Mr. Ex

24. Falling

It's almost impossible to suddenly reduce your speed to zero, but if you don't stop, your skis will hit her and surely injure her. Rena fell sideways with her side first and rolled hard on the snow until she lay motionless. You reflexively change direction to avoid running over her, accidentally throwing your body off the sliding path.

"Holy shit!"

Jeonghan's voice mixed with the screams of other people could be heard from a distance while your body was still rolling down the hill, bumping into chopped tree trunks here and there. Your skis snapped in half, your goggles cracked and the trunk ripped through the fabric of your coat.

"Fuck..!" You cried when your head hits a larger trunk--which you're actually thankful for. If it wasn't for that trunk you would still be rolling now.

Your whole body feels like it has been stepped on by an elephant. Even a gust of wind can make you wince in pain. When you force yourself to take off your goggles, you feel your chest tightened.

"Fuck, that hurts...." You whispered. Once your vision is clear, you lower the mask to inhale as much oxygen as you need.

There are no clouds in the gray sky--that's what you notice when you lie motionless in the snow. Warm liquid dripping down your eyes--definitely not sweats in these freezing temperatures. Your fingertips turn red after you try to wipe them off. Realizing you need to do something to ask for help, you turn your head to your left, only to see how high the sliding path is. After seeing the height you're somewhat amazed at how your body is able to withstand the impact.

Luckily you brought your phone with you. You're also grateful that there was no serious damage and that you still have some battery left. The problem is there is no service.

Not going to lie you start to feel panicked when no sign of help arrives after fifteen minutes have passed. You've tried to stand up on your own, only to fall again.

"Ow, ow, ow..." You cry a little. There must be something wrong with your ankle.

"For God's sake." You put an arm over your eyes, feeling defeated. The only thing you can do while waiting for help is to control your breathing.

At time like this you start questioning your life. Would it be better if you returned to LA after this, would it be better if you chose to run over Rena earlier, or would it be better if you didn't come in the first place. Those thoughts drain the rest of your energy, making your head feel light and lost in the drowsiness that slowly creeps up on you.

"...ake...p!"

"...wake...up!"

"WAKE UP!"

Suddenly, a hand cups your freezing face, the warmth brings you back to your consciousness. Your heavy eyelids opened at the sight of Jeonghan. He looked like a panicked man out of breath. His beanie hat was gone, his messy blond hair damp with the mixture of sweat and the damp air.

Overwhelmed by your wave of relief you instinctively gave him a weak smile.

"Oh thank god...can I sleep now..?" You mutter weakly, the drowsiness isn't gone yet.

"NO." He snarled as he took off his coat to cover your body that starts to turn blue, "Don't fucking sleep. GOSH, you look horrible."

The feeling of panic seemed to make him stronger because he could easily rip the seams of a thick sweater to attach to your bleeding head. Even though it wasn't flowing fast, it was the right decision to stop the bleeding.

"How did you find me here...?" You try your best to stay awake.

"I don't know." Jeonghan was busy rummaging something out of his coat pocket with one hand, "I honestly don't know." He repeated, unable to think straight to find the words.