Structural Damage

Chapter 17 - Vermont

Jeong Hyeok had not expected the conversation with Seo Dan to go in that direction. But thinking back, Se Ri and Mu Hyeok had both said she had feelings for him and he had laughed it off. He had honestly thought that they had worked past that when they were in Vegas. He was pretty sure they had no spark, it ended right then. They elected to be friends, and that relationship flourished. He had never sensed any weirdness with her, but then again, he was never looking for it either.

He took a deep breath, trying to shake off everything that just happened, and pushed open the door to Se Ri's hospital room. He noticed that Seung Joon had left his post at the end of Se Ri's bed, but before he could look around to see if he had moved, he heard a faint voice calling out to him.

"I see he found you," Jeong Hyeok realized Se Ri was awake and speaking to him. He moved as fast as he could to be at her side, "I asked him to go find you and Seo Dan, I wanted to talk to you both."

Jeong Hyeok put his hands on either side of her face and stared into her eyes, "You scared the hell out of me, Yoon Se Ri. Are you okay? Do you feel any pain?" But before she could answer he was gently kissing her lips, then placing a soft kiss on her forehead. He sat on the edge of her bed, bracing himself across her body, "Please tell me you're okay."

She nodded slowly, "I'm okay, I'm just tired. I just need to get out of here and go back to work," she searched his eyes, seeing the worry, and what appeared to be fear. "You shouldn't be here, you should be filming your movie in Europe or Africa, wherever it is that you were." Her words were a little slurred, it had to do with the massive doses of medication that she was on.

"Well, I was in Africa, I flew here when I found out about your stage dive," he cracked a smile to keep the mood light. He wasn't about to start a fight with her, "I made special arrangements to be here, so don't worry about it."

"Where's Seo Dan? I want to talk to her."

"Um, she was in the waiting room when I came back in here. Do you want me to go see if she's still there?" Se Ri slowly nodded her head, "Okay, I'll be right back, don't move."

Jeong Hyeok stood from the bed, walking toward the door he tried to keep his nerves calm. He really didn't want to face Seo Dan so soon, but for Se Ri, he would do anything. As he approached the waiting room, he noticed that Seo Dan was seated on the couch, Seung Joon by her side with his arm around her. His thoughts immediately went there, 'when did the two of them get so cosy?' Of course, that was immediately followed by 'who the hell is this guy, anyway?' Questions he knew he had no right to ask, but he couldn't help himself.

He walked into the room, gently knocking on the door as he entered, "Dan, I'm sorry to interrupt, but Se Ri wants to see you."

Seo Dan immediately sat up, as if she'd been caught in a compromising position by her boyfriend or her parents. "Um, she wants to see me?"

"Yes, she's awake and asking for you," he responded without emotion in his voice.

Seo Dan stood up, looking back at Seung Joon who nodded in support. She pushed past Jeong Hyeok and walked out of the waiting room toward Se Ri's room. Her friend looked frail and tiny in the bed, Seo Dan had not really noticed it before, but for some reason, it struck her when she entered the room. Se Ri turned her head and watched as Seo Dan approached.

"I see Jeong Hyeok found you," Se Ri's voice was barely audible.

Seo Dan gave her a brief smile, "Yes, he did. I hear you wanted to see me?"

Se Ri tried to set up in bed, she was struggling, and Seo Dan stepped forward to help her. "I wanted to say thank you. Not just for helping me sit up just now, but for being here when I woke up. The nurse told me you were here the minute they brought me in." Seo Dan dropped her head, taking a keen interest in the floor and the speckles in the tiles. She didn't say anything, her emotions were running high, and she wasn't sure she could speak. "It means a lot, that after everything, you were here for me. I just wanted you to know that I appreciated it, Dan-ah."