"It's a beautiful today, isn't it?" I remarked as I wheeled Daehyun to the rooftop garden. 

"It's been so long since I was out." Daehyun smiled as he took my hand and placed it on his shoulder. 

"How did it feel like? That one month?" I asked as I pushed the wheelchair nearer the bench, letting myself sit down. 

"It just, felt like darkness and the darkness was so vast, there weren't any doors for me to escape. It was just an expanse of black stretching across my mind's canvass." Daehyun muttered and I knew already how afraid and lonely Daehyun must have been. 

"You didn't hear what I said right? When you were in a coma.” I asked hopefully, since I had said some embarrassingly cheesy stuff.

"Did you say anything embarrassing?" Daehyun feigned surprise.

"N...no." I stuttered.

"Oh maybe I did hear what you said. They say that people in a coma can hear what others say to them. They just can't react towards it." Daehyun shrugged teasingly.

"Oh whatever." I rolled my eyes. 

Silence then comfortably rested upon us as we both went deep into our thoughts. The smell of newly grown flowers wafted in the air as they danced freely while the wind blew. The sky was a lovely shade of blue with clouds white and wispy like sea foam, gaining a contrast and most importantly, I was happy. I felt so happy and carefree with just Daehyun being right in front of me. Even as I thought back to my trampled family, I no longer felt a sense of unfairness and loneliness. Thinking about that, without the horrible mother I had, I wouldn’t have had met Daehyun. But then again, life was full of countless mysteries, waiting for us to unravel them. I no longer thought about my pride because what mattered most was what was in the present and the past was already meant to be forgotten though there are little bits and pieces for Daehyun and me to put back together and that was what made a couple. It was the imperfections within our relationship that made us satisfied. 

“Since you didn’t love Heejun in the first place, why did you decide to date him?” 

“I hesitated for a moment before I replied,” I wanted to show my mother that I was doing even better in London than in Korea and I was lonely. Seeing how much Heejun liked me, I took advantage of that so that at least, I could have someone distract me from my woes but I was wrong. I hurt many, even myself.” 

“Are you embarrassed because of it?” Daehyun asked, making me frown as I contemplated upon it then nodded. 

“Then don’t. Your wrongdoings helps others to never make that mistake again and with it etched in your brain, you become more cautious about the people around you and you care for them more.” Daehyun smiled as he ruffled my hair.

“Really?” I asked, a little doubtful.

“Yes, really. Don’t you trust your boyfriend?” Daehyun chuckled. 

And somehow, I immediately trusted him and blushed a little because of the term “boyfriend”. 

All of a sudden, my phone gave a few loud rings and bothered by this minuscular interruption, I took my phone out that was vibrating, making my hands feel a tingling sensation.

“Hello?” I called out.

“JungAh? Are you with Daehyun?” The nurse who was in charge of Daehyun’s ward asked.

“Yep. Why?” I stared at Daehyun who was looking at my curiously and I mouthed “your nurse”, earning a nod from him. 

“Can you bring him back to his ward? There’s someone looking for him.” The nurse said.

“Someone? Oh… okay.” I said in bewilderment since Daehyun barely had any friends or family, unless it was Heejun but Heejun should have been at Brown since I skipped school today. 

“Someone came?” Daehyun’s eyes widened. 

“Yeah, do you have any other family here? I never saw any of them ever since you got admitted in here.” I shrugged. 

“No, I told you I had no one left.” Daehyun shook his head. 

“Oh well… let’s just get you down first.” I said as we both headed back to his ward. 

—————-

“Hi.” A man greeted us as he turned around, revealing himself once both of us walked into the ward. 

“Aern’t you that taxi driver?” I asked in shock as the man looked at me quizzically. 

“The person you were gonna visit was him?” The taxi driver pointed to Daehyun who was staring at both of us. 

“Who’s he?” Daehyun asked me in bafflement.

“I have no idea. Do you know him?” 

“I am his father.” The man interrupted our conversation.

“Fa-“ I managed to say when I realised what was happening. 

He was Daehyun’s dad who was supposedly looking for Daehyun and had not meant to leave Daehyun and his wife intentionally.

“What are you doing here?” Daehyun asked coldly as he clenched his fists, trembling immensely from the anger. 

“I can explain-“ 

“Get out! Now!” Daehyun cried out lividly as he took the bed remote and threw it at his father and luckily for Mr Jung, he managed to duck that heavy blow. 

“I ca-“

“Shut up! It’s so fantastic to see your son in the hospital on a wheelchair acting so useless and pathetic right? Well, now that you have seen me, you can very well leave and go on to your perfect little family that reeks of dirty blood.” Daehyun spat out as his lips began to quiver and tears were glistening in his eyes. 

There was so much anger and hatred flashed across his face that I was absolutely helpless and all I wanted to do was to hug Daehyun, and tell him that everything was all right and his father had been misunderstood. However, as much as I was his girlfriend, I was in no position to intervene and I badly wanted to leave the ward to let the both talk things out but I knew Daehyun badly needed my morale support by the way Daehyun was grasping onto my hand. His cheek shone of tears that dripped softly onto my hand which was in Daehyun’s and for every tear that dripped onto my hand, a cooling sensation overwhelmed me and cooly stung my skin. 

“Just let me explain all right!” Daehyun’s father yelled, making Daehyun glare at him furiously but he kept quiet. 

“I left both of you because I had cancer and I didn’t want to be a burden to all of you since we were poor. I made an excuse of getting another woman but I actually was undergoing chemotherapy. I was way too embarrassed to show what a horrible dad and husband I was so I ran away.” Daehyun’s dad let a tear roll down his cheek as he hastily wiped it away. 

He slowly walked towards Daehyun who was avoiding his gaze and when he attempted to hold Daehyun’s other hand, Daehyun flinched violently and roughly shoved his father aside. 

“And how do you expect me to believe you?” Daehyun scoffed then continued,” In this who knows how many years, you were so idiotic to have thought of both of us that way without an explanation. Does it even make sense? Then what are families for?” 

“Exactly why I was wrong. I am sorry.” Daehyun’s father slowly knelt down as my eyes widened.

“Please Mr Jung. Stand-“

“No, as a father i did him wrong and I caused him pain. Kneeling is nothing to me.” Daehyun’s father shook his head as Daehyun indignantly avoided looking at his father.

“Daehyun…” I whispered in desperation as I squeezed his hand more tightly. 

“Are you supporting him now?” Daehyun pushed my hand away as he struggled to stand up from his wheelchair and landed with a thud on the floor from the numbness in his leg since he didn’t walk for a month.

“What .” Daehyun cursed as he gave a long and agonising yell as he balled up his fists and pounded them on the cold white marble floor that was cold to the touch.
“Why is everyone like that to me?” Daehyun cried out hysterically, inconsolably wracked with pain.

“I think you should come back again. Please.” I begged as I hugged Daehyun tightly, trying to console him.

Daehyun’s father slowly nodded as he slowly walked out of the ward, leaving me and the emotionally shaken Daehyun.