By Zephyria “Ah…”
I couldn’t look at Liv Sunbae and bit my lip. If Sung Se-han threw this Gongjin pill away… no, if it was him, he might even trample on it…
“You don’t want to?”
Sung Se-han tilted his head to the side and raised the corners of his lips.
“It’s not that I don’t want to…”
“I see.”
Sung Se-han answered lightly as if it was nothing. And he turned his body and walked away. But unlike the expectation that he would return to the set, he started to go down the stairs.
Liv Sunbae blocked the way, so Sung Se-han’s back was hidden.
“Tae-kyung, what I want to say is…”
“Sunbae, I’m sorry, but I’ll listen to you later.”
I pushed Liv Sunbae away and quickly followed Sung Se-han. I was so clumsy that I made Sung Se-han feel sad. I had always promised to make him happy, but I quickly did this again…
“Sung Se-han!”
I hurriedly ran after Sung Se-han, who was already going down the stairs in the distance.
“Sung Se-han! Wait a minute, ah!”
Before I could even go down two steps, I missed my footing. The moment I slipped absurdly and my body floated in the air, my vision went dark.
I sensed that a strong impact was coming and instinctively curled up my body. At that moment, a firm arm pulled my body in.
I thought the fall stopped for a moment as I hit something. But it was only a fleeting moment, and a dull impact that felt like my organs were shaking continued.
Thud! The noise of the cement stairs bouncing off a person’s body was so terrible. But what was even more terrible than that was that a groan of pain burst out from the firm body that was hugging me.
When the last big impact came, I knew the fall was over.
“……”
Even though I hadn’t been hit much, I couldn’t open my eyes for a while. I was trapped in a firm embrace with my whole body curled up. I absolutely didn’t want to open my eyes.
“Tae-kyung!”
“Sung, Sung Se-han…!”
The silence was brief. Soon, the sound of people’s footsteps, as if the stairs were collapsing, was heard like thunder. Someone was screaming.
Only then did I open my eyes. But I couldn’t see in front of me because of the body completely covering me.
“Call an ambulance quickly!”
“Sung Se-han!”
“What are you doing! Call an ambulance quickly!”
The screams of the people were so loud that my ears were ringing. I was just blinking my eyes when someone grabbed my clothes.
“Hey! Are you hurt?”
“Be careful! Don’t touch Sung Se-han carelessly, just leave him alone for now…”
I didn’t want to be separated from Sung Se-han, but I had no choice but to be grabbed by my clothes and pulled out.
“Be careful! Slowly…!”
Because they were taking me away so slowly, I could see Sung Se-han clearly. Sung Se-han, who had soaked his pink tracksuit with bright red blood.
Sung Se-han, whose pale face was covered in blood.
Sung Se-han, who was lying down as if he were dead.
“Ah…”
I only closed my eyes once and opened them.
Before I knew it, I was in a large room. Looking around, I could see Kang Robin Sunbae leaning against the wall.
And, right in front of me, I could see Sung Se-han’s portrait. Sung Se-han’s portrait, smiling with his pretty eye smile…
“Ah, no…!”
“Tae-kyung!”
Someone put their arm around my shoulder.
“Tae-kyung, what’s wrong? Are you hurt a lot?”
“Ah, let go! Se-han…!”
I pushed away the arm suppressing me and crawled towards Sung Se-han on my hands and knees. But I couldn’t get close to Sung Se-han because of the people blocking my way.
“Se-han, Se-han…!”
I couldn’t shake off the arm hugging me from behind and covered my face with both hands.
No. Se-han, please…!
Hot tears flowed out between my fingers, but I couldn’t even cry out loud. I was so powerless that I couldn’t do anything.
*
“Lee Tae-kyung.”
I couldn’t raise my head even at the sound of someone calling me. I couldn’t answer anything.
Hoo. Kang Robin Sunbae, who sighed, sat down heavily next to me. Kang Robin Sunbae, who had run over while exercising, was wearing a sleeveless T-shirt and training pants.
“Don’t stay here like this, go to the hospital room and rest.”
“It’s okay.”
I lowered my voice as much as possible, afraid my voice would echo in the dimly lit, quiet hallway.
“You need to rest too. Even if the tests show nothing’s wrong, your body must have been strained.”
I didn’t find Kang Robin Sunbae’s words comforting.
Sung Se-han is lying down after getting fifteen stitches on his head and arm because of me. And what did I do that warrants me being told to rest?
“I’m sorry for… hurting Sung Se-han.”
“Lee Tae-kyung, I told you it’s not your fault.”
Kang Robin Sunbae patted my shoulder, so I looked up at him.
“But it is? It’s because of me….”
“The building is old, that’s why. A sharp metal handle was sticking out; if they had replaced it sooner, Se-han wouldn’t have been hurt like that.”
I stared blankly at Kang Robin Sunbae, who looked somewhat weary.
Sunbae, Se-han’s pretty arm was torn before, too. Because of me.
He’s going to have the same scar again because of me, so how can you say it’s not my fault?
“Is Se-han’s head really okay?”
“Yes. The doctor said it’s just a mild concussion, so there shouldn’t be any problems.”
“If there’s no problem, why is he just sleeping like that?”
Kang Robin Sunbae’s face grew serious, and I realized I must have been questioning him too much.
“Se-han hasn’t been sleeping well lately. It’s not so bad for him to get some good sleep this time.”
“I see….”
I had nothing else to say, so I rubbed my training pants and just lowered my head.
“I thought Se-han would become more stable if he got closer to you, but the more he meets you, the less he sleeps and the more he struggles.”
I felt like I could understand Kang Robin Sunbae’s words. Perhaps the more Sung Se-han met the real me, the more vivid his dreams became. Not knowing that it wasn’t a dream but a time we were sharing. He must have woken up with fierce eyes, unable to cope with frustration, anger, and resentment.
Still, he washed away the pain with cold water and endured, pulling himself together like that every morning.
And I, not knowing any of that, was bursting with happiness, thinking the world was shining brightly.
“Lee Tae-kyung, go and rest now. I’ll move you to the same room when Se-han feels better….”
“I’m okay.”
I tried to get up from the chair, but my body wouldn’t cooperate, so I paused to catch my breath.
“Sunbae, Mom is waiting for me. I think I should go home.”
“What?”
Kang Robin Sunbae grabbed my shoulder tightly.
“Go home? No, Lee Tae-kyung…! You’re going home when Se-han hasn’t even woken up yet?”
I opened my mouth to answer Sunbae, but my lips trembled so much that I couldn’t say a word. Actually, I bit my lip hard, afraid that I would start sobbing pathetically if I spoke.
Kang Robin Sunbae looked at me with a dumbfounded expression, but the one who was truly devastated and dumbfounded was me.
Sung Se-han is lying there injured, and I can’t even stay by his side.
I want to keep watching over him until he wakes up, but I can’t believe I don’t deserve to. Even at this moment, I just want to deny reality. But….
Sung Se-han got hurt again because of me.
The torn wound in the same spot was clearly warning me.
That if I didn’t keep my promise, I would see Sung Se-han’s portrait again.
“Ugh…!”
Suddenly, I clutched my chest, feeling a pain as if my heart was being squeezed.
“Lee Tae-kyung! What’s wrong?”
I pushed away Kang Robin Sunbae’s hand supporting my shoulder and stood up.
“I’m okay…!”
My voice came out rough as I gasped for breath, the pain in my chest not subsiding. I unconsciously wiped the sweat from my forehead with the back of my hand and looked around.
“Lee Tae-kyung, you need to go lie down quickly.”
Kang Robin Sunbae jumped up and tried to support me, but I stepped back.
“Sunbae… it might be better for Se-han to be stable even after he wakes up if I’m not there. Since you’re by his side… I’ll go home without worry.”
“No, still….”
“Please take care of Se-han, Sunbae.”
I bowed to Kang Robin Sunbae and turned around. I wanted to look at the door of the ward where Sung Se-han was sleeping one more time, but I didn’t.
I ran away and got on the elevator, finally exhaling the breath I had been holding in.
“Ugh, sob…!”
I collapsed and sat down, tears flowing uncontrollably, so I covered my mouth. I wanted to pull myself together even a little, but the elevator arrived at the parking lot too quickly.
I hurriedly got up, wiped my tears on my training top, and walked out to the parking lot.
“Tae-kyung!”
I slowly raised my head at Mom’s voice. Mom, who had gotten out of the driver’s seat, was running towards me.