Chapter XXIV
Stolen Data
XXIV
Bip...
Bip...
Bip...
…
Bip... Bip... Bip...
The monitor going wild startled Eric out of his slumber on the uncomfortable chair, and before he could do anything hospital staff came rushing in the room. Now on his feet, he blinked and tried to understand what had just happened. It was not long before he realized Minwoo's heart was racing crazily and had just set off the regular bip, making it sound continuously and anxiously.
“What's going on ?” He questioned but a small nurse pressed her little hand on his chest and pushed him to the door.
“You can't stay here sir. Don't worry, we're taking care of him.”
“But...” He did not have time to say more that the door was shut gently in his face.
He felt his hand shake in sudden anger but overwhelming fear for a man he had got too attached to for his own good. He should not even be here, in this hospital at Minwoo's side, but it was stronger than him. After hearing from Andy Minwoo was signed in, checked on and went under surgery, he rushed to the hospital to see with his own eyes that Minwoo was still alive and breathing.
The shorter man looked so freaking broken laying in this bed surrounding by too many material and tubes. Even if the worst was certainly this dark color his skin had taken after being hurt as it was. Minwoo looked like a giant bruise, and Eric hated himself for letting this happen.
Thinking they still had no idea what had become of Hyeri almost made him sick in his stomach, and he did not want to think about the moment he would have to let the shorter man know about it.
Eric would not be surprised if Minwoo was hating him afterward. He would not be shocked to be screamed at, maybe hit and threatened. He was expecting the most violent reaction from a father who had lost the reason of his life. He was sincerely aware of what Minwoo's reaction would be, but he could not get ready for it.
Looking up at the closed door, he caught himself praying Minwoo would already make it through the night and survive this horrifying experience no one should ever be confronted to.
He always knew ShiHoo was a crazy, deranged man, but never he would have thought it could be to this extent. Thinking what had happened to Minwoo was certainly just the tip of the Iceberg sent a shiver down his spine, and on this night, in this corridor in front of Minwoo's room, he promised himself he would never let such thing happen ever again.
He promised himself he would be there for the other man if he ever needed him.
Dongwan stopped by the hospital every eleven days Minwoo was plunged into a coma. He did not like to see his friend in such state, with such indelible scars he would carry on for the rest of his life. Dongwan knew too well the most painful ones would be the psychic ones. He knew too well how badly a mind could be hurt. How broken it could be. How this invisible pain could destroy someone and change them radically.
He knew this too well because he had grew up with such scars.
Not only he was always surrounded by people wanting the worst for him, but he had to witness as his parents fought continuously for what they had against people with ill intentions towards them. How many times was he introduced to a supposedly 'friend' turning out as a traitor ? Too many times he was hurt by people he trusted, and now the scars were still visible and still had an impact on his life.
He could have resent Minwoo after what happened between them recently, but his feelings were far from this.
Seeing him like that, in this hospital bed, hurt, scarred and alone... he just could not hate a man in such awful state. Mostly when he had loved him so much up to this point. Maybe this feeling inside him was different from love, but it was the closest thing he ever felt for someone.
So yes. He loved Minwoo. He loved him as a friend. He loved him as a brother. He loved him as a person. He loved him for being such a trustworthy man he could relax around and not fear. He loved Minwoo for so many reasons that he was not sure he would ever be able to name them all.
It was raining heavily when he finally opened his eyes. The room was quiet and warm. He wondered for a second where he was, then he recognized too easily a hospital room. He wondered how he could have ended here and why he had ended here in the first place. He could not remember much and his fuzzy mind had a hard time clearing. He was feeling groggy, and he presumed somewhere in the maze of his mind that he was certainly drugged.
Was he that hurt to be drugged so heavily ? He did not know and was not sure he had the energy to look for the answer.
“Urg...” The sound was raw and low in his dry throat, and his cracked lips, he failed miserably at moistening them.
! He was feeling so bad and somewhat sick. Was he alone in this place ? Where were the nurses ? Where were anyone taking care of him ? He wanted to see someone and get some water.
Squeezing his eyes shut, he tried to move but could not. His body was feeling like a dead weight and his muscles numbed. He presumed he would have to wait a little before doing anything on his own, and looking around in his direct line of sight he could not find the call button.
Groaning, he furrowed his brows and shut his eyes on a forming headache.
“So...” He wanted to call for someone, but he could not talk and just realized there was a tube in his throat.
! It was freaking uncomfortable and he could not wait to finally see someone.
He certainly floated between consciousness and unconsciousness until a nurse eventually showed up and noticed he was awake. He did not really understand anything she said, but he was glad to eventually see someone. The smile on her lips was warm, but it did nothing to warm up his frozen heart.
What was this feeling in his chest ? Why was he feeling so... hollow ?
He could not really understand but the void in his heart felt familiar. He knew somewhere deep down inside why such emotions were present in him, but he never managed to get clear answers.
He woke up again on a peaceful morning after a particularly rainy night. He could hear some birds singing outside and a soft breeze passing by. It felt relaxing, and with his eyes still closed, he enjoyed the little moment before reality came crashing back on him.
With a groan and painful twitch of his muscles, he cracked open his eyelids and stared at the outside world through the window. The sky was still covered by thick clouds, but the sun was trying to break through and offering a dull light on the world.
The squeak of a chair startled him, and looking over the man standing up and walking closer to him, he could not explain how enraged and hateful he felt. Suddenly, all he wanted to do was scream and kick and hit this man in front of him, but in his condition all he managed was burning tears he refused to shed.
Turning his head away, he let the man understand clearly he did not want to have to do anything with him ever again, and the heavy sigh he heard let him know said man was already aware of it.
“I'm glad you're finally awake.” He heard and refused to acknowledge the words. “Your doctors said you'll recover. Dongwan got you the best out there.”
The name made him tense up and even more angry. All of this was these people's fault, and if not for them... if not for them, Hyeri would not be...
The lump swelling in his throat forced him to push the memory away to avoid breaking down now. He did not want to let this man in his life ever again, and crying in front of him would be just like allowing such thing to happen.
“They fixed your sutures. They said despite the circumstances the job was a clean one... I mean, on your kidney.”
Minwoo could not help wince at the memory, and Eric certainly saw it considering how awkward he felt now. He could say the detective did not want to speak of any of this but was doing so anyway just to let him know, and in other kind of situation he would have been grateful. In any other kind of situation though.
“You've to stay for a little while. You've many broken bones and you'll need reeducation.”
Minwoo listened without really caring. He already knew most of this. Not that anyone had told him, but he was there, when all this happened. So he knew. He knew how damaged his body was. These people certainly knew more than him, but there was one thing they could not see, could not diagnosis or fix... and it was this pain in his chest every images, memories and helpless realizations were making stronger.
“I was just passing by when I heard you were awake.” Eric let another awkward silence pass before adding. “I just wanted to check on you and...”
Minwoo figured what words were coming, and he could not help tense up in apprehension. Because he did not want to hear them. He did not want anything from this man. He just wanted to be left alone and forgotten.
“I'm sorry...”
Here it was. The so dreaded words making him cringe and sick in his stomach. They were like acid falling over him and opening wider wounds torturing him continuously.
“I'm really sorry... for everything.”
“Go away.” He croaked back, feeling like he was on the verge of breaking in so many different ways if this man was just not disappearing and leaving him the hell alone.
He felt Eric hesitate and stare at him, but not even once he granted him a look. He instead observed the moving leaves and branches outside and focused on the birds' singing floating so melodiously in the air. It felt appeasing in some way, but it was not enough. Nothing would never be enough to appease the torment inhabiting him.
The pounding behind his eyes was still vicious, but he could manage. After everything he had went through, this headache was nothing he could not handle. His doctors were actually in a panic trying to figure how to hold him back waiting for Kim Dongwan. He knew he should just have left unnoticed, but he did not have the real strengths for that yet. He could move around, could take care of himself, but playing ninja was still out of his capacities.
Therefore, after waking up, undergoing some more tests and being told the exact same thing than the five previous days, he decided it was time for him to be signed out. Not that he had anything against this hospital or the staff, but he could not bear being between these walls anymore and needed to get away.
He could support Dongwan showing up every now and then to check on him, he could endure being asked all the freaking time how he was doing, but he could not handle anymore the permanent thoughts and memories. He knew this place was not the reason for them, but being there with nothing to do only made it worse. So he decided to get out and away.
Dongwan arrived pretty quickly after being called by the doctor. Minwoo hated how it made him feel prisoner or somewhat impotent (as if he could not decide what was best for him and needed someone else to watch over him).
The attorney, if at first tried to convince him to stay a bit more, eventually gave up and let him go. Minwoo did not know if he noticed the look in his eyes. If he noticed this part of him missing. He did not know, but the look crossing Dongwan's face let him almost certain the attorney had just came to the realization he was not the same anymore.
He would certainly have been concerned by such fact weeks ago, but now, he just did not care and had as only concern to get away from everyone and think about his future. He did not even think about a future without his daughter, but he knew he had little chances to find her either. The detectives could not find her. Dongwan could not find her. So how could he even dream of succeeding in something such experts had failed at ?
He knew too well there was no more hope, but a strong part of himself did not want to give up either. Not now. Not without trying.
Maybe it would get him nowhere. Maybe it would get him killed. He did not know nor care. Because a life without Hyeri was not a life he wanted to have. It was not the life he was supposed to have. And if he could not get her back, then he had no more reason to continue living. Therefore, he had no worry about risking his life to find her, to save her, to avenge her.
He could not abandon her at her fate. Even if it was too late, if she was no more... he needed to get her back. If only to give her this last resting place she was deserving. He could not bear the idea of her being dumped somewhere for the rats and whatnot to consume her. He could not live ignoring where she was. If she was alive. Dead. He needed to know, and he could not care less if it was the last thing he would do in his life.
He had nothing to lose anymore.
Bitter ending ? I guess.
I hope you liked it anyway, and yeah... this story turned out pretty angsty xD
I like it this way though, and I'm mostly satisfied (something's bugging me about this last chapter, but I can't figure what =//).
Anyway, I had fun writing this story and kept this great feeling throughout every chapters. Not once I felt demotivated about this fic, and I'm happy for such smooth experience ^^
Well, thank you everyone for reading, commenting, subscribing, upvoting and enjoying this story.
I'll certainly comeback soon with another fic ;))
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