𝚆𝚎 𝚁𝚎𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚢 𝚂𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍𝚗'𝚝 𝙵𝚊𝚕𝚕 𝙸𝚗 𝙻𝚘𝚟𝚎 | 𝐇𝐚𝐧 𝐒𝐞𝐨𝐣𝐮𝐧

1

My eyes gently flutter open. I feel the wires attached to my arms and chest. I try to sit up, still sore from what happened (at least I thought) a few hours ago. The beeping from my heart monitor is faint, a slight ringing in my ears is still apparent. I rest my head further back onto my pillow, closing my eyes. "It should have taken me this time." I think to myself.

-

"Oh good, you're up."

I slightly open my eyes, peeking to see who came into my hospital room.

"Not too sure if it's a good thing." I retort. Haeun snickers.

"It's good for me because where else am I going to hear these snappy remarks?" She asks, jokingly.

Haeun walks over to me, setting her clipboard on the small table beside me. I adjust my head to look up at her checking my vitals.

"Maybe you could find another person who's heart is failing." I reply.

Haeun frowns, clearly not liking this snappy remark.

"Don't think like that." She says quietly while picking back up her clipboard and writing stuff down.

"How else am I supposed to think? I don't exactly have the money to pay for a new one, let alone this hospital bill that's becoming very expensive."

"I know things aren't ideal right now, but that shouldn't mean you should lose hope."

"Hope," I say chuckling "There is no hope."

-

"Here you go!" Another nurse, Jisoo, said as she brought in my dinner. "You should eat." She says as she sets down the tray on the rolling table, bringing it over to me. "You were asleep for three and a half days."

"Eh, I've been out for longer."

She smiles sympathetically. I try not to notice so I don't have to return it.

"Eat up." She says, patting me on my shoulder before leaving the room. I roll my eyes and wipe my shoulder, agitated. I pick up my fork a little aggressively and stare at my food.

"I'd rather not." I say, setting my fork down. It was rice and meat... again. Despite me being out for a few days, I am sick of this meal.

I turn my head to look out of the huge window beside me. The sun was setting. I smile softly, closing my eyes, still seeing the colors through my eyelids. I open them again and turn to push the meal away from me. I take off the blanket covering me and stand up, holding onto my IV pole for stability. I shuffle across my room, grabbing the few dollars Haeun leaves for me for snacks.

"Only five dollars this time? It's like she stopped caring." I mumble to myself.

-

"Come on." I mumble to myself. "Stupid machine." I say a bit louder. I put in the bill, once more, and yet again, it spits it back out. I groan and slap the machine. "Why won't you just do what I want!?"

"Maybe because you're yelling at it like a maniac." Someone says, clearly annoyed.

I turn around to see a guy with a black mullet, a bandage on the lower part of the left side of his jaw and a cast on his right arm, sitting at a table while looking out of the window in front of him. I scoff.

"Maniac? As if. I'm simply just at my widths end."

"Yeah," he says, turning his head to look at me "and it's clear you've become crazy." He says, looking me up and down. He turns his attention back to looking out of the window.

I roll my eyes. "Do you think you could do any better?" I ask.

He turns his head back towards me. I sheepishly smile, holding out the bill. He scoffs, rolling his eyes.

"My arm is getting tired." I say, making him more annoyed.

"Yeah, at least you can still use it." He says, emphasizing towards his cast. I bring the bill back towards me and smile.

"Seems like maybe you really can't do any better." I say. His eyes widen. I laugh to myself, turning back to the machine. I put the bill up to the slot, about to push it in, when I feel someone come up behind me. I freeze as someone's hand takes the bill from mine, their fingers gently grazing my hand. They place the bill gently in the slot; it takes it. I scoff in disbelief. I hear someone snicker. I turn around to see the boy standing fairly close to me. He looks down at me, smirking.

"I can always do better." He says with a cocky tone, getting closer to my face after each word. I am, at this point, pressed up against the vending machine. His eyes shift back to it, us no longer making eye contact. He harshly presses a button, enabling the sound of the machine disposing a drink.

"Can you move?" He says with an annoyed attitude. I look at him confused. He chortles, pushing me aside lightly with his non-injured arm.

"Hey!"

He reaches down into the machine, retrieving a drink. My eyes widen. He turns to me with a smirk and pleased look on his face.

"Thanks for the drink." He says with a tone that I already hate. He motions the drink in a 'cheers' manner. My mouth falls agape. He sneers, turning around, leaving with my drink. I close my mouth, frustrated. I glare at him as he walks away.

"I hope you break your other arm, too."