I'd Take A Bullet For You

The Waiting Game

With raindrops clinging on her hair and on the shoulders of her trench coat, Hye-young hastily makes her way to the receptionist's desk in the middle of the spacious hospital lobby. She asks for the room Seri is in and taps her fingernails against the counter in agitation when she sees the woman behind the counter taking her time to type the information in her computer. Frustration begins to build on top of her worry, and she unintentionally snaps at the woman, telling her that she'd prefer to know where her friend is before the next president is elected. The woman laughs at her joke but stops when she sees the incredulous expression that appeared on Hye-young's face. She stammers out her response of Seri still being in surgery and provides the floor and room number with a flushed demeanor.

Despite her hurry, everything seems to be working against Hye-young because even the elevator is taking its time going from floor to floor. When she finally reaches her destination, she finds the three pairs of couples that make up Seri's family sitting on the couches outside Seri's surgery room and doesn't even bother to hide her disgust. She looks around the area but doesn't find the person she is expecting to be there. When Seri's father meets her eyes, she bows in respect before hastily making her way to the other corridors both to avoid having small talk with them and to continue her search for the second person she wanted to see that evening.

After a few seconds, Hye-young finds Jeong Hyeok sitting on the floor of a deserted hallway. He has his eyes closed, the back of his head leaned against the wall, and his hands folded neatly on his lap. She lets out a sad sigh before making her way towards him, slowly picking up the details that she didn't notice at first glance. His hair is abused and is in disarray, his white shirt is rumpled and ruined with streaks of blood, and his right knuckle is bruised and cut probably the result of a powerful punch. He doesn't move an inch when she takes a seat beside him and stretches her legs out in front of her like he has his.

"I am not in the mood to talk, Hye-young ssi."

The hoarseness of his voice and the irritation in his expression give away the conflicting emotions stirring inside of him. Hye-young takes a pause, not quite sure how to proceed with her plan. Then she remembers the brown bag she has been carrying from the convenience store outside the hospital and begins to dig into the contents. From the corner of her eye, she spots Jeong Hyeok peeking out of one eye at the commotion happening beside him and tries her best to remain calm and collected, as if interacting with him is an everyday occurrence, as if her best friend is not fighting for her life a few meters away from her.

"Good thing I'm not here to talk then," she says before placing an unsliced roll of gimbap and a bottle of water on his lap. She unwraps another gimbap and takes a big bite despite her stomach protesting any form of sustenance. Jeong Hyeok looks up from the food on his lap and stares at her in bewilderment. She quickly chews the contents of her mouth, detesting the big bite she took and the awkward silence between them, before swallowing and adding. "Look, it's almost morning. I am not going to sit back and let you starve while we wait. I wouldn't hear the end of it from Seri."

Mentioning her name might have been a bad idea since his frown seemed to have grown deeper. He heaves out a deep sigh that resonates how tired he must be, and Hye-young couldn't help the sympathy that blooms inside her chest. It is painfully obvious how much Seri means to him, and she doesn't know if she should be happy or sad about that fact given their current predicament.

She has had an inkling that there might be something going on between them from the glances they shared in the office – they are not as subtle as they think they are – and the way Seri seems to glow whenever he is in the room. Hye-young has been patiently waiting for her to say something, but her friend has her lips tightly sealed. Hell, she even provided her a way into the topic when she mentioned Jeong Hyeok out of the blue one night in the office, but she still didn't bite. She then thought that maybe it was just a fling that Seri deems not worth mentioning and decided to let it go. That is why she had the shock of her life when she pressed speed dial one on Seri's phone and Jeong Hyeok picked up at the first ring. In the middle of the worst breakdown, Seri wants his comfort, not hers. And that is the moment Hye-young knew that she has been replaced.