Ransomed Fiancée (Michaeng) ✔️

Summary (Part 5)

Chapter 90: Sana arc

Chaeyoung and Mina hurried to the hospital after Sana was transferred from Jeju Island this afternoon on the Hirai Family airline. During the ride, Chaeyoung glanced at Mina, who had her hands clasped in her lap, fidgeting and trembling. Sensing Mina's distress, Chaeyoung reached over, held her hand, and gave it a gentle squeeze to comfort her.

When they arrived, Sana was in surgery, and Chou Tzuyu was anxiously waiting outside. Chaeyoung stayed by Mina's side as she couldn't stop shaking, wrapping her arms around Mina's shoulders. The surgery lasted twelve hours. Though Sana's health had been improving, the hematoma in her head suddenly worsened, causing blood vessels that had previously sealed to reopen. The doctor suspected the cause might have been sudden shock, though they couldn't be sure.

Sana was out of critical condition, but her condition remained unstable. The doctor couldn't perform another surgery, and there was no certainty about her recovery. The next week, Chaeyoung, Mina, and Tzuyu stayed by Sana's side. After a few days, Sana regained consciousness. She had an oxygen tank with her, and though she couldn't speak, she communicated with Mina through gestures. Mina thought that Sana would gradually improve.

Then one morning, earlier than everyone else, Sana woke up. Mina and Chaeyoung were asleep on the couch, and Tzuyu was in the bedside chair. Tzuyu noticed Sana gently grazing her thumb over her hand, which woke her up. Sana gestured for Tzuyu to come closer. Leaning in, Tzuyu asked if she could get her anything. Sana requested a cream bun from her old neighborhood. Tzuyu nodded, promising to return soon, and left the room to buy one.

Sana watched Tzuyu leave, then glanced at the sight of Mina snuggled in Chaeyoung's arms. Her gaze darted to the bird perched on the windowsill. She smiled softly.

It was only a few minutes later when Mina woke up, and Chaeyoung eventually followed. Mina stood up to greet Sana, but stopped in her tracks when she noticed something odd. Sana's bird, the one that always stayed perched on the windowsill and never entered the room, was now snuggling into Sana's neck. Her gaze turned to the heart monitor, and her blood ran cold when she saw the flatline. Her legs gave out, and she collapsed to the floor. Chaeyoung rushed to her side, but the loud thud of something falling caught her attention. She turned toward the door to find Tzuyu standing there, frozen, having just dropped the bun she was carrying.

Chapter 91:

The funeral was quick. The Hirai family attended but it was Chaeyoung who took care of everything, as Mina was too broken to do anything. Mina didn't attend the funeral, instead locking herself in her room for days. Chaeyoung would try to encourage her to eat, but Mina refused, losing so much weight in a short period.

Chaeyoung struggled to comfort Mina whenever the girl would break down or stare mindlessly into the distance. It was as if her heart was shattering, watching the woman she cared about slip further away. She didn't know how to help. It felt like she was losing Mina, piece by piece. She knew how much Sana had meant to her, but it seemed as though the grief was too overwhelming for Mina to bear.

It had been weeks since Sana's passing, and Chaeyoung knew she had responsibilities, work to catch up on, explanations to give for missing the Mini project event. She had so much to do, but she couldn't bring herself to leave Mina in this fragile state. Slowly, Mina seemed to be getting better, or at least, accepting the pain.

Every night, it became their ritual. Chaeyoung would hold Mina close as she spoke about Sana. The words poured out raw. Chaeyoung listened, learning about Sana and Mina's pain.

Mina spoke of her past, her father's bankruptcy that forced her to carry a burden no one should bear. She had to quit her studies in Russia when she heard about her father's suicide and rushed back to South Korea, leaving her with mountains of debt. She spoke of how she was pushed into working at a brothel, where she met Sana, her savior. She described the abuse Sana endured in a toxic relationship, how Sana had protected her, even when it meant risking her own safety. Mina spoke of the horrors they faced, the moments that haunted her, the client who attacked her, the shattered mirror that cut her skin, the unwanted child that Sana had to carry.