In Another Life

Hospital and Hallucinations

The first glimpse that Heeseung got of Mingyue was her motionless body held in the arms of a stranger.

Sirens.

Flashing lights.

Ambulance and cop cars.

That's how Heeseung will remember that day. He will look back and recall how his heart stopped seeing her in such a weak state.

Jingjing was dragged out of the house, screeching and clawing trying desperately to free herself. Perhaps this time she would be gone for good.

"Let's meet her at the hospital." Haneul said, tapping Heeseung on the shoulder.

The four of them, including Jiah Kang made their way to the hospital. Mingyue was barely conscious, she kept going back and forth, never staying awake for too long.

She lost a lot of blood and it turned out that what Jingjing had been feeding her was laced with some substance. It was sent out for the police to find out what exactly it was.

"Mommy?"

Mingyue thought that it was a strange memory, perhaps one of her childhood. After all, she didn't remember very much of it.

The little angelic girl had waddled up to Mingyue, she opened her eyes in realization. Mingyue studied all the features of her little girl

"Mommy? Can you hear me?"

"Yes sweetie, what is it?" Mingyue had knelt down to be at eye level with her little angel that would forever be stuck at the age of three.

"Can you go back to Daddy? We've been waiting for so long."

"Baiye, right?"

The angelic girl smiled, "You remember me!"

"I don't think I could ever forget you, now tell me, what should I do now?"

"You need to wake up then talk to Daddy. He said that once he found you he would know, but I'm starting to think that's he's already forgotten me." She pouted.

"No, no, Daddy hasn't forgotten you. I promise my Beiye. Don't worry, sweetheart, Mommy will make everything right." Mingyue said. She held her angelic daughter in her arms.

"Mommy, the longer you stay here, the less likely you are to wake up."

"Please let me hold you, just for a minute longer."

"I can't let you do that because then you would permanently join me." Baiye started crying, "As lonely as it is here, I still have grandpa. He let's me eat candy and we go on roller-costars everyday. Plus you would be leaving Daddy."

"One more minute, my little angel?"

Tears glistened down both of their faces, Baiye shook her head, "I'm sorry Mommy, but you aren't leaving." She paused for a second, giving Mingyue a kiss on her cheek, "I love you."

Her eyes fluttered open, right by her bedside was Heeseung. Although he was sleeping, he still held her hand. He held on like he was going to lose her.

"Heeseung?"

"Mingyue?" He said in a groggy voice. "Let me go get a doctor, I'll be right back."

She didn't want him to leave, she wanted him to come back and hold her hand... she wanted what she's seen in the dreams.

"I'm glad to see you're awake, Li Mingyue. It's a miracle you woke up." A man by the name of Doctor Hwang walked in the room.

"Why is that?" She asked, her eyes rolled him as he walked towards her.

"Li Mingyue, you've been in a coma for nearly two years."

"Two years?!"

"Stay calm, I need to get your vitals."

"I don't understand–"

"Li Mingyue, your mother had you under sever drugs for years– over a decade is the estimated time. All of your classmates said that you had been talking to yourself for years. These are the long term affects of that kind of drug. I think that we should transfer you to a mental hospital and we can get you more help there."

"What? But what about the boy that went to find you? Lee Heeseung?"

"There was no boy. Your monitor went off and alerted us. This is what I'm talking about when I say that there are damaging effects."

He never came back...

Mingyue started crying, had everything just been one big hallucination? Was Heeseung real? Was Baiye or Eunwoo real? Was Haneul and Kangdae real? Was Enhypen real?

"This can't be right. Have I had any visitors?"

"No, not since you came here."

"How did I get here?"

"It says on your chart that someone found you passed out with many glass cuts." Doctor Hwang informed.

The doctor let Mingyue be for the night, he didn't bother her any longer while she let reality set in. Tears set in her eyes, eventually streaming down her face.

Out of her window she could see the bright moon taunting her relentlessly. The cloudless sky allowed the stars to shine with the moon, they all glittered with their freedom.

She wished that she could've hallucinated forever if that meant being with Heeseung, or Haneul and Sunoo and the rest of them. It didn't matter if it wasn't physically real... because it would be real to her.

The more she thought about it the faster her heartbeat got. It had risen so hight that the nurse had to check on her.

"Gosh, you gave me a scare there." The nurse had run into the room to see that Mingyue was alright.

"I'm sorry." The girls voice broke.

"Is everything alright?"

"No. Not at all." Mingyue started crying silently, her heart ached knowing that everything she's loved had been a hallucination– part of a fake world that only existed in her head.

The nurse came up to Mingyue and offered her arms out for comfort. Mingyue responded with a hug, she really need someone real at least.

"If you want to talk, I'm always here. I know that I might not be the most familiar person, but–"

"Thank you." Mingyue whispered. Her cries got softer the longer she hugged the nurse. "I woke up and I found out that everything I knew was a hallucination. I guess that I'm sad that I lost everything."