Four hours. Four hours he paced the waiting room floor. Four hours he sulked in sorrow and uncertainty. Four hours he waited in agony, desperately needing to make sure she was ok. When Hongbin sat back down again, shuffling his hands, someone called his name. “Hongbin” someone said. Hongbin stood up immediately and looked around the room. Taekwoon, Jaehwan, Wonshik, and Sanghyuk were all standing in the waiting room. Hongbin cracked a slight smile and stood up. They all walked over to Hongbin and took turns giving their condolences. “Guys, thanks for being here…but I’m fine…really” Hongbin said.

They all looked at each other. Jaehwan spoke first. “Hongbin, Youngji is in the hospital. You don’t need to pretend like everything’s ok, because it’s not. We know how much she means to you.” He said, stepping towards Hongbin. “Yeah, we’re here for you Hongbin. We needed to make sure you’re alright” Wonshik said. “And Chief…he…” Sanghyuk stuttered.

“I know, I’m fired…I was expecting that”

Jaehwan spoke. “Hongbin…you did what you needed to do. And it all comes down to what’s more important.”

“Jaehwan…guys…I don’t think you quite understand. I’ve lost everything…my job, my girlfriend, everything is falling apart. And all I can do is just watch it all unfold without doing anything about it…”

They all looked at each other. Taekwoon had his hands in his pockets and stared at the floor this whole time. Suddenly a nurse entered the room. “Heo Youngji!” she called out. Hongbin’s eyes widened as he made his way over to her. He gulped. “I’m…I’m her boyfriend…is she…is she ok” Hongbin choked. The nurse looked up at him and sighed. “She’s doing alright at the moment” she said, almost causing Hongbin to collapse at the news. He regained himself and involuntarily smiled. “So she’s ok…she’s really ok!” he exclaimed, taking deep breaths. The nurse shook her head. “Sir…she’s alive, but in critical condition. She’s unconscious and we expect her to stay that way. She’s responding well to our treatments, but she is showing no signs of waking up. We need you to understand…don’t expect any miracles.” She said. Hongbin swallowed hard. “Can I…can I see her?” he asked.

“Yes, but sir please keep in mind-“

“Where is she?”

“Room 17, but sir I will warn you that-“

Hongbin quickly moved past the nurse and walked down the halls, searching for Youngji’s room. Finally, a single room at the end of the hall bore a plaque with the number “17”. Hongbin stared at it and slowed his steps. He approached the room and stood in the doorway a few seconds before entering. His eyes fell upon Youngji, lying unconscious on the hospital bed. He slowly made his way over to her and sighed. “Youngji-ah…” he said, grabbing her hand. He kissed it and her hand with his fingers. He looked at her face, all her perfect and beautiful features he loved about her. Her adorable nose, her big beautiful eyes, and her flawless lips now stood emotionless, frozen in time. Her breathing was regular, but she didn’t respond to anything. “Youngji-ah…Youngji…” he said, gripping her hand. No response. Her hand lay motionless within his grip. “Youngji…” he said again, “You’re going to be ok…the Youngji I know can fight this. You’re going to be ok…Can you hear me? You’re going to make it through this” he pursued. Still no response. Hongbin wasn’t expecting a miracle, but he knew somehow she would be ok. She just had to be…

Suddenly there was a knock on the door.

Hongbin turned around to see Taekwoon standing in the doorway. “Ah…Taekwoon-ah…It’s just you.” He said relieved. Taekwoon looked towards the ground. “Hongbin…can I talk to you for a second?” he asked hesitantly. Hongbin stood up, then released Youngji’s hand reluctantly and followed Taekwoon into the hallway.

“Taekwoon-ah! We haven’t talked in a while…how have you been since you left the force? I heard you went into robotic studies…”

Taekwoon hesitated. “Yeah…it’s going well, but listen I really needed to talk to you.”

“About what?”

“How…how is she?” he asked

“Youngji? She’s…she’s…”

“You don’t have to say…Hongbin…I need to confess something to you…”

Hongbin looked concerned. “What’s wrong?”

Taekwoon looked down. “It’s about Youngji…”

“What about her?”

“Hongbin…it was me…it was my fault…”

Hongbin chuckled. “What on earth are talking about?”

Taekwoon shuffled his feet and looked to the floor again. He shoved his hands in his pockets and sighed. “Hongbin, I’m the reason Youngji is in here” he began. “Hongbin-ah…I was the one who hit Youngji…”