"No! Oppa, let him go!" Jiyoon's scream wakes Daehyun up. He can feel the man's grip around his neck has loosened; her scream also distracts her brother's attention. She finds the strength to finally stand up, and she grabs her brother's arms, desperately pleading.

"Argh!" her brother swats her away, and he pushes her until she falls down.

She whimpers when she hits the floor, and Daehyun, seeing the man distracted, instantly kicks his backside. The man staggers forward and he lets out a maniacal laughter. "My little pathetic sister has a protector now, huh?" He steps over his sprawling sister, and swings his arm. His punch hits Daehyun's face and he is thrown backwards. His head hits the floor, and he can feel the metallic taste of blood in his mouth. He feels weak, and he can see that her brother is aiming for Jiyoon now. The man is holding a piece of wood, holding it above his head. Daehyun knows what's going to happen next, so he drags himself towards her. He shields her and when the man brings down the piece of wood. His back receives the blow, and drops of blood from his mouth splatters the wooden floor.

Jiyoon's cries are becoming louder, and her brother's laughter is resonating through the whole house. Daehyun's limp body is just right beside her, his mouth still spitting out blood. "Daehyun, please- please get back to your senses. Please, wake up." 

"Just- run- away- leave- me- here-" his bloodied mouth desperately tries to form the words.

"I can't leave you here! We can run away now, he's distracted now," she says while her brother is muttering something incoherently, the piece of wood still in his hand and he's walking around the living room aimlessly. She heaves Daehyun up and supports him. His head lies on her shoulder, and bits of blood stain her shirt. Both of them limp towards the door, with Jiyoon praying silently that her brother is still ignoring them. They make it to the lawn, but Daehyun stumbles forwards and land on the ground.

Her brother is now at the doorway, holding her bag. He smirks and throws her bag onto the lawn, the bag landing just a few inches from Daehyun's head. "Good, that's what I want to see. Get lost from here! I don't want to see your face ever again. Because of you, I had to spend my money on your stupid frequent hospital visits. I'm broke because of you pathetic thing! My life would be better off without you in my life. I don't want a sister like you so you can get lost!" with that he slams the door. 

She's sobbing like a baby, with Daehyun half-concious. She shakes his body, but he doesn't give any reply. He can hear her voice, but his mouth isn't able to mutter anything. She lifts his head up and rests it on her lap. She slaps his cheeks lightly, hoping that he'll open his eyes and say everything's fine. Instead, his head just lolls from side to side. He moans and spits out more blood. With a shaking hand, she wipes the blood near his lip with her shirt. Her tear falls on his cheek, and it seems to wake him up a little bit. 

"Yongguk- call Yongguk," he utters and takes out his phone. His hand falls limply at his side after giving the phone to her, and that's the last thing he can remember before blacking out.

...

"Have you checked the patient's condition?" Yongguk asks the nurse at the counter. 

"I did, and his condition is getting better "

"That's good; do I have any surgeries scheduled today?" 

The nurse checks the computer and shakes her head politely. "None for today, but you have two surgeries to be carried out tomorrow."

He's about to walk away when suddenly his phone vibrates. He checks the ID and he can see Daehyun's name clearly. He picks it up, and he didn't expect to hear a girl's voice, let alone a familiar one.

"Yongguk oppa, Dae- Daehyun's hurt, you have to help him! He's unconscious."

"What happened?"

"It's a long story, but you have to come here, fast!" She states her address and he motions for the nurse to give him a pen and paper. He jots it down and he hurriedly hangs up. 

He turns towards the nurse, "I have to go somewhere; it's an emergency. Call me if I'm needed," he shoves the paper into his pants' pocket. His white coat billows behind him as he rushes towards the lifts, pressing the button. As soon as he enters the lift, he pushes the button to go to the underground parking lot. 

The journey to her house feels so long. He keeps fidgeting in his seat and tapping his finger on the steering wheel. Since it's lunchtime, the traffic is a bit heavy since everyone is going out to find lunch. He ignores his own grumbling stomach; his destination is far more important than thinking about what he should eat. He hopes that Jiyoon is fine and that she can support Daehyun in the mean time. 

The traffic moves slowly at first, but it gradually clears and Yongguk enters Jiyoon's neighbourhood around 10 minutes after. His eyes search for the house number, and from afar he can see the old house at the end of the street. He sees two figures on the lawn, the female supporting the unconscious male on her lap. He parks behind Daehyun's car and jumps out of his car. Jiyoon's shoulders jiggle as she tries to hold in her tears. Her shirt is stained with blood, and she's still holding Daehyun's head in her hands. 

"Are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere?" Yongguk grabs her shoulder and shakes her gently. 

"I'm fine- but Dae- Daehyun- I don't know what happened to him. He's still alive, right?" she in a forced breath. 

Yongguk lifts his hand, checks his pulse and nods gratefully. "He's still alive- don't worry. He's just unconscious but we have to bring him home. Help me carry him to my car." He hooks Daehyun's arm around his neck, and Jiyoon does the same with his other arm. After they placed Daehyun at the back seat, she rushes to take her bag and dumps it into the boot.

"Check his ID and search for his keys. Then we can bring him home," Yongguk instructs and she searches for the required items. After Jiyoon found what they needed, he speeds off, leaving the house and Daehyun's car behind.

"Sooyoung... It hurts..." Daehyun breathes. He's still half-unconscious. His mind is fuzzy but he's certain that he's in a moving car. What's happening? Did Jiyoon finally call Yongguk? He doesn't have time to answer his own questions when he blacks out for the second time. 

Jiyoon curls herself into a ball beside Yongguk, leaning her head against the window. She stopped crying, but she's still having trouble breathing.

"What happened?" Yongguk asks softly. He doesn't want to shock her and make her cry again. If he could, he wants to grab her hand and comfort her. Sadly, he can't do that right now. 

"My brother was not in his right mind, he punched Daehyun and hit his back with a piece of wood. Then he told me to get lost and he doesn't want to see me ever again. He said I made him broke because of my heart condition. I have no home now." 

Yongguk stays silent, but he grips his hand because of two reasons; he really wants to hold her hand to comfort her and he really wants to punch her brother's face. She looks out the window and her heart feels relaxed after seeing the scenery. "It's the city," she states. "It's beautiful. I've never been to this part." High-rise buildings decorate the skyline. People are walking quickly as if they don't even have time to stop and enjoy the sight. 

Yongguk smiles seeing her innocence. He stops in front of an condominium in the middle of the bustling city. He suspected Daehyun is well off, and his home proves what he thought is true. Both of them get out, and Yongguk had to ask one of the guards there to help him with Daehyun. They reach the highest floor, which is Daehyun's penthouse. Yongguk says thank you to the guard who helped him, and lies Daehyun on his couch. The blood around his mouth has dried. Jiyoon, although worried about him, still takes the opportunity to gape at the interior. She had never seen a house so big for only one person to live in. 

"He should be okay, and he would wake up soon. We can leave him here, come on."

"Are you saying you want to leave him like this, alone and unconscious?"

"He's going to be fine, plus I have to go back to work now. So, let's go," he grabs Jiyoon's hand. 

"No," she pleads for Yongguk to release her hand, and he does it hesitantly. 

"You can go, I can stay here and look after him."

"I can't leave you alone with a man!" Yongguk protests. He reaches for her hand again but she avoids him. 

"And you bear to leave him alone while he's still unconscious? Aren't you being heartless right now?" her face is red. 

"He can manage-"

"He doesn't even know where he is now!"

"Jiyoon, please-"

"I'm staying here, no matter what you say. You need to stop being so selfish! You can go away, but I'm staying here by his side until he wakes up."