BETTERSWEET

Ch.19

You have never been to this part of the hospital before, so high up in the ward room levels in the main hospital building. You are never really needed to because more often than not, as an emergency trauma surgeon, once you have received and prepped your trauma patients, their cases will be transferred over to general surgery or other specialists for further treatment.

So why did Dayoung ask you to meet her up here?

Her voice sounded urgent, too, but then again, her tone with you have always been rugged, and that is fine, you realize, now that you know who she really is. The welcoming chime of the elevator bell that rings once you've arrived at the designated suite ward rooms wakes you up in an instant from your thoughts.

The door slides away to reveal a massive hallway, the ceiling tall, and the carpet laid down the spotless tiles is soft to touch, making the whole floor stark different when compared to the regular wards a few floors down. You walk through the warmly lit hallway, passing the luxurious concierge (you never knew there is a different concierge service to cater to the VIP patients and their families) and then through the open lounge, heading to the biggest room in the whole hospital - the presidential suite.

There are guards outside of the suite, but when they spot you walking over, they immediately give way, opening the door to the suite for you with practiced ease.

You trot in, feeling a little anxious already.

Dayoung gives you a gentle smile when she notices your entrance, one that you have never quite seen her wear. She always had a teasing, quirky grin etched on her lips, but this time... this time it is different.

The two of you do not share a single word as your eyes drift away to the occupied bed in the ward room that is built similarly to a seven star hotel suite - genuine leather couches litter the separate living room partition, completed by a low, handcrafted mahogany table, the sofa set facing what you think is a small sized theatre screen in a separate section from the patient's bed itself, the room washed in a mellow lighting from the chandelier situated in the middle of the suite, shading Dayoung's face a little that you can't quite read what she is feeling as she leans back on the plush seat when you make your way to the electric medical bed.

Lee Yeoreum

That is the name printed on the patient's bed label.

You monitor the numbers flashing on the life support ventilator, blinking unsteadily as you take it all in.

"I, too, was a fool in love once."

At Dayoung's softly spoken words, you turn your attention away from the bed and the machines and the precious life slowly seeping away, focusing on the now provenly scarred young lady.

"I'm sure you can make some educated guesses on what happened," Dayoung chuckles a little before heaving a bated breath, sounding exhausted, another first for you to witness. "I wasn't as lucky as Juyeon, or you, for that matter, when my enemies took the love of my life away. She was barely hanging on when we got to her... and then she never wakes up."

Your fingers trace the white bedsheet, thinking, fearing. "How long?"

"She has been in a coma for a little over a year now."

"I'm sorry."

"Me too," Dayoung whispers this, but because it is so quiet in the room, you could hear her loud and clear. "I'm really sorry, doc."

Dayoung means so much with so little spoken. She thinks it is her own fault that Juyeon is unable to love you fully, and you vice versa, because your lover is bound to her duty as a protector more than she could offer you as a lover. In the midst of all this, you try to be brave for Dayoung and Juyeon, but it is far too easy to find yourself getting scared instead. "Don't be."