✓ cold boy next door | p.sh

30

please listen to the song "about you" by the 1975 while reading this chapter :)

“do you think i have forgotten?”

౨ৎ

sunghoon lay unconscious in his hospital bed, surrounded by the hum of machines and the soft whispers of those who visited him. he was in comatose for almost a week but still, yeoji remained by his side everyday, even though her heart heavy with guilt and sorrow. she held his hand, whispering words of comfort, hoping he could hear her.

sunghoon's grandmother always watches over him at the hospital since yeoji still has school. but yeoji visited sometimes together with sunghoon's best friend, jake and jungwon. there was even a time when hyunwoo, nara and sunoo also visited and they even helped watch over sunghoon's grandmother.

one cozy afternoon, sunghoon's mother, his older brother jay, and his childhood friend eunji came to the hospital. their faces were etched with regret, and they often found themselves apologizing to yeoji.

sunghoon's mother approached yeoji, tears streaming down her face. "yeoji, i don't know how to begin to apologize for how we've treated you, even sunghoon," she said, her voice breaking. "we were so wrong, and i can never take back the hurtful things we've said and done."

jay, standing beside her, added, "we let our grief and anger cloud our judgment. we pushed sunghoon too hard, and we even told him to stay away from you. i'm deeply sorry for everything.”

eunji, who had been quiet most of the time, finally spoke up, her voice trembling with guilt. "i was jealous and mean. i didn't realize how much you meant to sunghoon. i'm also sorry, yeoji."

yeoji looked at them, her eyes filled with unshed tears. "i appreciate your apologies, but it's too late for that now. all i want is for sunghoon to wake up and be okay."

finally, after a week, sunghoon's eyes fluttered open. yeoji's heart seek with hope, but as he looked around the room, confusion written all over his face.

"sunghoon, it's me, yeoji," she said, leaning closer.

sunghoon blinked, his thick brows furrowing. "y-yeoji? i'm sorry, but... i don't remember you. i don't remember anything", then, he looked at them one by one with uncertainty in his almond eyes.

the doctor, standing nearby, spoke gently. "sunghoon has suffered a severe head injury. it's not uncommon for patients to experience memory loss after such trauma. his memories may or may not return over time. i'm sorry to say this but the highest possibility is that his memories may never be returned."

yeoji's heart shattered at his words. she fought back tears as she tried to smile. "i-it's okay, sunghoon. just rest", her voice broke.

she can see that sunghoon's mother was also dwelling in tears, and their friends just looked at them sadly.

sunghoon's mother, wiped her tears and stepped forward. "do you remember anything, sunghoon? anything at all?"

sunghoon shook his head slowly. "no, nothing. it's all blank. who are you?"

his mother stifled a sob. "i'm your mother, sunghoon. and this is jay, your brother", she paused for a while. "even though our hearts have grown apart, i apologize to what i have done to you, my son. even if you don't remember it.

then she hugged sunghoon while crying on the boy's shoulder. she apologized to him several times even though sunghoon was just looking at her puzzled. jay also joined in the two's embrace and eventually, their grandmother joined them too. yeoji couldn't stop crying while just looking at them.