Yuri waited outside Nichkhun’s room, shaking in fear. The doctor was inside with the patient, verifying his reflexes and other parts of his nervous system. She couldn’t seem to stop pacing past the small opening to Nichkhun’s door, yet she couldn’t find the courage to go inside. What if something were to happen? What if their worse fears would occur? Positive thoughts just couldn’t come to her right now.

   The door opened with the doctor and TaecYeon coming out passively. Yuri bowed as he went back to his office, leaving her with her brother. She gave Taec a stare full of nervous curiosity while she read his expression to guess the results.

   “And… Is he okay?” Yuri could feel the negativity in TaecYeon’s nod. She froze, not feeling her entire body at all. Guilt was all she could resent. “Are you saying that he won’t be able to walk anymore?” she asked to make sure her assumptions were correct. He didn’t say anything, meaning that it were the case. Yuri didn’t want to believe it, but it was the reality. Victoria came from behind, shuffling her feet to slowly end up on front of Nichkhun’s room. Yuri spotted her and found the need to apologize. Everything was her fault after all.

   She hugged Victoria tightly, making the princess jolt in astonishment. “Mianhe Victoria. You probably already hated me to begin with. You’ll hate me even more because I did something unforgivable.”

   Victoria’s eyebrows rose. “What are you saying? What happened to Khun oppa?” She began to feel a shiver run down her back. The tone in Yuri’s voice didn’t sound like Nichkhun was doing very well.

   “He’s paralyzed… for life,” sobbed Yuri wholeheartedly. Victoria couldn’t believe it. She ruined her own husband with the biggest scare of all, just because of her insecurity.

   There was no turning back now, because everything was a permanent mess. Without even having a specific reply, Victoria backed away and broke through Nichkhun’s room shamelessly. Trying to comfort her, Yuri followed from behind, leaving Taec outside to guard the door. The princess ran directly to the patient’s bed and caught him in a strong embrace. Her tears soaked his shirt like an everlasting fountain.

   “Oppa, you can’t be hurt like this.” Nichkhun felt her heavy breathing on his chest. He knew that his wife was the one who threw the pot. It was evident. Even with her repenting tears, his anger didn’t cease, but he couldn’t seem to hurt her. His nasty temper couldn’t rise to the fullest. Yuri watched them, crying deeply as well.

   “Let go,” he simply ordered. “You don’t have the right to cry for me. You know what you did.” Victoria hugged him even tighter, not wanting to give up just yet. Yuri was completely puzzled. She didn’t understand why Nichkhun acted so coldly. Victoria wasn’t to blame for anything.

   “Forgive me. Please. I can’t live without you. I love you!” Her voice faded from her constant sobs as she gripped on his shirt.

   “Apologize to Yuri first. Then, I’ll forgive you.” Victoria stopped crying for a second and glared at her rival. “Admit what you did to Yuri, and I’ll consider accepting your forgiveness.” Yuri pushed her hair away from her face and frowned.

   “Bwoh?” she asked, still trying to figure it out. In her eyes, Yuri was the one who had to feel remorseful, not Victoria. Nichkhun made his wife sit up properly to face Yuri. Moreover, the princess didn’t say a word.

   Suddenly, a huge mob of reporters blasted through the doors in fury. All three lifted their heads to find microphones shoved in their faces. TaecYeon, despite his size, had to jump in order to speak with them.

   “Sorry for letting them in. There were just too many to handle!” he shouted across the room. Yuri glared in exasperation and pushed herself further away from the compacted crowd surrounding her. Many reporters shoved their way through, asking numerous questions that were almost impossible to understand. When everything calmed down, and Yuri could tell they were speaking Korean, she listened.

   “After the incident involving the prince of Thailand, Nichkhun, we wanted to ask a few questions regarding this serious situation leading to possibly a regretful one for our Prince. Kwon Yuri, according to the inspector and police officers, you were the target of the culprits. We also learned that the pot that was thrown on your head came from the prince and the princess’ changing room. Do you have any assumptions?” Yuri got a glimpse at Victoria, who had already covered her face in shame. Now, everything made sense, but she didn’t want to answer. She wasn’t in the position to do so.

   Because of her long silence, the reporters turned towards Victoria. “Princess, how does it feel to be the main suspect in the crime done against your own husband? Do you have anything to say about it?” asked one of the journalists. Victoria was utterly embarrassed of herself and tried to shy away. Despite her crime, Yuri found mercy in her enemy. She thought that it was classless to let someone go through that type of humiliation, no matter who it was.

   “Aniyo!” yelled Yuri in defense. Everyone pointed their microphones and recorders back at her. “Victoria didn’t try to kill me. I won’t ever believe that.” The room was almost silent now, and only Yuri’s voice could be heard. She saw Nichkhun’s soft look from the side of her eye. This gave her a push to go through with her speech. “Victoria is too kind. She’s one of the sweetest people I know.”

   “How can you be sure that her kindness is real?” another woman in the bunch asked. Yuri turned her head to glance at Victoria.

   “You know once, Victoria saved my life.” The accused suspect took her face out of hiding to find Yuri giving her a soft gaze. “When I was sick and in a coma, trying to find a cure for my cancer, I almost lost hope,” she continued slowly. “Luckily, this kind woman, here, was willing to save my life even if I sinned recklessly against her.” The prince smiled at her revelation. Yuri always impressed him with her strength. “Yeah… She might have made a few mistakes here and there, but in the end, her heart is a rare piece of art. Nichkhun Horvejkul is one lucky person to have her in his life.”  

   After her words, the press continued to snap pictures. Victoria had never felt so guilty before. Yuri had just broken all the hatred and pain that she resented these past weeks since her arrival. Now, she understood why Nichkhun liked her so much. Someone as horrible as her didn’t deserve to stand between them. For the first time, Victoria felt that she was the source of nuisance.

   The royal guards came running in late, pushing the journalists aside. With the path now cleared up, Victoria ran out the door, not wanting to face anyone, especially not Yuri. Seeing the princess run off made Yuri want to catch up to her, but Taec blocked her way.

   “Don’t go. Stay here with Nichkhun. Victoria will be fine,” whispered Taecyeon, walking out the room behind the reckless journalists trying to chase Victoria. Taecyeon shut the door behind him. Yoona gave him a fright while standing in his way. “Oh Yoona-ah! You came.”

   “Of course I did. What happened to Nichkhun oppa?” Taec sighed again.

   “It isn’t going too well. He seems to have lost all senses in his legs. The doctor said that he broke the bottom part of his spine which controls…”

   “His lower body,” she finished for him. “Wah! I feel really sorry for them. They’ve been struggling for years, and now this… It frustrates me. What was the cause in the first place? And why are there so many journalist following Victoria?”

   “Ah! Don’t even ask. I’m not sure myself. The police and the press think that Victoria dropped the pot from their changing room back at the hall, but Yuri denies it. I had a feeling that she was lying though.”

   “So that Victoria or whatever is responsible for this?” He nodded while scratching his head. Yoona pressed her fist together, completely annoyed. “Yah! I can’t stand that brat. She ruins everything.” Yoona tried to follow the mob to get a piece of Victoria. Her tolerance for the ‘princess’ dropped to none. “If nobody is going to teach her a lesson, then I’ll do it if I have to.”

   Taecyeon tugged on her arm, making her stop her hasty actions, but Yoona just wanted to mess with Victoria even if it was the last thing she would do.

   “Enough, don’t cause trouble Yoona-ah!” he insisted, still holding onto her arm with care.

   “Oppa just one…” Pulling her closer, he put his lips on hers to stop her from saying anymore. The surprised Yoona froze when TaecYeon broke the moment. “What was that for?”

   “Mian, it’s just that you were going nuts and it was the only way I could think of to stop you,” he explained. She glared at him uncomfortably.

   “Yah! You could have thought of a more creative way of doing it… You’re so weird.” Yoona turned to the opposite direction to hide her tight expression. “Tell Nichkhun oppa that I wish him best of luck. He’ll need it.” She began to walk away, turning red in the process. Taec who was a little full of himself after pulling off that move, followed Yoona nearby. His hand crept up to hold hers. As their eyes met, they couldn’t help but smile.

   As everyone left the prince’s room, Yuri looked back to find Nichkhun staring at her. Her strong mask finally unveiled her sensitive self.

   “Oppa! What happened to you?” she asked with tears squirting out. He bit his lip without a word to give in response. “Now look at you. You’ll be crippled all your life because you saved some worthless bum like me.” He smirked charmingly. Yuri ran abruptly towards him and pounced on him like the old days.

   “Hey, you are worth it. Not everyone could’ve done what you have back there.”

   “Yah! Does it look like what I said to those journalists would change the condition of your legs?” Her heart was filled with despair. Nichkhun brushed her hair to give her a boost of hope.

   “Probably not… But the fact that I lost my ability to walk made you talk to me again. I’m grateful for that.” Yuri wasn’t impressed with his reasoning.

   “You’re incredibly stupid. BABO! So you’re saying that talking to me is more important to you than your health? That’s nonsense.”

   “The old Nichkhun cared about the people around him more than himself. It seems like being away from you all this time made me forget myself. Just like you want to find your old self, I want to do the same. The fact that God took away one ability of mine should be taken as a learning experience.”

   Yuri shed more tears as Nichkhun wiped them away one by one. The roles were switched now; Yuri was normally the comforter while Nichkhun was the one regularly feeling down. This time, it was the opposite. The sorrow soon turned into laughs. Their fun and comfortable relationship was back.

   “Next time we fight, don’t force me to injure myself again just so you would talk to me again. Araso?” Yuri hit him on the chest and pushed away. Then, she remembered Victoria. She was probably still fleeing from those reporters.

   “Khun oppa, I think that I’ll go look for Victoria unni. She’s probably having a difficult time escaping from those annoying reporters.”

   “Wait a second, I’ll come with you. Just help me on the wheelchair.” Yuri nodded and lifted his legs to rest them at the end of the rolling chair. The prince had much difficulty transferring from one place to another, especially without his extra leg muscles. Yuri watched him, feeling a sort of sour taste within her. Nichkhun caught his breath from the excessive amount of energy he used on moving his body. “Don’t worry; I’m still getting the hang of it. I’ll get used to it in no time.”

   Pitying her best friend, Yuri wrapped him in her warm embrace. “Oppa, I’m sorry for making you suffer a lot.” He smiled as a sweet thought came to mind.

   “Even if I can’t walk, I’ll still have the ability to love you, even in secret, Yuri-ah.”  

As I near the end, I begin to get into the mood of my second story. Click here to read "Dying to See You"

Thanks for reading! You're the reason I spent hours thinking of something to write.

Saranghae -maeanneda123