"The Kim Dynasty: Secrets of the Heart"

44

Namjoon’s heart pounded as he followed the doctor down the silent hallway. The white hospital walls felt suffocating, and each step echoed ominously in his ears. His mind swirled with worry, replaying Jin’s fragile state in the back of his mind. His grip tightened and loosened subconsciously, trying to steady the tremor in his hands. Finally, the doctor stopped, turning to face him with a grave expression.

"Mr. Kim," the doctor began, his voice low and professional, "there’s something I need to discuss with you privately regarding Mr. Kim Seokjin’s condition."

Namjoon nodded silently, his throat dry. His heart beat wildly in his chest as they stepped into a small, sterile office. The doctor gestured for him to sit, but Namjoon remained standing, his mind too restless.

“Jin is incredibly sensitive, both emotionally and physically,” the doctor explained. “Even a small, tight grip on his wrist could leave a mark, something that wouldn’t affect most people.”

Namjoon’s brow furrowed in concern. He knew Jin was delicate, but hearing the doctor put it so bluntly made the weight of the situation sink in further.

“The stress he’s been under recently has taken a serious toll on him,” the doctor continued. “Physically, he’s out of immediate danger. However, something unexpected has occurred. Jin has slipped into a coma.”

The words hit Namjoon like a punch in the gut. His vision blurred as he tried to process what he had just heard. "Coma?" His voice cracked slightly.

"Yes," the doctor said, nodding solemnly. "We don’t know how long it will last. He could wake up in six months, or it could take years… even decades. There’s no way to predict it."

The air was sucked out of Namjoon’s lungs. Six years? Sixty years? Jin might never wake up? His thoughts raced, and he felt the ground tilt beneath him. Without another word, he turned and bolted out of the room, barely registering the doctor’s calls after him. His legs moved on their own, carrying him up the stairs to the rooftop.

The cool night air hit his face, but it did little to calm the storm inside him. Standing there, trembling, his chest heaving, Namjoon’s mind went blank.

Then, like a ghost from his past, the girl appeared again. She stood under the faint glow of the moon, her presence almost ethereal, yet carrying the weight of everything that had gone wrong in his life. Namjoon’s knees buckled, and he dropped down in front of her, unable to hold back his tears.

"You can take anything you want," he pleaded, his voice thick with desperation. "But please, don’t do this to Jin. Please…"

The girl’s cold gaze bore into him, though there was a hint of sadness in her eyes. “I told you, Namjoon,” she said softly, “you would be punished.”

Namjoon’s breath came in ragged bursts as he knelt there, his head bowed in defeat. "Why?" he whispered. "Why did it have to be this way? I never meant to hurt you."

The girl’s expression tightened, her voice sharp as she spoke. "Even back then, you had desires. You slept with other girls at the university, but when I offered myself to you, you rejected me completely. Why? What made me so unworthy?"

Namjoon looked up at her, his eyes glistening with unshed tears. "Those girls… they were with me for one thing: money, power, or lust. It wasn’t love. I never let it be anything more than a one-night stand. But you—" He paused, struggling to find the words. "You loved me. And if I had used you… it would have destroyed you."

The girl’s face softened slightly, though the bitterness remained in her eyes.

“If I had done anything with you,” Namjoon continued, “you would have either hated yourself or lived your whole life carrying a part of me in you. I didn’t want that. You were in love with me, and I couldn’t give you that in return. I didn’t want you to suffer.”

Jackson had long disappeared, unable to bear the painful reunion unfolding before him. Namjoon, still on his knees, stared up at the girl, his heart aching. "I didn’t understand love back then. Growing up, I didn’t think it existed for me." He took a shaky breath, his voice breaking. "But the moment I saw Jin… everything changed. I couldn’t control my heart. I loved him in ways I never thought I was capable of loving."

The girl stood silently, watching him with unreadable eyes. After a long pause, she spoke again. "I was in so much pain after my death. My soul was filled with such intense love and longing for you that I couldn’t pass on to the afterlife. I wandered aimlessly until I met an old woman… the Goddess of Hatred."

Namjoon’s eyes widened slightly, but he said nothing as she continued.

“She offered me a chance to take revenge. I agreed, just for the chance to see you again,” she explained, her voice steady but full of sorrow. “She gave me the body of an old woman, and I adopted a child—a boy so beautiful that he didn’t seem to belong to this world. That boy was Jin.”

Namjoon’s breath caught in his throat as the realization hit him.

"I raised him with all the love and care I could give," the girl continued. "I shaped him into the perfect person—someone who possessed all the traits you lacked. Destiny played its part, bringing you two together."

Namjoon’s mind raced, connecting the pieces. Jin’s beauty, his kindness, his delicate nature—it all made sense now. It was all planned. But none of that mattered now. What mattered was that Jin was lying in a coma, and Namjoon was powerless to help him.

“Please,” Namjoon whispered, tears streaming down his face. “I’m begging you… spare him. I can’t live without him. I’ve already lost so much. Don’t take Jin away from me too.”

The girl stared at him, her expression conflicted. She, of all people, knew the agony of unrequited love. She had taken her own life because of it. Now, seeing Namjoon on his knees, begging for the life of the man he loved, she understood the depth of his pain.

“I cannot undo the curse completely,” she said softly, her voice trembling with emotion. “But I can shift the burden.”

Namjoon looked up at her, hope flickering in his eyes.

“I can place the curse on you instead,” she said, her gaze steady. “You will take all the pain, the suffering, and Jin will be free. But once the curse is upon you, there’s no going back.”

Without hesitation, Namjoon nodded. “I’ll take it. Just… let Jin live.”

The girl’s form shimmered slightly as the curse shifted. A cold wind swept through the rooftop, and Namjoon felt a sharp, burning pain deep in his chest. But he didn’t flinch. He had made his choice.