27 | CHAPTER TWENTY SEVEN — A WORLD GONE COLD ❝not here, not today ❞
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IT FELT AS IF Yu-ri's entire body went cold. There was not a single ounce of joy or warmth within her as everything good was replaced with a feeling so dark and empty. The overwhelming sensation of dread that she experienced when Gyeong-su's nose started to bleed in the recording room, crept up inside her stomach and towards her throat as she let out a choked sob.
"Yu-ri." Su-hyeok moved to step towards her but she shook her head instantly, making him halt.
Su-hyeok and Cheong-san shared a shaky glance with each other as they communicated simply through their expressions. Cheong-san nodded and moved to Yu-ri, placing his hand gently on her shoulder.
"Yu-ri," His voice was quiet like he was afraid if he spoke too loud, it would make the situation all too real. "You have to stand up."
At the sound of his voice, Yu-ri squeezed her eyes shut. She didn't want to turn around and look at him, out of fear that it would be the last time she'd ever see his face again. "No."
Cheong-san swallowed a sob of his own as he kneeled closer to her, placing both of his hands on her elbows. "Please."
Yu-ri's body was shaking and it even felt cold against Cheong-san's warm touch. Her body was so weak and limp that she allowed him to lift her up because she couldn't do it herself. Once her feet were level on the floor, he twisted her around and frowned at the sight of her closed eyes and tear ridden cheeks.
She inhaled deeply, allowing the chill air to fill her lungs before she hesitantly opened her eyes. The only thing she saw when her vision cleared was her best friend staring back at her with a guilty look. She allowed her eyes to trail down his body and to the arm that clutched hers so gently. There, she saw the clothing torn around the bloodied chunk that was missing from his skin.
It looked unreal.
"I'm sorry." he mumbled, his voice breaking ever so slightly.
"Don't apologize," She shook her head instantly, a tear falling from her face as she gripped his hand tightly, too afraid to let go. "This isn't your fault."
Cheong-san kept his eyes trained on her, watching the way she avoided his stare and the way she focused on their fingers as they fiddled with one another. "Yu-ri-"
"You're not dying," She blurted. "You're not leaving me too, okay?"
She said the words so confidently like somehow that made them true. Cheong-san wanted to believe her just as she wanted to believe herself too but he knew better. There was no escaping the bite mark that was branded on his arm and with it, the inevitable fate that followed.
He wouldn't tell Yu-ri that, because he knew she knew it anyways. Instead, he chose peace. His last moments with his bestfriend would not be spent with the both of them contemplating what went wrong or what they could have done differently to change what has happened. There was no point in that being their ending.
