Chapter 14

A whole week had gone by without Ha Neul setting a foot in his room, and Hyun Joong was getting a bit restless. He knew he was the one who told her to go, but he didn't think she'd be so obedient. Oh well, remember why you wanted her to leave in the first place, he told himself.

With his left arm in a sling, Hyun Joong was struggling into his jacket when a nurse stepped through the door. "You're leaving?" she asked, a disappointed look on her face.

"Obviously," he snapped, his mood was not to be tested right now.

"Here, let me help you with that." The nurse set down her clipboard and took the jacket, lifting it up for him to slip his good arm through. The assassin noticed a flush of color in her cheeks when his hand brushed against hers. "Do you really have to go? You could stay longer, you know... You're still sick." Although his clothing was perfectly fine, the nurse found wrinkles to smooth, edges to adjust.

Hyun Joong stopped her flustering hands with his own and looked straight into her eyes to get the point across. "I'm leaving," he said harshly to the nurse who had been annoyingly persistent in the past week.

"But..." her voice trailed off as she gazed into his eyes, completely missing the point. She suddenly leaped into him, wrapping her arms around him.

Hyun Joong was caught off guard and stood there blankly. It was minutes before he realized there was a pair of eyes staring in at him from the open doorway. He turned to see a girl looking in wistfully. Her bag had fallen off her shoulder but she made no attempt to pick it up. "Ha Neul..."

Her eyes turned from shock to surprise. Realizing she'd been caught, she grabbed her bag from the floor and ran off. "Ha-" He had peeled himself away from the clinging nurse and was already halfway through the door when he skidded to a stop. As much as he wanted to go after her, he knew he couldn't, he wouldn't.

After running through the halls and getting yelled at by the hospital staff, I slowed to a stop outside of the ICU. This has been where I've been spending all my time these days; I didn't have anywhere else to go. Selfishly, I wished Jung Min would get well soon so I wouldn't have to bother Kyu Jong to keep me company.

I plopped down on the chairs that lined the wall and tried to stay positive. I wasn't sure what I'd seen, but the rising envy within me advised me not to go there again. That girl in his arms... why wasn't it me? And of all the days I could've chose to go see him, why did I have to pick today? Frustrated, I tossed my bag down on the floor and threw my head back against the wall.

I think I might hate Hyun Joong. All the muscles in my body tensed at the thought of his name and I was disgusted. I wanted to scream at him, accuse him, hurt him. If he had another girl, he could've told me. Did he think I was so pitiful I wouldn't be able to handle it? Why did he have to make it difficult for me? Time and again I stood outside his door and resisted the urge to go in, and now it all amounts to this? What a waste.

"Ahem..."Kyu Jong stood looking down at me, my bag in his hand. "Do you always throw your stuff around like this?" I sighed and reached for the strap of the bag. I still didn't quite understand why Kyu Jong was staying with me, but at the moment, nothing could pull my mind off of the hate I had for Kim Hyun Joong. "Did you go see him?" Kyu Jong asked, lowering himself into the chair next to me.

"No," I said glumly. "And I never will again."

"What's wrong?" he asked, turning to face me directly. "Why do you sound so..."

"Because I hate him!" I blurted. "Who was that girl anyways?"

Kyu Jong's lips slid up into an amused smile. "Ah... so that's what it is." He began to chuckle, making my emotions flare.

"What are you laughing at?" I demanded angrily.

"You!" his chuckle had turned into an obnoxious laugh. "You're jealous and you don't even know it."

Jealous? Could that possibly why I'm so hateful towards Hyun Joong? I wouldn't know, I've never been jealous before.

His laughter dying down, Kyu Jong looked at me in all seriousness. "He just wants to protect you."

I scoffed. "From what?" Could he have come up with a lamer excuse?

Kyu Jong sighed. "When Jung Min wakes up, you'll be safe."

"But Jung Min's sick..." I began. "How can he keep me safe from anything?"

"Because he's not a target anymore, and you're the reason why."

The pieces of the puzzle clicked in my head. Of course. Hyun Joong was hired to kill Jung Min and I was the only reason he was still breathing. Because of me, Hyun Joong had decided not to finish the job because he knew it would ruin my happiness. Ironically, he's out there taking my happiness with him.

But like every girl, the thing that kept tugging on my mind was the last thing that mattered. "So... that girl..."

The smile came back to Kyu Jong's face. "Would it make you feel better if I told you she was hitting on me too?" I gave him a quizzical look. "If you would've been more observant, you'd see that this nurse flirts with every good-looking guy in this hospital."

A giggle started in my throat, and I was thankful that Kyu Jong was here. Although he was the reason why I'm sitting in this hospital right now, I was sure he'd returned any favors he owed me. I didn't want to think of the past because right now, I have a best friend who could make me laugh in the roughest of times.

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- SINCERELYBuju -