MIRA'S POV:

My fingers kept scrolling through the various news outlets as I failed to spot one with any updates about him. Until now, I have already rummaged through almost every online news channel available on the internet but nothing came in. Even the fan cameras hadn't posted any photos or videos from the event yet. Just then, I recalled the maknae's words from earlier.

"N hyung and Taekwoon hyung are with manager hyung... they're talking to the reporters out there."

Perhaps, their agency and management took care of the absurd news outlets. Of course, they wouldn't want to have ridiculous rumors about his current condition spreading around without proper procedures. He might as well still be in surgery or even better, in the recovery processes. They might be waiting for him to regain consciousness before releasing any official statement. So that the fans won't be worried. That must be it. Yes, that definitely is the case. I convinced myself again as desperately as I could.

Even my always inquisitive subconscious was now sitting emotionlessly in the middle of my empty head. Nothing except a plain trace of pitying expression was present on her face. She was sincerely sympathizing with my helplessness whereas to be honest, I was despising my own self. For everything I've done to him, I don't deserve pitying. I deserve punishment. A rather merciless one for all the hardships I had put him through till now.

"Gia-yah... is it okay to go through the main entrance? What if there are a lot of people?" Lina's worried voice interrupted my inner thoughts as I reprocessed her words in my head again.

She was concerned about the fans and reporters but I highly doubted any of their presence due to the absurd silence in all social media. It appeared as though VIXX Ravi didn't exist and even if he did, nothing tragic happened to him at all. Everything seemed so fine that I was getting madder at this mistreatment as it triggered a certain vague intuition in my head. However, before I could dwell deep on that indistinct insight, we arrived at the said hospital's back entrance. My eyes shot wide open at the large signboards in bright red before whipping towards the older woman beside me.

 'EMERGENCY WARD' 

"Didn't you say that he was pretty serious, my dear?" She seemed equally nervous as I was and I couldn't blame her either.

Carefully, I scanned the surrounding for familiar items such as navy blue banners and lightsticks or at least any accustomed faces but no. Not a single Starlight nor the staffs were in sight. Alarmed ambulances kept entering and exiting the various zones, separated by colors that indicated the stages of case's emergency while staffs in white coats and nursing caps were working diligently. Apart from the patients and a few other medical staffs, the emergency ward entrance had no trace of an Idol being admitted.

"Where is everyone? He is hurt and nobody cares..."

"Maybe they covered the news for now, Gia-yah... K-Pop entertainment industry works differently than the rest." Lina's comment made me realize how I'd spoken my mind out louder by mistake.

Immediately, I ran out of the rented vehicle and rushed towards the hectic reception. A few nurses and medical staffs were all busily working while I waited for my turn rather impatiently. Beside me was a half conscious man, slouched on a wheelchair. His whole body was soaking with blood and horrible open wounds that would haunt one's dreams were all over his bruised body.

The other man before him was equally injured but he could still stand and was conscious enough to fill in the procedure forms. Soon after he was done, both the men were rushed away on surgical stretchers. Somewhere amidst the chaos, I heard the staff nurses comment about the severity of their injuries and they mentioned the cause of it rather too casually for my comfort.

A motorcycle accident.

Right after her words reached my head, a sudden unpleasant scenario started scattering all over my catastrophic brain. If a motorcycle accident could end up with such fatal injuries then what about... I felt my clattering heart clench further without being able to complete my own train of ominous thoughts. My subconscious was busily breaking every unpleasant image that was forming in my head when the nurse finally called me.

"How can I help you, miss?" That's when I realized that I actually had no freaking idea of what or how to ask for him. Like an idiot, I blurted out the first stupid thing that popped in my mind.

"Emm... are you a K-Pop fan?" The nurse's eyes shot wide open before they thinned into a pair of judgmental lines within a split second. She seemed clearly annoyed as she struggled to hide the irritation for the sake of her uniform.

"Miss... This is a hospital and you're at the emergency ward. There are a lot of patients waiting to be attended. So, if you don't have anything then..."

"No no no... Wait... Emm... Was there any Asian guy brought in from a car accident? It happened about an hour ago or so? He's above 180cm..." She took a deep breath that pretty much helped to hold herself back from slapping my stupid face before she scanned through the data on her screen.

"No, miss. There weren't any. I think you should give way for the others now." Her voice held no emotions or whatsoever. Someone has gotten hurt and she was getting irritated at me for asking about him. What is wrong with you?

"Okay okay... Wait... Look, I don't know if I'm allowed to say this but here's the thing. His name is Ravi. He is a Korean Pop idol from a boy group called VIXX and they were attending KCON LA festival in that Convention Centre not far from here. He was hit by a car after the event and I heard that he was brought here. It's still an unannounced information but I'm pretty close to them. So, can you please tell me where he is?" For one solid minute, the staff nurse stared at my face so subtly before it happened.

I was hauled out of the hospital by two huge security guards while I kicked and screamed like a psycho.

"HE IS HURT AND I HAVE TO SEE HIM NOW! DON'T YOU PEOPLE HAVE CONSCIENCE AT ALL? LET ME GOOOOO!" Upon hearing my loud screams, Lina rushed over to the guards and took hold of my trembling body.

"Gia! Oh my God! I'm really sorry, sir. She... she is my daughter." She was apologizing for no reasons.

"Please tell your daughter that a hospital is not the place for fangirling. We have better work to do here, ma'am. People's lives are at stake." I was thoroughly provoked by the guard's words as I argued back in anger.

"Oh yeah? What about his life? HIS LIFE IS AT STAKE TOO, OKAY! So you wouldn't bother if it's a K-Pop idol that got hurt, is that so? Why are you so discriminative towards them? I'm telling you! He met with an accident and they brought him right HERE!" My loud shrieks gathered unwanted attentions from almost every single person in that area.

"I repeat, this is a hospital. So, stop making a scene if you don't want us to take legal actions against you, miss." The earlier guard warned me but I was not scared at all. Honestly, nothing worse could shake me anymore but they don't know that. They don't know how painful it was to spend every second in the oblivion of his state.

"Then, please... please tell me where he is and I promise I'll make no more scene." This time, I pleaded instead of yelling as the suppressed stream of tears slid out from my eyes. Upon seeing the sudden change in my stance, both the guards exchanged worried glances before the second guard spoke up.

"Look, miss. We don't know who or what you are talking about but this hospital has two more branches nearby. Maybe you should take a look there and..."

I don't know what he said next because my legs were already sprinting towards our vehicle and Lina ran right after me as she reached the driver's seat before I could. Although I insisted on driving there myself, she sternly opposed the rather dangerous idea until I had no option but to back away. While she drove at her fastest but still safest speed, I busied myself in order to prevent from overthinking about the situation. The almighty internet was still traceless of his accident. So, I immediately called my own number to get the accurate address but the line dropped straight to voicemail without a single ring.

Did someone switch my phone off?
Did the battery die?
Are they not allowed to make or receive calls?

Countless number of catastrophic ideas crept into my crazy head as I struggled to shake them off. Just like the first hospital, the second one too, threw me out like trash. They even thought that I was a terrorist and threatened to file police complaints if I don't leave immediately. The third hospital was the worst of all three. I was dragged to the psychiatrists because they mistook me for a mentally ill patient who escaped custody a while before I arrived. Luckily, Lina appeared in time and rescued me before I received a shock treatment. We even checked at other nearby hospitals but no. It was still the same cycle of asking and being thrown out constantly.

"This is insane... it feels as though he doesn't even exist... he is probably dying out there and I don't even know how to find him anymore..." I broke down on the busy pavement of that foreign hospital and cried helplessly while Lina tried to calm me down.

"Gwenchana, Gia-yah. Maybe they said the wrong hospital's name by mistake. Let's do this. Let's go to the Convention Centre again. Earlier I saw huge crowds at the parking lot and some people might still be there. We can ask around, my dear. Please don't give up just yet..." She attempted to appease my anxious heart but it only annoyed me further. If many people did see him getting hurt, then why the hell is no one reacting at all? He is not just anyone.

HE IS VIXX'S RAVI!

Right when Lina started the ignition, the useless device in my hand finally blared at full volume and as expected, the call was from my number. Maybe my battery did die and they have just gotten in recharged. I mentally convinced myself again and my subconscious too nodded in agreement. Without sparing a second for the person on the other end to respond, I answered the call and asked all my questions in one breath.

"Hyuk-ah! Why didn't you answer earlier? Was my phone dead? Didn't you bring a charger or power bank? Were y'all busy? No, leave that aside. Is he fine now? Did the doctors say anything? Oh wait, I think you told me the wrong hospital's address. Can you ask Hakyeon oppa or anybody else for the correct one, please? I'll be there right away!" I exhaled the breath I was holding in unknowingly. Silence spread on the other line and it terribly frustrated my already fretful state.

"Hyuk... Hyuk-ah...? Can someone please tell me that he is fine??" My voice audibly broke in despair but still, I heard no response at all.

Please tell me that he's alright... please... even my subconscious was begging on her knees while I wept pathetically. After what felt like forever, the caller finally spoke.

"I'm fine, Mira-yah..."

★

Flashback ~
Mureung Valley Yongchu Falls, 2008.

I grabbed another pebble and aimed ahead with undivided attention. My focus was fully fixed as I flung the pebble across the water exactly like I was taught. However, instead of bouncing off the surface like his flat stone did, mine submerged to the bottom pathetically. That was already my uncountable nth attempt and I was still failing miserably while the handsome boy simply laughed from the water. How could something so easy for him be so damned hard for me and I was officially annoyed by it. Without warning, I grabbed the next pebble and tossed it right at his handsome head but the boy dived under water just in time to dodge my attack.

"Yah, Choi Mira! Wae geurae?" He yelped as I kept on throwing stones at him from the rocky shores. Since that particular part of the falls was located at the higher cliff, the plunge pool was rather smaller in width as it effectively restricted his attempted  escape moves.

"Wae geurae?! How can you do it so easily while it is so damned hard for me, Kim Wonshik? Be honest! Which part of the stone skipping physics are you purposely not teaching me?" He ducked and dived away from my continuous assaults whilst laughing so loudly.

"Nothing at all. I've taught you pretty honestly, okay? Don't blame the teacher when you are the bad student!" He laughed even louder.

"MWORAGO?" Infuriated by his ridiculous comment, my hands fumbled the spot beside me for the next piece of pebble but I caught nothing but empty air. That's when I realized that I've used all the stones I collected earlier and right away, I began to search for more. However, being the perfect opportunist he was, the beautiful boy didn't spare a second before seizing the chance to get his revenge.

"My turn now!" Right after he said that, he dived under the water and disappeared from my sight while I was too occupied with my weapon hunt.

However, I couldn't spot a single pebble since all of them were pretty much at the bottom of the pool which might exactly be where he disappeared to. Cautiously, I took a step back while anticipating the upcoming attack. Maybe I can play the puppy eyes trick and he might spare me again like he always did. Maybe... but he has to reemerge in order for me to try any alternative tricks in the first place. Few minutes passed and I was still standing there alone.

"Won-ah?" I called out, expecting him to jump out with a handful of pebbles and toss them at me but no. There was no trace of him.

"Won-ah, it's not funny..." My voice hitched as worry and fear took over the earlier eagerness and anticipation.

Slowly, I sat back on the rock and submerged both my legs in the chilly water before getting in completely. It was already the final week of winter but the water still felt colder than its usual temperature and my body was already starting to tremble as I began to wonder. How the hell could he still swim in this subzero degree temperature? I took a very careful step forward and my feet landed on a slimy rock bottom which was at a rather lower depth as my body visibly submerged a little deeper than before. That's when I recalled.

At higher altitudes, the width of the plunge pools decreased but their depth only increased.

"Won-ah... where are you?" Despite the winter weather, my body was starting to sweat. Fear was engulfing me whole when I was welcomed by another deafening silence.

"WON-AH! PLEASE COME OUT!" I yelled in dread when the whelming tears finally broke free from my eyes. I took another step forward and landed on a deeper rock bottom.

"Don't leave me alone... jebal..." My lips quaked in cold while my heart quivered with concern. The freezing water level was right at my throat and it painfully constricted my vocal chords.

"I'm scared..." I sobbed helplessly as my lower body started to feel the strong current from below. If I take another step forward, I will surely drown but I needed to find him. Bracing enough courage into my cowardly heart, I inhaled a deep breath and completely submerged below water to find him. Right then, I felt a pair of strong hands wrap around my waist and I was pulled out of the cold water immediately.

"Yah! Are you trying to die?" He screamed in shock but I was too lost in the stunning sight before my eyes.

Despite the dismay and shock, his dark orbs still dazzled a little under the sunlight while his long damp hair outlined the sharp features of his handsome face attractively. The clear water droplets on his half upper body were gleaming like dots of diamonds as his puckered rosy lips trembled a little. He was flawlessly beautiful.

"Why aren't you saying anything? Choi Mira!" He shook my body forcefully while I simply continued to stare at him in silence. My whole body was shivering in cold but the place where his hands were at, radiated with unspeakable amount of warmth and it felt as though my soul would melt away any minute. A few streams of happy tears escaped my eyes but they became insignificant on my already wet face.

"Okay, now you're scaring me, Mira-yah! I was only..." Before he could finish, I pulled him closer and buried myself in his rather firm chest. Even in that intense cold, his embrace emancipated with so much heat and this time, I honestly did melt under his touch.

"I thought that you drowned due to the coldness..." I remembered the eerie chill that entered my bones once my skin touched the freezing water.

"Yah, you know I'm used to swimming in winter. Don't worry, please..." He tried to convince me.

"I thought that you couldn't fight the current..." I recalled the strong force that dragged me deeper when I kept moving forward.

"Come on, Mira-yah! I can fight back anything with my Shikie Superpowers, remember?" He tried to crack jokes to ease the tension but I couldn't stop myself anymore.

"I thought that you had left me too..." I started sobbing pathetically.

"Aniya... you always pulled pranks on me and I was just trying to do the same... I'm sorry if I'd scared you, Mira-yah..." This time, he only apologized. Regret was evident in his tone as he tightened the warm embrace.

"Please don't risk your life like that, Won-ah... please don't do it again..." My body was trembling even more due to the fear than the freezing cold. His hands gently my hair as he buried his head on my shivering shoulder.

"I won't, Mira-yah... and I promise I'll never leave you..."

★

I marched inside the obviously expensive grand suite without paying attention to anyone who interjected. Turning all blind eyes and deaf ears at once, my focus simply narrowed down to the unknown path ahead as I stomped faster with fiery anger. Despite the burning rage in my heart and the balled fists on my sides, presence of the ceaseless stream of painful tears from my eyes ruined my image a little but I couldn't care less.

"Noona, jamkkan! You need to..."

"Where is your rapper, Hyuk-shi?" My own voice came out a lot more intimidating than intended as the younger boy visibly flinched at the grim sound of it. My subconscious slapped herself for momentarily forgetting that their youngest member was an uprising actor.

"About that noona..." He clearly hesitated before glancing at my face. I shot him a deadly glare of irritation, to which his gaze dropped to the floor at an instant. The boy didn't