It was almost midnight when Younghyun received the call from Nayeon. Her panic voice cut him off before he could even finish his greeting; her voice was shaky and it was almost hard to make out what Nayeon was talking about in her frantic state.

“Nayeon, what’s wrong?”

He could hear Nayeon’s heavy breathing and uncontrollable sobs from the other side of the phone.

“Younghyun, what do I do? He was trying to protect me; it was all my fault. They brought him into-what if he… What am I supposed to do? He was just trying to save me.”

“Nayeon, you’ve got to calm down. Have you called for an ambulance?”

“I’m at the hospital. Please come here, I really need you.”

“I’m coming now. Just stay calm, alright?”

Ayeon, Younghyun’s fiancée woke up beside him, listening to the conversation he’s having with Nayeon. She could tell from Younghyun’s expression that something was very wrong. She continued to observe him and saw how his face darkened before the call even ended.

“I’m going to the hospital.” Younghyun stated firmly as he got off the bed, grabbing the nearest set of clothes and changing into it.

“What happened?” Ayeon sat up straight at his statement and shifted to the edge of the bed. “I’m coming along.”

Younghyun nodded at her response then grabbed a set of her clothes. There’s no time to waste. He knew at that moment, Nayeon needs someone more than she ever needed. No one spoke throughout the ride to the hospital; that grim expression on Younghyun’s face was kind of an explanation of what’s happening and she’d know better to not probe more before he starts driving recklessly.

When they reached the hospital, Nayeon had rushed up to them, collapsing right into her brother’s arms; obvious trails of tears on her cheeks. Ayeon noticed how Nayeon’s dress was stained with blood, her hair both wet and messy and the injuries all over her limbs. She shifted her gaze up to the lit “operating” sign then back at Nayeon, gripping onto the younger girl’s shoulder as a quiet support.

“They just brought him in.” Nayeon choked on her tears. “I couldn’t do anything. He wouldn’t react no matter how much I… It was my fault. If he didn’t tried to protect me…”

Nayeon trailed off, breaking down in Younghyun’s embrace who could only give her a gentle squeeze in return, hoping that it would at least comfort her a little.

It was supposed to be one of the happiest nights for Jinyoung and Nayeon. They were happy; they were both excited to announce their new status to their family. It was their fifth anniversary and Jinyoung had proposed to her. Nayeon had the widest smile on her face, despite her eyes b with tears. But those tears, they were not the same as her current ones. Right now, she’s crying out of fear and guilt; no one could expect what would happen after this.

Jinyoung’s family arrived soon after and all Nayeon could do was apologise over again and again. It was a mess outside the operating room and the only thing Younghyun, Ayeon and Jinyoung’s father could do was to at least calm both Nayeon and Jinyoung’s mother down. An hour passed and that’s when things got a little more hectic.

The nurses were running in and out of the operating room, Younghyun and Jinyoung’s father had tried to ask for more details but the nurses brushed them off urgently. Nayeon had calmed down a lot and was just staring into space with Ayeon beside her; it was almost like she had cried all her tears out, leaving her nothing but just an empty shell.

Not soon after, four more people arrived at the hospital and it was pretty obvious, just from their outfits, they’ve rushed out after hearing the news. Younghyun glanced at Ayeon who nodded slightly, indicating that she’s the one who called them. She had thought that Nayeon would probably need more support than just them. The four figures appeared in front of them; there was no reaction from Nayeon. The four of them took a worried glance at the quiet and tear-stricken friend of theirs then at Ayeon who stood up, making space for them.

One of the boys got the message immediately and sat down beside Nayeon, taking her hand in his. Another girl whose hair was tied up in a ponytail did the same thing, sitting on Nayeon’s other side and rested a hand on hers.

“Nayeon…” Jeongyeon, the girl’s name, whispered quietly, giving Nayeon’s hand a gentle squeeze however, there was still no reaction from her.

“It will be okay.” The guy said in a gentle tone, almost like a whisper then looked up at Jeongyeon and to the other two companies that came with them. They gave the two of them a gentle nod, as if telling them to just stay here, before going up to Jinyoung’s family along with Ayeon. The least they could do now was to give them the encouragement they need despite the underlying panic within them.

Younghyun stepped forward to Nayeon again and gave her a gentle pat on her head.

“Mark’s right, it will be okay.”

Outside the operating room, they had no idea how much time had passed. Every minute felt like hours and every hour felt like days. But what made things a lot more frustrating was that there was nothing they could do; no one could do anything except to wait.

It was a complete silence as the time ticked by. Everyone was tired, both mentally and emotionally. At that point of time, Ayeon came back with cups of coffee, two other boys trailing behind her, each holding three cups on a paper tray.

“Thank you, Jaebum ah.” Jinyoung’s father said, taking two cups from him and handing one to his wife who rejected it.

“You need the energy to take care of Jinyoung, drink it.” The older men insisted.

Jaebum could only sigh, glancing back at Nayeon and his group of friends. Bambam was already there, two cups of coffee in his hand as he urged Nayeon to take one from him. Mark and Jeongyeon were both coaxing her too but she showed no reaction; the light in her eyes gone as she continued to stare in space.

“She’s still not responding?” Jaebum muttered in a quiet tone as he walked up to the group. The others gave him their attention, shaking their head briefly. He took another glance at Nayeon then back to the others.

“Leave her be. We have no idea what she’s going through right now inside. We won’t be able to understand.”

Hearing that, Ayeon turned to them too.

“Jaebum’s right. Just stay by her side, yeah?” She tried to give them an encouraging smile but it’s hard. She turned back to look at Younghyun when she felt a squeeze on her hand. He looked at her and gave her hand a gentle pat, as if telling her to not force herself and that it will be okay.

After another two hours of stress and torturous silence, the operating sign finally dimmed. Everyone stood up from their seats except Nayeon. She was scared; she could only lift her head up, watching everyone’s back views. The expression on the doctor’s face wasn’t one that she liked. It was too grim; it was almost like he was having a hard time facing them.

Nayeon couldn’t hear any of their conversations. She saw how Jinyoung’s parents broke down; she saw that tight grip her brother had on Ayeon’s shoulder. She saw how her friends closed their eyes, breathing in deeply. She could almost tell what’s going on but no; this is too hard for her.

Everyone was focused on the doctor; no one noticed how Nayeon finally stood up and left the scene. She didn’t want to hear the news directly from anyone; she didn’t need to either. This was all her fault. It was her fault. If only Jinyoung didn’t protect her... If only.

No one noticed that she had run away. Everyone was having a hard time accepting what the doctor had told them. Until Mark brought it up; everyone could hear the panic in his voice.

“Where’s Nayeon?” 

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First chapter down. It was pretty obvious who is who in the intro chapter if you've watched the trailer and have a good look at the character charts. It's been a long long time since I've written anything descriptive and emotional so I'm basically challenging myself with this story. I do proof read this time but there may still be some mistakes since I usually only find them when I read it after a while. If you spot any, please do tell me!

Also, jinyeon fans, do not worry about the lack of their scene. I'm trying to balance both ships. And markyeon fans, you have nothing to worry about either! HAHA. Votes and feedbacks will be much loved, I love reading all of your thoughts! As of now, that's all!

signing off, ddeokbxkkii (i changed my username)

p.s. thank you for all the support from familiar usernames!!! <3