Orange Crush

Chapter 41

"You're not okay."

The S.W.A.T team finally arrived, but it was too late. The ambulance blared, but Yuri couldn't hear anything. She didn't care that she was soaked in rainwater and a mix of her's and Aari's blood. She didn't care that she looked like a ghost of her former self.

As they loaded Aari's dead body onto the coroner vehicle, Ddaeng sat on the back of the ambulance while a paramedic nursed his wounds. Yuri had already been tended to, she rubbed her stab wound. A white gauze, stained with her blood, her sweatshirt (which she refused to change), stained with Aari's blood and dirt. Her hands covered in dirt and blood.

Ju-Sheng walked towards Yuri, as he wrung his hands nervously. He didn't know what to say to her.

"I'm sorry for your loss." He started. Yuri raised her hand to stop him.

"This is my fault, isn't it?" Yuri said, half laughing, half on the verge of a mental breakdown.

"Yuri, just don't say tha-" Yuri cut him off.

"J-Just shut up." Yuri said to him.

"I'm tired of people saying it's not my fault when it really is. You all say it isn't my fault. At least my mom was straight out with it." Yuri limped away.

Ju-Sheng was speechless.

She couldn't have actually meant that.. or did she?

She limped towards Ddaeng, as he prodded at the bandage over his eye.

"They said they'd give me a cornea transplant from Aari. They need your consent. But I know you'd say n-"

"Yes. Y-you might as well. He's already dead, but I know he'd want to help someone else." Yuri interrupted.

"Where do I sign?" She said, picking up a pen from the ambulance. Ddaeng looked at Yuri in remorse. Ever since he was 13, he had trained himself to put up barriers in mind, in front of his emotions, but he didn't know he was barring up his better judgement. He showed no empathy towards anyone, until now. The way Yuri made him feel was extraordinary. Yuri's personality glowed and warmed his soul, all he could hope right now, is for Yuri to be safe. He could see Yuri was struggling to keep her sanity in check, how she tried so hard not to channel her emotions in front of her friends, how she tried so damn hard to be the bigger person. He saw that she was overwhelmed. She needed a break.

The day after was..

Bleak.

Ordinary.

Really shitty.

Internal hell.

Not good.

Goodbye to my sanity.

In the hospital, yet again she laid. She tried keeping herself busy with her phone, as she tried holding back her tears. She didn't know who she was trying to please, she was all alone in the room.

Finally, she let down her emotional barrier.

She cried, and she sobbed. She didn't care, she was just glad to relieve her pent up energy, she felt as if her sadness would consume her whole. If she hadn't released her feelings, she knew really bad things would happen in her mind.

"It's not as easy as you thought, huh?" Ddaeng called out from the door.

"What do you mean?" Yuri said, attempting to collect herself again. He walked to Yuri's bed.

"Hiding." He whispered in her ear.

"I'm not hiding." Yuri said defiantly.

"You really think I didn't just see your 'episode'?" Ddaeng pressed.

"Ddaeng, please don't-"

"Yuri, you're the strongest person I know. You don't need barriers. You've been strong for way too long. I love you, but you don't love me back. I don't care. At least I got to know you." He finished, feeling his bandage on his torso.

"By the way, my cornea transplant is later tonight. Just wanted to let you know."

"I love you, Yuri." Ddaeng said, as he exited the room.

"Fuck!" Yuri shouted, after she was sure Ddaeng left the room.