Loud strides could be heard as each door was pushed open. The hospital was chaotic, with pregnant women going into labour, car accident victims being rushed into emergency rooms for risky operations, and old people battling natural health problems. All those did not affect the pace Lay had; all he could think of was how his sister was doing. It took four months for her to gain consciousness, and all this while he had blamed himself for his sister’s almost fatal injury.

“Hi, my sister.. My sister, she’s awake?” Lay asked frantically, his words tumbled under his heavy breath.

“What’s her name?” Asked the receptionist in a voice trying to soothe his worry.

“Heo Youngji.”

The receptionist typed in “Heo Youngji” on the keyboard, and Youngji’s details came up on the hospital’s database two seconds later. Before she could blurt out the digits, Lay had raised his head to peek at the numbers. 55.

He ran along the busy corridor, and didn’t even stop to take a breath. A minute later he was standing right in front of a double door labeled “Heo Youngji, ICU”. Then he stopped. His heart was pounding so hard he could hear it. The last time he saw his sister was four months ago, before he stopped drinking coffee. Before he left home.

Slowly, he took a deep breath as he reached for the door.

Youngji wasn’t alone. A doctor and two nurses were in the room, trying their best to calm her down. She caught a glimpse of her brother, and without wasting another second she screamed for him.

“Lay! Lay! Who are these people? Where am I?” She was scared.

Lay rushed to his sister’s side, hugging her to assure her he wasn’t going to leave her alone. He looked at the doctor, whose lips moved to say “We need to talk about her current condition.”

Lay nodded. He broke the hug and looked at his sister in the eye, “Youngji, listen to me. I need to talk to the doctor about some matters, so I need you to stay calm. Don’t worry. I won’t be long, okay?”

Youngji saw the truth in his hazel eyes, and let him go. Slowly, she dozed off due to the dose of general anesthetic one of the nurses had given to her prior to Lay’s arrival.

“How is my sister?”

“She asked for you as soon as she woke up. When asked about what happened to her, she got really agitated and couldn’t remember anything about the accident. She experienced headaches initially, so I prescribed some paracetamol to ease the pain. These are signs of short-term memory loss.” The doctor said as he read Youngji’s report.

“Is she going to be alright?” Lay asked, hoping for a positive answer.

“She has recovered a lot, but she still needs time to rest. I would advise you to slowly try and remind her of the little things she likes, and the incidents prior to the accident. Do it slowly, you do not want her to get acted up.”

“I understand. Thank you.”

Lay headed back into the room as the doctor and the two nurses walked away to treat other awaiting patients. He was relieved to see his sister sleeping, knowing she would wake up in the next hour. The only thing he was worried about was how he was going to break the news to her. Will you be able to take it?

“I’ve decided to ask the police to reinvestigate Hyunwoo’s case,” Gyuri said before Seungho could say what he had in mind.

“What did you just say?” Seungho could not believe her words.

“I do sound crazy, don’t I?” Gyuri said, losing faith once again.

Seungho gave out an inaudible sigh, looking at Gyuri like never before. He felt nothing other than pain in his heart. You’re overthinking again. He closed the distance between himself and Gyuri, and gently placed both his hands on her shoulders.

“Gyuri, can’t you just…” He paused.

“What?” Gyuri looked into his eyes. There was something he wanted to say so badly, but she was unsure if she could take it.

Seungho hesitated, “Can’t you just forget whatever happened two years ago? Let it go and start anew?” He felt a huge rock had just been lifted off his shoulder.

“I tried to move on. I really did. But I keep seeing him in my dreams. I keep hearing him in my head. I can’t…” Gyuri choked as her tears fell down her pink cheeks.

Without letting another second pass, his mere grab became a graceful hug. His right hand patted her head softly, comforting her like the old days. “I’m sorry. I should’ve told you earlier on.”

Hearing his vague words, Gyuri broke off the embrace and lifted her head up to catch his eyes. Curiosity was eating her inside.

“Tell me what?” Her eyebrows furrowed.

Seungho couldn’t say it out loud.

“Seungho, what is it? Is there something I should know?” She was losing her patience.

His face dropped, staring straight at the marble floor. He kept quiet again. Whatever he was trying to do, was driving Gyuri crazy. She hated not knowing all truths about her deceased fiance.

“I knew about Hyunwoo’s background. I knew about his family. I knew about Hyunjoong.”

Flashback (Three Years Ago)

“Let’s stop here! I’m exhausted,” Seungho exclaimed as Hyunwoo scored another goal he was trying to defend.

“I thought you said you were good,” said Hyunwoo, tossing a bottle of water at Seungho, who caught it just in time.

“Says the ex-captain of the school’s basketball team.”

Hyunwoo laughed at Seungho’s as-a-matter-of-fact approach. He reached for his cellphone in his bag to see if he received any texts from Gyuri. His phone showed only a text message from his mom. “When are you coming back home?” Seungho peeked at it, thinking it was Gyuri. Hyunwoo shoved his phone back into his bag, and got up to stretch.

“Are you really not going to tell Gyuri? You know how much she hates being the only one not knowing things,” said Seungho.

“There are some things better left unsaid. I don’t think she would ever forgive me, but it’s the best thing to do for the sake of both of us.”

Hyunwoo returned to the bench located behind him, and sat down heavily. Even now, he was starting to doubt himself. He wasn’t sure whether what he was doing was right or otherwise. Seungho observed his best friend, and noticed the flight of his thoughts.

“What’s on your mind?” Seungho poked him with his elbow.

“I have a twin brother,” said Hyunwoo, his eyes staring blankly.

“What?” The word ‘shocked’ fitted Seungho’s description.

“My parents gave him up for adoption when I turned ten. When I grew older, I started to question both of them why they did so, but they never gave me a conclusive answer. That was partly why I chose to leave and start my own career. Nothing beats that, right?”

It was obvious that Hyunwoo was looking into locating his twin brother, but he couldn’t get any further with his parents’ mouths tightly zipped.  

PRESENT DAY

Only silence diffused in the air which lasted for about ten seconds, but it felt like forever. Gyuri laughed in disbelief, clearly disappointed at herself. She clutched forehead, shaking her head as she thought into it.

“I’m sorry,” Seungho said, his hands slowly reaching for her shoulders.

“Don’t. Don’t do this to me.” Gyuri pushed herself away from Seungho’s incoming grasp.

Adrenaline rushed down Gyuri’s spine. Her heartbeat fastened, activating her tear glands. She laughed again.

“All this while, you knew everything about him that I don’t. All this while, I had been a fool, thinking I knew him more than anyone else. All this while, my life has been nothing but a lie.”

“Gyuri, it’s not like that. Hyunwoo …”

“Get out.” Gyuri interrupted, having enough of lies.

“Hear me out, please.”

“I said get out!”

She clutched her temples and her knees weakened immediately, leaving her no choice but to crash on the floor, with tears flowing down her cheeks. Instinctively, he took a step closer, but he then realized the pain he was about to cause.

“I’m sorry,” Seungho whispered, before leaving Gyuri’s place with regret.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It was like any other day at Seoul High, sunny and alive. The students had their own cliques from the previous years, making it difficult for newbies to adjust comfortably. Hyungsik was different; he had the looks, musical talent and sportsmanship. Everybody wanted to be friends with him, or at least, known to him. He already had girls lining up for pictures merely a week into joining the school, and he enjoyed the attention. There was only one thing he was curious about; Kang Jiyoung.

The scorching sun showed its presence to almost every acre of the school compound. Hyungsik, along with a friend he had just met five minutes ago, were walking towards the East Wing, where he saw Jiyoung approaching her locker. Knowing this was another chance for him to get to know her, he swiftly bid farewell to the short-term friendship and ran towards her.

“Hey!” Hyungsik said rather loudly, waving at Jiyoung as the distance between them closed.

“Hi! What’s up? How’s school so far?” Questions popped out of nowhere.

“Nothing much. It’s alright. I was wondering – ”

Before Hyungsik could finish his sentence, Jiyoung’s cell phone rang. There was a short pause between them, triggering Jiyoung to take a step back and check who it was. Jiyoung gave him a playful grin as she reached for her phone located inside her pink locker. “Sorry, give me a second.”

“Seungho? What’s the matter?” Jiyoung was surprised by the call.

“Hey, Jiyoung. Sorry if I’m bothering you. I know you’re at school, but could you come and check on Gyuri later? I’m worried about her.”

“What do you mean? Is she okay?” The change of the tone in Jiyoung’s voice attracted Hyungsik’s attention, and so he looked to figure out what was being conversed.

“She doesn’t want to see me right now, so I need you to keep an eye on her. Make sure she’s well, okay?”

Without further questions, she agreed and hung up. She manifested signs of confusion, which was made obvious by the frown she had on her face. Hyungsik, who was quick to notice, asked Jiyoung if everything was okay.

“I don’t know,” Jiyoung answered as she dialed Gyuri’s number. Why aren’t you picking up?

Jiyoung continued to call her cousin, hoping to get her on the line. Several failed attempts brought out the slightly more irritable side of her, snatching her patience inch by inch. Jiyoung couldn’t wait any longer; it wasn’t like Gyuri to ignore calls.

“I have to go. I’ll see you tomorrow,” her words rushed out of her mouths as she scurried off. She was only two metres away from Hyungsik when she received an anonymous call.

“Hello?” She picked up.

“Hi, is this Kang Jiyoung?” The caller waited for a confirmation.

“Yes, I am. Who is this?”

“I’m a friend of Gyuri. She’s currently at Cheong Chun Hospital, but she’s alright. Could you make your way here?”

“I’ll be on my way.”

As soon as Jiyoung hung up the second phone call, she felt a warm sensation on her left shoulder, seemingly coming from a warm-blooded human being. That soft touch cleansed away her worry and panic, and she readily turned around to thank that person. His eyes looked down to meet hers, telling her to stay calm and remember to breathe. “I’ll come with you.”

“Seungyeon, here’s the ledger and revenues book you requested. Let me know if you need anything else,” one of Seungyeon’s colleagues said as she handed the documents.

“Thanks,” Seungyeon murmured, as she herself was busy gathering other information for her project with Jonghyun.

The atmosphere in the office was quiet, as if air had been out of the newly refurbished room. It was lunch time, but that did not stop Seungyeon from typing on the keyboard, eager to finish the report she was meant hand in two days to Jonghyun for proof-check.

“Are you joining us for lunch? We’re having Western today,” said her colleague as she packed her handbag, ready to go.

“I think I’ll pass. Gotta get this done today,” Seungyeon smiled.

Soon after that, Seungyeon realized she was running out of ideas and had to ask Jonghyun for his opinions. However, the unkemptness of her desk was obvious to her as soon as she looked away from the screen; papers occupied most of the space, and her cup of half-drunken coffee with a visible lipstick stain on the top edge was used as a paperweight. She compiled the documents required and made her way to Jonghyun’s office.

“Come in,” Jonghyun said two seconds after he heard a knock on his door.

“I’ve got the documents you wanted.”

“Thanks.”

Jonghyun’s eyes did not leave the pink paper on his desk. He read every single detail on it thoroughly, careful not to miss anything. Seungyeon placed the documents on the small coffee table next to his desk. She glanced at him before scanning the space in his office, only to notice a calendar hanging on the wall next to her.

“What’s happening on 28^th?” Almost immediately, she came to realize it wasn’t her position to ask such a personal question.

His eyes ran wild even though his head was still. It was obvious that Seungyeon made him feel a little uneasy.

“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have asked that – ”

“It’s my dad’s death anniversary.” He forced a tiny smile on his face to ensure Seungyeon he wasn’t affected by her question.

The room fell quiet. Guilt filled up Seungyeon’s stomach, sending only a trickle of blood through the veins in her hands. She wasn’t sure how to clean up the mess she had just made, and whispered “I’m so sorry”.

“Would you like to have a drink with me tonight?” His brown eyes glistened with tears.

“Yeah, sure,” Seungyeon answered carefully in a soft voice, avoiding another breakage of ice.

*

The sky tonight was full of shining stars, accompanied by a beaming moon. Jonghyun and Seungyeon were by the beautiful Han River, with consistent frequencies of flat waves. The streetlights were on, killing off the darkness and eeriness.

“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” Seungyeon admitted.

There was no reply; which was strange. Seungyeon turned to her right, only to witness Jonghyun downing his third bottle of beer. It was like a perfect reenactment from a typical movie; he was drinking so heavily there wasn’t any time spared for him to breathe. Worried, Seungyeon tried to snap him out of his sorrow, but to no avail.

“Stop drinking so much. Here, have some water,” Seungyeon opened a bottle of water to offer him.

“I’m not lightweight.” There wasn’t any other word to describe him other than stubborn.

Seungyeon felt helpless under the moonlight. ‘Giving up’ was never a word in his dictionary of life.

“Why aren’t you drinking?” He asked in a mumble.

“I don’t drink.” She saw the smile on Jonghyun’s face. He didn’t believe her.

“Is everything okay?” She asked.

“It’s a world full of sometimes. Sometimes it becomes a world full of maybes. But maybe sometimes things just don’t work the way you want them to.”

His ambiguous words captivated Seungyeon’s mind. He let out a laugh before opening his fifth bottle.

“This is the worst way to drown your sorrow,” Seungyeon tried to convince him by snatching his bottle out of his hand, but his grip was too strong for her to break.

“You know what I’m more curious about? You.”

Seungyeon was taken aback.

“What?”

“Han Seungyeon. I know you like me. But I don’t. To me, you’re just like any other girl out there.”

She didn’t know how to respond to his sardonic remarks. His breath smelled of alcohol and his words tumbled. She felt her stomach burning like never before. She was angry and wounded by his drunken talk. However, he didn’t seem to realize the turmoil he had just caused. His head rested on the bench, dozing off instantly. Her dignity was no longer on its top level, and she left in tears.

It took Seungyeon five minutes to realize leaving a man in possibly his worst state on his own was cruel. What he said may have taken an effect on her, but nothing could stop her from worrying. Her eyes closed as she took a breath in, and turned around to trace back her trail. When she reached her previous spot, she couldn’t see him. Has he left?

No, he hadn’t. He was lying by the tree next to his car, being beaten up by two random males. Shocked, Seungyeon ran up to them with her cell phone in her hand, pretending to call the cops.

“Hi, is this the police? I’d like to report – ”

As soon as they sensed her approach, they fled the scene like there was no tomorrow. Jonghyun curled up on the ground, his arms hugging his abdomen. Red warm blood crusted his lips, and the side of his left eye bore a bruise mark. He was barely conscious.