XV

Have you ever experienced that feeling where you just wanted to go into an eternal sleep where you would be able to escape reality, never having to deal with anything ever again? That was exactly what Rina was feeling at that moment as she stood waiting outside in front of an operating room. The bright red words that were glowing atop of the sliding doors were mocking her and she knew it. She could even hear them laughing at her.

Ah, she has finally cracked. She wanted everything to be a cruel nightmare. She wanted to wake up in her bed with cold sweat running down her forehead while sighing in relief because everything had been a dream.

The thing was, it wasn't just a dream. Reality had come back to kick her in the face. Ouch.

Curling up in a fetal position and crying was not an option at that moment. Pity, no? Even though Shi Hoo had his arms tightly wrapped around her to make sure that she didn't have a mental breakdown, she was still on the verge of going completely insane. She doesn't see this old lady for a week and this happens? The granny ends up in an operating room getting who-knows-what being done to her! Lord, what a perfect New Years Eve.

Shi Hoo whispered comforting words to her in hopes that she'll at least calm down a bit but even that didn't work. her hair while giving her soothing kisses here and there had absolutely no effect on her either.

The whole time ever since she arrived, Jong Suk had been leaning against the wall with furrowed eyebrows while glaring at the entrance to the operation room. He turned his head to see his best friend with a foreign look on her face. He'd never seen such an expression on her before and he didn't like it one bit.

"She'll be okay," was what he wanted to say to her but even he himself didn't know whether or not it was true.

Hours had already passed and it soon became too late for Rina to keep on staying.

"I'm not going to leave, JoJo! Granny Ji is in there and if something happens, what'll I do?" she yelled, glaring at him with piercing eyes.

"If something happens, I'll call you. Go home!" Jong Suk yelled back just as sternly. "Hyung, take her home."

And in that moment, Rina hated Jong Suk for the first time in 17 years.

When Shi Hoo had finally gotten her inside the car, she received a text from Woohyun.

Happy New Years!

Oh yes, happy indeed.

For the first time since middle school, Rina had woken up before her alarm clock started to blare its awfully annoying beep. She was slightly confused when she felt arms around her waist but then remembered that Shi Hoo had stayed over just in case she did anything stupid. She felt secure as he held her, creating a fuzzy feeling that spread everywhere around her body.

She wished that every day could be like this; being held in his arms and feeling nothing but happiness. Reality just wasn't meant for her. Dreams were where her paradise was at. A place where the sun always shined brightly, music blasted loudly and books lined the streets, was her heaven. In her mind, it was a place for her to escape to.

If only such a place actually existed.

Rina was startled when Shi Hoo suddenly moved, groaning and muttering something in his sleep. She held her breath in fear that she had somehow woken him up.

"Go back to sleep," he croaked, his voice hoarse and raspy due to his dry throat. Even in the dark he could tell she was awake. Psychic, much? His hands traveled up to her head as he ran his fingers through the strands of her hair, willing her to fall back asleep. It was easier said than done for she had too many things on her mind.

"Can we go visit her today?" she whispered.

With a small nod from her boyfriend, Rina let out a sigh of relief and shut her eyes.

Dear God, please don't let anything happen to Granny Ji Jin. I'll never forgive myself if something happens.

"You know why I'm scared, right?" Rina asked, already feeling exhaustion settle upon her. She didn't wait for Shi Hoo to reply.

"It was the last promise that I made to him."

"Oh my god, you look horrible!" Ryan commented, choking on a piece of bread.

Rina had to clench her jaw to suppress the urge to punch her brother in the face. Yes, she was fully aware of her dark circles and yes, she herself acknowledged the fact that she probably looked like the spawn of a lappet-faced vulture and a Chinese Crested Hairless dog(a little exaggerated but hey, whatever gets the point across).

Mrs.Kim slapped his son's arm with a look of warning.

"Mom!" he yelled. "I was just stating the truth!"

This time, Rina was really about to lunge at the darned brat before Shi Hoo firmly held her back, snaking an arm around her waist and pressing her back against his chest.

Her body relaxed. "I'm going to murder you one day," she threatened instead, shooting lasers at Ryan.

"Rina," Mrs.Kim sighed.

As she blew a raspberry, Rina turned around, encircling her arms tightly around Shi Hoo. "I'm scared." she truthfully stated.

All he could do was nod and hug her back. "Don't worry, I'll be there with you, okay?"

From behind them came a gagging sound. They both spun around only to see Ryan doubling over on the floor, clutching his stomach in pain. "Oh gosh, someone help me! That was the most disgusting thing ever!"

Rina pushed herself away from Shi Hoo while stomping over to her brother and kicking him before anyone could hold her back. He let out a painful grunt, wincing for real this time. "That's what you get, you little son of a b---"

"Rina!" her mom roared, dropping the knife that she had been holding onto the counter. "Language!"

The girl couldn't help but crack a small smile. This was how things were supposed to be: crazy, fun, carefree and---violent, not a freaking roller coaster.

When one is 17 years old, they should be studying their off for acceptance into college while still being able to have the time of their life hanging out with friends on a daily basis. Going on random adventures through the city, having study dates, driving around the streets at night, doing fun things like that! A teenager wasn't supposed to go through emotional turmoil.

A smile is supposed to be the only thing acceptable on their faces. Seems like that isn't true in this world. Such a thing was dubbed as idealistic.

So this is what the world has come to.

Less than a meter she was from the door and yet she couldn't bring herself to touch the doorknob. She couldn't do it. Although it was right there in front of her, her legs wouldn't move. Taking a deep breath, she slowly mustered up her courage and slowly reached out. Before she could even lay a hand on the knob, the door flew open.

"Woohyun!" she gasped in shock, jumping back a bit.

The male looked just as equally surprised. "Oh, Rina!"

She frowned, not at all expecting him to be here. Woohyun's eyes traveled beyond her, landing upon Shi Hoo. He tipped his head, acknowledging the older male's presence. Just as Rina was about to go inside the hospital room, Woohyun stopped her.

"Don't go inside!" he snapped. His frantic eyes told Shi Hoo that something was wrong. "Hyung, go inside. Rina, come with me!"

Before the girl even had a chance to protest, she was dragged away while her boyfriend cautiously entered the room.

"Nam Woohyun!" Rina growled, trying to pry herself away from him. No matter how much she struggled, the grip that he had on her seemed to only get stronger and stronger. When she saw the look in his eyes, she was scared. There was no explanation for why she was scared but it just happened. This definitely was not the Woohyun that she knew. "Woohyun, calm down!" she pleaded with a shaky voice. "Woohyun!"

He skidded to a stop, pushing her against the wall. She flinched at the sudden impact and almost wanted to cry because damn, did that hurt her back.

"Rina," he whispered, "promise me that you won't go in there."

"Like hell I'd listen to you!" she scoffed.

His eyes softened as it converted back to his usual delicate gaze. "Knowing you, you'd rather do somersaults off of Milau Viaduct than see the person inside the room."

"Who is it?!" Rina asked, raising her voice as it went up to a higher pitch.

Woohyun gave her a weak smile.

"Leave," two out of the three men in the room said.

The third one pressed his lips together, frowning in the direction of his best friend, the one with newly dyed blonde hair. "JoJo, don't do this to me. That's Granny Ji right there! I'm not leaving." he protested, standing his ground.

Jong Suk's nostrils flared in anger. "I swear, if you don't take your back out from where you came from before she comes, I'll kick it out myself." he threatened with extra fire in his voice. "You decided to leave us, bastard. We don't need you anymore. Especially our precious diamond because, guess what? She has Shi Hoo hyung now."

The victim of his harsh words frowned even more. His eyes flickered towards the oldest male at the mention of his name. It irked the younger one for a reason he couldn't identify.

"Please leave before we have to use force," Shi Hoo finally spoke up calmly although there was a hint of irritation. "I know this is our first time meeting but please, do so while we're asking nicely."

The young man opened his mouth to say something but shut it, thinking over everything that had just happened. "Can I please just see her? Just once?"

Jong Suk and Shi Hoo knew exactly who he was talking about.

"Over my dead body."