Embers of Hope// Hyunlix

Chapter - 33

Third person POV: 

The room fell silent after the doctor's devastating words. Felix felt as though the ground had been pulled out from beneath him. His hands tightened around Hyunjin's limp one, knuckles white from the pressure. He couldn't believe it — his mind refused to accept that Hyunjin was in a coma. The steady beeping of the machines filled the air, a cruel reminder that Hyunjin was still there, but unreachable.

Chan stood back, his arms crossed tightly, his brow furrowed as he tried to process everything. Beside him, Changbin stared at the floor, his fists clenched at his sides. Jeongin stood stiffly, his eyes filled with silent tears, unable to look away from Hyunjin.

Felix remained frozen, his heart shattered in ways he couldn't comprehend. It felt like his world was collapsing in on itself, and all he could do was cling to Hyunjin's hand, desperate for any sign of life, for any indication that Hyunjin would come back to him.

Jisung, still shaken from what he had witnessed, spoke up again. "I swear... it was Eunji. I saw her. She was the one who hit Hyunjin." His voice trembled as he recalled the horrific moment, the image of Hyunjin crumpled on the ground still fresh in his mind.

Chan exchanged a shocked glance with Changbin. "But Eunji... she's supposed to be dead," he whispered, the disbelief evident in his tone.

"She's not," Minho said, his voice colder than before. "Eunji was the one m mother was talking to on the phone the other day. She planned this. She was ordered to kill Hyunjin, and she nearly succeeded."

Jeongin's eyes widened in horror, his tears finally spilling over. "Why? Why would your mother want Hyunjin dead?" he asked, his voice barely audible.

No one answered. The tension in the room was suffocating. Felix couldn't tear his eyes away from Hyunjin. His beautiful, fragile Hyunjin, lying motionless in that bed, surrounded by machines keeping him alive.

Felix's mind raced. He had failed to protect Hyunjin, failed to keep him safe from the danger lurking in the shadows. And now, someone who was supposed to be dead had come back to finish what she had started.

"I'll make her pay," Felix whispered suddenly, his voice hoarse and broken. The room turned toward him, hearing the raw determination in his voice. "I swear, she won't get away with this."

Chan placed a hand on Felix's shoulder, grounding him. "We'll figure this out, Felix. But right now, Hyunjin needs you more than ever. Focus on him, and we'll deal with Eunji."

Felix's grip on Hyunjin's hand tightened, his chest aching with the weight of everything. He had to be strong for Hyunjin. He couldn't fall apart, not when Hyunjin needed him. But the fear and helplessness that gnawed at him were overwhelming.

As the silence stretched on, Felix looked down at Hyunjin's pale face, gently brushing a strand of hair from his forehead. "I need you to come back to me," he whispered softly, his voice breaking. "I'm not giving up on you."

But deep down, the fear of losing him loomed large — a fear that none of them could escape.

Later that evening, Felix, Minho, Chan, Jisung, Changbin, Seungmin, and Jeongin gathered in a private room in the hospital. The air was thick with unease, and the weight of what they had just discovered loomed over them. Hyunjin's condition hung heavy in Felix's heart, but they knew that there was something they had to address first — Eunji and Mrs. Lee.

Felix looked at Minho, who was leaning against the wall, arms crossed, his face a mask of cold determination. "We need to tell Dad everything," Felix said, breaking the silence. "He has to know what Mom has been involved in."

Minho nodded. "It's the only way. Dad will want to handle this, especially once he finds out what Mom has done."

Jeongin, still shaken from the hospital scene, added, "How do you think he's going to react? Finding out that she's been behind this?"

"I don't know," Felix admitted. "But we don't have a choice. He needs to know everything — about Eunji, the call, all of it."

Chan, who had been pacing around the room, finally spoke up. "So what's the plan? Do we tell him first and then figure out how to take them down, or do we start gathering evidence before we approach him?"

"We need to do both," Minho said decisively. "We can't just go to Dad without something solid. If we confront him without a plan, we risk losing time, and who knows what Eunji and Mom could do in the meantime."

Changbin frowned. "But how are we going to get proof? Eunji's already been careful. And Mom..." he trailed off, the thought of Mrs. Lee being involved in this still shocking him.

Jisung chimed in, "I think we should start by finding out more about Eunji. She's our direct threat. If we can locate her, we might be able to stop whatever else she has planned."

Felix clenched his fists. "She's not going to get away with this. First, we tell Dad. Then we track Eunji down and gather proof of everything she's been up to."

"Agreed," Seungmin said. "But before we make a move, we need to be sure we have eyes on Eunji. She's dangerous, and we don't know what her next move is."

"Seungmin's right," Felix said, his voice tight with anger. "We have no idea what she's planning next. We need to be careful."

Minho stood straighter, his expression hardening. "I'll handle Mom. I'll be the one to talk to Dad — he'll listen to me. But while I'm doing that, we need someone to track down Eunji."

"I can do it," Changbin offered. "I have a few connections that might help. Eunji can't stay hidden forever. I'll dig into her whereabouts and see if we can find any leads."

Jeongin shifted uneasily. "Do you really think she's going to come after Hyung again? She almost killed him this time..."

Felix's stomach twisted at the thought, and he struggled to keep his voice steady. "She will. If she tried once and failed, she won't stop until she gets what she wants."

Everyone fell silent, absorbing the weight of Felix's words.

Jisung cleared his throat, breaking the tension. "We need to move quickly. Mrs. Lee is still a problem. If she's been working with Eunji, who knows how long they've been plotting this? And we still don't know why."

Minho's eyes darkened. "It's about Felix. Eunji's obsessed with him, and Mom... she's always hated Hyunjin. She wants Eunji to take Hyunjin's place in Felix's life."

"That's insane," Chan muttered, shaking his head. "But it makes sense, in a twisted way.