“Mom… why did-..”


“Seunghyun-ah…! Dara collapsed… we’re now on our way to the hospital…”



His mom’s voice sounded so worried… he was in his office right after his meeting when his mom called…



“What…?! Mom what happened…?”



He unconsciously yelled over the line… quickly stood up from his seat and went to get his coat.



“I…. I don’t know why… she just collapsed… oh God…. She looks so pale right now…”



His mom’s voice was shaking… Dara’s on her lap, sweating so much and pale… Mrs. Choi placed her hand on Dara’s forehead and felt that Dara’s burning hot… she panicky told the driver to drive faster even though they are already in full speed…



“Mom…”



That’s when she snapped out from her panic… Seunghyun told her to calm down… that everything would be alright once they reach the hospital… but she can’t help but to feel really worried about the girl on her lap… Dara was fine a while ago… but now she really looked in pain.



Seunghyun hanged up the phone… he immediately got out from his office and found Mr. Kim on Dara’s desk…



“Sir… Is there something wrong…?”



“Cancel all my meetings… and prepare my ride… Dara’s in the hospital again…”



He anxiously said as he dashed towards the elevator… Mr. Kim’s eyes widen for a second… he did what Seunghyun asked him and ran up behind his boss going down their building… 



‘Oh God… please make her safe…’



His mind chanted repeatedly… he was quiet… it felt like centuries waiting for the elevator to go down… he would make it sure next time to put his office on the ground floor just in case times like this would happen again…


What if he won’t be able to get there in time…?



What if he’s already too late to see her…?



Trails of thoughts ran inside his mind… which the ding of the elevator brought him back to his consciousness…


The elevator’s door opened…some of his employees were outside… they all greeted upon seeing him… but he didn’t bother greeting back… too lost to only pass by them… too worried to care for the woman he loves is in deep danger once again… 



He almost ran out from the building… Mr. Kim totally ran up behind him… which raised wonder among his employees…



And once he reached his car… he remembered something… no someone who must know all about what’s happening… may Dara hate him for doing this but his friend needed to know now what’s going on… for he himself isn’t sure of her safety better yet make the man she really loves know about her suffering… he’s sure it would break Jiyong if he would know it once everything is late for her and for him… setting aside his selfishness and his own worry… Seunghyun dialed on his phone…


--


A loud clatter broke the once silent place… Jiyong and Sanghyun were inside a nearby café… Jiyong unconsciously elbowed his glass which made it fall and break on the ground…



“Hyung… are you alright…?”



Sanghyun asked him in worry again… but he was blank… his eyes were blank… sinking into him the most painful news he heard in his life… 



How could he be so selfish not thinking of that reason… how could he blame everything in her… how could he hurt her and added to the pain she was suffering… how could he not see the pain in her eyes…



He was drown so deep in his own heartache… feeding his mind that he was the victim… that he was the one who was abandoned and unloved… but the truth was… he was the one who abandoned her… he wasn’t at her side during the most painful days of her life…



His gaze dropped… and tears filled his eyes… the waiters cleaned the mess he made while he stayed glued on his seat… now drowning himself with regrets… imagining her suppressing that pain… imagining her battling it alone… imagining her calling for his name but he wasn’t there… 



But everything was all in the past… she already won that battle… she’s already here beside him… and with that… his hope bloomed once again… he would make sure to make up for those days that he wasn’t there for her… he would make sure that no one and anything would take her away from him once again…



“I need to see her…”



He suddenly blurted out to her brother… he immediately stood up from his seat which startled the young guy a bit… 



“Hyung… why… what’s wrong…?”



Tears flowed from Jiyong’s eyes… he immediately wiped it… as a smile crept on his lips… he wanted to see her… shower her the love he failed to show her these past three years… he doesn’t care what consequence it may cause to other people but it’s his time to aid her now…



“Sanghyun-ah… did I ever told you that I love your sister…?”



“What’s with the sudden..-“



Sanghyun’s sentence was cut off when Jiyong’s phone suddenly rang… he chuckled with the younger guy’s reaction before answering his call…



“Jiyong-ah…”



It was Seunghyun on the other line… a smile was still plastered on his face despite the worry tone of his friend on the other line…



“Seunghyun… oh… why’d you call…?”



And slowly… the smile on his lips faded… his lips parted and his eyes slowly widen… he almost let got of his phone if not for Seunghyun’s voice over the line bringing him back to his self…



“Jiyong-ah… she needs you right now…”



His breath got caught in his throat for a while… until he was able to speak again and ask what hospital she was in… he gathered all the strength left in him and hanged up his phone…while the younger guy stared at him in wonder.



“Dara… she collapsed again…”



Felt like millions of needles being plunged in his heart when he spoke of those words… he felt like not going in there to see her in pain… to see her lying down almost lifeless on that bed… but he promised himself to be there for her now… may it will be his last chance to see her again… he would stake his heart just to join her in her pain…


--


He managed to drive them to the hospital… Sanghyun has called their mom about what happened and Mrs. Park was surely not happy and worried about the sudden news… she would fly there first thing in the morning… 


“She’s still not fully healed… why was she so stubborn to go back here…?”


Sanghyun worriedly mumbled as they neared the hospital… Jiyong knew the reason… it was all because of him… she really is stubborn… staking her own health just to see him… while he on the other side chased her away when she tried to explain… how stupid could he be… 


They found Mr. Kim outside her room when they arrived… Sanghyun immediately went inside his sister’s room while Jiyong preferred to stay outside… he was afraid to see her lifeless body once again… the same feeling of uselessness filled his mind just like when they were in their getaway…


He promised himself to aid her just a while ago… but now… he couldn’t even move a fiber to go there and take care of her… just when he knew everything… just when he had completely decided to fight for her… just when everything is slowly getting settled… now, the same thing that took her away from him once… is now haunting her and even their chance to be together again…


“She’ll be fine…”


A tap on his shoulder broke him from his trance… he looked at his side and saw the calm face of the old man… he only managed to smile at Mr. Kim…
 

Suddenly, the door from her room opened… the doctor followed by Seunghyun went out of her room…



Their eyes met for a second before the doctor spoke with Seunghyun…



“Has she been taking her medicines…?” the doctor asked… Seunghyun glanced at Jiyong first before answering.



“Yes… I always make sure that she takes it regularly…” 



[Jiyong’s POV]



I heard Seunghyun spoke… did he knew everything…? 



Maybe he does… he even knows what she needs…



And he has been taking care of her this whole time…



While me on the other side was adding up more to her pain…to her problems…



I really am useless and selfish… how could I do this to you Dara…?



I saw the doctor nodded… Seunghyun looked at me again… I couldn’t even lift up my face and face him… he has done so much for her… I feel embarrassed about myself for not doing anything… and for not knowing everything until now…



“We’ll make some tests for her… Just to make sure that she’s not in a critical state…”



Oh God… please don’t take her away from me now…


--


The doctor left as well as Mr. Kim… leaving me and Seunghyun alone… 



“She had a slight fever…Why don’t you go inside…?”


It’s because I might break in front of her once I see her in pain…. I don’t want her to see me like that… I don’t want her to get worried about me more than I should to her… I can’t be weak in front of her… 



“I’m sorry for not telling you everything… she just doesn’t want to make you worry and to complicate more things for you…”


“It’s okay… and… th- thank you for taking care of her…”



We were leaning on the wall… both facing her room… I felt him looked at me but I stayed looking on the ground… silence consumed us… until after a while he suddenly broke it…


“I wish I had just met her before you…”


That’s when I looked towards him… now my turn to see him looking on the ground… a smile crept on his lips but I could see tears forming inside his eyes…



“For maybe I was the one who was she calling in her sleep a while ago… for maybe I am the only man who she could see… and for maybe I am not feeling so heartbroken right now…” 


He chuckled and threw back his head… Seunghyun… how could we both fall in the same woman…?



He looked away and I know he’s been suppressing himself to cry in front of me…



“I still haven’t told her about how I feel… but I’ll keep my silence to give you both the chance… to give her the happiness that she really deserves…”


He tapped my shoulder and finally he crept a sincere smile…


“She needs you the most Ji… go there and please be strong for her…”


“Seunghyun-ah…”


“I’m fine… I’ll get over this… I’m Choi Seunghyun… I don’t just cry over things…”


But just then, I saw a tear escaped from his eyes… we both chuckled… I really wouldn’t take it if ill lose such a friend like him… I wish I could be as selfless as him… 



“I’ll surely fire you if you leave her again…”


“Don’t worry I won’t… I still love my job…”



With that… another round of laughter rang the hallway… this is what I need before facing another heartbreak…

--

I went inside her room once everyone went out… Seunghyun’s mom wouldn’t want to go home yet if not for him scolding her to get some rest… 


“Hyung… I think mom will be here by tomorrow…”



Sanghyun told me…



“You better rest now… I’ll take it from here…”



“But how about you hyung..?”



“I’m fine… I… just want to take care of her…”



I said as I glanced inside her room…



“Okay hyung… if something went wrong please call me…”


I nodded and accompanied him outside… Seunghyun will take him to Dara’s apartment to let him stay there… I know Seunghyun would also want to stay and watch for her… but I am grateful that he chose to give us our time to be alone…



“Call me if you need anything…”



“Yes… thanks…”



--


It felt heavy going back to her room… and it felt heavier once I saw her still unconscious lying down on her bed…


I grabbed a seat beside her… reached for her hand to feel it so cold… I rubbed it between my palms to give her my warmth… even though she’s peacefully sleeping… I could see in her face the weariness that she’s probably feeling right now… I feel myself getting crazy for I couldn’t do anything but to just watch her like this…


“Please… don’t ever leave me again… don’t go to where I wouldn’t be able to see you again… Dara… please… be strong…”


--


Tears run down from his eyes… as he buried his face on her side… still holding tightly on her hand…


She suddenly stirred from her sleep… he looked up and quickly wiped off his tears… her eyes scrunched before it slowly opened… he brushed off some of her hair… but still not letting go of her other hand…


“Ji…”


She weakly called him… he moved closer to her and caressed her pale cheek



“I’m here Dara-ah…”



Her eyes were half opened… but enough to see his face… her other hand reached out for him in which he quickly held and brought closely to his face… 



“You made me so worried…”



He said while caressing her hand to his face… 



“I’m sorry…” 
 

She faintly smiled together with her voice… all he could do is to smile back and suppress the aching feeling inside his chest… how could she look so frail all of a sudden…


“You should take some rest now…”


He told her but she shook her head…


“I want to see you Ji… I’m afraid once I close my eyes… I wouldn’t be able to see you again…”


“What are you talking about…?”

 

He forced out a laugh to hide the uneasiness he’s feeling…


“My head hurts so bad right now…”


His eyes widen upon hearing her say that… he then quickly stood up


“Wait… I’ll call-…”



“No… Ji… don’t… just stay here with me…”



“But Dara…”


She shook her head and held his hand tight…


“This will stop soon… I’m sure the doctors will just inject me something that will make me fall asleep… I’m too tired of sleeping...”


His brows creased… how could she be so casual with these things…? Suddenly she tried to stand up… he dashed towards her and supported her…


“You’re still weak… you shouldn’t move too much…”



She just smiled at him but he noticed her wincing in pain because of her head ache…



“You shouldn’t scold a sick person…”




“That's because you’re too stubborn to listen to me…”



He knows she’s trying her best not to make him worry… he too was trying his best not to make her worry about him… both trying to pretend not to cause more pain to each other… but deep inside… torturing themselves seeing each other with a great border between them…




“So... you don’t want a stubborn girl like me anymore…?” 



She still has the guts to throw jokes at him… he wrapped his arms around her waist… careful enough not to break her fragile body as he hugged her tight…



“I’ll never get tired from scolding this stubborn girl… as much as my heart won’t stop from loving you…” 



Her lips trembled… and tears started to fall from her eyes… she couldn’t be this weak if she wants to stay with him… she couldn’t leave him again… even if her body tells her the opposite thing… she’ll remain by his side no matter what happens…



He felt her tears on his shoulder… soaking his shirt… he caressed her back to make her calm… she wrapped her arms around him and held him tight… as a wave of pain hit her head once again… hiding her suffering… holding on to her strength as she tried battling the same torture that haunted her for the past three years… she should overcome this… now that he’s here… she couldn’t possibly give up now… he still needs her… she still needs to make up for the time they were not together…



‘Please… not now…’




She prayed… she closed her eyes and rested her head on his shoulder… 




He knew the pain is slowly attacking her now… he could feel it in her now trembling body… her arms that is slowly suffocating him… but he stayed there… joining her in her pain… this is what she needs right now… and this is the least thing he could do for her…

--

Eventually she fell asleep in his arms… resting on his lap as he was seating on the couch near her bed… they both doesn’t want to let go of each other... finally felt the comfort despite the uncomfortable position they were in… 



Her head was still resting on his shoulder as her arms were all draped along his neck… he stayed awake… humming on to her… caressing her back whenever she would wake up from the pain… oh how much he wanted to press the nurse’s button whenever she’s in pain… he couldn’t take seeing her cringing… trembling… but she won’t let him… always telling him that she only needed him… she more afraid of falling asleep and not seeing him again… than feeling the pain but knowing that he’s there… 


He could feel his legs numb… but it’s nothing compared to what she’s probably feeling right now… 



He glanced towards the window… saw how the rays slowly reached inside her room… a new day… but bothered him knowing that it would be a new day for her and maybe would start another painful battle for her…


He tried to glance at his side to see her face… she‘s still peacefully sleeping… his other hand reach for her cheek and caressed it… the woman that he loved the most... he don't know what will happen to him if he lose her again... 



“Please be strong for me… saranghae…”



He said as a tear escaped his eye..