Moving On With You, Jinjoo

43: Guilt

As the first light of dawn filtered through the curtains, Minju jolted awake, her heart pounding in her chest. Beads of sweat glistened on her forehead as she struggled to shake off the remnants of a restless sleep.

The scene from the previous night haunted her, replaying over and over in her mind like a cruel mantra. She couldn't shake the memory of Taesung lying motionless on the operating table, his life slipping away despite her best efforts to save him.

She couldn't help but feel overwhelmed by his final request. Take care of her. The reason for Taesung's attempt on his own life remained a mystery, a puzzle that Minju couldn't unravel no matter how hard she tried. But she knew that she couldn't ignore his final plea.

Eunseo watched the brunette breathe deeply, trying to comprehend the morning in a fazed state. Sighing silently, she said, "I bought you some food." She gestured at her study table. "I heard what happened and figured you might not have the capacity to get food on your own. You still need to eat."

As she slipped on her white coat, she said, "I'll be back with lunch. So, just rest. Call me if you need anything." She flattened her lips into a gentle smile.

Minju nodded. "Thank you," was all she could articulate.

Eunseo returned a nod and headed out of the room, leaving the girl alone.

The first thing Minju does is look for her phone, wanting to find the person who brings her peace amid a mental crisis.

However, there was nothing. Nothing from Yujin, no messages, just nothing. Not even the usual Good Morning text which the brunette felt was a little off.

Thinking the girl was busy with her presentation, she decided to freshen up a little bit to keep her mind off things.

However, as minutes and hours went by, there was still no reply from the girl. Minju called but to no avail. So she kept waiting, letting the girl focus on her presentation, not knowing how it usually goes for Yujin.

Minju wanted to tell the girl what had happened the previous night. She wanted to tell her everything about it in hopes Yujin could lighten the weight on both her shoulders and chest.

—

As evening came, Eunseo stepped out of the shower after her shift, seeing Minju all curled up into a ball on the bed, for once, aimlessly scrolling TikTok.

She never watches them. Said it was boring and a waste of time. Which in turn, is the best way to kill time.

"Are you okay with the night shift?" Eunseo was slightly worried. "I can cover for you, I'm not that tired." She ruffled the towel against her head.

Minju rose from the bed, shifted the blanket aside and got ready quietly. Eunseo watched her walk past her, towards the bathroom as a cold gust of air flew past.

Feeling the heavy atmosphere, the older girl could tell that something was wrong. But she concluded last night was indeed something difficult to get through alone.

So, she decided to tag along with Minju on her night shift in case anything happened because the girl barely ate her dinner. Maybe a spoonful of rice or two.

Walking through the connecting bridge, her hands in her coat pockets, Minju asked, "Why are you following me?"

"I'm not following you. Just," Eunseo let out a pleased sigh. "Trying to do a little more before this internship ends." She smiled with her teeth and earned a scoff.

"Not because you think something might happen to me?"

"You didn't have to state the obvious," the older girl said. "I'm your roommate. So, technically I have the responsibility to make sure you're back in the room in one piece."