Chapter 004

✥ “K-Kyujong? W-why are you here?” Her eyes widen with surprise as she made her way in, carrying her bag and paperwork in her hands.

Kyujong pulls himself together as he greets the woman with a small bow, “I didn’t mean to visit unannounced. Sorry.”

The lass expresses a sharp sigh, “Come out,” she says then spins on her heels and heads out first. Kyujong heft a sigh as well before he follows her out. Junghwa and Kyujong are left alone to speak in the stairway room. Kyujong notices a slight frown on her forehead, otherwise she hasn’t changed much except for the fact that she now has bangs and slightly aged. “What is the meaning of this? After cutting off contacts with us what are you doing here?”

“I came after hearing about Youngsaeng’s condition—”

“Please leave,” Junghwa uttered roughly, “you were never there for Youngsaeng or I for the past two years so why appear now when Youngsaeng is in that state? Are you here to cause trouble?” Kyujong became speechless, clueless as to what Junghwa is talking about. “Please leave and don’t come back for me to see your face again. You call yourself a friend, tch.” Junghwa hurry out of the room before giving Kyujong any chances to respond.

Once the door shut on its own, Kyujong heave a depressed sigh and leans against the wall. He shut his eyes, taking in the momence of silence. For a good time he stand alone with his eyes on the tiled floor without any movements, until he hear the stomping through the hallway.

“Doctor!”

Kyujong notices the voice, it was Junghwa. Without much thought Kyujong haul the door open and find a group of doctors and nurses heading toward Youngsaeng’s door, with Junghwa waving to them. Did something happen to Youngsaeng? Kyujong quickly tail the team as they walk into the room, getting in formation. Kyujong halt at the open door where he saw how the nurses and doctor were checking the monitors and his friend.

“He’s awake!” Junghwa says aloud with teary eyes and a wide smile as she cup Youngsaeng’s hand. Kyujong kept his distant when he notices that the lad is in fact awake, his eyelids open and falls heavily.

“Everything seems fine, his heartbeat is stable,” a nurse inform the older doctor who hums as he lean forward to speak to Youngsaeng. Kyujong couldn’t hear what was being said as the sound of monitors, Junghwa’s relief sighs, and nurses moving objects around made him deaf to the older man’s words.

“Please step outside while we tend to him for a moment,” the doctor says to Junghwa.

✥ On the bench outdoor, Junghwa is sitting beside Kyujong. Her arms were folded over her chest and she was leaning against the chair and wall. “Didn’t I tell you to leave? Why are you still here?”

Kyujong chooses not to answer. He knew Youngsaeng may never forgive him for leaving unexpectedly and cutting ties, but he want to make sure Youngsaeng is fine. Even as an old friend, he wishes for Youngsaeng’s quick recovery. Junghwa scoffs when he didn’t reply, “Of course it’s like you, Youngsaeng doesn’t know whether you’ve come back or not, so now that he’s awake you’re staying so it seems like you’ve always known. You always love his attention,” she says without thinking as she never knew that Kyujong developed feelings for Youngsaeng since high school.

“I won’t allow him to think that you’ve been here for him. He’s going to know that you’ve really abandoned your guys’ friendship of eight years.” Junghwa says before turning away, just to find a nurse leaving the room. “Oh,” she stands to greet the young woman, “is it alright to go in now?”

“Yes, the patient is up,” she says before excusing herself. Junghwa heads toward the room without any word, meanwhile Kyujong stood and took his time. Because he felt guilty, wasn’t it better to apologize instead of leaving unannounced again. At the door Kyujong came to a stop when he notice Junghwa moving to Youngsaeng’s side, seeing how he was still lying down. The doctor and another nurse remain on the side.

“Don’t worry about anything, everything is stable now, it’s a miracle that he has finally woken after all this time. You’ve worked hard,” the doctor says, Junghwa smiles to him before grabbing a hold of Youngsaeng’s hand.

“Youngsaeng, thank you, thank you for coming back and not leaving me behind,” she says with wet eyes once again as she locked eyes with him.

The man look directly into her eyes and softly utter the question, “Who are you?”

As if winter had come early, the room became cold and chilly after his question. Junghwa wore a blank face as she breath a nervous chuckle, “W-what did you just say?”

“Where am I?” Youngsaeng asks, ignoring her beside him as he look around the room. Then his eyes stopped at Kyujong who remains by the doorway. “K-Kyujong,” he calls. Horror could be seen drawn onto Junghwa’s face in the moment, meanwhile Kyujong kept his gaze on his friend who did the same.

“Y-Youngsaeng, d-don’t you know where you are?”

“Kyujong, where are we? This look like a hospital….Why are we here?” Youngsaeng questions. This time everyone but Youngsaeng turn to the doctor for answers. The older cleared his throat and made eye contact with his assistant.

“Look after him while I speak to the family and friend members,” he says before assisting a confused Junghwa and Kyujong out.  In the doctor’s office the man sat in his desk while the two join him on the other wise.

“What’s going on Doctor? I thought you said everything was stabled?” Junghwa asks in heat. “Isn’t he alright?”

The elder fold his hands over one another before eyeing the both of them, “Due to his accident and coma, commonly side effects such as these are possible. There’s a chance that he may have had memory loss,”

“Those memory loss, do you think they’ll ever come back to him? What am I supposed to do if he can’t remember his wife?”

“With time his memories may return, there has been many cases like his.”

“How long does it usually take?” Junghwa desperately asks.

“Depending on the patient's, I’m not sure how far back his memory has taken him but normally under three years all of his memories will return to him,”

“But three years—?” Junghwa begin just to be cut off by the older male.

“Mrs. Heo I understand that it’s shocking but it’s something out of our control. I hope you’ll understand. His memories could come back to him before the end of the day too, so don’t worry too much.” He then turn to Kyujong, noticing how the younger man is looking elsewhere with troubled eyes, “But, who are you young man? It’s the first time I’ve seen you here,”

“I-I’m his friend,”

“Earlier he call you Kyujong right?”

“Yes,”

“Since it looks like he can remember you, it must be fate. You’re going to help him bring back his memories right?”

“Yes….” Kyujong answers, though he most likely may not. He is only to visit Youngsaeng and go back to Incheon as soon as he can. He notices Junghwa’s looks from the side. After a few more chattering with the older man in the white coat, the two left when the older was called to check up on another patient. In the hallway, Kyujong and Junghwa walks in silence before she spoke.

“Are you really going to help him? You’re not going to run away like you did before?” She asks.

Kyujong pockets his hands and sigh before answering, “Because of the hotel I cannot stay long, but I’ll try before leaving.”

Junghwa heave a noticeably loud sigh, “What kind of mess is this? The moment you show up, Youngsaeng wakes from his yearly long comma. He can remember the person who abandon him two years ago but not his wife who had to live at the hospital because of  him. What is this?” She says aloud.  

“At least you got to take care of him.”

“What do you mean?” She asks as they grow closer and closer to Youngsaeng’s room.

“As you say, we have not met or seen one another for two years, but if he had woken up earlier and forgotten about me, wouldn’t it be a bit regretful?”

She scoffs a little, “You’re right, you’ll probably be forgiven easily if he doesn’t remember. Are you upset that he can remember you? Because of that you won’t be free from what you’ve done.” Her words were like salt, burning at his open wounds. Inside the room they notice Youngsaeng leaning against a stack of pillows.

“Kyujong,” Youngsaeng waves over. Kyujong approaches first meanwhile Junghwa make her way toward the man in the bed awkwardly. “Oh, I saw you earlier right?” Kyujong could see that Youngsaeng is still the bright and active guy despite looking pale and sick. For someone who has just woken up from a coma, Youngsaeng appears happier than many. “Who is she, Kyujong?” The nurse excuses herself and leaves the room quietly.

“Your wife,” Kyujong spills with no mercy, putting a halt to Youngsaeng’s cheery aura. Meanwhile, Junghwa freezes in her steps, surprise by Kyujong’s reckless statement.

“What?” Youngsaeng look over to the serious Kyujong as the man stops beside him.

“She’s your wife of two years Youngsaeng,” Kyujong repeated. The two notice a furrow frown on Youngsaeng’s forehead before he brushes it off with a chuckle.

“Kyujong why are you lying? We’re in high school, if she is my wife of two years then I got marry during our freshman year? Seriously,” Youngsaeng says before eyeing Junghwa again, “but, you don’t look like a high schooler so are you a...teacher from somewhere?”

Junghwa only smile a little before bowing and leaving the room. Kyujong knew immediately that Youngsaeng’s words has hurted Junghwa. Afterall she devoted all of herself to the man in the bed. “Isn’t she a bit strange Kyujong?”

Kyujong took a seat in the provided chair beside Youngsaeng’s bed. “Youngsaeng, don’t ever ask who she is again.”

Youngsaeng cocked his head to the side, “Why are you so serious? Is she your girlfriend then?”

“You don’t remember why you’re here, Youngsaeng?”

The orange head shrug a little as he look elsewhere, “Hm, the nurses and doctor said I was involved in an accident and that I have been sleeping for a year? But I don’t think they know what they’re saying, I don’t remember any of that happening,”

“Then, what was the last thing that you remember?”

Youngsaeng put on his thinking face, one that Kyujong has missed for the past few years. When Youngsaeng is really thinking hard, he’d frown and purse his lips side to side. The lad tilt his head a 45 degree angle before speaking, “You said...You told me….Uh what was it? ‘Like’?”

“Like?”

“Yeah….Somewhere along the line that you like….”

What Youngsaeng is trying to say hit Kyujong like a wave as he knew what the lad was going to say, “Y-Youngsaeng,” he try to distract his friend from completing the image.

“Like me?” Youngsaeng forces the words out his lips, “That you like me?”

Kyujong’s heart begin beating rapidly, “H-hey,”

“Did you like me?” Youngsaeng asks with an arch eyebrow, a sign demanding an answer. “Was that what you said, Kyujong? That you like me?”

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