Euphoria

"Double Awakening"

Sung Jin-Woo

"Jin-Woo! Please...Don't leave me! You can't die here, I won't let you!"

All I could hear was her cries, echoing in the back of my mind. They became louder and louder, until everything came to a halt at one point. It was all silent, so deafeningly silent.

Am I...Dead? Is this what death feels like...?

I tried pushing out the thoughts, and then remembered everything. Jin-Ah, Rin-Cha, Ju-Hee and mom. I couldn't die here now. I needed to wake up, and live. I needed to protect them, I needed to become stronger to ensure all their safety. I tried waking myself up, tirelessly jolting my body until I felt something, anything. I was so close to giving up hope, until I felt warmth through my fingers and palm. Someone was there. Someone was waiting for me to wake up. I couldn't die here, not today.

I jolted upward with wide eyes, panting hard. I clutched my shirt tightly with my right hand, trying to calm down as much as I could.

A dream...? Was it a dream?

I looked around the room, noticing I was in different clothing than before. It was also quite warm, and an IV was standing beside the bed I was in.

A hospital?

I took a deep breath and turned to look over to my left hand, to see Rin-Cha in a peaceful state. She was sleeping on her left arm as her right clutched onto mine. I smiled as I gave her some tension in a squeeze of her palm, and she began to stir gently. I've always had something of a crush on her, even if she just considered us friends. Her entire presence made me feel at ease, and every time she smiled I swear I could feel my heart flutter. There was this one moment in my childhood I remember so vividly, even though it was only when I was four. I made myself the promise to one day make Rin-Cha my wife, and I wouldn't give that up. If I had died today, I wouldn't have been able to protect her any longer, and she'd call another man her "love."

I couldn't watch that happen. She was the only thing besides my sister that made sense in this burning world, and I want to make sure I can protect her for the rest of my life.

I smiled as I gave her hand another affectionate squeeze, and she sleepily picked her head up. Her chocolate locks moved with the head, and her bangs shifted perfectly to cover her forehead. She had such rosy cheeks, and the most beautiful ocean eyes I had ever seen. Puberty had really done her well. I can't say the same for me, though.

I watched her lock her captivating eyes with mine, and her face practically turned into gold. She threw her small figure at me, embracing me tightly. I gave her the same force back, and I could feel her tears through my shirt. She wasn't going to let go of me anytime soon, so I stayed in this hug with her for as long as I could. She smelled like the lavender shampoo I had bought with her a week ago, and it was mixed with a hint of cinnamon. I thought it may be a new perfume, or maybe she had just eaten something sweet before coming to visit me.

"I thought I'd lost you...Don't scare me like that," she cried, digging her face into my shoulder. I patted her head and she slowly peeled off me, her face stained with red. I put my hand on her cheek, and she put hers on top of it, closing her eyes and sighing shakily.

"I'm not dead yet, Rin-Cha. I won't die that easily," I joked, and she chuckled as another tear rolled down her clear face. She dropped her hand from mine and sat back in her chair, rubbing away the remaining droplets with her shirt sleeve. I looked over to the door to see two men there, both in business suits. Rin-Cha followed them with her eyes, and they stopped by my bedside.

"Are you finally awake now?" One of them asked, pulling out a card from his suit pocket.

"Who are you?" Rin-Cha continued eyeing them as I spoke, trying to figure out who they were.