Ethereal love ➳ Mark Lee

➳32

With every day passing, hope was fading

"You may see him now." The doctor bowed and you didn't even hear the rest, you ran to his room, praying he was okay.
Yet what you saw tore your heart in two.

"Oh my god." Your breathed out. There on the hospital bed was Mark Lee, in a state of coma.
You had heard about coma's and how the patient could hear you.

"Uh, Hey Mark how's it going- who am I kidding." You sat yourself down in the chair next to the bed.
"Can you actually hear me?" You whispered to yourselves, scanning over him.

It seemed as though he had been shot at his abdomen and in the corner of you eye you could see a white t-shirt, now stained red, stuffed into a black bag.
He layed unmoving, you didn't know what to do or say.
"Hey," you started.
"They said you were lucky to have survived and I just- I don't know man." There was a silence, the room felt empty, you felt alone.

"Jaemin and Jeno are safe, they're being treated now." Hesitantly, you extended your hand and brushed the hair out of his eyes.
"You did good today Mark, you did good." You raked through his hair, listening to the heart monitor beeping.
"Sick tune you got going, when you wake up I'll rap for you, I have many talents."

You drop your hands with a sigh and instead grabbed his big hands in your small ones.
"My hands are so small." You compared.
Resting your head on your arm, you peered up at him.
"Do you remember how we met?" Your soft voice lulling him to a place of calamity, yet you didn't realise.

He could hear you, he could hear everything and yet he was useless. He couldn't do anything.
Other than just listen.

"Wasn't the way I wanted to meet my best friend I'm not going to lie." You laughed.
"Yes I said it, you're my best friend Mark, go ahead and make fun of me."
You watched his face, waiting for a change to happen.
"You saved my life Mark, I wish I could have done the same."

"Do you think she's okay?" Donghyuck asked, looking down at you grasping Mark's hand, deep in a slumber.
"I hope so, i think all of us are still in shock." Reika, gripped onto her boyfriends arm, peering at the two.

"Should we move her?"

"Leave her, it's okay." A voice interjected, Taeyong stepping into the room. The couple decided to leave the room, Taeyong taking a seat on the other side of Mark.

"Hey mate, you took quite a hit hey? Don't worry about us, you focus on recovering because that's all that matters." Taeyong's eyes trailed to you, unaware you were awake and listening.
"You've got a girl here waiting for you bro, don't make her wait too long; you both need each other."

➳

"Hey we need to talk." The familiar voice, pulled you from being deep into the book you were reading.
"Hyeri?" You sat up straighter and was shocked at her appearance.
"Let's talk outside."
You glanced at Mark, then you placed the book down and followed your aunt outside.
Reaching her, you looked at her expectantly, waiting to hear what she had to say.

"Taeil told me everything. About the gang and about Mark getting shot."

"Hyeri I can ex-"

"Areum, why didn't you tell me? These people are gang members, they aren't the people you should be hanging out with. You could get hurt."

You felt your frustration, anger and sadness bubbling up.
The lack of sleep and stress plagued your mind.

"So what? What if I get hurt, who gives a damn! Certainly not my so called 'family'."

"Areum-"

"No, I'm so tired of it. I'm tired of it all.
I know why Mum left, and dad dumped me onto you."
Hyeri didn't say anything, she just looked down at her feet reliving the memory.

➳
The sound of the doorbell ringing stopped a 20 year old Hyeri from her studies.
Not expecting anyone, she opened the door, only to be met with her brother in law and her 15 year old niece.
"Hey-"
"Take her."
"What?"
"Areum go to the other room."
Confused, the girl obeyed and left the hallway.
"What is this about?" Hyeri asked in confusion.
"I can't have her anymore, you take her-"
"What why I don't understa-"
"She's not mine."
"What?"
"Your stupid slut of a sister cheated on me."
"Where is she? What did you do?"
"I didn't do anything, she's the one who booked her fucking plane tickets and left. I don't want that child anywhere near me."
With that he closed the door behind him, both parents abandoning the 15 year old, leaving her with her aunt who had just become an adult.

➳

"I heard everything that day, I pretended not to though. My mum doesn't even care, a phone call once every few months and money in the posts and then a wedding invitation?"

Hyeri sighed and nodded along with you.
"I know. I was going to tell you this later but, she's coming back.

With your biological father."

"What?" You breathed out in disbelief.

"She's marrying your biological father."