Meteor

Twenty Two

"Eun Chae!" He yelled and rushed over to her place, lifting her head up. Putting his finger in front of her nose, he discovered that she was barely breathing, and her breaths were extremely weak. "Someone call the ambulance please!" He shouted out in vain for help. Yu Jin had been trained in first aid skills when he worked at Yulje, but seeing Eun Chae in such a condition, his mind went totally empty, rendering him unable to act. The first-aiders arrived in an instant and she was immediately transported to the hospital, with Yu Jin accompanying her. The ambulance was racing to the hospital, yet her situation continued deteriorating. She stopped breathing on the way and was already in a critical stage upon arrival. Her life was at risk, and Yu Jin knew that only a miracle could save her now. Standing outside the ER, all Yu Jin could was nothing but praying for that miracle to happen as some tears began welling up in his eyes.

Upon Eun Chae's arrival at the hospital, two of her best friends, Hae Rin and Han Bin, were also called. They were all worried and shocked, not believing that their friend's life might end because of a car accident.

"Eun Chae's gonna be alright, right?" Hae Rin struggled to hold her tears and asked Han Bin.

"She'll be fine, don't worry," Han Bin assured by hugging Hae Rin in his arms despite him being overwhelmed too.

Meanwhile, Yu Jin was mindlessly leaning on the wall at the side of the door. His blank and haggard face remained fixed on the ground as he attempted to decipher what was happening. Thinking about the accident, he began to cry uncontrollably and his eyes were becoming blurred because of the tears. It was all his fault, if he had not asked her out for dinner, she would have been in such a life-threatening situation.

As the deafening silence went on, a doctor emerged out from the ER, with disappointment etched on his face.

"Are you all patient Hong Eun Chae's companions?"

"Yes, doctor," Hae Rin quickly ran over and anxiously asked, "My friend's OK now, right? Please say that she's alright. I'm begging you."

"She's gonna be fine, right?" Yu Jin queried with a quivering voice.

"We're sorry but," the doctor sighed and lowered his head. "We've tried our best but...we were...unable to save her. Her condition was too critical and she had lost too much blood even before arriving here. We apologise," he gave them an apologetic nod and retreated to the ER.

"What? This is not true," Hae Rin chased after the doctor and grabbed his wrist, "Doctor, please save my friend. There must be some way, she's still young, she has her future ahead, please don't let her die like that."

"Hey Hae Rin, calm down," Han Bin tried to restrain her and stay composed, but tears were also trickling down his face.

"How am I supposed to stay calm right now," Hae Rin's voice cracked as she screamed out loud and flung Han Bin's arm off.

"We're very sorry, we know this is hard to accept but...please be prepared to come in and...see her for the last time."

Meanwhile, Yu Jin was so appalled that he could not say a word. He bit his lips, collapsing in horror and letting his tears drop onto the group.

Entering the ER, he could see the doctor pushing toward him a stretcher, on which lied a body covered under a white mattress. Raising up the sheet, he could see the girl he loved resting with her eyes closed as if she was only enjoying a deep slumber.