Dear Chapter 10

Lee SooHyun~

I pulled on my padded parka and beanie as I walked to the entrance of the villa. The smell of grilling meat wafted over all the way from the yard towards the gate where I now stood. I overheard the chatter between WooHyun, Yeri, and JooHyun, as they were the ones working the barbeque. I glanced at my phone in my hand, noticing how long it was taking for SoMi to return from her quick run to the grocery store. She was the one who volunteered to drive to the store to get some extra ingredients. I waited behind the villa’s gate, looking around for our rental car or any sight of SoMi in the dimness of the nighttime. The cold December air made me shiver and I zipped up my parka. Then a jarring and ear-blasting sound of crushed metal sent chills down my spine. What was that? I slowly walked out in search for the cause of the deafening sound and then shrieked for WooHyun, Yeri, and JooHyun to come.

A thick cloud of smoke fogged our vision as the clamor of passer-byers stood near the car crash, fretting with worry over the drivers involved in the accident. Shattered automobile parts were scattered along the barren intersection. It must have been an accident on a large scale, considering how loud the collision was. I wondered if anyone was hurt, but assumed that one of the bystanders would call 119. Curiosity flashed across Yeri and JooHyun’s faces as they neared the site to see what transpired.

“JUNG SOMI!” WooHyun’s scream startled me. His sneakers pounded against the pavement as he sprinted straight to the scene of the accident. Yeri and JooHyun followed behind him, running towards the collapsed in car. Because of the smoke diffusing into the night air from the car’s engine, I couldn’t make out who the injured driver was. No. No. It couldn’t be. Focusing, I picked up my speed and ran toward the partially obliterated van.

“SoMi.” I exhaled with my eyes widening in shock at the fact that she was the driver. She was in the driver’s seat with her eyes closed and blood streaming down one side of her face. Her head had fallen over onto her steering wheel.

“You! In the red parka, call 119 right now!” WooHyun shouted, pointing to a man in the crowd. He nodded, taking out in his phone in a hurry.

“What the hell!” A middle aged woman stumbled out of her car, clutching her neck as she glared in SoMi’s direction. “Stop pretending to be asleep! Get out of your car! You caused this accident!” She was outraged; pounding on the broken hood of the van we rented for our winter break trip. JooHyun lost it at the ahjumma.

“Ahjumma! Don’t you see she’s hurt! Please be quiet and we’ll figure this out!” It was the first time I seen JooHyun get angry. Her usual timid and shy demeanor was gone as she rushed over to SoMi and placed two fingers on her neck, checking her pulse. WooHyun kept tapping her shoulder through the broken glass window, trying to wake her up but she was unconscious. I couldn’t believe it. Broken glass was all over SoMi, who was slack against the steering wheel with blood streaming down her face.

“SoMi... SoMi…” I breathed, confused and scared for my best friend as the distant sound of sirens grew louder and louder.

“Guys. Worrying won’t help SoMi. She’ll be fine. Doctors are looking over her injuries. They’re performing CPR on her, so she’ll wake up for sure. She’ll be okay.” JooHyun calmly assured us as we were sitting in the waiting area of the emergency room, fretting over SoMi’s condition. I admired how JooHyun wasn’t blubbering with tears like Yeri and was remaining levelheaded despite the intensity of this situation. WooHyun wouldn’t stop pacing around and I guess a part of him genuinely did care about SoMi despite how much of a cheating bastard I thought he was.

Once the doctor called for her guardian, we all hurried inside to see her. The doctor informed us that she sustained a minor concussion and some cuts, but other than that she would be fine and when she wakes up that she could be discharged. Whew. Yeri pouted her lips sadly, holding onto SoMi’s hand while WooHyun cradled her other hand. JooHyun maintained her distance, watching SoMi’s sleeping state quietly. I walked away briefly to sign the forms for SoMi, since I knew her personal information as her roommate. I returned to her bed with a clear bag, containing her phone and ripped clothes.

Just a couple hours ago, SoMi was laughing and singing along with us in the car during our five-hour road trip. We were all excited and I even managed to put aside my dislike of WooHyun to enjoy our time together. Everything was going smoothly and we were all having fun and then… this happened.

“This wouldn’t have happened if you didn’t convince her to come on this trip!” WooHyun snapped, raising his voice at me. I whipped my head around at him, wondering if I heard incorrectly.

“Excuse me? What did you just say?” I asked, glaring at the guy who was riling me up.

“SoMi didn’t want to come in the first place. This