What? 

Did she really ask that? 

To me? 

HeeJin shook her head in disbelief. No, she just must be dazed and confused, attempting to convince herself that there should be no concern. The dream she had of HyunJin disappearing resurfaced only for her to push it back into the depths of her mind, refusing that it may be a reality.

HeeJin looked once more at her confused girlfriend, despite her victory from her internal strife, her fear and anxiety all came back to her when she saw the expression of HyunJin’s face. The hospitalized girl was utterly lost, scanning her surroundings and struggling to hide the puzzlement and confusion she wore on her face of why she was in the hospital in the first place. HyunJin kept stealing glances at the forgotten girl. Her eyes only showed emptiness; they were blank. These weren’t the same eyes that once gazed upon HeeJin with care and affection. The same gaze she had grown accustomed to, the eyes that HeeJin found comfort in. 

HeeJin was quickly losing hope, and her confidence was faltering. She had to fight whatever blockade was in to speak. “HyunJin...It’s me, Heekki.” She pleaded, her hand reached out to HyunJin, while the other clutched her chest as if she was trying to protect her own heart. What were once tears of joy, were turning into burning droplets of anxiety and desperation.

The girl in the hospital bed still had a perplexed look on her face, the sound of the once cherished pet name was unknown to her; it was like her first time hearing it. She hesitantly shook her head, unable to understand why a stranger locked into her eyes with such desperation and longingness. Why did that glassy look on the smaller girl’s face make her chest tighten so much?

HeeJin’s arm fell to her side, and her knuckles became white as the grip over her heart clenched even tighter. She felt nauseous as the room felt like it was closing in on her. Her breathing quickly turned into hyperventilating; she felt like she was drowning.

Doesn't she know me?

She doesn’t remember me.

The hospital room became too suffocating; everything began to blur. HeeJin couldn’t take it; the feeling of this unwanted pressure ached her heart. She burst through the doors, and she ran, sprinted anywhere, anywhere but there. The air was thick and heavy, making it hard to breathe despite her lungs pumping her chest rapidly. 

Was this a sick joke?

This must be a nightmare.

She frantically ran, no destination in mind, it was just a useless attempt to run from the reality she didn’t want to believe was true. Her legs felt weak, stumbling from her own weight. Eventually, she found herself in a dimly lit corridor somewhere in the hospital’s labyrinth of hallways and rooms. Pacing around, she tried to hold back her tears that were already streaming down her cheeks, but it was hopeless even to attempt as the waterworks began to pour harder down her porcelain cheeks. She collapsed on the ground and sobbed uncontrollably, clutching her heart from the pain.

It didn’t take long for SooYoung and Jiwoo to find the heartbroken girl. They ran after her as soon she escaped from HyunJin’s room. They immediately knelt to the ground and held their suffering friend. They were speechless. There were no words that could possibly comfort her in this situation. They couldn’t imagine the pain of having someone you loved, who once loved you back to completely forget about you as if your time together never even existed. All they could do was embrace her frail and shuddering body in silence, letting her know she wasn’t alone.

~ ~ ~

HyunJin didn’t understand the uncomfortable feeling that grew in her chest when she saw the girl leave, especially when there was a sudden sharp pang in her heart as soon as the first tear fell from those desperate eyes. Surely she would have remembered her if that girl made her feel this way.

The room bore an uncomfortable silence; the sound of medical equipment pierced the air in the uncomfortable and oppressive atmosphere. HyunJin’s friends were all in shock, not knowing what to say or do. They all feared they might have been forgotten too, all afraid to face the same reality as HeeJin. Jungeun’s voice wavered as she spoke up, she feared for the worst, bracing herself to have the same response that HeeJin received. “HyunJinnie?” 

HyunJin attempted to brush her heartache and smiled at her friends, back to something she was familiar with, she didn’t even know the reason she hospitalized in the first place. “Jungie, you guys are all here!” She was happy to see her friends gathered here. It was the one thing she knew and recognized, the only thing that kept her grounded from all the turmoil and confusion in her heart. 

The group of friends all sighed in relief, making them realized they were all holding their breath. At least she remembered them, but the brunette couldn’t help but feel guilty for HeeJin. Before she could speak and ask about the forgotten girl, the bedridden bodyguard spoke out.

“What happened? Why am I in the hospital? The last thing I remember...I was celebrating with all you guys for getting my new bodyguard job.” HyunJin wanted answers, she didn’t want to be pushy, but she was tired of feeling this way. She was tired of this confusion and inexplicable feeling that something important to her was lost. Even though it has only been minutes, it seemed like every second lasted ten times longer than it should have.
 

The group of friends was torn, should they break the news about her potentially lost precious memories. Maybe they should get the doctor and evaluate her brain? Or Maybe they should break the truth in hopes that it may jog some of her memories back. HyunJin’s mind had been set back a few months now. 

Yerim finally spoke out from the silence, unwilling to be straightforward, they opted for the safer route. “I’ll go get the doctor!” She fled from the room in search of the doctor in charge of HyunJin’s health.

~ ~ ~

Jungeun finally found HeeJin being comforted by SooYoung and Jiwoo. It’s already been a few hours since HeeJin ran out of the room. The two friends embracing the tear-stained girl looked up at the approaching brunette, they could only hope that there was somehow good news to tell HeeJin to cheer her up. Unfortunately, that was not the case once they saw the fearful expression on Jungeun. 

“U-Uhm, we got a doctor to check on HyunJin…” The brunette was struggling to be the bearer of bad news, but there wasn’t an easy way to tell HeeJin what was going on with HyunJin.

Jungeun took a deep breath, slowly breathing in and out, hoping HeeJin would match her deep inhales and long exhales. “He said she is suffering from amnesia...the blow to her head caused her to suffer some short term memory loss.” The brunette refused to look at the broken girl that was starting to tear up again, Jungeun knew seeing the tears from HeeJin would make her breakdown as well.

“H-Her- she has lost a few months of her memories...HeeJin...I’m so sorry,” Jungeun was losing her voice, trailing down into a whimper as her eyes glossed over. She was clenching the hem of her shirt to keep herself from crying. “Basically, anything with you has been lost.”

Immediately, Jungeun knelt on the floor and joined their group embrace, enveloping their arms around the ebony-haired girl as she began to break down once more. Sooyoung was caressing HeeJin’s head, giving her light kisses on top. Jiwoo was whispering in her ear, telling her they would get through this, that they will make HyunJin remember again. Even through desperate times like this, Jiwoo remained positive, and it was what HeeJin needed. 

~ ~ ~

HyunJin remained in the hospital for a few more weeks, recovering from her gunshot wound and monitoring her brain. She was in shock and speechless when the doctor and Jaden broke the news to her that she had lost months’ worth of her memories during her duty as a bodyguard. HyunJin recognized Jaden because he was the one that ended up interviewing her for the position months ago. The saddened father even told her that the person she was protecting was his daughter, HeeJin. But it still didn’t add up to the bodyguard. Why would HeeJin look at her in such a way that made her heartache. They must have been more than just a client and bodyguard. 

Not even HyunJin’s friends would fill her in on her genuine relationship with HeeJin. Well, it didn’t help that she was afraid to ask, but her friends would always seem to avoid the topic whenever she tried to bring up the forgotten girl. It only made her more curious, made her even restless at night. She could only wrack her brain to remember anything about the girl. She would even gently thump on her head as if it would help jog her memories to resurface. 

HeeJin stopped visiting HyunJin on her own. It pained her to see what was just a shell of the girl she knew. What was once a mutual blooming love, instantly became one-sided, as if it never existed for the latter. 

HeeJin decided to bury herself in the company’s work, and it was the best distraction she could find to keep her mind off HyunJin. Most nights, she would work until she fell asleep at her desk. Her friends were only concerned about her health, HeeJin refused to take breaks, sleep regular hours, and sometimes even to skip meals. Jiwoo and SooYoung would often visit their friend, forcing her to e