Tainted

Chapter 13.

Recommended song: Suriel Hess- Late nights and lonely.

After a long and tiring night, the day seemed to drag on. But as the sun started to lose its intensity, its golden rays flooded into the hospital room, transforming the dreary scene into a beautiful sight with sparkling metals and gentle patterns on the walls.

Aunt Hana sat beside Nari, stroking her pale hand lovingly while staring out at the city with swollen eyes. On the other side of the bed, Gwang-il watched Nari's chest rise and fall through heavily hooded eyes. He had been convinced by the nurses to take sedatives after assaulting a doctor who had caused Nari to spasm and sob by rubbing his knuckles against her chest in an attempt to help her regain consciousness. Despite the doctor's good intentions, Gwang-il's only concern was Nari's pain, and he felt compelled to protect her in any way possible.

His eyes remained fixed, heavy blink after heavy blink, even when his mother kissed his cheek with a worried frown. Dong-hyun closed the room door as he saw Gwang-il's parents off to their car, leaving a brief silence between Gwang-il and Aunt Hana.

"Thank you," Aunt Hana whispered, her eyes still fixed on the cityscape outside.

Gwang-il's gaze finally shifted away from Nari's face and trailed up Aunt Hana's arm, settling on the back of her head.

"Thank you?" he mumbled, struggling to stay upright in the chair. "Thank you for making her happy. Happy in a way we couldn't figure out how to do. Happy in life."

Aunt Hana turned to look at the boy, feeling a heavy lump form in her throat as she took in his sunken eyes and cracked lips.

Gwang-il clenched his jaw, a sickening nausea coursing through him as he looked back at Nari. He wanted to scream and destroy everything in sight, but he sat quietly, consumed by guilt as it seeped into every vein of his body, his eyes glazed and vision blurred.

As his eyes focused and unfocused, a single blink and a diamond ran down Gwang-il's porcelain skin, leaving a trail of sparkles in its wake. He was frozen, gawking at Nari's puffed-up eyes, which were staring back at him lovingly. He couldn't help but marvel at the way the light melted onto her skin, reflected in her eyes, and glistened on her lips.

"Nari!" Gwang-il jumped up, startling Aunt Hana. "Nari, are you okay? Are you in pain?" he asked, panicked, his grip on her hand tight as his eyes scanned her face for any sign of distress.

"I'm fine," Nari managed a small smile, giving both Gwang-il and Aunt Hana's hands a weak squeeze.

"I need to get your uncle, he needs to see you. Oh my God, Dongyoun!" Aunt Hana rushed to the door, calling out for her husband in a panicked voice, tears splattering to the ground.

As Aunt Hana left, Nari watched Gwang-il's face contort in a pain she had never seen before. A heart-wrenching wail fell from his lips before he buried his face in the crook of Nari's neck, his tears brushing against her sensitive skin. "Gwang-il," she tried to call out comfortingly, but her own voice broke, shattering any illusion that she was okay.

Nari immediately wrapped her arms around Gwang-il's convulsing body, and he buried his hand in her hair. She winced as he cried out in pain, despite his attempts to muffle the sounds with a pillow. "Don't," she pleaded, feeling his sobs pull her closer as he repeated, "I'm sorry," over and over again.

She stroked his hair and whispered soothing words until his breathing began to steady, and he finally pulled away. His red, puffy eyes looked innocent and vulnerable, and Nari couldn't help but smile at him. "Hi," she greeted him, wiping away his tears with gentle fingers. Gwang-il chuckled softly, returning her smile and brushing a strand of hair from her face before placing a tender kiss on her nose.