" From dawn to morning
Yeah "
Junghwan spotted the group returning to the van and he immediately put the laptop down to check up on them. When he saw Jeongwoo's state, the teenager gasped loudly.
"What happened?!" He asked as he helped Haruto to carry Jeongwoo into the van.
Danny and Kyle came out as well, explaining how they found Junghwan and that they were the ones who helped to deploy the military's drones.
"We'll explain later. Jeongwoo's life is in danger, we need to send him to the nearest hospital ASAP." Mashiho told them urgently, motioning to Jihoon to get the van started.
As they headed off, Shotaro and his team were spying on them from a distance.
"Sir, what should we do now? Yoon Jaehyuk is too powerful now that he has that humanoid robot in his hands." An agent named Yuta pointed out.
"I know. We've underestimated the guy. Let's head back first, I'll contact Agent Takata afterwards." Shotaro replied before taking his leave.
~
"Park's wounds are quite deep and he lost a lot of blood during the process. We'll continue to monitor his vital signs for now in the ICU, so I'll let you know about his condition again." The surgeon explained to the group as they waited outside the ICU.
"Will he be alright?" Jihoon questioned anxiously.
The surgeon blinked his eyes and nodded his head curtly. "We will do our very best to recuperate him."
Jihoon thanked him before holding onto Haruto, who looked extremely traumatized. He had failed to protect his friend, and he couldn't forgive himself for that.
"Jeongwoo will get better, Ruto. Don't worry too much." Yoshi tried to comfort him, but pushed his hand away.
"What about Yuna? Are we really letting her marry that psychopath?" Kyle asked.
"We had no choice! Jaehyuk would've let my brother die right there if she didn't agree, and probably have the rest of us killed too!" Jihoon exclaimed in frustration. "She's just gonna have to become the wife of that nutcase."
Doyoung shook his head. "No, I'm not letting my cousin lose against Jaehyuk! We have to do something!"
Everyone stared at him, speechless. Attempt after attempt, they had failed. Jaehyuk was almost impossible to defeat, if only Asahi were on their side, there could still be hope, but now it seemed like there was none left for them.
"You all are injured and need a break." Junghwan huffed. "Get some rest first."
~
Yuna followed Jaehyuk out of the office, with Noa out of sight upon Jaehyuk's request to give them some privacy. They came to a stop at the lobby, with Jaehyuk turning around to smile at Yuna.
"You're going to be my bride, Yuna. Why do you look so depressed?"
She couldn't stand seeing his face, so she looked away.
"Enough, Jaehyuk. I'm only doing this for my friends. If I didn't say yes, you would've had them all massacred!"
Cracking up, Jaehyuk clapped his hands.
"Of course. You made the right choice not to shoot that gun at me. What would you gain from killing me anyway? Your parents have passed, Arthur is dead and even Junkyu is gone. Not to mention, Asahi doesn't even know who the hell you are. You only have me now, to love you."
You're wrong, Jaehyuk! I still have my cousin Doyoung, my friends, Jihoon, Yoshi, Mashiho, Haruto, Jeongwoo and Junghwan by my side. I'm not alone, and I never was!
Yuna held back all those words and instead, pretended to look as if she became convinced by his words, nodding her head obediently. She needed to find a way to leave this place, in time for her to escape this marriage.
Flashback
"Close your eyes." Arthur whispered in her ear.
Yuna excitedly did as she was told and waited eagerly for the surprise.
"Okay, you can open them!"
Opening her eyes slowly, Yuna covered her mouth in shock when she saw what was surrounding her. It was a sky full of stars, at the top of a hill that they had been hiking at for almost an hour.
"This is my secret hideout." Arthur explained as he held her hand. "I used to run away from the orphanage and climbed up this hill so that I wouldn't have to wash the dishes."
Giggling, Yuna lightly tapped Arthur's nose.
"It sounds like you were a very cheeky boy!"
Embarrassed by her comment, Arthur chuckled awkwardly and brushed his bangs aside.
"I was. There was once, I sneaked out of the bedrooms in the middle of the night and headed back here, awestruck by the beauty of the scenery. This just made me feel like home, as if there is someone watching over me and loving me. It made me realize... I'm not alone." He told her.
Moved by Arthur's story, Yuna started tearing up. He was the most genuine person she had ever met, and knowing how lonely and painful his childhood must have been as an orphan without a family, she could understand, since she didn't have a mother growing up either. Arthur made her love and appreciate life more, especially her father.
"And now, I'm sharing this place with you, Yuna. Whenever you come here, I want you to think of me and remember only the happy memories. Forget the past and move on."
Nodding her head, Yuna pressed her head against Arthur's chest, hugging him tightly. Those ominous words didn't seem to take any effect then, but it started to make more sense now after all that has happened.
Yuna came back to reality once more as the memory faded away. Where was that hill that Arthur brought her to? She shook away the thoughts, refusing to think about them. These memories of Arthur were coming back frequently, could it be a sign that she was recovering and may soon recall everything?
Asahi suddenly appeared next to them. He was now dressed in a black suit, with his hair gelled back and looking very prim and proper, juxtaposing from the Asahi earlier. Jaehyuk is messing with the personality folders again, Yuna thought angrily to herself.
"Now, I have some important errands to run in preparations for the wedding ceremony here so my assistant, Asahi, will take you to the planning room for you to pick out your bridal outfits. I'll see you later." Jaehyuk leaned forward and pecked a kiss on Yuna's cheek, much to her disgust, before walking off.
Motioning for her to follow him, Yuna walked side by side with Asahi warily. There was an awkward silence surrounding them. At one moment, Yuna wanted to scream and yell at Asahi for what had happened earlier, but on the other hand, she knew it wasn't his fault and still loved him deeply.
"I have prepared a series of bridal gowns for you to select. Once you have made your choice, please inform me immediately." Asahi told Yuna, handing her an iPad.
She bit her lip and took it from him. Staring into his blank eyes, she wondered: Does he still remember me? Was this what her father had to go through after the accident, when she lost all her memories? Yuna finally understood the enormous pain that he had when he knew his loved one was in this state.
"Asahi..." Yuna took his hand and squeezed it tightly. "I know, you no longer love me, because all of the memories we created together are gone. The folder has been deleted, and there is no turning back. Dad said that the only flaw in this invention was that the humanoid cannot possess feelings, but you are proof that humanoids do have a heart. Maybe the real flaw is that these feelings cannot be permanently stored somewhere. One day, you were just a gentle and loving person, and at the next moment you're trying to kill everyone else. Throughout the past few months, I never had the chance to tell you how much I love you. Now, I just want to say... Even though you will probably forget this once Jaehyuk reboots you again, I love you, and I'm... sorry for marrying Jaehyuk instead of you. I hope you'll forgive me for this, but I'm only marrying him to save my friends, and us."
Leaning forward, Yuna closed her eyes and pressed her lips on Asahi's, kissing him softly. Asahi didn't seem to move, and in fact, Yuna felt as if he was kissing her back. She cupped his cheeks and looked into his eyes.
"'Sahi..." She murmured, feeling hopeful that he might have actually remembered her.
Unfortunately, the moment didn't last long. Asahi suddenly widened his eyes and in a jiffy, dashed out of the room without a word. Yuna rushed out to look for him, but the robot had already vanished.
To Be Continued...
hey guys if y'all have instagram feel free to follow @/princehaenami :D abby (where did she go anyway 😭 ) recommended that i create a writer's account but i probably won't use it for now :p if y'all want a follow back, dm me there with your wattpad username first!
also, we are almost at the end of 'be with me' and i just wanna thank y'all again for the support especially to kay because she is always so sweet and kind in the comments and never failed to make my day! shoutout to you, bestie!! kayinthehouse_ ❤️