AWAKE

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One day, as Hanni sat beside him, her voice trembling, she said the words that broke his heart. "Minji... I can't do this anymore. I don't know how to live without you, and I can't keep watching you suffer like this. I love you so much, but I... I can't bear this pain anymore. I'm sorry."

She stood up, tears streaming down her face, and picked up a small knife from the nearby table. "Maybe if I go... maybe I' II be with you," she whispered, holding the blade against her wrist.

Minji's heart raced in panic. No, no, no! He couldn't let her do this. His mind screamed at his body to move, to stop her, but nothing happened. With every ounce of strength he had, he fought to open his eyes, to move his hand. He had to stop her. He couldn't let her leave him like this.

As Hanni pressed the blade against her skin, Minji's fingers twitched. It was barely noticeable, but it was something. His hand moved again, this time more deliberately. Slowly, painfully, he reached out and grabbed her wrist, his grip weak but enough to ston her.

"Hanni..." Minji's voice was a whisper, but it was there. His eyes fluttered open, and he looked at her, his gaze filled with desperation and love.

Hanni gasped, dropping the knife as she fell to her knees beside him. “Minji?” she cried, her voice trembling as she looked into his eyes. Tears filled her eyes as she realized he was awake, alive. "Oh my God, Minji!"

As Minji slowly opened his eyes, he looked up at Hanni, her tear-streaked face illuminated in the soft hospital light. She trembled, her hand gripping the knife she had once intended to use, but now she held onto his hand instead, the warmth of his touch anchoring her.
He smiled weakly, his voice hoarse as he whispered,

“How dare you leave me like that…” Minji whispered, his voice faint but filled with emotion. Tears rolled down his cheeks, mixing with the tears already brimming in Hanni’s eyes. She could barely speak, overwhelmed with shock and relief.

"You… you remember everything?" she choked out, her heart pounding in her chest.

Minji nodded slowly, still too weak to move much. "I remember it all now... our love, our life... and how much I love you. I never stopped loving you, even when I couldn't remember."

Hanni collapsed onto his chest, sobbing uncontrollably, her fingers tangling in his hair as she whispered, “I’m so sorry, Minji. I should’ve never left you alone. I thought I had lost you forever.”

Minji winced slightly but placed a trembling hand on her back, comforting her even in his weakened state. “You saved me... and you always have. Even when I was lost in my mind, you were the only thing I could hold onto.”

They stayed like that for what felt like hours, just holding each other, the weight of everything they’d gone through slowly fading in the presence of their love. Minji’s parents arrived soon after, their eyes brimming with hope and relief, but for now, it was just the two of them—bound together by something more powerful than the trials they’d faced.

---

A Week Later

Minji was still in recovery, his body weaker than before, but his memory had fully returned. Hanni barely left his side, caring for him as she had done so many times before, only this time he remembered everything. Every morning, Minji would wake up to find Hanni lying beside him, her hand resting on his chest as if to remind herself that he was still there.

One evening, as the sun dipped below the horizon, casting a golden hue over the room, Minji reached out to touch Hanni’s hand, his gaze soft and filled with love.

“Hanni,” he whispered, his voice stronger now, “I never got to say this properly. Thank you for everything—for standing by me, for loving me even when I didn’t know how to love you back. I’m the luckiest man in the world because of you.”

Hanni’s eyes welled up again, but this time they were tears of happiness. “I was so scared, Minji. I thought I had lost you... but even then, I could never stop loving you.”

Minji smiled, the warmth in his chest spreading as he pulled her closer, their foreheads resting against each other. “You’ll never lose me again.”

And then, as if nothing had changed, Minji kissed Hanni—this time with the full force of their shared memories, their love reignited and more profound than ever before. The kiss lingered, deep and passionate, the unspoken promise of a future filled with love and healing

 The kiss lingered, deep and passionate, the unspoken promise of a future filled with love and healing

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