"Don't ever think that everyone who leaves wants to."
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A hyperventilating doctor came into vision as soon as we entered Jaehyun's ward in the city hospital of Seoul, where Jaehyun had been admitted.
"Sunghoon—" Taehee, along with a fairly lean man on her heels, came running towards us as soon as we made our appearance in the corner of the lobby. Her eyes widened incredibly at my sight, probably shocked. All the while, I seriously had no energy to land a few karate punches at her for being the reason my boyfriend cheated on me.
She breathed in my irritated expression, gripping the situation more firmly, "Please follow," She bowed a little before she led the way.
The other guy, who had accompanied her, looked terribly troubled even after having his expression masked. He gave Sunghoon a short nod and I couldn't help but think back if the pair knew each other already.
Well, it wasn't even that of an impossible case after it turned out that Taehee and Sunghoon knew each other. A feeling of betrayal had almost immediately dawned upon me, but I had more trivial matters in hand to care about other stupid things.
"Dr. Sim here," She briefly motioned towards the guy, "Will carry on the procedures for filling in Jaehyun's hospital papers."
"What is happening?" I gripped Sunghoon's wrist, "Please, I'm so confused," My voice laced with desperation to get a clearer view of things around me made Sunghoon drown a little more into the pool of guilt.
"Come," Sunghoon gently took my hand off his wrist, and his large one gripped mine tightly. Taehee's eyes immediately flickered at the sight, at the softness he had for the other woman, his touch delicate and movements precise, "Jake, please lead the way." He beckoned Dr. Sim to lead the way to Jaehyun's ward.
The said doctor immediately nodded, passing a quick look of apprehension to Taehee, whom I assumed to be another doctor here, before we started walking further into the lobby of the clean hospital.
Even though the said place was clean, there was still a lingering smell of medicines, making me scrunch my nose, an awful reminder as to why I hated hospitals.
"He's asleep." Dr. Sim spoke before gently pushing open the door. My breath was instantly punched out of my lungs as I saw his pale body buried inside the sheets, numerous machines connecting his nasal passage, drip inserted near his wrist and the machines gave out regular beeps.
A whimper was suppressed as I shook off Sunghoon's grip from my wrist, making my way towards Jaehyun. Tears prickled my waterline, remembering how I had slapped him not too long ago.
I crept my hand forwards, biting my lower lip in order to stay strong. His hand was cold. It didn't have the warmth like always, it looked pale and lifeless, even though he was breathing peacefully.
Sunghoon watched me entwine my hand with Jaehyun's larger one, a whole tsunami on emotions wanting to break free from his system. He looked away, not in jealousy, but in guilt. It was all too painful for him than it was for anyone else.
Jealousy wasn't even an option here. He didn't deserve to be jealous after what he had done.
He had drowned every bit of his senses in friendship. He had drowned himself in guilt the moment he had given into Jaehyun's little act of making Areum hate him. But did anyone look at it from his perspective? The glossy eyes of Wu Jaehyun, begging him to keep the truth inside, his words coming as whimpers, broken and desperate, it wasn't easy for him.
Life was never an easy one for Park Sunghoon.
"Sign here.." Jaeyun passed a paper file towards Sunghoon, his eyes examining my every movement, "She's the one?" He whispered to Sunghoon, who did nothing but reply with a short, firm nod before scratching his signature over the crisp paper.
He was about to hand the file back to Jaeyun before it was snatched away from his grip. He looked up in shock, finding Areum flip through the pages of Jaehyun's hospital folder.
"Areum, no—" He exclaimed in fright, but I was quick to pass him a glare, shutting his system down and drowning every last bit of protest inside him.
"Blood clotting?" I read out aloud, looking up in disbelief, "What is happening?" I panicked, "What is all this?" I asked again, going as far as raising my voice a little, "Will he be okay?"
"Maybe," His firm voice came out as the three of us snapped our heads towards the now awake patient, "It's just a tissue damage."
Stab. The words came out icy and cold, pickled with distaste from his mouth as if my presence were to be a mere bother to him, but wasn't I supposed to feel that? Wasn't I supposed to have a upper hand in us?
"Why didn't you tell me—"
"Would doing so stop you from slapping me the other night?" He looked sharply in my eye, his aura so bitter as if he wasn't laying lifeless on the bedsheets minutes ago.
"Jaehyun, stop this—" Sunghoon intervened, pleading the younger to stop with his act. Areum was still too dense to notice, it would only end up messing up things beyond extent.
"I slapped you because you cheated on me—" I yelled, tears now prominent in my eyes, "This has got nothing to do with your health!"
"Do something," Jaeyun hissed into Sunghoon's ear, wanting the man to put his worries into play, "Before it gets out of hand."
"Areum—"
"You were in on this, weren't you?" I turned towards Sunghoon, whose eyes grew big by every passing second. He looked down at my accusing finger pointed at him, jabbing at his chest.
He couldn't speak anything now. Not when she was overpowering him, not when he peeked at her teary eyes. Tears that had formed because of him.
"All men are liars," I hissed when I got nothing but silence as a response, "You never fucking cared about my feelings, did you?"
Sunghoon looked up in pure surprise, immediately shaking his head, earning a scoff from me.
"My feelings aren't a toy." I whispered to Sunghoon before turning on my heels, not wanting to look at his beautiful face morph in pure sorrow.
It was a lie. Whatever she said was all a lie. They two cared for her too much for themselves to even know.
Jaehyun finally got what what he wanted. But at the cost of what? Sunghoon and Areum's bond was no more. He didn't want things to turn out this way, he wanted her to find warmth in his friend's embrace. He didn't want her to detach herself from both of them.
He got what his mind wanted, not what his heart wanted.
Soaked in guilt, Jaehyun didn't interpret what she just said. But Sunghoon did.
A light he dreaded to see was finally visible to him, but fortune was tragic, he couldn't reach it and embrace it.
Areum had finally reciprocated his feelings, and look how lovely gift of betrayal he gave her.