Night Owl

Night Owl Ch. 16

"Where is she?!" Jin's voice cracked as he stormed down the sterile, fluorescent-lit halls of the hospital, his eyes darting over nurses and patients, searching desperately.

His breath came in ragged bursts, his pulse thundering in his ears. The call had shattered his world just an hour ago.

"Hello, is this Kim SeokJin?"

The unfamiliar voice on the line had snapped him from his evening haze. He rubbed his temples, irritated. "Who is this? How did you get my number?"

"This is Asan Hospital. Do you know Kim LaRae?"

His heart stalled in his chest. "Yes, she's my girlfriend. Why?"

The nurse's voice softened, but the weight of her words crashed over him. "She's been in an accident. Please come to the emergency center immediately."

Jin froze, his mind refusing to accept the words. "What? What happened? Is she okay?"

"We can't discuss it over the phone. You need to get here as soon as possible. Her life depends on it."

Keys jingled in his shaking hand as he bolted out of the apartment, barely managing to lock the door. The drive had been a blur of honking horns and the relentless red glow of brake lights, his fingers gripping the wheel so tightly they ached. Now, here he was, every second stretching like hours as he pushed through the crowds.

"LaRae!" His voice echoed off the walls. The panic in his chest clawed up into his throat, suffocating him. His eyes caught the movement of a nurse stepping through a set of double doors.

"Mr. Kim?" she called, her face familiar. "I'm the one who called you."

"Where is she? Where's LaRae?" His voice broke, tears welling in his eyes, blurring the harsh lights around him.

The nurse's expression softened. "Please, follow me." She swiped her badge against a security monitor, and the doors to the ICU clicked open. "I can't discuss her condition out here."

Jin stumbled after her, the cold air of the ICU seeping into his bones.

Jin's footsteps echoed in the long, dimly lit hallway, each step heavier than the last. His chest tightened with every breath, his pulse erratic, as if his heart was trying to tear itself free. What happened? The question looped in his mind, over and over, but no answer came. She was just supposed to have brunch with her friends. What kind of accident could've left her like this?

"This way, sir." The nurse's voice was calm, too calm, as she led him to a door at the end of the hall. Jin's eyes followed her gesture toward a glass window. Behind it, LaRae lay motionless on an operating table, doctors and nurses moving swiftly around her, their faces tense and focused.

Jin's hand pressed against the cold glass, his fingers trembling. Tears slipped from his eyes before he could stop them, blurring the sight of her still, fragile body. His knees threatened to buckle as he stared, trying to reconcile this image with the vibrant woman who had kissed him goodbye that morning. What happened to her?

"Is... is she going to make it?" His voice cracked, barely more than a whisper as his gaze remained locked on LaRae's still form.

The nurse hesitated, her lips thinning into a tight line. "Her chances aren't good right now."

A sob caught in Jin's throat, raw and helpless. "Money isn't a problem. Please... just save her," he choked out, his voice breaking. He turned to the nurse, eyes red and pleading. "Please save my girl."

The nurse sighed softly, her expression shifting as she glanced back at LaRae. "Your girlfriend was attacked," she began carefully.

Jin's heart skipped. "Attacked? By who? Why?" Anger flared up inside him, hot and fast, as he turned back to the lifeless figure on the table. Who would do this to her?