The atmosphere in the room was thick with tension as they all sat, waiting for the results that could change everything. Jennie sat on the edge of her chair, her hands clasped tightly in her lap, her heart pounding so loud she could barely hear anything else. Lisa sat across from her, her expression calm but her fingers nervously tapping the armrest. Jiyong stood by the window, arms crossed, his face a cold mask of unreadable emotions, though his clenched fists hinted at the storm raging inside him.
Dr. Lim entered the room, a folder clutched in his hand. His eyes flickered briefly over the group, feeling the weight of their collective anticipation. He swallowed hard before taking his seat, the silence in the room almost unbearable. As he opened the folder, his gaze lingered on Jiyong for just a moment longer than the others, sensing the man's dark, simmering energy.
"This is the moment you've all been waiting for," Dr. Lim began, his voice heavy with the gravity of the situation. "The HLA typing results are in."
Jennie's breath hitched. She glanced briefly at Lisa, hope glimmering in her eyes despite the fear coiled in her chest. Lisa sat a little straighter, preparing herself for whatever news was coming, but her heart raced with a mixture of hope and dread.
Jiyong, meanwhile, remained still, his eyes locked on Dr. Lim, though a growing tension hummed beneath the surface.
Finally, Dr. Lim spoke, "I'm sorry," he began, his voice heavy with regret. "The results... are negative. Lisa is not a match."
The words landed like a bomb in the room. Jennie's face went pale, her heart plummeting into a void of despair. She gasped softly, her hands trembling as she pressed them to her mouth. Her vision blurred with tears, and the world seemed to tilt as the hope she had clung to so tightly evaporated in an instant. She almost fell back into her chair, stunned by the blow.
Lisa blinked in shock, her chest tightening painfully as the news settled in. "What?" she whispered, barely audible. Her body slumped as if the weight of the world had crashed onto her shoulders, her hands gripping the armrests to steady herself. "How is that possible? How...?"
Dr. Lim lowered his gaze. "I know this isn't what any of us wanted. But sometimes these things happen. The compatibility was always a gamble."
"No," Lisa said, her voice cracking as tears welled in her eyes. "No, this can't be right. We need to test again. There has to be a mistake."
Dr. Lim met her gaze sympathetically but shook his head. "The test was conducted with the highest precision, Lisa. However," he paused, "we can always do another test, just to be absolutely certain."
Jennie was too shocked to speak. She stared blankly at the floor, her body numb. The one hope she had been holding onto, the one chance to save Hyeong, was gone, just like that. Her chest ached with the intensity of her despair.
Lisa's eyes darted from Dr. Lim to Jennie, searching for any sign that this nightmare wasn't real. "We have to try again. Please," Lisa pleaded, her voice trembling with desperation. "We have to."
Dr. Lim nodded. "We'll run the test again, but I want to be clear that the chances of a different result are very low."
As Dr. Lim spoke, Jiyong's eyes darkened, though something else flickered behind them-something cold, something relieved. His expression remained tight, but inside, an unexpected surge of twisted satisfaction grew. He couldn't believe it at first. For days, he had feared this exact moment, imagining what it would mean if Lisa had been a match. But now, hearing that she wasn't, it felt as if a heavy weight had been lifted off his shoulders. He should have felt crushed like Jennie, but instead, a strange, quiet joy replaced his anger.
Dr. Lim looked up from the file and caught Jiyong's gaze. He could see it-the relief in Jiyong's eyes, the way his jaw unclenched ever so slightly. It unsettled him, but he couldn't address it now. There were more pressing matters at hand.
"This can't be," Lisa whispered again, her voice filled with disbelief as she looked at Jennie, her heart aching at the thought of failing her, failing Hyeong.
Jennie finally looked up at Lisa, her eyes brimming with tears. She wanted to speak, to offer comfort, but the words wouldn't come. All she could do was shake her head, as if refusing to accept this outcome.
Jiyong, watching it all unfold, felt his stomach twist. He could no longer stand in the room. With a final, unreadable glance toward Dr. Lim, he turned and stormed out, his footsteps echoing loudly in the tense silence. His mind raced as he left, furiously grappling with the reality of the situation, but part of him felt vindicated, even if he couldn't admit it to himself.
Lisa's gaze followed Jiyong as he exited, confusion and desperation clouding her thoughts. She turned back to Dr. Lim. "Please... test again. There has to be something else we can do."
Dr. Lim nodded. "We'll start the process immediately, but for now... I'm truly sorry."
The room remained heavy with despair as both Jennie and Lisa absorbed the crushing reality, their hearts breaking in silence.
Jennie's legs gave way as she crumpled beside Hyeong's hospital bed, her body collapsing onto the mattress as if the weight of the world had finally pulled her down. Tears spilled freely down her cheeks, her face buried in her hands, muffling her quiet sobs. The room felt cold, silent except for the soft beeping of the monitors tracking her son's fragile heartbeat. The news of Lisa's unmatched HLA typing echoed in her mind, over and over. The one hope-the one chance to save her son-was gone. Now, she felt as if she was losing him, too.
Hyeong was sleeping, his tiny body looking so fragile under the thin hospital sheets. Jennie reached out, gently brushing his hair away from his forehead, her fingers trembling as they made contact with his warm skin. Her tears fell faster, her heart aching with a mother's helplessness.
"How do I save you?" she whispered through her tears, her voice barely audible. "What do I do now?"
Jennie didn't hear the soft footsteps behind her, but suddenly, there was a presence beside her. Jiyong stood at the foot of the bed, watching Jennie break down in front of him, her pain raw and exposed. For a moment, he didn't know what to do. He had been so consumed by his own frustration and plans, but now, seeing Jennie like this, all of that fell away.
He moved closer, lowering himself to the floor beside her, his hand hesitantly reaching out to touch her shoulder. Jennie stiffened at the contact, her sobs hitching in her throat, but she didn't pull away.
"Jennie..." Jiyong's voice was quiet, softer than it had been in days. "I'm so sorry."
She didn't respond immediately, but slowly, she leaned into him, her head resting against his shoulder as the sobs wracked her body. Jiyong's arm wrapped around her, pulling her closer, holding her as the weight of everything came crashing down on them both.
"I don't know what to do anymore," Jennie whispered, her voice breaking. "I can't lose him, Jiyong. I can't."
Jiyong closed his eyes, feeling her pain as if it were his own. He had been so focused on controlling the situation, on trying to find a solution, but now he realized how little control they really had. The reality of the situation was crushing, but right now, all he could do was be there for her.
"We're not giving up," Jiyong said, his voice firm despite the knot of fear in his chest. "We'll find another way, Jennie. We'll keep fighting for him. We have to."
Jennie shook her head, fresh tears streaming down her face. "But how? How are we supposed to do that? Lisa was our only hope. What else is left?"
Jiyong tightened his grip around her, his own emotions threatening to break through. He didn't have an answer. Not yet. But he couldn't let her drown in despair, not when their son still needed them.
"We'll figure it out," Jiyong whispered, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. "Together. We'll figure it out."
Jennie clung to him, her tears soaking his shirt as they sat there in silence, their son sleeping peacefully beside them. For the first time in a long while, Jiyong wasn't thinking about plans or strategies. All that mattered now was holding on to hope, no matter how impossible it seemed.
YOU ARE READING
Instant Regrets Book II
Fanfiction( You're reading Book II ) When Jennie family discovered the truth about her relationship with a married woman, they were unable to accept it, and she brought shame upon them. To preserve the Kim family's reputation and status, her father made a dra...
