I'M (NOT) MARRIED || YUCHAE

TWENTY-SIX

chp. 26

The news of Yuna's accident had spread like wildfire, capturing everyone's attention.

Jaemin, his frustration evident, aggressively ran his fingers through his tousled blond hair while his narrowed eyes fixated on his phone screen.

Jungwon, his lips pursed in concern, shook his head and turned his gaze towards the slumbering girl lying next to their dear friend. "How long has Chaeryeong been here?" he inquired, his voice tinged with worry.

"A whole week," Jeno replied with a heavy sigh, his helpless gaze fixed on the girl in question. "She refuses to leave the hospital."

"What about her job?" Jungwon raised a curious eyebrow, directing his question towards the writer before shifting his attention back to their friend.

"She took time off," Jeno responded, his tone filled with a mix of sympathy and understanding.

Ningning, entering the room with three plastic bags in hand, playfully closed the sliding door with a single finger. "Hey, pork cutlet," she greeted, her tone a blend of affection and light teasing.

Jaemin, his stomach audibly growling, perked up with genuine excitement. "Really? And I thought hospital food was bad," he remarked to himself, rising to his feet.

It had been a week since the accident, and though Yuna had regained consciousness several times, her memory remained fragmented and incomplete. The selective amnesia surrounding the traumatic event left everyone around her desperate for answers and solutions.

As they gathered around Yuna's hospital bed, a mix of emotions washed over Jaemin—relief that their friend was alive, frustration at her memory loss, and a burning determination to unravel the truth behind the accident. He clenched his fists, his knuckles turning white, as he glanced at the news articles on his phone once again.

"There are theories suggesting it was a hit-and-run case," he sighed, slowly releasing his grip and relaxing his phone. "But what if it's déjà vu all over again?"

Jeno, deep in thought, inquired, "What do you mean? Like, the rain causing the road to become slippery and the car skidding off?"

"I don't know about that," Jaemin replied, contemplating the possibility. "But maybe Yuna would have parked somewhere to calm herself down, right?"

Ningning, munching on a pork cutlet, quirked a suspicious brow. "What if it really was a hit-and-run case?"

Jungwon, standing up from his chair, sighed, expressing his concerns. "If that's the case, what are we supposed to do?"

Jaemin hummed, his gaze fixed on the sleeping model lying on the bed. "We'll have to wait for Yuna's explanation."

They continued to discuss the accident, delving into various scenarios and potential explanations for how Yuna ended up in such a predicament.

Meanwhile, Chaeryeong's sleep was disturbed by the voices surrounding her, causing her to stir. Eventually, she woke up, her hand instinctively tightening around Yuna's, seeking reassurance that she was still there.

Despite her short periods of rest, exhaustion weighed heavily on Chaeryeong, dampening her usual cheerful demeanor.

The guilt she carried for not knowing about Yuna's aversion to rain and the memories it evoked burdened her. If only she had been aware before the accident, perhaps she could have prevented it, sparing Yuna from lying in a hospital bed with wires attached to her body and a cast on her arm.