A lovely change with love|2min

chapter 18

Warning
Kiss scene Ahead!!

After 18 hours of silence, Seungmin's eyes fluttered open, the harsh hospital lights overwhelming her fragile senses. The rhythmic beeping of machines filled the room, the oxygen mask tight against her face. Her body felt heavy, numb, like she was trapped in a fog she couldn’t escape. As her eyes adjusted to the sterile brightness, fragmented memories of the accident and Minho flickered back to her mind painful flashes that made her heart clench.

Her chest tightened, and without meaning to, a tear slipped down her cheek, warm against her cold skin. “Minho…” she whispered, her voice barely more than a breath, raw with longing and confusion. Her lips trembled, and before she could say or think more, darkness pulled her back into unconsciousness, her body too weak to hold on any longer.

Chan had been sitting by her side the entire time, his jaw clenched tight with frustration and something deeper, jealousy. The moment she had whispered Minho’s name, something inside him had snapped.

"Minho…" he muttered under his breath, shaking his head. It didn’t matter how much pain Minho had caused, Seungmin's heart still longed for him. The knowledge only added fuel to the simmering anger that had been growing inside him since the the accident.

Time dragged on, and after what felt like an eternity, Seungmin stirred again. Her eyelids fluttered open, slower this time, and she groggily took in her surroundings. Her heart sank when she realized Minho wasn’t there and areum too. She glanced around the room, searching for a familiar face, but all she saw was the sterile white of the hospital walls and the relentless blinking of the machines around her. A deep, hollow ache settled in her chest.

"Hi, Seungmin," came a soft voice from beside her. Chan’s face appeared in her vision, his features softening as he bent down slightly and took her hand in his. His grip was gentle, reassuring, but Seungmin’s heart couldn’t help but ache for the one who wasn’t there.

Tears welled up in her eyes, and despite her weakened state, they spilled over, her chest shuddering with silent sobs. The weight of everything hit her all at once the accident, the confusion, Minho, Areum, the tangled mess that was her life. “It hurts…” she whispered, her voice breaking. “Everything’s so messed up.”

Chan squeezed her hand, his brow furrowing with concern. "I know, Seungmin. I’m here, okay? I’ll always be here." But despite his words, he could feel the distance between them, the invisible barrier that Minho’s absence had created.

Seungmin’s tears continued to fall, her body too weak to hold the emotions back any longer. “My past... my present... it’s all... ruined,” she choked out, the words thick with despair. Her chest felt heavy with the weight of everything that had gone wrong, and as her strength drained, her eyes began to flutter shut once more.

Chan watched helplessly as she slipped back into unconsciousness, the machines beeping steadily beside her. His heart twisted in his chest, frustration bubbling up again.

Seungmin was recovering well better than the doctors had expected. It had been two days since she regained consciousness, and now she could walk slowly on her own. Each step was careful, a quiet victory, but despite her physical progress, her heart felt heavier than ever. Her mind was constantly swirling with thoughts of Minho. The ache of wanting to see him, to hear his heartbeat, to feel his warmth was overwhelming, yet every time the longing surfaced, a wave of guilt followed swiftly behind.

Areum.

The name echoed in Seungmin’s mind, the weight of it crushing her. Areum, the person she had always considered a sister, the one who shared countless heartfelt moments with her. She had been like family, and now it felt like their bond was cracking under the strain of everything that had happened. Minho loved Areum, he had always loved her, and now that Areum was back, how could Seungmin even hope to stand in the way? She couldn’t. She wasn’t going to be selfish, no matter how much her heart screamed otherwise.