||Koi No Yokan|| Park Seonghwa

||Chapter 23||

It was hard for Hongjoong to describe what he had seen.

It was even harder for Hongjoong to describe how he felt.

It wasn't hard for him, however, to realize that it was finally over.

The burning pain in his chest had vanished, replaced by an odd sense of emptiness that made him feel exhausted, too tired to even open his eyes or move an inch from the bed he was laying on: at the very least, he knew he was alive. He focused on his breathing, feeling the air come in and out his lungs, chest rising and descending with difficulty due to something compressing it; his guess was that the entire area was bandaged.

He heard a noise, but it felt distant; he couldn't even realize what it was. As it became clearer and clearer, he realized it was a voice, speaking from right beside him.

"...I don't want to sound too pessimist, but I don't think he'll wake up today"

Jongho. That was Jongho's voice.

"You two look exhausted"

That voice...it was Seonghwa.

He was the last person he thought would've been there, although it made sense: he probably wanted to kill him for what he had done to Carys, even if he himself didn't remember much.

He remembered performing a spell on her to make her sleep, and then something incredibly sharp piercing his back. After that, it was all a blur: he saw his sister flying through the tree outside the window, then being on top of Carys, then his cave and the frantic search for something to write on. And then, the horrible visions had started.

"Yeah, we spent all day yesterday cleansing his blood from the poison..."

He recognized Mingi's voice too.

The gratefulness he felt towards the two gods who had healed him was quickly replaced by uneasiness: there was someone else in the room, he could feel that, but he couldn't exactly pinpoint who.

Eventually he managed to open his eyes, squinting as they got used to the light: the three gods weren't facing him, all busy examining something on the table where he kept his potions.

And there she was too.

Carys was standing not too far from his bed, her eyes awkwardly scanning her surroundings. Warmth spread through his body, as the constriction in his chest he thought was caused by the bandages disappeared. It didn't take long before she realized he was awake: seeing her face as she motioned for the gods to look at him made him feel even warmer.

Jongho had sprinted at his side, a soft hand immediately put on his forehead.

"Hey there. You gave us one hell of a scare, Joong. Do you remember everything from before you passed out?"

He couldn't help but smile at Mingi's words, although his eyes were still on Carys: she didn't dare to get closer.

He opened his mouth to speak, but his vocal cords failed him big time. That's when he realized, his throat was dryer than ever.

A cup was handed to him, the smell of the gods' nectar going straight up his nose. He drank slowly, his grip on the glass being aided by Jongho's hand beneath it. Once he was done, he started speaking: his voice was still raspy and low, but he managed to get some words out.

"No. At least not everything"

The look he received from Seonghwa after he spoke was enough to make him wish he never woke up.

"So, you don't even remember marking my girlfriend while she was unconscious, right?"

"Seonghwa!" the girl exclaimed, looking at him in disbelief.