Once More, Love 3

10. Band Aid

Nayeon lets out a deep sigh as she stares at Jeongyeon in his hospital bed. There is a drip attached to his right hand and his head has a white band running around the forehead.

The time on the clock says seven o'clock and the room is a bit dimmed with the bedside lamp only on.

The cafe owner is sitting on a chair pulled right next to the chef's bed. Both her hands are holding the man's left hand that is relaxed on his side.

"It's been two hours already. You should've woken up by now. They said fainting from loss of blood shouldn't take this long. Why are you still not awake?" Her eyes get a little watery as she massages Jeongyeon's left hand. "Do you want me to do anything for you? I will do anything for you just so you could wake up sooner. Every second you're here and unconscious makes breathing kind of hard for me, you know."

Nayeon prolongs an exhale and stares at the man's face. "What happened in that storage room? What thoughts ran through your mind? What demons did you have to fight there alone?" She pauses to sniff and glance at the ceiling in the attempt to not let her tears fall. "Jeongyeon-ah. You're the only person that I love. If you just let me, I swear I will show you how much I care for you. How much I love you. Only you. So, please—"

The cafe owner bites her lower lip as she wasn't able to hold back her tears anymore. She inhales a generous amount of air and uses her right hand to wipe her eyes while her left hand is not letting go of Jeongyeon's hand.

There was a moment of silence in the room with nothing but the ticking of the wall clock and Nayeon's occasional faint sobbing. Despite the water works, it looked like she was still trying to put on a strong facade. She kept her cries low by constantly biting her lower lip. Every single time her shoulders start to shake, she balls both of her hands as if trying to channel her about to burst emotions into tired smiles.

It took a while but Nayeon calmed down on her own.

"Baby." She pouts and this time continues in a childish tone. "Don't tell me you don't want to see me anymore? You always say I'm pretty. Don't you want to see my pretty face? You love pretty girls, right?"

She sighs and lays her head low against the sheets. "Ugh. Jeongyeoniiieee. Open your eyes now so that you can see me. Jebal. Open your eyes."

She flutters her eyes and mumbles under her breath. "I swear I'm going to kill you again if I open my eyes tomorrow and one of the doctors says you will no longer wake up because of what happened today. You cannot not wake up, Jeongyeon. I will not accept it."

*********

"Ugh." Chaeyoung clicks his tongue while tying the laces of his sneakers. "Jinjja."

Mina is right behind him on the doorstep to their house. Her hair is wrapped in a towel and she is already in her pajamas. "What are you fussing over? Your friend is literally on a hospital bed right now. You have to get over to him."

"But this emergency is not for Jeongyeon Hyung!"

"Huh?"

"It's a Tzuyu emergency. Not a Hyung emergency." The painter whines as he stands up and faces the girl. "That princess type vet called me. She is the one who needs me. That means Hyung's just fine."

"But, still." The dance instructor scoffs. "Tzuyu needs you. She might be in shock or something about Oppa. You should support her."

"I know my friend, Yeobo." Chaeyoung steps closer to pull Mina in an embrace. "A Tzuyu emergency is not a life and death situation. I know her. This is not the first time she called me out for help in a stressful situation."