Dread wins over anticipation when I realize who the hell is calling me. Today, of all days, ten years since I last basked in the warmth of his arms. Today, when I never thought I’d see him again, the heavens delivered him straight within my reach. Today, when all of my fears are pinning me down and I just can’t move.

I swipe the end button of my phone and run away. There’s too much anguish that I can’t contain. Hyeon Jae trails behind but I tell him not to follow me.

“So, you’re here for check-up?” The doctor named Hyeon Jae, as seen from his nameplate, asks me. He hands both me and Shi Won two cups of hot chocolate. She quietly sips and stares at an empty space. This is Joon Hee’s office for sure.

“Yes. Shi Won’s not feeling well these days.” I say.

“Well, I’m sorry about what he did earlier. It must have paralyzed him to see both of you again.” He says.

I get the feeling that he knows everything. I’m not going to trust this guy.

“I don’t know. I guess I need to patch things up. Do you know where she is?”

Hyeon Jae pauses to think. “Usually at times like this, he is sitting on a chair painted on a staircase somewhere on the emergency exit. You can find him there.”

Shi Won’s face lights up with recognition. “The Chair of Truth…”

“How do I get there?” I ask.

As soon as I get thee instructions clear, I bolt out the door and find Joon Hee.

I reach the emergency exit sooner than I expect to be. Joon Hee is indeed sitting ont eh ‘Chair of Truth’, as Shi Won called it not so long ago. He looks up when he hears my approaching footsteps. He’s been crying.

“What are you doing here?” he asks.

“Joon Hee-ah, I need your help.”

“Which hospital referred you to me? Why are you even with that woman in the first place?!” he exclaims.

I draw out a huge sigh. Ten years away from him needs a lot of explanation. A backtracking and a sad story to tell. Now I find myself at a loss for words despite preparing everything I want to say if this day comes.

“Why are you still hurting me like this?” he asks again, his voice weak from defeat.

“I know it’s all my fault. I’m sorry for everything. But right now, you have to help me.”

Joon Hee stands up.

“If this concerns Shi Won, then I don’t have time. I have so many patients to attend to.” he says and walks past me. I grab his arm before he can get away.

“How can you be so heartless?”

“You two are heartless, not me.”

He takes a step and I grab him tighter.

“What do I need to do? It’s about her. Shi Won needs your help.”

“She should have thought about that before screaming at me ten years ago.” He says and breaks away from me.

“She’s dying!”

He stops dead in his tracks when he’s about to open the door. He looks at me, eyes frozen with the slightest shade of concern.

I kneel on the floor.

“Save her, please.”