“He just woke up from his comma.” Both girls widened their eyes. The last thing in both their minds was that Mr. Im was also hospitalized in a medically-induced coma and prone to wake up sooner than later. “He was asking for you. I didn’t tell him that both you and your brother are here, sweetie, so don’t worry.” She assured, coming into the room. “The complete staff agreed to not say a word, but you have to tell him what happened for sure.” She said, knowingly.

“What about Chansung? Is he awake yet?” Yoona asked, attempting to sit up but falling back down once the terrible pain in her ribcage showed up. She hissed in pain, squeezing Seohyun’s hand. “And thank you for not saying anything.” She said, with a tight smile on her face due to the pain.

“You’re very welcome. He hasn’t woken up, but he won’t take long to. We’re suspecting he might have a concussion, though we can’t be sure.” The nurse explained while fixing Yoona’s pillows. Seohyun lowered her gaze, slightly ashamed of whacking Chansung so hard. She, who had never even hurt a fly before, gave the guy a concussion. “Now just take these painkillers. They’re a little heavy so you might feel sleepy later on, arasso?” Yoona nodded as the nurse approached the bed with a glass of water and some colorful pills. “I know it hurts really bad, sweetie, but this is all we can do for you.” The nurse finished, pity written in her eyes. Seohyun felt for Yoona as well, somehow wanting to share some of the pain so that Yoona didn’t have to endure it alone. Sadly, she knew, there was no way that could happen. The doe-eyed girl nodded, bravely making it seem like she didn’t feel a thing, but even laying down the pain was catching up to her. “You have to sit up or you might choke.” The nurse added, the look of pity even more noticeable. Yoona nodded again, glancing at Seohyun for help.

The maknae understood as Yoona’s both hands grasped hers, tugging. Seohyun tugged back, helping her up. The doe-eyed gritted her teeth in pain and shut her eyes tightly as she sat up, instantly noticing she had suddenly ran out of breath. A single ‘ow’ escaped her pursed lips as she squeezed Seohyun’s hands once again. The nurse rubbed Yoona’s back comfortingly.

“Good job. These will make you feel better.” Yoona nodded, not trusting her voice because of the lump in . She was actually happy that swallowing the fair-sized pills didn’t hurt. She smiled thankfully at the nurse after taking the pills. The nurse smiled back and retrieved towards the room’s entrance. “Wait! I’m good to go, right?” As she was ending her question, Yoona’s voice lowered to a whisper when she once again ran out of breath. It was an annoying feeling and she disliked it very much.

“Aigo, don’t raise your voice. One of your lungs was hit because of the impact on your ribcage. Try not to walk for long and if you’re going to talk, make sure to whisper. The breathless feeling should be gone by later tonight.” She said, coming to stand in front of the two girls again. “And yes, you’re good to go. You can sign off at the front office so we’ll notify you got discharged.” She explained. The doe-eyed girl nodded.

“Then let appa know I’m coming to see him.” She said firmly. “Would you help me into my clothes first? He seeing me in a hospital gown might be a little shocking.” She asked. The nurse hesitated, turning to look at Seohyun.

“You were wearing a school uniform when you got here. Your friend could help you into it, if she doesn’t mind.” Yoona contemplated on that. She could still sense Seohyun being too shaky and the bruises on her abdomen she sure had would probably scare her even more. The doe-eyed girl shook her head before Seohyun could say anything.

“I think it’s better if you do it. Please?” The nurse, understandingly, nodded. The doe-eyed girl slowly shifted herself so that she was sitting sideways, in a much more comfortable position to get changed. “Hyunnie, I think it would be best if you wait outside. I’ll be out in a second.” She assured, looking at Seohyun lovingly and giving her hand a reassuring squeeze. There were no words to describe how much love she felt for this angel that had saved her. She thought a small kiss would be more reassuring, but she restrained herself to do it out of respect for the elder nurse that had been so attentive with them. The maknae nodded, returning the smile, and exited the room. Although her heart ached for seeing Yoona like this, she felt extremely relieved that the damage hadn’t been too significant, and she definitely felt proud of herself for saving Yoona. As she went out to the hallway, it didn’t take long before she recognized Seulong’s silhouette from afar. He rushed to her, recognizing her from the other night at the hospital, when Mr. Im had been brought in.

“Seohyun-ssi?” He asked. She only nodded, but Seulong could see the tear tracks down her cheeks. “What happened? Is Yoona okay? Why are there cops outside? I heard they’re asking for Yoona and Chansung.” Seohyun herself widened her eyes at Seulong’s words. Thinking about Yoona’s recovery, pressing charges had been the last thing on her mind. But if there were cops out there, they’d definitely have to wait.

“Cops? Jinjja?” Seulong nodded. “I’ll let Yoona tell you about it later, but she and Chansung got into a terrible fight.” Seohyun was telling herself not to cry, but every time she pictured Chansung hurting Yoona, her heart raced and churned at the same time. Seulong widened his eyes.

“Did he hurt her?! Where are they now?” He asked frantically. Seohyun nodded and was about to answer when the door to Yoona’s room opened, revealing her, with a pained expression on her face, holding onto the nurse for support. Seulong widened his eyes even more at how pained Yoona looked, but he felt relieved to see she was being discharged.

“Oh, Yoona…” He whispered before going to her. The nurse smiled politely and stepped away, knowing Yoona was in good hands. Yoona felt immense joy just by seeing her brother, as she held onto his forearms. By the look of pure concern the young man was giving her, Yoona’s heart softened and fresh tears welled up her eyes. Without saying a word, Seulong brought Yoona into a hug, being careful not to squeeze her. He felt guilty for not being there for her; he was her older brother and it was his duty to protect her, especially since it seemed like Chansung had never done so. The thought of him hurting Yoona seemed unbearable. Seohyun just watched them, silently thankful because this guy really seemed to care for Yoona, even if they had met roughly a week before. The doe-eyed girl pulled away first, looking directly into Seulong’s eyes.

“Yoona, what happ…”

“Appa woke up, Seulong-oppa. We have to go see him.” Yoona interrupted him, knowing there would be another time to talk about what happened. Seulong didn’t fight her, instead, he nodded and carefully wrapped an arm around his sister.

“We should have gotten you a wheelchair, Yoongie.” Seohyun said, walking on Yoona’s other side. The doe-eyed girl shook her head.

“Aniya, I’m okay. I can do this.” Yoona whispered, almost gasping for air. Seohyun rolled her eyes, thinking the incident hadn’t changed Yoona’s stubbornness. After some slow walking and Yoona stumbling over a couple of times, they finally reached the room where Mr. Im was staying. Yoona breathed in as deep as she could and let go of Seulong, struggling a little to stand up by herself.

“I don’t want him to see how hurt I am yet. If you could let me go in first, Seulong? There’s something I need to tell him.” Yoona whispered, glancing briefly at Seohyun. Seulong nodded.

“I’m glad you’re okay, Yoona.” He whispered with a light smile. Yoona smiled as well, looking at Seohyun.

“Me too.” She whispered, not taking her eyes off the maknae, who blushed. She nodded at them before going inside the hospital room. Once inside, she found her appa, clad in a hospital gown, gazing outside the window. Noticing someone there with him, he turned around, visibly happy to see his daughter there. Hurriedly, he went to her and hugged her carelessly. Yoona winced and pulled away.

“Yoona! You’re here!” By seeing his daughter bracing herself and shifting uncomfortably, he turned worried. “What’s wrong? Are you hurt?” She shook her head, sitting on the hospital bed and patting the space next to her.

“It’s nothing. Come and sit.” She lied. As her appa complied, she continued. “I’m so glad you’re okay, appa... I was so worried.” She started, honesty dripping from her voice. Mr. Im took her hands in his, caringly. “But… there’s something I need to tell you.” Mr. Im furrowed his brows at Yoona’s seriousness.

“Did something happen?” His father instinct kicked in. Yoona nodded, averting her eyes. She was wishing that what she was about to say wouldn’t cause Mr. Im another .

“You know Seohyun, right? Our next door neighbor and Chansung’s… girlfriend.” Mr. Im nodded, ever more lost than before.

“Of course, that very nice and smart young lady. He did introduce her to me once.” He said. A small smile drew itself in Yoona’s features; that was definitely Seohyun he was talking about.

“And you know she was my friend before she even started dating Chansung…” Knowing she had obviated an important part of the story, she brought her eyes back to Mr. Im’s. “Appa, I’m very sorry to disappoint you, but I like girls. It’s always been like that, but I don’t want you to be ashamed of me…”

“Who said I’m ashamed of you, Yoona? I certainly didn’t. If anything, it’s you who should be ashamed of me… I’ve been a terrible parent to you and Chansung… And Seulong.” Mr. Im said sadly. Yoona widened her eyes.

“Appa, you’ve taught me everything I know… How could you ever be a terrible father?” Yoona sobbed dryly. Mr. Im looked at his daughter and gently squeezed her hands.

“I’ve known it all from the beginning, Yoona, and I could never be embarrassed of you. Anyone would be honored to have you as a daughter.” The doe-eyed girl smiled in relief. “Whatever it is that you need to tell me, I’m here to listen.”

“Seohyun and I had been together secretly for a while and we were planning to tell Chansung after we told her parents, so today we did… He went crazy; I had never seen him like that. He said some horrible things about me hating him and making his life miserable, appa… He even cried at some point.” As Yoona remembered, her eyes started welling up with tears.

“Did he hurt you, Yoona? Where is he now?” Mr. Im asked, scandalized.

“He pinned me to the ground and stomped on my ribs with his knee… Actually, he broke two of them. He would have broken some more if it wasn’t for Seohyun. She whacked him in the head somehow. If I’m here talking to you, it’s thanks to her, appa. This isn’t some kind of whim; Seohyun and I are… real.” Mr. Im gulped and averted his eyes. Tears started falling from Yoona’s eyes. Because of her broken ribs, she avoided sobbing. “I already saw the cops outside, appa, but I don’t want to press charges. You and I both know our family can still be saved, but we all have to cooperate.”

“I always thought Chansung would ultimately learn… It was my responsibility to raise him appropriately, but I didn’t. And you paid the price for my mistakes as a father…” Yoona squeezed her father’s hand in hers.

“You did what you could. If you think things can still be fixed, then let’s fix them. It’s not too late, appa.” Yoona insisted. Her father leaned forward so that he could hug her without hurting her. Yoona cried on his shoulder; it had been long since they had had a heart to heart talk.

“I’m just so glad you’re okay. I don’t know what would have happened to me if I had lost you.” Mr. Im whispered his voice breaking.

“I could say the same thing, appa.” Yoona whispered back. The beautiful moment was cut short when someone knocked on the door. The two quickly pulled away from their hug, Yoona wiping her tears. The doctor, followed by Seulong and Seohyun made his way in. Mr. Im’s face brightened by seeing his oldest son and the girl who saved his daughter.

“Hyunseuk-ah, I see you’re much better now.” The doctor greeted his colleague. Mr. Im nodded, smiling widely.

“I definitely am. Does that mean I’m being discharged?” He asked hopefully.

“I’m sorry, but it doesn’t. Your hemoglobin is still too low, so we’ll keep you just for tonight.” The doctor explained. Mr. Im was disappointed, but he knew he couldn’t be a burden to Yoona.

“Arasso.” He simply answered, defeated.

“I could stay here tonight to take care of you.” Yoona offered.

“Aniya, I’ll stay. You need to rest, Yoona.” Seulong scolded. Yoona pouted, but then thought it was a good idea; after all, Seulong and his appa needed some time to bond.

“Thank you very much, Seulong.” Mr. Im said, taking his son’s hand caringly. Yoona couldn’t help but smile.

“I’ll take care of Yoona.” Seohyun said without hesitation.

“Hyunseuk…” The doctor trailed off hesitantly. They all turned to him. “Your other son has woken up as well, but he hasn’t said a word to anyone. We’ll also keep him for a day or two because we don’t know if he might have a concussion. We have to run some tests.” Yoona and Seohyun turned to look at each other. Knowing it had bothered the maknae, Yoona took her hand and ran her thumb caringly over it.

“Can we see him?” Yoona asked. It surprised everyone; why would she want to talk to someone who had hurt her so badly?

“Yes, you can. Just don’t ask him too many questions at once and if you notice any abnormal behavior, let the nurse know. It might be helpful for us.” The doctor answered. “I’ll leave you to decide.” The doctor said before bowing and leaving the room. Everyone fell silent.

“I’m going to go see him. I’ll see if I can get him to talk.” Yoona broke the silence. She looked so decided that neither of them argued her choice, even if most of them disagreed with it. “Help me up, Seulong.” She asked, and with much effort and pain, she was up.

“Remember to rest and take your medication, Yoona. I’m sure Seohyun will take good care of you.” Mr. Im said with a nice smile, making Seohyun blush.

“Yes, she will. Goodnight, appa.” With that, they exited the room, and painstakingly slow made their way to Chansung’s, all of them were thankful it wasn’t too far. When they stood right outside it, Yoona’s heartbeat started quickening. Would she ever look at Chansung with the same eyes after what happened?

“You don’t have to do this, Yoona.” Seulong said, still holding Yoona onto her feet.

“Seulong-ssi is right. If you don’t feel ready…”

“I’m ready.” Yoona interrupted Seohyun softly. “It’s going to be okay, Seobaby. He can’t hurt me.” She reassured before letting go of Seulong.

When she entered the white room, she found Chansung lying on the bed, staring intently at the ceiling. He was motionless, expressionless. Yoona difficultly made her way to a strategically located chair next to the stretcher. Still, the boy didn’t acknowledge her. She winced as she sat down.

“How are you feeling?” She asked, not knowing where to start. Chansung blinked, but didn’t answer her. “Believe me, I don’t know what to say to you either, but at least I’m trying.” She continued. The boy stayed still, not saying a word. “Looks like they’re keeping you for a few more…”

“Get out.” He interrupted her curtly, not taking his eyes off the ceiling.

“No, I won’t. I won’t leave unless you hear me out.” She argued. “About what happened today… What you said wasn’t true, Chansung. I know you’re hurt over what happened with Hyunnie, but I’m sure you can find…”

“I said get out.” He spoke, louder this time. Yoona bit her lip, wondering if it was a good idea to continue.

“I’m sure you can find someone who’ll love you for who you are. I know you aren’t a bad person, Chansung, there was a reason why umma took you into her care! She didn’t do it for charity; she did it because she saw something in you.” Yoona reasoned, pausing slightly to catch her breath. “I see something in you, yet you broke two of my ribs today. And I forgive you…” Yoona saw Chansung’s features soften. “Appa is sorry for being distant, but it was understandable; he lost his wife. If you could see him as a father and me as a sister, that’d be just fine. That’s all I’m asking. I know we’ve all failed, especially since we both had to grow up on our own and I had it easier. We all had it easier than you, to be completely honest.” Yoona was surprised to see a couple of tears running down Chansung’s cheeks, which he wiped immediately. She had definitely hit a soft spot. “I’m going home tonight, Chansung. Both you and appa are going home tomorrow, and I’ll wait for you two. Like I said, I forgive you, and so does Hyunnie. Think about it; we can still be a happy family. I want you to be part of it.”

“I. said. Get. Out.” He spat through gritted teeth. Yoona smiled, conformed. Even though the slightly older boy was playing hard to get, she had definitely gotten to him.

“I will now. Thanks for listening. Goodnight, oppa.” At the farewell, some more tears started to cloud Chansung’s eyes. With much effort, she stood up from the chair and went back out with Seohyun and Seulong.

…

“Umma, I’m spending the night at Jessica-unnie’s house.” Seohyun lied through the phone. “Don’t worry about me, I’ve got my uniform here and her parents are taking us to school tomorrow. Arasso, umma. Goodnight.” Seohyun turned to Yoona after hanging up. The doe-eyed girl was sitting on the edge of the bed, eyeing her curiously. They had decided to sleep in one of the guestrooms so that they didn’t have to go upstairs to Yoona’s room. “Don’t worry, Yoongie, Sica-unnie will confirm my alibi.”

“This is ironic, isn’t it? We come out to your parents and we still have to lie to them.” Yoona pointed out. Seohyun grimaced.

“Well, you heard what they said about us spending the night together. It’s completely prohibited.” Yoona could only nod. “Besides, I don’t want to tell them all that happened.”

“If you think about it, it might be a good idea. It will make them dislike Chansung and love me.” Yoona joked, earning a smile from Seohyun.

“Maybe.” She went to stand right in front of Yoona. “What do you want to do now?”

“I want to take a shower. I hate how the hospital smells.” Seohyun realized that would be the first challenge of the night. “If you could help me out of my t-shirt, I think I can do the rest.” Seohyun nodded.

She started undoing the buttons of Yoona’s school shirt, with shaky hands. She was afraid of what she might see once they were all undone, besides it was the first time she saw that much of Yoona’s skin. The doe-eyed girl, sensing Seohyun’s discomfort, decided to crack a joke.

“If this were a different situation, I’d really be enjoying myself.” She whispered, earning a throaty laugh from Seohyun, who also blushed. As all the buttons came undone, the slowly slid the white button-up down Yoona’s shoulders. She gasped and brought her hand up to cover , her eyes welling up with tears.

“Is it that bad?” Yoona asked. “I can’t even look down.” Seohyun could only nod. There were two big, round, black bruises on Yoona’s upper abdomen, right underneath where her bra ended. Yoona put her hand on Seohyun’s thigh, rubbing small circles on it.

“I’m okay, Hyunnie, it doesn’t hurt that much.” She lied. The maknae felt somewhat better. “I can get off my bra and skirt, just help me up.” Seohyun did as she was told. She waited for Yoona right outside the bathroom door, silently sobbing. She still couldn’t believe everything that had happened. She walked around in circles, trying to calm herself down, but it was useless. She did manage to stop crying, though.

She was so deep in her thoughts that she didn’t hear Yoona coming out of the shower and slowly making her way up to her. She only realized her presence when two arms wrapped themselves around her waist from behind. Yoona winced softly when Seohyun’s back made contact with her front.

“You’re still scared, aren’t you?” Yoona asked softly into Seohyun’s ear, slowly rocking her back and forth. The maknae nodded. Yoona’s cool breath against her ear had slowly calmed her down. Yoona kissed Seohyun’s shoulder. “I don’t know how to thank you for saving my life, Hyunnie.” Yoona said, turning the maknae around in her embrace so that they were face to face.

“Why are your eyes puffy, Yoona? Were you crying?” She asked, cupping the older’s face in her hands.

“Y-yeah… Drying myself and putting on my pajamas hurt a bit. That’s why I couldn’t dry my hair.” She pointed to her wet dark brown hair. Drops of water slowly fell from it and fell into her face or shoulder. Yoona cupped the side of Seohyun’s face by the neck and Seohyun’s cheek with her fingers, knowing the gesture would ease the maknae. “Listen to me, Seohyun, we’re going to be okay and we’re going to get through this. I know he won’t hurt us anymore. I love you so much…” She trailed off, kissing Seohyun’s lips tenderly. Seohyun sighed against her lips.

“You promise?” She asked vulnerably. Yoona brushed her nose lovingly against Seohyun’s.

“I promise.” Yoona assured, before kissing her softly again. “Put on your pijamas and let’s go to sleep already.” The doe-eyed girl commanded, earning a real smile from the maknae.

Yoona lay on the bed as she waited for Seohyun. As the maknae came out, Yoona’s eyes grow when she saw the small bruises on both Seohyun’s arms, where Chansung had angrily pushed her.

“Hyunnie…”

“Yoona, I told you I’m not even sore.” Seohyun assured. The doe-eyed girl sighed.

“Then come here.” She opened her arms to the maknae with difficulty. Seohyun looked at her in disbelief.

“No, Yoongie, what if I hurt you?” The maknae protested, even though she longed to be in Yoona’s arms.

“We’ll find a way. Come on!” Yoona insisted.

“Fine, but the second you show a little bit of pain, I’m out the bed, arasso?” Yoona nodded. Seohyun carefully slid underneath the covers and moved closer to Yoona’s body. After a great deal of shuffling around, the girls got into a comfortable sleeping position. Seohyun's head was resting on Yoona's shoulder and she was lying on top of her right arm, which was already falling asleep. She didn't want to even go near Yoona's ribs, so Seohyun rested her left hand in the middle of Yoona's stomach, far down enough so that no accidental brushing of the injuries would occur. Yoona slung her left arm around Seohyun's shoulders and the two girls finally were able to settle down.

Yoona dozed off almost immediately because of the painkillers, but Seohyun had some more trouble falling asleep. She just snuggled into Yoona’s shoulder, and before she knew it, she had fallen into a deep slumber.

…

Things seem to be looking up, right? I added some fluff so that you can have a break from all the drama ^^ Thanks for reading, and as usual, comments are appreciated :)