Chapter Thirty-Eight
Angel Vessel
It was almost instantaneous. I heard a loud horn and brakes screeching. Someone slammed into me and we fell onto the sidewalk. I had curled up as instinct, but I opened my eyes and moved my hands to see Woohyun panting like he had just run a marathon. His eyes were wide and frantic and his bottom lip quivered. He was furious. The panic in his eyes made my breath catch.
"What the do you think you are doing?!" He yelled at me and I flinched. Did I take it too far by putting myself in too much danger. I had wanted him to come, I didn't really think of the consequences of him not making it in time. I trusted him.
"I believed that you would come." I finally said and his anger gave way to shock briefly before returning. He grabbed my arm and pulled me up.
"You crazy ! Don't run into the road!" The driver shouted at us and Woohyun turned around and bowed apologetically. He sighed before turning back to me. It was then I finally took in his appearance. Woohyun's hair was messy, he was unshaven and his eyes were tinged red. He looked exhausted. "Minji. That was so reckless. What if....what if I wasn't paying attention?" He asked softly.
"Then it would put us both our of our misery, wouldn't it?" I asked and he was surprised by my bluntness. "Why would you think I want anything to happen to you?" He asked. I in a shaky breath almost overtaken by my anger. "Really? You're asking me that question? You're hurting me Woohyun. All you have been doing these past few days is hurting me. I wonder if physical pain will actually hurt less than what you are doing to me."
"Minji." He breathed my name and his hand came up to touch me, but I swatted it away. "You touching me hurts me. Because if you are going to show me affection and then turn around to say hurtful things, then don't touch me."
His hand dropped and I was disappointed. "Why did you leave this morning?" I asked. "Why didn't you stay?"
He lowered his head and rested his forehead on my shoulder. "Because being this close to you is killing me." This was an answer I hadn't expected. It stung like nothing else. "So you don't want to be around me anymore. I get it." I shoved him away. "No." He grabbed my shoulders. "It's killing me because I can't be with you. I can't keep you safe. I can't make you smile. I will only make you cry. "
I bit my lower lip hard to attempt to stop my trembling voice. "The most cryptic man of the year award goes to..." I said dryly.
"Minji...don't do anything reckless like that again. I won't always be here to save you."
"You mean you just don't want to. Thats fine. That's perfectly fine." I pushed his hands off my shoulders.
"Say it." I said.
"Say...what?" He asked softly.
"Say goodbye to me. Say that what we have is over. Say that you hate me and say that I belong with Myungsoo." I listed.
"Be reasonable...Minji." He said and I couldn't hold it in anymore. I slapped him. My hand stung as more tears surged forward. "Reasonable?! You are the one being unreasonable. You're ing with me. With my life. It's all a joke to you. You can't? Can't what? Be a man and take responsibility? Be the man I know you are?!" I yelled at him.
I wiped furiously at my tears. "Why did you love me? Why did you let it get that far the other night if you are just going to toss me aside?! You are selfish, Woohyun! Why did you reveal yourself to me just so you can hurt me like this?!"
He looked like he didn't know what to say, but he finally opened his mouth. "I'm leaving." And he turned and walked away. I grabbed his sweater but my vision blurred and the last thing I saw before my consciousness faded was his worried face as he caught me.
I woke up with a start, grabbing at something and a warm hand settled in mine. I looked up and Woohyun was sitting by my bedside. I didn't know whether to let go or keep holding on. I was exhausted. I just wanted to know. I wanted to know what was wrong and why Woohyun was acting this way. But, I had been prying at him for the past day and he still did not want to divluge any details.
"When is the last time you ate?" He asked. "Ate?" I asked like it was something foreign to me.
He had a pained face on. "Minji...please stop doing this to yourself?" He said leaning his forehead against our clasped hands. "Please...Woohyun. Don't do this to me." I pleaded and he in a shaky breath. I grabbed his face and kissed him briefly. Would a show of affection make his shell crack? His eyes bore into mine. Our souls were always going to be linked, I'd realixed. "Please. Please just tell me. It can't be worst than what you are doing to us right now." I said and his face paled considerably. He opened his mouth to say something, but I interrupted him first. I didn't know why I did because he could have been ready to tell me what was wrong, but what I saw bothered me to my core. "Why does you angel tattoo look like that?" I asked. And his hand flew to the base of his throat. "It's fine." He answered. I pried his hand away. "Not its not. Why is it turning black?" The pure silver tattoo had darkened considerably, like it was on the way to being black. It had lost its glimmer.
"It happens when we disobey orders. It will go back to being silver in a few days."
He said and I stared at him. "You're lying! What does it really mean? What does it really mean?!" I shouted.
"I'm telling you the truth." Woohyun said, moving away. "No you're not. You're lying to me agin. I thought you couldn't lie!" I said grabbing his arm. "Angels can't lie." He said and I dropped his arm. "I'm going to get you something to eat." And he walked out.
I buried my face in my hands. What was happening? Where did we go wrong?
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