down, convinced she shouldn’t tell him everything.

“Then that’s good.” She said, getting comfortable on bed. He nodded and sat next to her.

“What about Dream boy? Did you saw him again?” He said. She looked to the side, then back at him, a slight shook of her head answered his question. “Good, I was starting to worry about you.”

“Don’t worry, I was just tired. Too consumed on my busy life.” She said. She felt her vision shifting again, but she closed her eyes, inhaling deeply, making all efforts on her body to remain there, with Jonghyun.

“Are you alright?” She heard him from a distance.

“Don’t fret, my love. I will be always here, for you.” She heard Jiyong’s voice saying. She opened her eyes and looked at Jonghyun, he was slowly shifting, his silvery hair turning golden, his masculine features turning softer as his eyes turned darker.

“Chaerin, are you alright?” He said again, and quickly turned back to Jonghyun. She shook her head again as she swallowed hard.

“I need to rest.” She said, hearing her own voice from a distance.

“It is time to find the solution.”

“You want me to go?” Jonghyun said. Chaerin shook her head quickly as she rested her head back, her hand caressing her forehead.

“What solution?” She murmured. She saw Jonghyun raising an eyebrow at her.

“What?”

“She can’t win over us, it is time for you to wake up.”

“Chaerin? Are you alright?” Jonghyun said as he slightly touched her leg.

“But do tell me, what can I do?” She said. Jonghyun shook her leg, as if trying to wake her up.

“Slowly, wisely. My love.”

“What are you talking about?” Jonghyun said, and as if she was pulled back, everything came back to normal. She blinked several times, then smiled at him.

“I’m delusional, don’t mind me.” She said. Jonghyun stood up and checked her fever.

“Should I call the nurse?”

“No! Don’t do that, just let me sleep.” She said, her eyes wide at him. He retrieved his hand as he looked at her. She could see fear in his eyes, a fear she had never seen in all her life. Jonghyun was always the brave on between them, always standing up for her, even when she was at her worst, he would stand up and keep her cool.

“Then I’ll just leave you alone, so you can rest.” He said as he took a few steps back.

‘It’s all useless, and do hear me, you fowl, monstrous man, I can step on top of your empire, build my own over your bones, filthy .’

She inhaled deeply, slowly closing her eyes. She knew she wouldn’t sleep, not at all, considering her own state of mind, but at least, pretending to do so gave her time to think. She threw her head back, her hand over her forehead as she thought about her last vision over and over again. It had been different from all the others, this time it was her, she saw herself, no Jiyong, or whoever he truly was, appeared on it. The door on her room opened hastily, and she could hear some fast footsteps walking towards her. She opened her eyes slightly, only to see a nurse with a pressure meter on her hands.

“Oh, Miss Lee, you’re awake. I’m just taking your blood pressure, nothing out of the ordinary.” She said. Chaerin nodded and extended her arm towards her. The nurse smiled and put the pressure cuff around Chaerin’s arm. It started to inflate, almost chocking Chaerin’s arm, then slowly started to deflate as the Nurse wrote some things down. Chaerin looked at the numbers on the monitor, 200/120 and a little icon of a heart with a pulsating 127 number. The nurse widened her eyes and looked at Chaerin.

“What happened?” Chaerin murmured.

“Are you feeling well, Miss Lee?” The nurse said. Chaerin shrugged and nodded. The nurse looked back at the monitor, then again at Chaerin. “I’m calling the doctor.” The nurse said and walked out, not even taking the Pressure monitor with her. Chaerin looked back at the numbers blinking on the little screen of the device.

‘It’s all normal.’

Moments later the nurse came back with the doctor. He smiled at Chaerin and walked quickly towards the monitor. “Are you sure this is working? She looks fine.” The doctor said as he put the stethoscope on his ears. “Hello Miss Lee, would you allow me to hear your heart?” He said and Chaerin nodded.

“Of course.” She said. The doctor smiled and put the stethoscope on her chest. She instinctively inhaled deeply, but he was looking at his watch. She frowned as she looked at him. His eyes were slowly widening as he looked at his watch. He looked at her, his eyes slightly wide and took out the stethoscope from his ears.

“This cannot be.” He said as he put his hand on her forehead. She looked at his hands, they were delicate, yet too strong to be feminine. “Miss Lee, I’m afraid I will have to medicate you. You’re having high blood pressure, you’re heart rate’s not normal. I’m afraid you can suffer a cardiac arrest.” He said, then looked at the nurse. “She will need sedation.” He murmured as he walked out of the room. Chaerin shook her head furiously as she tried to stand up. The nurse grabbed her shoulders and shook her head.

“No Miss Lee, you can’t walk. It’s too dangerous.” The nurse said.

“But I’m fine, he’s just exaggerating.” Chaerin fought. The nurse tried to push her, but as she did, she jumped back, her hands burning. The nurse started to scream as she fell on the floor. Chaerin’s eyes widened as she got out of bed. She tried to help the nurse, but Jiyong’s image appeared on the room, making her fall on her .

“Run, now!” Jiyong said as he signaled her the door. Chaerin looked at the nurse, she was screaming and crying as her hands burned red.

“Are you doing this?!” Chaerin screamed. Jiyong shook his head as he tried to reach for her.

“Just go!” He said again. Chaerin didn’t hesitated anymore and ran out of the room, leaving him behind. She heard nurses calling after her, but they quickly ran back to help the burning nurse. Chaerin ran down the stairs until she reached the main floor and ran out of the hospital.

Panting, she yelled at a taxi to stop. The car screeched to a stop and Chaerin ran towards it, jumping inside. She quickly gave the driver the directions and he drove, and to Chaerin’s relive, he was driving full speed. She rested her back on the seat as she tried to control her breathing. Her body started to feel warm, almost too warm. “Can I roll down the windows?” She said, her body was starting to feel too hot, and she thought it could be due to her high blood pressure.

“The A/C is on ma’am, and it’s freezing outside.” The driver said. She cleaned the sweat from her forehead with the back of her hand and nodded, slightly panting as she felt herself drowning in sweat.

“Then please hurry.” She said out of breath. The man looked at her through the rear mirror, his face turned into a frown as he noticed her sweating figure.

“Are you ok ma’am?” He asked her. Chaerin nodded, resting her head back.

“Just, I’m just hyperventilating.” She said. The man nodded and continued driving. She looked outside the window, pedestrians walking by in the cold night. She let out a sigh as she rested her chin on her hand. Her mind wandered as she recalled the nurse at the hospital. Her hands were red and burning, she hadn’t imagined that. And Jiyong was also there, popped out of nowhere, she couldn’t have possibly imagined that either.

Before she even realized it, the man pulled to a stop. She looked out and saw Jonghyun’s house there. She smiled and handed the man a money she found in her pocket. “Thanks so much.” She said and got out of the car. She took a deep breath and walked into the house. It was partially lit, the entrance looked like a grandmother’s house, filled with flowers and plants. She inhaled the too familiar aroma of lavender. It was Jonghyun’s grandmother and mother that had raised him. Now he lived alone, since his grandmother passed away, his mother decided to go out of the country, and he, being an adult, decided to stay and watch over his grandmother’s house. Chaerin was thankful at the moment, being far from him was devastating for her, but as years passed, she noticed that he had grown lonely.

With tremulous steps, she walked towards the door. She noticed his room was lit, though there was no sound. She knocked on the door, taking deep breaths as she did. Her hands were still shaking, and she could still feel her body burning. She heard footsteps approaching the door, but then paused at it, and she realized he was looking outside through the window. “Jonghyun, is me. Please open the door.” She gasped. Jonghyun unlocked the door and opened it slightly.

“You’re supposed to be at the hospital.” He said. Chaerin nodded and put a hand on the door.

“But they wanted to sedate me.” She said with a shaky voice. She could hear Jonghyun’s hesitation. “You’re my best friend, I’ve always been there for you. Please, be there for me too.” She said, and it was all he needed to open the door. She looked at him with worried eyes. He was shirtless, something that wasn’t new to her, he wore jeans and was barefoot. His hair looked like he had been pulling it furiously, his eyes looked swollen, bloodshot.

“Chaerin, it’s stupid that you tell me that, honestly.” He told her as he made way. She smiled and walked into his house. She put a hand on his cheek, and he closed his eyes. “I’m going to be always there for you, stupid.” He murmured. Chaerin smiled and he hugged her tight. She hugged him back.

“Thank you.” She murmured. He pulled out and pushed her slightly into his house and closed the door. She walked towards the living room, knowing the house as her own, and threw herself on the sofa. “I need to stay the night, you don’t mind, right?”

“You know this is also your house, you don’t need to ask.” He said as he walked into the kitchen. Chaerin looked around, inwardly smiling as she remembered Jonghyun’s grandmother baking cookies for them when they were younger. The place looked the same, beige walls decorated with Cherry Blossom’s portraits. Chocolate furniture with mahogany tables. The only thing new was the LED T.V hanging on the wall and the PS4 and Xbox on the mahogany table that once stood for Jonghyun’s grandmother’s old T.V. There was a picture of Jonghyun and Chaerin, smiling widely as they looked at the beach. She remembered that day, Chaerin’s parents had gone for the weekend and she was made to stay with Jonghyun’s family. She was about 10 years old, and Jonghyun’s grandmother woke them pretty early without telling them why. She drove and drove, and Jonghyun, the always grumpy kid, was fuming on how he missed his bed and why he would be woken up so early to be dropped out. His grandmother would only smile, and once she entered the shore of the beach, their faces lighten up immediately.

Chaerin remembered she used to spend more time with Jonghyun’s family than her own, and probably that’s why it didn’t hurt her that much losing her parents. However, when Jonghyun’s grandmother died, she felt devastated, she knew she had to be strong for Jonghyun, but he was the strong one for them both. She spent months without setting foot on that same house, feeling scared of her own feelings. One day, though, she finally came back, and to her surprised, she felt happiness instead of misery. She could still see his grandmother walking around, and that alone would make her happy again, like it was doing now as Jonghyun walked back with two cups of hot chocolate.

“What are you thinking about?” Jonghyun said as he sat next to her, handing her the cup of hot chocolate. Chaerin rested her head on his shoulder and shrugged.

“About your grandmother. I tend to do that a lot when I’m here.” She said. Jonghyun chuckled and sipped his chocolate.

“Yeah, I do that too.” He said, putting the cup on the coffee table. “Especially when I’m feeling alone. Maybe I’m just crazy.” He said. Chaerin put her cup on the table and looked at her.

“Remembering someone we love is not a crazy thing, is a normal thing to do.” She said. He nodded as he smiled at her, but her face turned into a frown as she remembered Jiyong’s face, haunting her everywhere she went. She looked to the side, towards the windows that looked towards Jonghyun’s backyard. Again, she saw nothing but vast greens, a huge garden, filled with all kinds of flowers. She stood up, walking towards the window. She could see nothing but the green land she always dreamed off. She looked back at Jonghyun, and once again, he disappeared, along with the house. She was in the vast green land, the wind breeze hugging her body as she looked around.

Her mind filled with all kinds of emotion, she had dreamed of the place, but had never felt it physically. She walked towards the shade of a tree, where she could see a silhouette looking at her. She felt herself stepping on her dress, and her hands went over to pick it up. She crooked her head as she saw herself nearing the same man she had always dreamed off. He smiled at her as she got closer. His hands extended towards her, and she felt herself extending her owns until they got closer and their bodies united in a warm embrace. “I believe you’re happy to day, my love.” He murmured on her ears. She smiled and nodded.

“I am, and so is our baby.” She said and he pulled away, patting her womb.

“I love you both.” He said as he kissed her womb. She looked down and her eyes widened, the image distorted into a dark night, the same place, but her dress was filled with blood. She grabbed her head and screamed, falling on the floor.

“Chaerin!” She heard, and once she opened her eyes, she found herself back in Jonghyun’s living room.

“It hasn’t stopped,” She panted as she cried. “Jonghyun, it hasn’t stopped. I keep seeing him, he’s always there.” She sobbed. Jonghyun hugged her tight as he made soothing sounds.

“I’m here now.” He murmured. Chaerin shook her head as she sobbed on Jonghyun’s chest.

‘I will never leave.’