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A/N: Welcome to SHR 2: The Aftermath. If you're still suffering from the open ended story of Hae Soo and Wang So, then you came to the right place. Word of caution: this fic is angsty and long, but according to my readers, it was worth the read. Hope you enjoy it as much as they did. And may you find your closure within this fic's pages.

“I’m fine, Chae-rin. Believe me, I’m fine.”

“Go Ha-Jin, you’re not fooling anyone. You don’t look fine to me so stop lying.”

25-year old Go Ha-Jin knew her roommate wasn’t going to budge. Arms on her hips and a stern look on her face, Chae-rin was definitely in charge. In her eyes, Ha-Jin was sick and there was no point arguing.

“Okay, I’m not fine,” surrendered Ha-Jin, “But I’m not going to let you dictate my life because of it. I can go out even if I don’t feel alright.” She made her way towards the door, which Chae-rin immediately blocked.

“Have you seen yourself, Ha-Jin? You’re paler than a rice cake,” remarked Chae-rin, “And Luna told me you weren’t well during the make-up exhibit either. If you keep pushing, I will put you under house arrest.”

Ha-Jin smirked, “Oh my god, house arrest? What period are you in?”

“Goryeo,” answered Chae-rin, “Or Joseon. You choose. Either way, I’m not letting you—Ha-Jinah? Ha-Jin? Are you okay?”

The mention of Goryeo suddenly brought Ha-Jin to a stop.

“Ha-Jin? What’s going on? Does your head hurt again?” Chae-rin asked, dropping her stern persona, “Do you want to rest?”

“I...I’m fi—“ she was about to say, but the throbbing feeling in her head said she was anything but fine, “I...I guess I need to rest.”

“See!” exclaimed Chae-rin, holding tightly on Ha-Jin’s arm, “I told you. You’re not strong enough. You need to rest. Otherwise, you’re just going to fall over that exhibit. Besides, you can go anytime anyway.”

Ha-Jin leaned on the younger one as they made their way to her room. Once they got to the bed, she plopped herself down, resting her head on the soft pillow, and heaving a sigh.

“I don’t understand why you’re so desperate to go back. I mean...it’s just paintings!” complained Chae-rin, throwing a blanket over her stubborn roommate “You’d think it’s life or death if you don’t go back ASAP.”

The dosaeng tucked Ha-Jin and placed a hand on her Ha-Jin's forehead.

“I’ll get you some soup,” she said, “I’ll be back in an hour. Until then, please, for the love of God, don’t get up.”

“I won’t,” said Ha-Jin, “I promise.”

Chae-rin flashed one last warning look before closing the door, leaving Ha-Jin to her thoughts.

Once she was alone, she sighed.

When she woke up from her coma a year ago, Ha-Jin had no recollection of these memories. She was disoriented but weak; her mind wandered crazily despite her bedridden body. A startled nurse was the first face she saw, followed by a frantic Chae-rin who kept screaming, “Oh my god, you’re awake!”

Her mother visited a day after, rejoicing over the fact her daughter finally woke up. Together with Chae-rin, they filled Ha-Jin with what she missed: how she was rescued from the lake, how she fell into a prolonged coma, how everyone lost hope because it seemed like she wouldn’t wake. Chae-rin also talked about the minor events: Ha-Jin’s ex-boyfriend (the one who cheated on her) cheated on her friend as well, the make-up store she worked for fired her during her coma, and so on.

Ha-Jin remembered these things, especially the one concerning her cheating boyfriend. She recalled being chased by angry customers and falling into the lake after saving the boy.

But nothing after that.

Then, the dreams came.

Ha-Jin heaved a sigh as she rolled to her side, clutching her Nini bear tightly. Her head throbbed and the tears threatened to fall again.

How could I have forgotten?

For a year, she didn’t think about him but her dreams made sure she did.

It started with a face hidden behind a mask. Ha-Jin always wondered why he wore that ugly black mask; could he be hiding a terrible flaw? she thought. Eventually, the face with a mask became the man with the mask—one who rode a black horse, his long hair flying behind as he ventured into the sunset.

Sometimes, he would speak but she couldn’t hear. Other occasions had him reaching out for her desperately. There was also one time he simply sat beside her, watching the calm lake and surrounded by peonies.

Whatever the scenario was, however,  the end was always the same—she would wake up crying. Not just teary-eyed — full-on sobbing.

Her sadness for this masked rider never made sense. Everyone thought it might be a side-effect from her fall; after all, she also spent a year in coma. For a while, Ha-Jin believed their words.

But not anymore.

“You…you are my person.”

The memory of his voice brought her close to tears. He always had a deep and warm tone, one that often assured her despite the shaky circumstances. The same voice laughed, cried, and begged her to stay. It was the same voice that said he loved her.

It was his voice.

Her body itched to do something drastic. If only she could go back…if only she could see him one last time.

His portrait was the only thing she had, staring at her back at the exhibit. The thought of it made her want to break her promise to Chae-rin and leave immediately. But her body protested. All she could do was just dwell in the memory of his voice.

“That girl. She belongs to me.”

“Should I call you ‘my person?’”

“Then, should we run away now? If you wanted to, I’d do it.”

Ha-Jin sat up and hugged her knees. Now that she remembers, what can she do?

“It’s all done,” she said, “You can’t do anything for him, anymore. He’s gone.”

The wind tapped lightly on her window, breaking the stone-cold silence. It was true: there was nothing she could do anymore.

“When you touched my face, I decided I would never let you go.”

All she could do was cry.

“I’m sorry,” she said, “So-ya, I’m sorry.”

A/N: I know you're as upset with the ending as I am. Fortunately, fan fiction exists. Looking forward to your comments!