De Novo

Chapter 20

Yongsun

"H-Hyejin.." Moonbyul stuttered.

Just hearing that name slip out of moonbyul's lips made my whole body numb. It's like I've been slapped multiple times in the face, left and right, yet I can't feel any pain coming from it. I wish what she said wasn't true. I hope she's just lying just like she always does. But no, she said that name loud and clear.. so clear that my eyes watered immediately as hot tears raced down my eyes.

"H-Hyejin? She.. n-no."

My voice cracked and my throat became completely dry. Hyejin's name is the last thing I wanted to hear in this confrontation. She's not someone I expected to betray me, not now, and definitely not ever. She's my friend, my other half, the person I consider my best of best friends. How could she possibly hide these things from me when she knew how much I yearned for moonbyul before?

Moonbyul refused to look me straight in the eyes. She's just watching her hands nervously twitching and biting her lips like a criminal who has been caught doing an immoral act. While I, on the other hand, can't seem to know what to do and how to react. All I know is that my heart is breaking apart and I'm mad at them for lying.

"We met 1 year later after my disappearance. We bumped into each other at the supermarket while I was there finding stuff and she was buying groceries." Moonbyul continued as I listened.

"She told me everything about you, about our daughter.. that you guys are doing good without me, that you didn't need any of my help at all. She was mad at me for abandoning you, and I certainly get her point for being so angry at me. She also said I was considered dead to you, and that I didn't matter to you anymore. That's also the reason why I decided to never come back."

"Yongsun.."

I was dizzy.

I literally am, that I stumbled back and slightly leaned my lower back on the table behind me. My sight is blurry due to my tears and unknown senses inside me. I can feel my breathing disappearing and I don't know if I'll be able to stand straight anymore. I was struggling to keep my thoughts right, and the weirdest thing is that I could hear a voice calling me from somewhere.
Nevertheless, moonbyul continues.

"Hyejin was mad throughout our conversation, but that didn't stop me from giving her my card. I told her I wanted to help you financially. She was hesitant at first, but I convinced her it was for the sake of luna."

"Yongsun?"

At this point, I'm already sitting on one of the chairs behind me as I can't feel my legs any longer. I was facing moonbyul but I was starting to see her figure.. unclear and fuzzy. Is she disappearing.. or I am? I don't know anymore. I just want to go home.

Even in my current state, moonbyul didn't stop herself from explaining.. and her next statement made me even more muddled.

"But what surprised me the most was when she told me what she felt about you.."

"WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT!"

I screamed at the top of my lungs and I don't care if those people that surrounded us were looking at me with their eyes full of judgment. I was beyond mad at her remarks and I don't know if I wanted to believe this idiocy. All she's spouting is nonsense to me. All the things she said were absolutely unimaginable.

"She loves you, yongsun. Hyejin has been in love with you for years."

I covered my ears as a stinging, painful sound reverberated inside my head. It's like all of my senses went numb, my body was impaired and was about to crumble. Moonbyul's voice was nothing compared to the voice calling me from someplace. It was completely reaching into me and the more it resounded inside my head, the more I felt my consciousness fading.

"Yongsun! Oh my God!"

"Can someone call the doctor!"

There it is again.. what is that voice? Who is that person calling me? What the hell does it want? And what doctor are you talking about?! I don't need a doctor. I'm completely good and healthy. What are you trying to prove?

Why are you in my head?

Finally, I slumped on the floor with my hands still covering my ears as the sound inside my head got louder every minute, yet this time, I felt like moonbyul was walking towards my direction with panic. She placed her hands on my shoulders trying to make me stand, and at first, I felt the warmth of her skin radiate.. but as moments passed, it was slowly vanishing.

"Yongsun!"

I heard moonbyul call, but her voice was only a faint sound, as the only thing I vividly heard was the stinging noise on the back of my head.

"Yongsun! Hey!"

She called me again..

Or did she?

It's not moonbyul's voice anymore. I can't hear her calling my name any longer. The one who's been calling me doesn't have a deep, calming voice. It was more masculine, more.. manly? But the strangest thing is.. I think I know who owns this voice.

"Yongsun.."

Darkness.

Someone has been pulling me into darkness.

What is happening?

A beeping sound from a machine echoed around the place as I recovered my consciousness. I tried to move my body, but it felt like something was keeping me out of control. I can only move my fingers and one of my feet. Where the hell am I?

I slowly opened my eyes and adjusted my sight to the brightest room I had ever seen. My eyelids are heavy, so heavy that it took me a whole minute to open my eyes. The fluorescent light above my bed drew my attention first, followed by the person beside me, crying, as if this occurrence were a miracle to witness.

And what made me more confused was when this person caressed my face and talked.
 

"Oh my god. Y-You're finally awake.."

This is the one who has been calling me.

I did my best to clear my eyes.. did my best to adjust my sight to know who this person I was looking at. Its figure is against the light since I've been lying on the bed and this stranger is standing, hovering over me.
And my effort had been paid off when, finally, after a minute of adapting to the bright environment, I now realized who this person was.

With my dry throat, chapped lips, eyebrows furrowed, and voice cracked, I managed to call the name of this person watching me.. waiting for me to talk.

"E-Eric?"
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A/N: Small update just to leave you hanging.