Unfortunately, I Need You

16

It was a rare Saturday off, and Jungwon joined his friends from university for a casual football match. No pressure, no expectations, just a quick escape from the weight of everything else in his life. Laughs filled the air as they played, a sense of freedom and normalcy he hadn't felt in ages.

But in the middle of a playful tackle, he felt a sharp pain shoot up his leg, and suddenly, everything blurred.

At the hospital, Jungwon shifted uncomfortably on the stretcher, his leg throbbing as he waited for a doctor. The sterile white walls around him felt oddly comforting, almost like a strange relief from the noise of his daily responsibilities.

And then he saw her.

"Jiyeon?" He breathed out in surprise, barely believing his eyes. Out of every paramedics, why is she the one in front of him?

Jiyeon turned, her eyes widening slightly before she forced a professional mask over her surprise. "Jungwon," She replied, her voice controlled but with a hint of softness she couldn't fully hide.

She was dressed in a paramedic's uniform, her face matured but still holding that familiar warmth.

She approached him, clipboard in hand, her voice steady. "Looks like you took quite the hit. Mind if I check it out?"

"Go ahead," Jungwon muttered, his heart pounding. He hadn't seen Jiyeon for a few weeks, not since he'd left his job at the café. He'd told himself he was glad to avoid her, but seeing her now stirred something deep inside him.

Memories flooded back unbidden: stolen moments during late-night shifts, whispers about their future, the unwavering support she'd given him through the hardest years of his life.

As she examined his leg, her fingers brushing gently against his skin, the silence between them became heavy with memories. She worked professionally, but he could feel the tension. The way her hands hesitated slightly, as though she wasn't just tending to his injury but feeling the weight of the years that had passed.

After a few moments, Jiyeon cleared her throat, her gaze flicking up to meet his. "It doesn't look like anything's broken. You'll just need to stay off it for a while."

"Thanks... for being here," He said, trying to ignore the way his heart tugged.

She gave him a brief, wistful smile. "I always am, aren't I?"

They both fell silent, her words hanging heavily in the air.

...

In the following days, Jungwon found himself crossing paths with Jiyeon unexpectedly. She would turn up at the university campus with a group of paramedics for training exercises or for student health checks, and each time, their gazes would lock from across the room, the unspoken tension only growing.

One day, Jiyeon approached him outside the university after finishing up with her team. "Jungwon, got a minute?"

"Yeah, sure." He followed her to a nearby bench, glancing around to make sure no one would see them. Even though nothing was happening, he felt guilty, almost like he was doing something wrong.

They spent the next hour talking, catching up on the little things-their old friends, her job, his engineering studies. They laughed about old high school pranks and reminisced about dreams they'd once shared.

Every time she laughed, he felt a warmth that had been missing for a long time.

Yet, guilt gnawed at him, especially when Jiyeon's laughter softened, and her gaze lingered on him. He knew what that look meant, knew what it meant for him too, even if he wouldn't admit it.