As I have nothing to give you, I give you my heart (IU Verse Book#1)

Chapter 25+ Soundtracks pt.2

"Jieun-nah, are you listening?" The CEO of Edam Entertainment said to the young woman as she jerked her head to look at the man. She nodded nonchalantly as she repeated what the CEO had said. "I needed to stay out of Seoul for a while, right?" Bae Jonghan sighed and nodded.

"Do you have any place in mind?"

"I was thinking about phoning Hyori unnie and Sangsoon Oppa and asked to stay with them."

Jonghan nodded. "That's a good idea. You should leave as soon as possible. Tomorrow if you can. You're not safe here in Seoul."

     Jieun emerged from her thoughts and glanced back at Jihyuk's figure, who was lying on the hospital bed. He hadn't woken up ever since the surgery, which was two days ago. The bullet hit his back and went through his ribcage, and because he had lost a lot of blood, the doctors almost couldn't save him. Her face was filled with tears the whole night in the emergency waiting room, and his mother was there too, weeping silently beside her. The two held on to each other without both of them knowing it, just clinging to one another. Jieun refused to leave him, not until his mother had coached her to leave to get some rest. Seri and Hanteo managed to drag her back to her apartment where she cried herself to sleep without Jihyuk by her side like he used to.

     Her eyes snapped back to the present as they blink away the tears that were threatening to spill again. She cleared her throat and closed her eyes, letting out a shaky sigh. Jieun looked at him with pain and guilt written on her expression. He ended up getting hurt again, because of her. This was like deja vu, it was as if she was reliving the time Jihyuk was hospitalized for the first time, all over again. But this time, it was even more painful. Because the feelings that she had towards the male had changed. He was almost a stranger back then; but now, he was someone whom she grew to care for, and eventually, who she grew to have feelings for.

     Her eyes were tired from not having enough sleep, and from crying to take the pain away from seeing Jihyuk like this. 

     She reached out to brush a strand of hair across his face. Looking at his soft features, another stab of pain went through her heart, enough for her to bring a hand on her chest, trying to ease the pain. The more she looked at him, the more pain that she felt.

     She remembered what he had told her all those nights ago when she was lying on his shoulder and he thought that she was asleep.

     "I know you can't hear me right now. But I just wanted you to know that, from now on, whether you are facing loneliness, sadness, or pain, don't cry. If it's okay with you, lean on my shoulder. Some days, it'll hurt more and you'll be even more sad, but I'll stay by your side. Throughout."

     Her hand moved down to brush his forehead, then to his brows. She smiled softly at his unconscious figure. "You came to my life like a dream. And just like a dream, the days I've spent with you were nothing but full of happiness. I want you to see my heart, and find your way to me." She swallowed the thick lump on her throat and continued, "I want to give you all of my heart, and I want you to stay by my side forever."

     She dropped her hand from his face, her head hanging low. "But I can't do that. It's not fair to you."

     She looked back up at him again, and again, she smiled softly at him, her forehead ceased together, as if smiling pained her.

     "Thank you for staying by my side. Because of that, I have a reason to smile. Because of that, I feel warm. And because of that, I was able to have strength. But looking at you right now, full of pain and sorrow that was caused by me, I can't look at you properly without feeling the urge to cry."

     She took a deep breath. "Whether I am facing loneliness, sadness, or pain, what I have is hell."

     "I can't let the darkness engulf you again. You fought off your demons and finally found light. Don't let my darkness consume it." She said softly as she reached out her hand to rest at the side of his face.

     "Thank you for coming into my life and allowing me to fall in love all over again. Goodbye, Lee Jihyuk."

     She watched him sadly as she felt a tear run down her cheek. She didn't bother to wipe it away.

Author's note+ soundtracks:

Hey guys, I know that this chapter is shorter than usual, but I assure you, the next few chapters are going to be longer and it is going to be an emotional roller coaster ride. I am so excited to share more of this story with you. Share your thoughts about this story so far. Do you have any predictions of what will happen in the next chapters? Do you think Jieun is going to leave Jihyuk or vise versa?

Here are the soundtracks that represent the current phase of Jieun's and Jihyuk's relationship. 

Lee Jieun's soundtrack to Lee Jihyuk:

Love Poem - IU 

Sunset - Davichi 

At the end - Chungha 

All with you - Taeyeon

Lee Jihyuk's soundtrack to Lee Jieun:

My love - Lee Hi 

Hello - So Hyang

Lean on me - 10cm