Dance Partners || N.NK ||

Part 49/S2

The world was still spinning when you woke up again.

The steady beeping of the monitor, the soft hum of the air conditioning—it all felt distant.
But what wasn't distant was the warmth beside you.

Your gaze shifted.

Ni-ki.

A smile unknowingly crept over your face.
He hadn't moved, he was still there, still beside you.
His head rested on the edge of the bed, near your hand.

As if sensing your gaze on him, he stirred slightly, lifting his head up.
The moment his tired eyes met yours, they widened.
"You are awake!"
His voice was filled with relief, his expression lighting up as if the weight he had been carrying finally lifted.

The moments following after, the door to the room flung open as doctors rushed in, their presence breaking the fragile moment between you and Ni-ki.

The sudden commotion made you flinch.

Ni-ki immediately pulled back, his eyes flickering between you and the doctors who were now surrounding your bed.

"How are you feeling?" One of them asked, checking the monitor beside you.

You blinked, still trying to adjust.
"Uhm...Good..?" you hesitantly admitted, your voice hoarse.

The doctor nodded, scribbling something onto the chart.
"That's amazing. You've been unconscious for a while."

Unconscious?

Your brows furrowed as you tried to piece together just how much time had passed.
The last thing you could possibly remember was the day you first saw Ni-ki.

Then one of them started asking a series of questions, testing your memory, your awareness.

"Do you know your name?"
"Do you know where you are?"
"What is the last thing you remember?"

The last question made you hesitate, even though you knew what your answer was.

Ni-ki.
The bridge.
The memories flooding back, one by one.

"I..." Your voice was hoarse.
"I remember... everything."

The second you finished your sentence, Ni-ki's eyes shifted back to you, while doctors exchanged glances before nodding.

"Alright then, that's a good sign Ms.Yn, you'll be discharged soon!" One of the doctors declared, giving you a warm smile

And just like that, as quickly as they entered, they left, leaving just you and Ni-ki in the quiet room.

"You remember everything?" Ni-ki questioned, walking back to you, his voice filled with hope.
You nodded.
"Yes. I remember us in high school. I remember our first dance together, our fights, our moments... I remember us."

His throat bobbed, his lips parting slightly.

"But there's one thing I don't remember," you added.

Ni-ki listened attentively, waiting for you to tell him what you couldn't remember.

"My arranged marriage" you said, voice laced with uncertainty.
"I never found out who my fiancé was."

As he processed your words, his expression slowly dropped—to anger? Jealousy?

His jaw clenched, showcasing the emotions he currently felt.
"You... never asked?" he calmly spoke, despite the anger building up in him.

"I didn't want to know," you admitted.
"I didn't care, because I never wanted to go through with it."
Ni-ki exhaled slowly, as if processing your words.

Then, you suddenly remembered—your phone.
Your heart pounded as you glanced around.
"My phone—do you know where it is?"

"I don't think you had it with you when I met you at the bridge..." he responded.
Hearing his response, your mind instantly flashed back to the house that filled you with fear—the place where darkness clung to every corner.
The memory of the wounds on your body resurfaced, each ache a haunting reminder of what had happened there.

Ni-ki noticed the way your expression shifted, the sudden tension in your shoulders.

"What is it?" he asked, voice soft but firm.

You hesitated, fingers gripping the blanket tightly.
"I... I think my phone was at that house."
"What house?" his brows furrowed.

You swallowed, the image of the dimly lit room, the suffocating silence, and the overwhelming fear pressing into your chest.
"The one I woke up in before... before the bridge."

Ni-ki didn't know of which place you were talking about.
It seemed, your memories were indeed back, but mixed with one another.

"It's okay, we'll get it once you're discharged" Ni-ki reassured you, holding your hand gently in his warm ones.

Just then, a knock on the door interrupted the moment.
A nurse peeked in.
"Ms. Yn, you have visitors."

Your heart skipped a beat.
You weren't expecting any visitors, atleast not yet.

Ni-ki stiffened beside you.
"Who?"

The nurse glanced at her clipboard.

"I suppose it's the mother and...Mr.Kim?" the nurse hesitantly replied, not quite knowing the relation between you and the visitors.

The air in the room grew thick.
Your mother.
Your stepfather.
The ones who had never supported you, the ones who only loved you for to rule your life.
Why were they here now?
They had been completely absent in the weeks following your return to your home country.

You exchanged a glance with Ni-ki, his expression unreadable.
"Do you... want to see them?" he asked carefully.
You hesitated.
Did you?

~ CLIFF HANGER