A Marriage of Power

Part 19

Wonyoung's POV

The sharp, sterile smell of the hospital hit me the moment I walked in. My stomach twisted, my heart racing faster with every step I took down the cold hallway. I didn't want to be here. Not like this. Not for her.

Yujin was supposed to be invincible.

I quickened my pace, barely noticing Ryujin and Haerin standing outside the room. They looked exhausted, Haerin's eyes red from crying, Ryujin pacing like a caged animal. The moment they saw me, their expressions shifted Haerin looked like she was about to break, and Ryujin couldn't meet my eyes.

"What happened?" My voice came out hoarse, barely a whisper, but I didn't care. I just needed to know.

"They... they ambushed us," Ryujin muttered, her jaw clenched so tightly I thought she might break her teeth. "It wasn't random, Wonyoung. They came for her. She... she took multiple hits."

My breath caught in my throat. My knees almost buckled, but I forced myself to stay upright. "Where is she?"

Haerin pointed wordlessly to the door, her hand shaking. I didn't wait for an invitation I pushed past them and entered the room.

The sight that greeted me made my heart stop.

Yujin lay motionless on the hospital bed, tubes and wires connected to her fragile body. Her skin, usually warm with a hint of that confident smirk, looked ghostly pale, drained of all color. The rhythmic beeping of the heart monitor was the only sound in the room, a haunting reminder that she was still alive but just barely.

This couldn't be real.

I took a shaky step forward, my breath hitching in my throat. Every instinct told me to turn back, to leave, but I couldn't tear my eyes away from her. Yujin, the one who had always been so strong, so sure of herself, looked so... helpless. So vulnerable.

How did this happen?

I reached her bedside, my hand trembling as I gently touched hers. It was cold—too cold. "Yujin..." I whispered, my voice breaking.

There was no response, only the steady beeping of the machines, taunting me with their indifference.

Tears stung my eyes, but I blinked them back, refusing to cry. Yujin wouldn't want that. She wouldn't want me to fall apart. She had always been the one holding things together, always telling me to stay strong. But how could I be strong when she was like this?

The door creaked open behind me, and I didn't have to turn to know it was Haerin and Ryujin.

"She's stable," Haerin said softly, though her voice trembled. "They said she's stable for now..."

"For now," I echoed, my voice bitter. I turned to face them, my anger flaring despite the exhaustion settling into my bones. "Who did this?"

"We don't know yet." Ryujin's voice was hard, her fists clenched at her sides. "But I swear, I'll find out. Whoever did this is going to pay."

Her words brought no comfort. The only thing that mattered to me was the girl lying in front of me, fighting for her life. Yujin was supposed to be invincible. She was supposed to be the one who kept everyone safe. But now... now she was the one who needed saving.

The silence hung heavy in the room as I turned back to Yujin. My hand tightened around hers, willing her to wake up, to squeeze my hand back, to give me any sign that she was still in there.

"Please, Yujin..." I whispered, my voice breaking. "You can't leave me. Not like this."

I sat beside her bed, my heart breaking a little more with every minute that passed without a sign.