POISONED YOUTH: TWISTED

CHAPTER 44

"Hyuck! Whatever you do, don't let go!"

Yeoreum held onto his hand with every bit of strength she had left, her fingers trembling as she desperately tried to keep him close. Her own body was screaming in pain, but she refused to release him, even when the blood running down his back made her hands slippery.

Haechan groaned, his body shaking as blood continued to flow from the long, deep cut across his upper back. His breathing was uneven, each breath becoming harder to take as his strength slowly disappeared.

Tears eventually slipped down his cheeks as he listened to Yeoreum's desperate cries. He could feel how much pain she was in through their bond, and knowing that she was suffering because she was trying to save him made it even harder to hold on.

"Reum... go."

"No!"

"I can't hold on anymore."

"No, no, no, Hyuck!" Her voice cracked as she tightened her grip. "Donghyuck, please."

"You're hurting too, baby."

"I can manage!"

"I—ah!" His voice broke into a cry as his fingers finally lost their strength.

His hand slipped from hers.

"HYUCK!" Yeoreum screamed.

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"Hyuck!"

She jolted awake, tears already streaming down her cheeks as her heart pounded violently against her chest. For a few seconds, she couldn't tell where she was. The nightmare still clung to her mind, the image of Haechan slipping away from her feeling far too real.

Yeoreum hurriedly wiped her tears away and turned toward the figure beside her.

Her eyes widened.

She immediately leaned closer, frantically checking his body as though she needed proof that he was really there. Her gaze moved over his face, his chest, his hands, searching for any sign that something was wrong until she finally noticed his chest slowly rising and falling.

He was alive.

A shaky breath escaped her. Only then did Yeoreum allow herself to relax.

She quietly studied his sleeping face, taking in every familiar detail as though she were afraid he might disappear the moment she looked away. His skin looked warmer than usual beneath the soft light, his red lips slightly parted as he breathed, and his brown hair had fallen messily across his forehead. He looked peaceful, almost as though the pain from earlier had never happened.

"Hyuck," she whispered.

Her hand slowly rose to his cheek, her thumb brushing gently across his warm skin.

"You're okay."

Her voice trembled as she fought back another wave of tears. The nightmare flashed through her mind again, but she quickly shook the thought away, reminding herself that it had only been a dream. A terrible dream, but nothing more.