Silver Linings || Seventeen Woozi

˚* ❀ twenty five

Jia's POV

Days turned into weeks, and still, the rift between me and Jihoon remained unhealed, a silent barrier that kept us apart. I couldn't shake the guilt that gnawed in my insides, the knowledge that I had hurt the one person who had shown me kindness and compassion in my darkest hour.

Unable to bear the weight of my guilt any longer, I sought out Jihoon, determined to make amends for my mistake.

I bite my lips knowing I've hurt him so much until he is not himself anymore.

It's been 2 weeks since that incident. He barely talk to me now but he is still a good father to Soomi. It's just that, I feel like we grew out apart slowly.

And that, kills me. It hurts me. Knowing that I have love him too much now, I can't back away now.

I shouldn't have said that the other day. He is sensitive right now, no matter how much he pretends to look stronger infront of me and Soomi, he is suffering inside.

That's it.

I've made up my mind.

If I keep on lying to myself, Jihoon will get more hurt.

I decided to keep him accompany today for his chemotherapy.

I've been busy keeping up with his company with Hoshi and now I make some time to be with him undergoing his chemotherapy.

I stood outside Jihoon's hospital room, my heart heavy with apprehension. With a tentative heart, I knock on his hospital ward's door before turning the doorknob slowly and I see him laying down on his bed quietly.

The hospital room was bathed in a dim, flickering light, casting long shadows across the sterile walls. Jihoon is there lay propped up in bed, his body weak and frail from the relentless onslaught of chemotherapy.

As the minutes stretched into hours, a heavy silence settled over them, broken only by the rhythmic hum of the medical equipment. It was in this hushed stillness that the walls between me and him began to crumble, revealing the truth that had been hidden beneath the surface all along.

I sit by his side, trying to find some strength looking at his current condition. From the corner of my eyes, i can see the dustbin on his left side by the bed.

A pang of sadness pierced my heart at the sight of his discarded hair in the bin reminding me the battle that he is fighting right now.

Was that his hair?

My heart clench in pain for him.

The hospital room felt suffocating, the harsh fluorescent lights casting stark shadows that danced across the sterile walls. I sat by Jihoon's side, my fingers intertwined with his, offering what little comfort I could amidst the relentless battle against his illness.

In the stillness of the room, with only the rhythmic beeping of the machines for company, I felt the weight of unspoken words pressing down on me like a heavy burden. But I knew that I couldn't keep hiding behind the facade of our marriage contract any longer.

"Jia? What are you doing here?"

His words made me comes back into life and look at him. I tuck small strand of my hair behind my ear, leaning slowly towards him.

"Just wanted to see you." I softly murmurs under my breathe.

Silence becomes the music between us. He just stares at me.

"Jihoon," my voice was barely a whisper, barely audible in the dimness of the room. "There's something I need to tell you."

His tired eyes turned to me, filled with a mixture of curiosity and exhaustion. I could see the lines of pain etched into his face, the toll of his illness wearing him down with each passing day. But even amidst the darkness, there was a glimmer of hope in his gaze, a flicker of curiosity at my words.