CHAPTER 22: THUNDERSTORM

Slumped over the countertop, Hani clumsily fished out the ringing phone from her pocket after struggling to find it. Her head didn’t move as she squinted and stared at the brightly lit screen for a few seconds before placing it by her ear after accepting the call. Much to her dismay, her lousy greeting was responded by silence as no one talked on the other side of the line. She dropped the call but it happened again and went on for a few times, and almost made her throw the device away.

“It seems like you had fun rejecting my calls.”

“Was I?” Hani let out a low giggle, her eyes half-lidded. Her empty, lowball glass slid from her hand and shattered on the other side of the countertop. “Oops. Sorry.”

“Wow, you’re already celebrating yet I haven’t even told you what’s about to happen.”

“Celebrate…?” The intoxicated girl questioned but it was directed to no one as she just stared blankly into space while the reason of her inebriation resurfaced and floated on top of the booze that she already drowned herself in.

“Bomi-ah, come on. Let’s get you cleaned up.” The older one approached the person who was already drunk by the bar and plunking herself over the countertop.

“Get away from me.” Bomi slurred as she blindly shoved those pair of helping hands away.

Thinking that she probably wasn’t able to recognize her, Hani cooed the aggressive one. “Don’t worry. It’s me, Heeyeon.”

“I know, okay?” Bomi grunted as she pushed the latter away once more. “And that’s exactly why I want you to back off. I’m not going anywhere with you.”

The number of times she had witnessed Bomi getting drunk was already enough for her to say that the younger one was behaving oddly. With her, the latter gets all flirty and sweet whenever she’s under the influence of alcohol but now, she just got verbally attacked. All she ever did was show and let Bomi feel that she is loved, that’s why this sudden harshness surely bothered her.

The words alone already inflicted pain deep inside her but even so, Hani tried to act unfazed. “You really went far this time, Yoon Bomi. How many bottles did you even finish?” She gave an airy laugh and tried to lighten up the mood.

“I said, off! Is it that hard to understand?!” She pushed Hani away for the third time, almost making the taller one completely lose her balance. ”You…you’re the one who’s making things hard for me and Chorong…”

Emotions started welling up, and Hani’s tears were threatening to fall any second. Clenching her fists and gritting her teeth, all she could do at the moment was stare at Bomi who stumbled forward and grabbed a chair for support as she tried to stand up. At first, Hani thought that maybe this is just a side of her that she haven’t seen, but it changed when she saw the glare that was piercing right through her.

Indeed, a drunken mind speaks a sober heart. Hani hoped that the latter wouldn’t remember anything when she wakes up, because she would definitely try to hypnotize herself that this never happened.

“Ahn Heeyeon.” The person on the other line heaved a sigh as he called her attention for the third time but still got no answer. “I’ll just call you about it tomorrow. I think you’ll appreciate this more when you finally retrieve your ability to make sense.”

 Even after the call was done, Hani didn’t move and just let the tears escape from her almost closed eyes.

---

“Chorong hasn’t returned yet.” Naeun stopped her manager who just suddenly rushed out of their room and went past her. “They haven’t returned.”

“What?!” Bomi had a pained expression as she massaged her temples. She already felt like her head was hit by a frying pan a lot of times because of the hangover, and the additional information just made it worse. “Did you try calling Eunji?”

“Yeah…” Naeun weakly answered and sighed, her gaze not leaving the screen of her phone. “Lots of times…”

“What did she say?”

“She said that they were already on their way back.”

“And when was that?” Bomi waited for an answer, but Naeun just kept her head down and kept fiddling with her phone. The silence that she’s getting from the younger one already bothered her, but what made her feel worse was when she saw how fidgety the younger one’s fingers were. Her heart then felt like it dropped from the top of the tallest skyscraper when she saw Naeun’s tired eyes let go of the tears she apparently tried holding back for a long time.

 “Naeun-ah, answer my question.” She demanded; her voice trembled as her tears started to well up as well.

“Two hours ago.” Naeun’s voice cracked as she finally responded.

It became hard for Bomi to stay optimistic about anything after discovering that it has been hours since Eunji’s last reply to Naeun. Her heartbeat went miles per hour as her mind started generating negative thoughts about the possible reasons of why her girlfriend and her best friend haven’t returned yet, and everything already made her insides churn in fear and anxiety. She immediately called Chorong’s number and when she was directed to the voicemail box, Bomi wasn’t able to fight back her tears as well.

This can’t be happening.

After wiping her tears away, Bomi wiped Naeun’s and gave her a comforting hug. “Don’t worry, Naeun-ah.” She then pulled away and started leading the latter towards the parking lot. “We’ll find them.”

As she started the engine of the car, Bomi heaved a sigh full of self-disappointment. Initially, she wanted to lash out at Naeun for not waking her up, but immediately went against it after some thought. If anything, the one she should be mad at is herself. If only she haven’t said those harsh words, if only she had considered all of the things that Chorong said to her, if only she had followed her girlfriend instead of getting herself wasted, the four of them would probably be enjoying their breakfast by now.

Everything was her fault, and she wouldn’t be able to forgive herself if anything bad has happened to the two.

Bomi’s thoughts and focus on the road got disrupted when her phone suddenly rang. She immediately pulled up on the side of the freeway and fished her loud phone out of the pocket. Naeun, who was just zoning out the whole ride, snapped back to reality and gave an expectant look at her manager.

“Who is it?” Naeun asked upon hearing that deep breath escape from the older one.

A tear rolled down Bomi's cheek, and Naeun already knew the answer to her own question.

---

Hani felt like dying because of the throbbing headache she was feeling after that night of boozing out, but she still forced herself up after being awakened by a completely unfamiliar voice.

“I’m sorry to wake you up Ms. Ahn, but Mr. Jung is waiting on the other side of the line.”

“How did I get here…” A disheveled Hani groaned after realizing that she was back in her apartment, ignoring the phone that was being politely given to her by the stranger. “And who are you?” She rubbed her eyes for a clearer vision of the woman sitting beside her bed.

“Please, take the call.” The latter insisted. “It’s really important.”

Annoyed, the older one roughly took the phone from the unknown person. “What?”

“Good morning.”

“You better be kidding me.” Hani hissed at Ilhoon. “It’s just six in the morning and there’s nothing good about it.”

“Believe me, Hani. You’ll have the best morning once you see this.” Ilhoon stated matter-of-factly. “Turn on your TV.”

“Turn on…the TV?”

Out of the blue, her television just came on just in time for the daily morning news. Hani’s eyebrows furrowed as she gave a glance at the young lady beside her who showed off that sweet smile before turning up the volume of the rectangular device on her wall. The latter was wearing a plain white shirt accompanied with a pair of black skinny jeans and chucks, which gave her an ordinary school junior vibe. All she knew that this person was probably sent by Ilhoon, but why would he send someone who looks like they would flee upon seeing a cockroach?

Hani then shrugged, saving the rest of her questions for later and just focused on the news, just like what Ilhoon told her to do so. The usual news about the country’s economy, weather, and celebrities were only making her eyelids droop and her head feel a lot heavier. “Watching these doesn’t make me feel—“

She was about to complain, but a certain news made her instantly speechless.

“This is just in for our local news. A young woman in her 20s was critically injured after a car crash in Yangyang-gun, Kangwon this early morning.”

A mix of contrasting emotions hit her like a tidal wave as she watched the very familiar woman being carefully rescued from the near completely wrecked vehicle. Her conscience gave her a splash of fear and guilt, but then she knew that she also felt a tinge of happiness when the corner of her lips rose up a little bit. That joy she felt kind of bothered her though. Is this what happens when you spend time with someone like Jung Ilhoon?

Hani let out a short and sharp, airy laugh as she shook her head. She knew that Ilhoon was capable of doing anything, but she never expected that it would be this vile. “You’re…unbelievable.”

“Hey, all is fair in love and war.” He retorted back. “Besides, you’ll get used to it to the point that something like this would be nothing for you.”

The last sentence was so evil that it sent chills down her spine but since this is the life that she has chosen, Hani knew that she doesn’t have the right to feel such emotions so she brushed it off. Instead, she threw a question that has been disturbing her after watching the certain news.

“By the way…where’s Eunji?”

---

Even if every single one of those seconds felt like an eternity for Bomi as she waited for Chorong to regain consciousness after that torturous 4-hour long operation, she never uttered a word of complaint. Instead, she just quietly sat as she diligently watched over the latter with soft, moist, and loving eyes, admiring the beauty that never left despite of all the wounds, bruises and stitches that were visibly present all over her girlfriend’s body.

For her, Chorong is the most beautiful person inside and out, and she surpasses everything considered great in this nasty planet. There’s no doubt that she only deserved the best, and hurting someone like her is almost the same as booking a ticket straight to the land of the underworld.

The same ticket that Satan slipped inside her pocket the moment she stung her precious lover with those callous words last night.

“I’m really sorry, baby…” The tears that she was trying to hold back in finally fell. Her expression turned into a painful one as she then held Chorong’s hand and caressed it on her face before giving it a light peck. “I promise I’ll make it up to you…”

A few minutes later, Bomi was approached by a nurse and informed her about a person who wanted to visit the patient. Upon hearing the visitor’s name, she took a quick glance at Chorong before giving a hesitant nod towards the medical staff. She tightened the hold on her partner’s hand and heaved a sigh.

Everything that she was told about Hani replayed like a broken tape in her disarrayed mind.

“Do I really know you, Hani?”

“Hey…”

Without letting go of Chorong’s hand, Bomi stood up and forced a small smile. “Thanks for dropping by.”

“I’m sorry about what happened.” Hani took a step closer and gave the latter a comforting hug, but immediately broke it after realizing that it was going to be an unreciprocated one. The two then took a seat. “How is she?”

A deep breath escaped from her lips before she answered. “The operation was successful, but she’s still being monitored.”

“How about Miss Son, is she fine? Is Eunji still missing?”

Bomi just looked down and shook her head in response.

Concern overtook Hani as she noticed how the latter seemed like she aged by more than ten years in less than a day – her hair looked like hasn’t been washed for 3 days, her attire looked like it was taken out from the basket of already used clothes, and her were droopy like she hasn’t been sleeping for days. Witnessing the person she holds dear like this was painful for her, and as the pain intensified whenever she sees more evidences of Bomi’s suffering, her dislike towards the unconscious woman on the bed heightened up as well.

Hani clenched her jaws and placed the blame on Chorong with her remorseless glare.

“She’ll be happier with me.”

“You look so worn-out, Bomi-ah. Have you eaten?” Hani worriedly asked. “I bought you some—“

“No, and I’m not hungry.”

“Yoon Bomi, we don’t want another sick person, do we?” Hani argued back. “You need to eat.”

“I’m fine, Heeyeon-ah.” Bomi reassured. “I’ll be fine.”

“No, you won’t be fine. And do you think Chorong would be glad to see you like this? You have your own life to live too.”

“A life to live…? Do you think I could bring myself to live that life knowing that she almost lost hers because of me? Do you think I could just go out and live life knowing that she’s bounded within this room and suffering?” Tears started to brim her still swollen eyes once again. “If only I followed her…if only I believed her right from the start…”

“But—“

“Excuse me?” A doctor entered the room and politely interrupted the escalating altercation. “If you’re going to continue this discussion, please do it outside. It is highly discouraged for the patient to be exposed to any kind of stress, and since there’s a high chance that she’s hearing everything despite of her condition, it might affect her negatively.”

“We’re sorry, doc.” The two apologized.

“I completely understand that this is a very tough situation for you, Miss Yoon. It’s just a reminder so that it won’t happen again. Anyway, can we please ask you to leave for a while? We’re just going to check on the patient’s current status.”

Immediately after exiting the room, Hani held Bomi’s hand to prevent her from walking further away. “I…I’m really sorry. I was just worried…”

“I’m sorry too for snapping –“

“Miss Ahn!”

An unfamiliar, sweet voice erupted behind Hani, making Bomi halt in the middle of her apology. She then looked over past Hani’s shoulders and saw a tall yet younger-looking lady rushing towards them, holding a cup of hot chocolate. On the other hand, Hani felt 30% tensed and 70% stupid upon remembering the fact that she didn’t come here to the hospital alone. Immediately changing her initial expression, she turned around and welcomed the youngest one with a smile.

Unfortunately, it didn’t go unnoticed for Bomi.

“I didn’t really expect you to be out sooner, that’s why I went out for a while. I’m sorry.”  She bowed.

“It’s fine.” Hani gave her friend a light pat on the back. “You’re so formal though…”

“Of course, you’re my—“

“We’re friends, right? So stop being awkward.” She ordered the latter, in which she got a quick nod in compliance. “Anyway, I would like you to meet my friend.”

Bomi, who was just carefully observing prior to the introduction, was about to voice out her name but once again interrupted by the same person.

“Yoon Bomi, right?” The new person gave a sweet and friendly smile as she held out her hand for a handshake. “It’s nice to meet you, finally.”

“It seems like Hani has been mentioning me quite a lot.” The older one politely smiled as she returned the friendly gesture. “It’s nice to meet you too, uhh…”

“Junghwa. I’m Park Junghwa.”

---

“We’re supposed to rush back home and meet uncle’s Cinderella-curfew, not rush a stranger to the hospital. Well, unless you guys want to be dead even before this almost-dead person dies.”

“You’re really thinking we could just leave her like that?” The driver of the car argued back. “Well I’m sorry, because unlike you, I have this thing called conscience.”

“But she’s going to die soon anyway!” The one at the backseat didn’t give up. “And you didn’t even…ugh. Come on, look at her. Does it look like she’s going to make it there alive?”

“Sometimes, your logic makes me question about how I even became friends with you.” She retaliated. “And look…I’m the one who’s going to get scolded, and not you. So, would you please shut up?”

“Excuse me? We promised to bring your cousin back home on time, remember? We. That means the two of us.”

“Stop arguing, you two…” the quiet one on the shotgun seat finally spoke, trying to get in between her cousin and her cousin. “Do you think your bickering would help save this person’s life? Let’s not worry about the time and just prioritize on getting to the hospital as fast as we can.”

“Not you too, Soo-ah…” The defeated one sighed as she covered her face with both of her palms. “Your dad is going to kill us. I just know it.”

“You’re overreacting, Hayoung-ah. I should be the one panicking, and not you.” Soo-ah laughed. “I know that he treats us like we’re in some sort of a military camp, but he still has a heart and he knows how to listen. This is an emergency anyway. He would understand.”

“B-but—“

“Besides, there’s still an hour left before my curfew expires. I’m pretty sure that there’s a nearby hospital around and…” The latter paused and shifted her gaze at the driver. “I’m also very sure that my dear cousin, which happens to be your best friend, could drive us home just in the nick of time. Am I right, cuz?”

“Well…change of plans, actually.” Soo-ah’s cousin answered. “We’re going home now.”

“What?!” The other two exclaimed in unison. “W-what are you talking about?!”

“Soo-ah, call your dad now. I need to have a word with him. Hayoungie, you make sure to keep track of her pulse until we arrive, okay?” She started giving out orders, ignoring the protests from her friends.

“Hey, Kim Namjoo—“

“Oh Hayoung, trust me on this one.” Namjoo appealed as she made a brief eye-contact with her best friend. “Please.”

The latter shook her head and sighed. “Just make sure that you have a very good reason for doing this.”

“I do, and it’s for the best.” The latter simply responded as she stepped on the gas.

-----

A/N: New characters! Yay or Nay? Lmao

Actually, my thesis ain’t over yet but I said last week of November, right? So I tried my best to finish this chapter for those who are really waiting for it. I also missed writing and I just cannot help but update…^^

I’ll try to update next week or the following after next week. Please continue praying for my success, and I hope you’ll leave comments about this new chapter that I posted. Like, criticisms or whatever you want to point out…^^

Like always, thank you for patiently waiting, reading, subscribing (hello to my new subs!), commenting, and liking this story. You’re the best! ^^