"Out of my way! MOVE!" Haein yelled, pushing through the crowded hospital hallway. The sea of people only heightened his anxiety. Jinu struggled to keep pace with his boss as they navigated through the hospital. Upon reaching the emergency section, Haein scanned the area frantically, searching for any sign of Jisoo.
"Where is she?" Haein asked in frustration before making his way to the reception counter.
"Excuse me, please... I'm looking for a woman who has been brought to this hospital recently," Haein pleaded, his face twisted with anguish. The man behind the counter focused on Haein and stepped closer to the computer.
"What's her name?" The receptionist inquired.
"Kim Jisoo!" Haein responded without hesitation. The medical receptionist furrowed his brow as he looked at the information displayed on his monitor.
"Sir, I'm sorry... but she has been taken to the operating room. She must be undergoing surgical procedures at this moment," the man informed Haein. Haein felt his heart plummet, the weight of the news dragging him down. His complexion drained of color, leaving him ashen. Jinu, seeing Haein's distress, swiftly reached out and steadied him before he could collapse.
"Sir, please!" Jinu pleaded with a distressed look as he held onto him tightly. The man behind the counter quickly summoned assistance when he noticed Haein losing his composure. Haein was visibly in shock from the news he had just received. A sense of disbelief washed over him, causing him to feel disconnected and numb. He went through the motions mechanically, almost as if he wasn't truly present at all.
Haein was swiftly transported to the emergency room. Lying in the hospital bed, he watched wearily as the doctor administered a saline solution through an IV drip. Jinu stood by his side, observing as the doctor prepared the saline solution for his boss.
"Please try to relax. We will notify you when the person you came for is out of the operating room," the doctor reassured Haein before exiting the room. Jinu let out a heavy sigh as he gazed at his devastated boss lying on the hospital bed.
"Am I going to lose her again this time, Jinu?" Haein's sudden question caught Jinu off guard. He met his teary gaze as he moved closer to the bed, his heart aching for his pain.
"No, don't say that, sir! You won't lose her today, I promise," Jinu replied with unwavering assurance, trying to offer him some comfort. Haein let out a choked sob, his shoulders trembling as he wept, hiding his face in his hands.
"I've been through this before! When she had that terrible car accident years ago," Haein recounted, his voice heavy with emotion. "I remember the moment I found out, I was in my room and it was all over the news. I was so shocked and scared at the idea of losing her. The first thing I did was rush to the hospital they mentioned in the news where she had been transferred."
"I took my father's car without permission and drove like a madman. I don't know how I made it through that awful weather that night... but I did, Jinu!" Haein recounted.
"I got to the hospital," Haein continued, tears streaming down his face. A small gasp escaped his lips as he looked up at the ceiling. "The odds have always been against our love. Her father, my mother, our family's names, our positions, and our futures were always going to be a part of it."
"I still remember how her father belittled and attacked me in the most cruel way when he saw me at the hospital searching for his daughter," Haein recalled, his voice heavy with the weight of the memory. "And to add to the pain, I saw my own parents in the same room. They were aware of what had happened to Jisoo and her mother but chose not to share the information with me."
"They stood by and allowed me to be mistreated by her father," Haein expressed, his eyes reflecting the pain he felt. His tears left a damp trail on his skin as he brushed them away with the palm of his hand. Jinu remained attentive, hanging on every word his boss shared.
"I couldn't even see her. I couldn't reach out to her, to let her know I was there, to feel my presence," Haein lamented. "I waited for any chance, even a small opportunity, to see her once more. But her stubborn father wouldn't give me a chance. I spent three long months waiting just for a glimpse of her! Updates on her condition in the coma were only shared with me through my parents," Haein revealed, his voice heavy with emotion.
"After waiting for those agonizing months, I finally found a way to sneak past the guards by her door. My heart shattered when I laid eyes on her frail, deteriorated body. She had multiple fractures, her once-luscious hair completely shaved off. It... it... it was the most devastating day of my life! It felt like a horrific nightmare to witness how her beautiful essence and spirit had been completely diminished by her condition," Haein recounted, his voice trembling with emotion.
"I wanted to vanish from that dreadful moment in my life. I wished I could just disappear," Haein whispered, his voice filled with profound sorrow. His body trembled, tears streaming down his face like a river. Jinu reached out and tightly grasped Haein's arm, offering him silent support in his moment of anguish.
"Please... you're only hurting yourself more. Please stop," Jinu pleaded, hoping to spare Haein from reliving those painful memories. Haein shook his head, tears still flowing from his swollen, red eyes.
"No... I need you to hear me out. I need someone to listen to me. That day, I lost everything. That day changed me forever. Jinu, on that day, she felt my presence, and her beautiful, radiant eyes opened," Haein shared, his voice filled with a mix of sorrow and hope.
"That day was meant to be unforgettable, a day where I would have been the happiest man alive, as I succeeded in making her open her eyes. But... now I curse that day every night in my sleep. I can still see her eyes widen at the sight of me, not in joy or surprise, but in fear and terror," Haein confessed, the weight of those memories heavy in his voice.
"She couldn't even remember me, Jinu! My angel couldn't recall me at all! Every memory of me was erased in an instant," Haein wept, his heart-wrenching sobs echoing in the room. Tears streamed down his face like a relentless downpour. Jinu hung his head, comprehending the depth of Haein's pain. He now understood the trauma of knowing that Jisoo was once again in a car accident.
"Sir... Please try to calm down," Jinu urged, taking a seat on the edge of the bed. His gaze remained fixed on Haein's anguished expression.
"I'm terrified, Jinu! Terrified of losing her once more, whether by death or memory loss! I can't bear the thought of her forgetting me again! I can't... I can't endure losing her again!" Haein struggled to speak, his voice strained with the weight of his emotions. Jinu, overwhelmed by Haein's pain, pulled him into a tight embrace. He held him close, feeling Haein's trembling body within his arms.
"I won't be able to endure this time, Jinu. I won't!!!" Haein cried out, clutching his friend tightly in a comforting hug.
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