LAVENDER || PARK SUNGHOON ff

CHAPTER 35

In the harsh fluorescent lights of the hospital waiting room, time seemed to stretch into eternity. The air was thick with a tension that weighed on Sunghoon like a physical burden. He paced back and forth, each step heavy with the crushing guilt and fear that gnawed at him. Winter's family huddled together nearby, their faces etched with a worry that mirrored his own.

"Don't worry, she will be alright," Heeseung tried to reassure him, but his words felt hollow in the oppressive silence. Everything that had happened today replayed in Sunghoon's mind like a nightmare he couldn't escape. This wasn't what he had wished for—this was the very thing he had feared the most, seeing someone he loved broken and hurting because of him. His hands, still stained with Winter's blood, clenched so tightly that his knuckles turned white.

Suddenly, the emergency room doors swung open, and a doctor emerged, his expression grave. The room fell silent, a collective breath held in dread. Sunghoon's heart pounded in his chest as he forced himself to approach the doctor, each step feeling like it took a lifetime.

"Is she... is she okay?" Sunghoon's voice trembled, barely holding back the terror that threatened to consume him. His heart hammered as he waited, praying for a miracle.

The doctor sighed deeply before responding, "She's stable for now. The bullet caused significant damage, and we had to perform emergency surgery. She's in recovery, but it's going to be a long, difficult road."

Sunghoon's knees buckled, and he nearly collapsed from the overwhelming relief and the weight of the doctor's words. His heart, which had been clenched in fear, began to beat again, but the rhythm was off, a painful thudding that echoed his despair.

"Thank God," someone whispered, but the words barely registered in Sunghoon's mind. Relief washed over the room, but it was fragile, like a glass teetering on the edge of a table. Sunghoon's face brightened slightly with a mixture of gratitude and the faintest glimmer of hope. "Can we see her?" he asked, desperate to be by her side.

The doctor nodded, a small, tired smile on his face. "Yes, but only for a short time. She needs to rest."

"Thank you, doctor. Thank you for saving my daughter!" Lee Soman's voice cracked as he grasped the doctor's hand, tears of gratitude streaming down his face.

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The hospital room was dimly lit, the only light coming from the soft glow of the medical monitors. The steady beeping of the heart monitor echoed through the room, a constant reminder of the fragility of life. Sunghoon sat by Winter's bedside, staring at her pale, motionless form. She was connected to various machines, tubes and wires snaking across her bed, each one a lifeline keeping her tethered to this world.

Everyone had left after visiting Winter earlier, their exhaustion from the day's events palpable. They had all gone to take care of what was left behind, promising to return in the morning. But Sunghoon had insisted on staying. No one could convince him to leave, not even Heeseung, who had tried repeatedly to get him to rest. Sunghoon's mind was made up—he would not leave Winter's side.

The room was heavy with an uncomfortable stillness, broken only by the rhythmic beeping of the machines. Sunghoon gently held Winter's hand, his fingers intertwining with hers. Her skin was cold, and it sent a shiver of fear down his spine.

"You can't leave me, not like this," he whispered, his voice trembling. He brushed a strand of hair away from her face, revealing her ashen complexion. "Please, wake up."

The silence in the room was deafening. Sunghoon's heart ached with a pain so deep it felt as though it might tear him apart. "We had so many plans, so many dreams... You can't leave me alone in this world. Not now."