Sun-kissed

Chapter 29

"Hyung?" Seungri called out, watching Youngbae frantically scramble down the rocky path. He was still in his sweats and t-shirt, but he didn't have on his coat ...or shoes. Seungri became alarmed. He looked towards the river and searched for Amina but all he could see was empty frozen ice.

Seungri noticed the direction of Youngbae's path and stood up, pulling Gaho and Jolie with him. He started running towards Youngbae. "Hyung!"

Youngbae dove in after her, the icy water hitting his body like a brick wall, taking his breath away. He desperately reached out his hands to his sides, searching for anything. He came up and took in more air, diving back down, deeper this time. He kicked to his right and felt the edge of her coat. He felt time stop as he grabbed a fistful of the material and yanked it towards him.

He felt her fingers grab hold of him, its strength pulling him down slightly. Youngbae wrapped his arms around her body and kicked up hard towards the surface. He broke the water first, pulling her against his chest. "Rope!" he yelled. "Give me a rope!" He looked down into her face, her skin pale and blue. He clenched his teeth in agony, feeling helpless.

Amina choked on her first breath of air, gasping and coughing hard as water sputtered from her mouth. She fought and struggled against him, her body still in shock.

"Baby! Baby! Look at me!" Youngbae urged, cupping her face still. He searched her face, noticing her dilated eyes.

"Bae?" she whispered, her eyes filling with tears.

Seungri's hands were shaking badly as he took the leash off Gaho's collar and threw it into the water. Youngbae grabbed the rope and held on as Seungri pulled them towards the edge. "Take her!" he ordered, pushing Amina onto the frozen ice with his shoulder. Seungri grabbed her under the armpit and pulled her out of the water, dragging her away from the river.

Youngbae pulled himself out of the water and followed them. He dropped down on his knees and pulled her into his arms, rocking her against his chest. He felt her shudder in his embrace. "I need to get you inside," his voice shook. He looked over at Seungri who was watching them. He became enraged, his voice trembling in anger. "Grab the dogs!" he sneered, "Unless you want someone else's life in your hands."

Seungri fell out of his trance, suddenly realizing where he was at. "N-neh..." He watched as Youngbae hoisted Amina into his arms and carried her back towards the pension.

Youngbae pushed the door to his room open and carried her to the bed. He sat her against the headboard, pulling her knees towards her chest. "Sit here," he said, wrapping the blankets around her. Amina's eyes were still cloudy with confusion, panicking him. He moved the wet strands of hair that covered her face. "I'll be back," he promised.

Moving quickly, he went into the bathroom and turned the tub faucet on full blast, adjusting the temperature of the warm water. He grabbed clean towels off the rack and brought it back to her. Youngbae started drying her hair, ringing the wetness from the long limp strands. He sat back and started untying her shoes, gently removing them off her frozen feet. He peeled back her socks and cursed. Her feet were frozen blue.

Youngbae looked into her face and saw her lips tremble. Her body was starting to shake slightly from the aftermath. He took that as a good sign. "Baby, I need to get these wet clothes off you. Okay?" He saw her nod slightly, calming him. Youngbae reached up and took the rest of her jacket off and slowly peeled off her thin sweater, keeping her lacy peach bra on. Her skin felt clammy against his hands.

He unbuttoned the fly of her jeans and gently nudged her to lie down on the bed so he could pull them off of her. He worked the jeans down her limbs, taking extra care to not disturb her frozen skin. He looked over at the large tub and could see that it was almost filled to the top. "C'mon," he urged, standing Amina up. Tucking the blankets around her, Youngbae walked them towards the bathroom. They reached the door when Seungri came in.