Frozen Memories➔ps.ff

Chapter 37

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The pain in Sunghoon's knee was the first thing that registered in his foggy mind. The sharp sting cut through the darkness, dragging him from the void. But the pain wasn't as intense as it had been when he fell—perhaps the dream had dulled it, or maybe it was just his body slowly starting to shut everything out, trying to heal.

He slowly opened his eyes, the harsh hospital light momentarily blinding him. His body felt heavy, as if he was weighted down by something invisible. He blinked rapidly, trying to clear his vision. 

Where was he? What had happened?

His gaze shifted to the side, and then it hit him.

The hospital room.

His heart skipped a beat.

He had been dreaming.

The images of Sarang—her voice, her touch, her presence in the room—faded as reality snapped back into focus. There was no Sarang here, just the sterile whiteness of the hospital and the faint sound of monitors beeping around him. He let out a sigh, a mix of frustration and exhaustion. It wasn't real. He wasn't ready for it to be over, for the dream to vanish like smoke. But it had.

Sunghoon let his head fall back against the pillow. The ache in his chest wasn't from his knee, but from the longing—the same longing he'd been feeling for years now, ever since that fateful separation. But Sarang had moved on. He had to face that. No matter how much he wanted to reach out to her, to make things right, the past had long been closed off.

A door opened with a soft creak, and his members stepped into the room, their familiar faces a welcome sight in the haze of his thoughts. Jay was the first to speak.

"You awake?" Jay asked softly, his voice a little strained with concern. Sunghoon saw his friends looking down at him with mixed expressions of worry and relief.

He nodded, though it took more energy than he wanted to admit. "Yeah, just... just waking up."

Heeseung gave him a small grin. "You sure took your sweet time waking up. You had us worried there for a second."

Sunghoon gave a weak smile in return. "Sorry about that." 

His voice was hoarse, and he could tell his body was still weak from the accident.

"Don't worry about it," Sunghoon's youngest member, Ni-Ki, said as he perched on the edge of the bed. "We're just happy you're okay."

Sunghoon appreciated their concern, but it only highlighted the loneliness that gnawed at him in the pit of his stomach. He didn't want to lean on his friends for support—not now, when all he could think about was Sarang.

Jay stood back, hands in his pockets, his expression thoughtful. "You sure you're okay? I mean, it was a bad fall."

Sunghoon glanced at his knee, still wrapped in bandages. He felt a sense of dread settle over him. His leg would need surgery—he could tell by the look in the doctor's eyes when he was first brought in. But the worst part was knowing that this might change everything. His career, his future... everything.

"I'm fine," he muttered, though it sounded more like a lie than anything else.

The door opened again, this time more sharply. Sunghoon turned his head, expecting to see a nurse or another doctor, but instead, it was his mother.

She walked in with a slight frown on her face, her eyes softening when she saw him awake. "Sunghoon," she said, her voice quiet but full of concern. "How do you feel?"

He smiled weakly, watching her approach his bedside. "I'm okay, Mom."

She reached out, brushing his hair from his forehead, as if checking for a fever. "You're sure? You were unconscious for a while. We were all so worried."