“Do you, Kwon Jiyong?” asked Dara, as she walked over to Jiyong’s bed. “How would you know if my heart is hurting? How would you know about ANYTHING that I’ve been through for these past few weeks?”

Jiyong showed no signs of fear as he looked Dara in the eye. He knew that if he wanted to help Dara stop hurting, he would have to go through with this, especially since he had been the cause of Dara’s pain all this while. All he wanted to show Dara now was that he would be there for her and that whatever she wanted to throw at him, he would gladly take and accept, if it meant that it would help Dara heal.

“Do you know what you’ve put me through, Kwon Jiyong?!” screamed Dara, as she started hitting him on his chest, arms and legs, pretty much any inch of Jiyong’s skin that she could land her fist on. “Do you know how many tears I’ve shed? How many sleepless nights I’ve had to bear, thinking and worrying about whether you were okay? How many afternoons I spent in bed wondering if I would ever see you again? Do you? Do you? DO YOU?!” Dara punctured every word she screamed with a punch on Jiyong, letting loose everything that she had bottled up for the past month.

Jiyong took his beating unflinchingly. If anything, this bit of physical pain was surely nothing compared to the emotional pain that he had put Dara through. Yejun shrank into a corner out of fear. Mrs. Kim saw this and opened the door to pull Yejun out of the room.

“Mrs. Kim, eomma looks really scary now. Did Yejun do something wrong?” asked Yejun, as he nuzzled into Mrs. Kim’s shoulder in fear and confusion.

“No, no, Yejun-ah. Don’t ever think like that,” said Mrs. Kim, as she patted his back to comfort him. “Like I said, you did a very good job. Both with your appa and your eomma. Your eomma is like that now because she’s releasing all her pent-up emotions. You helped your eomma release her emotions. I promise you both your eomma and appa will be much better after today, Yejun-ah. So don’t be scared. You’ve done an excellent job in making their hearts hurt less.”

Yejun smiled and continued to rest his head on Mrs. Kim’s shoulder. Bom saw that Dara was still hitting Jiyong and was about to enter the ward to stop her when she felt Youngbae’s hand on hers.

“Leave them be. Dara will be fine after venting everything out. Don’t worry about Jiyong. If anything, that idiot deserves it. This little bit of pain won’t do him harm. If anything, it’ll probably bring back the feeling in his left arm and leg a little faster,” assured Youngbae.

Bom cast a worried look at the couple through the glass in the door and nodded. Back in the ward, Dara was still hitting Jiyong with all her might, though her energy was rapidly dwindling.

“How could you say all those things as if it never meant anything to you, Kwon Jiyong! How! Could! YOU!!!!!! I was so scared that you were going to leave me when you were in that operating theatre. You had the nerve to be sent in to that operating theatre twice! Did you have to punish me like that? And after you woke up, you convinced me that you didn’t love me anymore. You convinced me that you hated me to the core and that you didn't want me near you anymore! You even said that I was toying with you! How could you say all those horrible things? WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE? I HATE YOU KWON JIYONG! I HATE YOU!” screamed Dara, as she continued to hit him.

Dara eventually stopped and broke into tears, as she cried on Jiyong’s shoulder. Jiyong put his arm around her comfortingly and held her against his chest.

“I love you, baby girl. I’m sorry that I can’t make up for all the pain that I’ve caused you. If you can find it in your heart to forgive me, then please give me a chance to make it up to you. I love you so much, baby girl,” said Jiyong into Dara’s ear.

The pair stayed in that position for a long time, as Jiyong waited patiently for Dara to stop crying. The small group outside the ward watched, as Bom and Youngbae smiled to each other.

“I think they’ve finally opened up to each other and accepted their own feelings,” said Bom with a sigh of relief.

“Youngbae-hyung, are eomma and appa okay?” asked Yejun worriedly. “Eomma was shouting so loudly just now and now it looks like she’s crying.”

Youngbae smiled and ruffled Yejun’s hair, before replying, “It’s all right, Yejun-ah. Like what Mrs. Kim said, this is your eomma and appa’s way of healing. Don’t worry about it.”

Yejun smiled his toothy smile and replied, “Neh~ Yejun will stop worrying.”

“All right Yejun, we should be heading back now,” said Mrs. Kim.

“Neh, Mrs. Kim,” said Yejun. “Anniyo Youngbae-hyung. Anniyo, Bom-noona.”

“Anniyo, Yejun,” said Bom and Youngbae, as they waved at Yejun.

“Do you think we can go in now?” asked Bom.

“Yeah, I think so,” said Youngbae, after taking another look at the pair in the ward.

Bom and Youngbae walked into the ward and saw Jiyong caressing Dara’s head, as her cries quietened into sobs. Bom and Youngbae smiled as they walked over to the bed.

“Well, looks like our long-suffering couple has finally come to terms with their feelings for each other,” said Youngbae teasingly.

“Congrats, you two,” said Bom.

Jiyong just smiled and continued to caress Dara’s head softly. Dara’s sobs eventually quietened down completely. She pulled herself out of Jiyong’s touch and wiped the tears off her face. She stood up unsteadily, before slumping onto the floor as she fainted.

“Yah! Dara-ah!” shouted Jiyong, as he struggled to get off the bed.

“Stay on the bed, Jiyong. We’ll help her,” ordered Youngbae, as he slammed the button next to Jiyong’s bed to call for a nurse.

Bom and Youngbae gently lifted Dara onto the empty bed next to Jiyong, as they waited for the nurse to come in. The nurse came in shortly with a doctor and the doctor immediately started checking Dara’s vital signs.

“Her pulse is still strong and the rest of her vital signs appear normal. I think she’s just collapsed due to fatigue. Has she been very stressed out over something recently?” asked the doctor.

“Yes, she has. So what should we do, doctor?” asked Youngbae.

“We can admit her for observation now. She’s in no immediate danger but I would like to run some tests on her to make sure that she’s all right to function on her own,” replied the doctor.

“Thank you, doctor,” said Bom and Youngbae.

“My nurse will show you where to get the paperwork done,” said the doctor, as he left the ward.

“I’ll go,” said Bom. “You stay here with Jiyong.”

Bom exited the ward with the doctor and nurse, while Youngbae sat beside Jiyong’s bed.

“You okay, bro? Don’t worry, the doctor already said she just collapsed due to fatigue. It’s really nothing serious,” assured Youngbae. “It’s pointless for us to worry now. She’s being well taken care of by the staff. We would only get in the way if we went along with them.”

“I know. But I’ve really put her through a lot, haven’t I?” said Jiyong in a dejected voice.

“It’s what you two had to go through to know how much you two mean to each other, Ji. If anything, see it as a blessing in disguise,” said Youngbae wisely.

“I don’t know what would have become of us if not for you and Bom. Thanks so much, bro,” said Jiyong.

“Come on, what are friends for?” laughed Youngbae.

“So, do you think you and Bom will have a chance of getting together?” asked Jiyong cheekily.

“Me? And Bom?” asked Youngbae incredulously. “You