His face lightens up once he noticed her droopy face has returned back to normal and the tremor in her hand reduced. His sunbae is mumbling some medical terms correlated to brain function from where he stands and Kyuhyun understands that he’s currently trying to work on his verbal nerves.

“Seul, not long from now, I might ask you to speak up. My sunbae is working on your verbal nerve right now, can you do that for me?” Kyuhyun whispers next to her.

Seulri nods. She gains her muscle control back in her hand and she uses that moment to caress his face tenderly.

It cheers up a little bit seeing how the worries on his face slowly lift up just by her little response, maybe her chance to survive has increase in his eyes, maybe she has a chance to say what she wanted to say to him soon enough.

She closes her eyes to reminisce the moment in her mind, tying to pick which words she’d say to him first once she gets the chance. Should she deliver her apologies first? Or should she explain her regrets? But she’s also grateful for the fact that Kyuhyun still stayed beside her even after she disappointed him repeatedly, should she tell him her gratitude first? Maybe she should use her chance to beg him to stay one more time. She feels like she’d only get a little chance to say it all and she wants the words that comes out of her to be something meaningful and not just stupid unclear mumbles.

When she opens her eyes back, Kyuhyun’s face has been so close to hers, he was just checking the works of her face muscle that she just regained but his simple deed has once again messed up her heartbeat.

It felt like a long time ago since she was able to see him this close, she can clearly see the remaining tears in his eyes, his runny nose, and some facial hair that managed to grow back since he last shaved this morning. She missed him, she missed having him this close, she missed those tender looking eyes, she missed observing him from this distance, it’s almost like he’s within her reach one more time.

“You’re doing great,” He tells her as he pinches her chin softly, “He fixed the functions of your right body parts, just wait a little bit, ne? you’ll be out of your misery very soon.”

Seulri tries to lift the corners of her lips to form a smile.

“Make her speak, Kyuhyun-ssi.” The neurosurgeon gives his command.

Kyuhyun nods and takes a deep breath before he reveals the moment of truth. “Okay Seulri-ya, now is the time. Can you try to speak?”

Seulri moves her lips as she tries to mouth something but nothing comes out of her just yet.

“It’s okay, take it slowly.” Kyuhyun encourages her, “Try to say simple word first.”

She keeps on trying, her lips are now shaking while her tongue still aren’t able to move to create a word. Seulri closes her eyes one more time, trying her best to calm herself. She has to try to do this, the man in front of her counting on her for any kind of progress she could take, Seulri has to ease his mind at some point because she doesn’t like seeing the curls on his brows, she hates seeing the fear he failed to hide in his eyes and Seulri just wants to give her best to please him if that’s still possible.

She tries to open one more time, pouts her lips to try to create a sound.

“You can do it, Seul.” He keeps on encouraging her.

“O—oppa.” Her voice sounds very weak but she manages to let out a word.

His face lights up and he almost jumps in excitement. “She utters a word, doctor.” Kyuhyun reports back to his sunbae.

“Keep her talking, I’m monitoring the impulses from here.” The neurosurgeon replies.

“Seul, you did it. You did great..”

“Mi—mianhae.” She utters her next word.

“Don’t apologize, I forgive you. You know I can’t stay mad at you for too long.” Kyuhyun fells like she just squeezes his heart with her words. Is that what she was trying to say to him from the moment she saw him in the E.R tonight?

“I— am sorry.” She continues as she tries to control the overwhelming emotion she feels inside, “for what— I have— become.” Her tears fall one more time.

And her words do the same effect on him. Kyuhyun begins to cry again, he’s speechless, he’s guilty and he currently has tons of regret in his heart.

He knows Seulri best and he understands that the love of his life had struggled all night not just from the pain she feels throughout her body but also from the words she has left unsaid.

“Please Seulri-ya, I told you I forgive you. Please stop apologizing.” He takes her right hand and kisses it repeatedly. “You hear me right Seul? I’m not mad at you anymore. I’m sorry—“ He can’t continue his words for his cry has dominated his sentence.

Seulri takes her left hand with all the strength she has, bring it towards his face to wipe the tears under his eyes.

“Ul-jima.. oppa. Nan gwenchana.” She tries to convince Kyuhyun that she’s fine despite all the piercing pain all over her body.

“I’m sorry Seulri-ya.” He shakes his head and gasps for more air, “If I wasn’t so stubborn none of this would happened. If I didn’t put my pride above anything else, if I didn’t try so hard to tear your heart the way I did lately. I’m sorry.”

She smiles weakly. “I’m.. not.. mad..” She whispered.

“You should. You should be angry with me.” He wipes his own tears on his face, “Once you recover from this, you can yell at me all you want, you can throw your fist at me if you want and you can treat me like a jerk. I deserve that Seul.”

Seulri shakes her head, “Shiroe.”

“Forgive me Seulri-ya. You’ve been trying your best to fix your mess and I was the one who couldn’t move on from the mishaps. I’m sorry I let you suffered like this.”

“I’m sorry, oppa.” She speaks more fluent, “I let you down.”

Kyuhyun sniffs his nose while he also busy to wipe the tears on his face. Blaming himself over something that’s already done probably the most useless thing he could do at the moment, but he really has tons of regret towards her. He knew he was that mean to her lately and the way she continuously apologizes to him confirmed his thoughts.

“I’m sorry Seulri-ya, i should’ve been the bigger person.” He sobs for some more. “I can’t believe I did all that to you, I’m so sorry.”

“Don’t cry.” She wipes his tears, “I don’t.. deserve.. your tears..”

He takes her hand to places it on his cheek as if he wants her to caresses him to calm him down. “I’m sorry Seul. I love you so much and I ended up hurting you like this.”

She runs her thumb that’s on his face to wipe his tears away then put on the biggest smile she can pulls out, and whispered. “I.. told you.. I love you.. more.”

*

Kyuhyun was driving his car with his mouth pouted and his eyes still annoyed from the drama Seulri pulled earlier. He was informed that Seulri had fallen from the stairs in their building and sprained her ankle earlier today by his own sister. Kyuhyun went home immediately after his shift ended, he didn’t try to change his clothes nor washed his face after his long night shift and he drove like crazy towards her home—only to find out it was her trick to give a surprise birthday party for him.

Kang Seulri and Cho Ahra welcomed him with the ridiculous cone hats on their heads and some paper whistles on their mouth, Seulri’s rooftop house had been decorated with some banners and balloons completed with a cake with Kyuhyun’s name on it. They both were so cheerful when they shouted to surprise him and Kyuhyun was startled to see his girl was actually doing fine—and annoyed because he worried so much he didn’t get a chance to tidy up a little bit for her.

The surprise party didn’t last long because Ahra had to return to her campus for an evening class and Seulri had nag Kyuhyun to go out of the city for the night to celebrate his birthday. Seulri even convinced Kyuhyun that she didn’t skip any class—in her imaginary campus—and that she already checked his shift schedule that were empty for tomorrow. Kyuhyun was still annoyed with his own stupidity but he followed her suggestion and packed his ov