The Way I Loved You

A Battle Between The Heart And The Mind

"OPPA! HAEINIE FAINTED!" The peaceful night was shattered when Beomja ran into the house, shouting frantically for Beomjun.

"What? Where is she?"

"By the front gate, I don't know how long she's been lying out there but I nearly tripped over her when I walked out earlier." She said tearfully. "Ya! Go carry your noona in, it's cold outside!" She exclaimed, smacking Soocheol's shoulder.

"Yes Imo." Soocheol ran out, followed closely by the rest of the family.

With the help of Hyuntae, Soocheol managed to carry Haein inside, grateful that she wasn't too heavy thanks to her strictly managed diet. It felt strange seeing her unconscious like this. She wasn't screaming at him to put her down, nor was she scolding him for being clumsy. She was just so pale and still that it freaked him out a little. Something about it just seemed so wrong because his sister was the strongest person he knew, yet he was seeing her frail and fragile in his arms.

He felt a surge of protectiveness towards her then, a desire to protect her like the good brother he'd never been. She must be struggling as much as the rest of them, yet their parents hadn't once checked on her even though his mother fussed over his blanket and worried about him being cold. What if Haein was the one who needed their attention instead? She did feel a little warm, was she sick?

"Set her down carefully." Bongae instructed, gesturing at the blanket she'd laid out for her.

Gently, she felt her cheeks and her neck, trying to feel if she had a fever. Her skin felt warm to the touch, a little too warm. Perhaps it hadn't been a good idea to allow her to work in the fields. She might have overexerted herself today which made her faint. She felt guilty just thinking about it, especially after she'd promised Hyunwoo to take good care of her.

Meanwhile, Beomja had already called Hyunwoo, who was extremely worried upon hearing the news.

"Is she okay? Do you think we need to bring her to the hospital? Did the doctor tell you what you're supposed to do if something like this happened?" Beomja had a barrage of questions for him.

"He didn't, but I'll give him a call right now to check. Just hold on, I'm already on the way home. Has she regained consciousness yet? How long was she out?" The questions tumbled out one after the other. Oh how he wished he could teleport home right this instant and be by her side. Even if he couldn't do anything to make her feel better, he wanted to be there to hold her hand.

"I don't know, I found her lying on the road outside and she was alone so nobody knew. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have allowed her to leave our sight."

"It's okay. She hates being treated like a patient anyway and she needs her alone time. I'll give you a call back if we need to get her to the hospital okay? It's good news if you hear nothing from me."

"Of course, drive safely. Haein would be furious if you sped recklessly."

"Yes Gomonim."

...

Ugh, I feel funny.

Haein blinked slowly, allowing her eyes to refocus on her surroundings. Above her were seven round blobs that she couldn't identify, along with a cacophony of voices that blended into one another in a dissonant harmony.

"What do we do now?"

"Where's Hyunwoo?"

"Should one of us drive her to the hospital?"

"Should we call somebody?"

"Why isn't she waking up yet?"

"Stop making so much noise will you? You're going to wake her up at this rate!"