❝chapter one
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                                   Krystal's POV

I could hear incoherent babbling and murmuring as I gained consciousness. I was sure it was a serious conversation with people trying to keep their voices soft and low. Was it to keep things secret? Secret from me? I wanted to open my eyes and comprehend whatever the scenario I was in, yet my mind seemed to have convinced me not to. I shut my eyes closed and maintained my silence - silence unmarked with tranquility nor rest. I was struggling, as a matter of fact. My whole body was in pain; I felt as if my bones have been split up and my muscles have been squeezed into knots.

"She'd be fine." I finally heard an audible statement. "In time, she will."

Me? I thought, confused and bewildered. Open your eyes, Krystal. Open your eyes and speak up. I demanded for myself, but to my frustration, I remained barriered.

More medical-termed jargons entered my ears, yet failed to register in my brain. Trauma. That was the only word my memory encoded. I wanted to shut them up on my own initiative, only to be ceased by a creak of a door. Somebody went inside obviously, and it made the people in conversation stop their disclosure. It got me even more curious.

"Good evening." It was a familiar voice - oh, not just familiar but recognizable. It was no other than Lay, my best friend who was almost like a soulmate. Always and never failed to come at the right time, Zhang Yixing he is. "How is she, doctor?" He asked. It was then that I concluded that one of the conversationalist was a doctor.

Am I in a hospital? Am I sick? I began to panic in thought. I swear, I was struggling to open my eyes.

"Not much improvement, but I can say she's coping better than expected." The so-called doctor replied after clearing his throat. "As a matter of fact, she got fewer open wounds than you have, Mister Zhang. It's trauma that's worse on Miss Jung."

Trauma? I'm in trauma? I got even more bewildered and anxious.

"When will she wake up, then? It's been..." Lay paused and I tensely waited for his continuation. "It's been three days, doctor."

The doctor cleared his throat again. "I cannot tell, but we'll see about that. Let us hope and pray for the best." His voie trailed off. "Anyway, I got other patients to check up on. I better get going now."

"Thank you."

"Oh, and Lay." The other voice spoke once again. "When were you discharged?"

"Yesterday, madam." Lay spoke with utter courteousness. "Yesterday afternoon."

"Good, if that's the case. Anway, I better get going, too. I need to attend to a few of Krystal's documents. The hospital asked for a lot." Having her not keeping her voice in a whisper, I have immediately recognized who it was. Aunt Inna, with no doubt. I never knew she came back from San Francisco though.

"No problem, madam. I'll stay with Krystal, so take your time."

The door creaked once again - open then closed. I wondered if Lay remained, though. I did not hear a single sound that followed.

I struggled for myself to open my eyes again - to wake up. To my dismay, however, I was busted. I exhausted myself for nothing.

"Hey, tiger." Lay finally spoke. It somehow comforted me how he called me by that nickname. Believe me, I used to be in extreme annoyance whenever he called me by that mocking-sounding name, yet at that mere instance, I was relieved. Something remained normal, I could say. "You've been sleeping for so long. Wake up or you'll turn into a pig rather than a tiger." His words were meant to be comprehended to be some sort of tease, yet knowing him very well, a hint of sadness and grieving was evidently audible.

I endlessly struggled to open my eyes once again. I was desperate to wake up. I needed to find answers to my questions. The past days have been constantly weird, and now that Lay was with me, I had to ask him. He was the only option as of the moment - the only person who have been constantly honest with me since the start.

I struggled, shook myself in effort, and slowly... extremely slowly and thrillingly, I began seeing some sort of light. It was blinding - too bright to be considered my success, but I kept on struggling anyway.

"Doctor, she woke up." I heard Lay speak. No, he was not speaking. He was screaming. "She woke up, doctor. She opened her eyes."

I then felt his cold hands hold me by the shoulders. "Krystal." This time, relief was evident on his voice. "It's me. Lay. Krystal..."

I heard him, but was not able to see him for it was still too bright. I wanted to close my eyes again to avoid the blinding brightness, yet I was scared. I was too fearful that I might not be able to see light once again.

I heard hurried footsteps coming nearer and nearer. As they became too close, Lay let go of me. It scared me. As if by reflex, my hands flexed and grabbed his hand. I felt him grip on my hand as well.

"I'm here, Krystal. I'm here."

Slowly and slowly, the image around me became clearer and clearer. The moment everything became vivid, I saw yellow-orange lights flickering in front of me. Men in white robes and masks crowded around me - all busy with something.

I searched for Lay, the only persona I can rely on at that mere moment. "Lay..." I struggled to speak. It was as if my tongue went too arid and tangled. What could I expect after being asleep for three days? "Lay." I uttered again.

"I'm here, Krystal." He gripped my hand tighter.

I turned my head to the right, ignoring the doctor in front of me. I almost cried in relief as I saw Lay. For a while I was relieved, yes. In a matter of a snap's duration, however, I was bothered. He had bandages on his body - one on his forehead's right side and the other on his left hand. He was paler than usual as well.

"How are you feeling, Miss Jung?" The doctor got my attention back.

I looked at him for a second or two before answering. "Confused." I finally blurted out my honesty. "What happened?" I turned to Lay again. He was looking at the ground, biting his lip. "What happened, Lay?"

"Miss Jung, you were..." The doctor attempted to reply on his behalf, but I needed the words to come from somebody I can trust.

"Lay, please answer me." I sounded like I was begging. In fact, I was. "What happened?" My voice trailed off.

"It would be best to leave you alone with her, Mister Zhang." The doctor nodded. "It would usually be more salient to leave this moment to somebody the patient is attached to."

I watched Lay nod and soon, the doctors left the room. He was still unable to look at me. His hands grew cold despite my tight grip. His jaw clenched in what seemed to be tension.

"Lay..." I started pulling his hand despite my weak body.

"Krystal... you..." He stammered and struggled for utterance. It made me even more anxious.

I was desperate for answers, and I knew I was placing him in a hard spot. Selfish as I was, I needed to feed my desperate curiosity. "Why am I here? Why are you injured and so am I? Why have I been unconscious for days? Three days, you say? And why do I feel so pained, Lay? Why do I hurt - not with these injuries but deep inside? Why?"

He finally looked at me. His eyes were bloodshot red, but no, he was not crying. He was obviously trying to hold it in, and it pained me. Worse, it bothered and made me more worried.

"The yacht." He began shaking as he spoke. "It... broke down."

It was not a dream afterall. It was not a nightmare of some sort. The tragic image on my mind the whole time was... real.

"I need my mom and my dad. Right now, Lay." I told him, pleading. I was shaking just like him, and I coud not help it. "Did you hear me? I need to see my mom and my dad. Where is Sooyeon-unnie? I want to hear the answers from her, Lay. Gosh, Lay!" I screamed. "Why aren't you answering? Did you hear me?"

He remained frozen and motionless. I shook his hand off me, and began struggling to get out of bed.

"Krystal, please. Stay there." He said. I can tell he was lacking energy as well. I accidentally shoved his injured arm as I shook him away, making him flinch. I wanted to apologize for a second, but my desperate need to see my family dominated me more. "Please. Stay still. Please, Krystal." He sounded weak - the first time for Lay to be.

I groaned loudly and kicked my feet, almost throwing tantrums. I did not cry nor let a single tear fall. I screamed and kicked every pain off, only to be dismayed by how strong the pain was to the point that I was not eased even for some tiny degree.

I contined with my wild uproar until Lay put me into his arms, as if cradling me. I breathed deeply on his embrace, as I could also hear his. "Tell me this is a dream. Tell me, Lay." I told him - weakly and low.

"I'm sorry, Krystal." It was all he could say in endless repetition. "I'm so sorry."

I never knew waking up would be so painful. If I knew, I could have stayed asleep for eternity. If I knew, I could have not hold onto Lay's hands on that bed of water.

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✉(A/N).

Hello there! How was the first chapter so far?
A lot are still not revealed about what really happened, so just keep posted with my story.
Feel free to comment ^^
               -xoxoyixing
 

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