Recommended song: Suriel Hess- Late nights and lonely.
After a long and tiring night, the day seemed to drag on. But as the sun started to lose its intensity, its golden rays flooded into the hospital room, transforming the dreary scene into a beautiful sight with sparkling metals and gentle patterns on the walls.
Aunt Hana sat beside Nari, stroking her pale hand lovingly while staring out at the city with swollen eyes. On the other side of the bed, Gwang-il watched Nari's chest rise and fall through heavily hooded eyes. He had been convinced by the nurses to take sedatives after assaulting a doctor who had caused Nari to spasm and sob by rubbing his knuckles against her chest in an attempt to help her regain consciousness. Despite the doctor's good intentions, Gwang-il's only concern was Nari's pain, and he felt compelled to protect her in any way possible.
His eyes remained fixed, heavy blink after heavy blink, even when his mother kissed his cheek with a worried frown. Dong-hyun closed the room door as he saw Gwang-il's parents off to their car, leaving a brief silence between Gwang-il and Aunt Hana.
"Thank you," Aunt Hana whispered, her eyes still fixed on the cityscape outside.
Gwang-il's gaze finally shifted away from Nari's face and trailed up Aunt Hana's arm, settling on the back of her head.
"Thank you?" he mumbled, struggling to stay upright in the chair. "Thank you for making her happy. Happy in a way we couldn't figure out how to do. Happy in life."
Aunt Hana turned to look at the boy, feeling a heavy lump form in her throat as she took in his sunken eyes and cracked lips.
Gwang-il clenched his jaw, a sickening nausea coursing through him as he looked back at Nari. He wanted to scream and destroy everything in sight, but he sat quietly, consumed by guilt as it seeped into every vein of his body, his eyes glazed and vision blurred.
As his eyes focused and unfocused, a single blink and a diamond ran down Gwang-il's porcelain skin, leaving a trail of sparkles in its wake. He was frozen, gawking at Nari's puffed-up eyes, which were staring back at him lovingly. He couldn't help but marvel at the way the light melted onto her skin, reflected in her eyes, and glistened on her lips.
"Nari!" Gwang-il jumped up, startling Aunt Hana. "Nari, are you okay? Are you in pain?" he asked, panicked, his grip on her hand tight as his eyes scanned her face for any sign of distress.
"I'm fine," Nari managed a small smile, giving both Gwang-il and Aunt Hana's hands a weak squeeze.
"I need to get your uncle, he needs to see you. Oh my God, Dongyoun!" Aunt Hana rushed to the door, calling out for her husband in a panicked voice, tears splattering to the ground.
As Aunt Hana left, Nari watched Gwang-il's face contort in a pain she had never seen before. A heart-wrenching wail fell from his lips before he buried his face in the crook of Nari's neck, his tears brushing against her sensitive skin. "Gwang-il," she tried to call out comfortingly, but her own voice broke, shattering any illusion that she was okay.
Nari immediately wrapped her arms around Gwang-il's convulsing body, and he buried his hand in her hair. She winced as he cried out in pain, despite his attempts to muffle the sounds with a pillow. "Don't," she pleaded, feeling his sobs pull her closer as he repeated, "I'm sorry," over and over again.
She stroked his hair and whispered soothing words until his breathing began to steady, and he finally pulled away. His red, puffy eyes looked innocent and vulnerable, and Nari couldn't help but smile at him. "Hi," she greeted him, wiping away his tears with gentle fingers. Gwang-il chuckled softly, returning her smile and brushing a strand of hair from her face before placing a tender kiss on her nose.
No one had ever seen Gwang-il like this before, with his swollen lips, watery eyes, and red nose. Nari was the first and only person to witness this vulnerable side of him, but she was also the one who appreciated and protected him the most. She knew how to handle him when he was fragile and how to appreciate him when he was himself.
Their journey had come full circle. Gwang-il had believed he was chipping away at Nari's cold exterior, but little did he know that she was doing the same to him, gently peeling away his scars until the real, raw truth was revealed.
Suddenly, Uncle Dong-hyun burst into the room, followed by a group of nurses rushing to attend to Nari. Gwang-il stood up stiffly, shoving his hand into his pocket and turning away from the commotion to walk over to the basin and wash his face.
-
Recommended song: Chelsea Cutler- Sometimes
As Nam-il's phone vibrated, he excused himself from the room to take the call. Meanwhile, Nari savored another big bite of her pudding, while Ye-won gently rubbed her foot at the edge of the bed. Aunt Hana and Uncle Hyun sat on the right side of the bed, while Gwang-il sat on the left.
"Do you really not remember anything, Sweetie?" Ye-won asked softly.
Nari paused to think before answering, "Nothing important, just a few little details. Like the smell of the dirt and the light from Gwang-il's car," she said, frowning slightly. She comforted herself with another bite of pudding before her eyes darted around the room, feeling overwhelmed by the love and support from her family. A small smile spread across her face as she scooped up the last bit of pudding from the container and wiggled her toes in joy.
"Thank you all for being here, it means a lot," Nari whispered, feeling a bit shy about expressing her gratitude so her eyes averted every eye staring at her, but she couldn't help but share how grateful she felt.
Nam-il burst back into the room, his phone tightly clenched and sweat dampening his brow. Ye-won turned to her husband with a worried frown, immediately noticing his trembling demeanor. Dong-hyun, who had worked with Nam-il for nearly half his life, sensed that something serious was amiss. "What's wrong?" Uncle Hyun demanded, his body rigid with tension and his mind racing.
"It's your sister," Nam-il muttered, his voice strained. "She was caught trying to cross the border with her husband."
Dong-hyun's hand flew up to massage his forehead as he stared into space. "What does this mean? What do we do?" Aunt Hana's grip on Nari's hand grew more panicked as she asked the question. When there was no answer, Ye-won cried out her husband's name.
"They're going to come for us," Dong-hyun said, rushing to the door and scanning the hospital hallways. "One traitor makes the whole family traitors." Paranoia and worry began to set in as he slid the door closed and walked back into the room. Nam-il fidgeted with his hands and grabbed Uncle Hyun's shoulder, forcing him to look at him. "I have a boat for you."
"A boat? What are we going to do with a boat?" Hana sniffled.
"We're going to the South," Dong-hyun whispered, his eyes still fixed on Nam-il. The realization that it was their only option quickly set in.
"The South? They'll kill us if they catch us!" Hana cried.
"Hana, they're going to kill us either way!" Dong-hyun finally snapped out of his trance.
Nari watched as her uncle's fierce eyes darted around the room before landing on Gwang-il. She saw him watching his father pace around the room, his jaw clenching every so often. Eventually, Gwang-il turned to face Nari. She felt a searing pain in her chest as she saw the lack of hope in his eyes. They looked the same as the day he met her: dull, dark, and lifeless. He had given his soul to her, and now he was going to let her run away with it. "Gwang-il..." Nari reached out her hand, wanting to touch his pale face and bring back some remnant of him.
"Nari, can you walk?" Uncle Hyun asked urgently as he yanked the warm blankets from her body.
"Y-yes," Nari lied, unsure of what she was capable of. Uncle Hyun quickly removed all the IVs from Nari's arm, leaving a small sting behind. Nam-il rushed Ye-won and Hana down to the parking lot.
"You're bleeding," Gwang-il whispered, running his fingers over the small blobs of blood where the IV needles had been.
"It's okay," Nari hummed, but his eyes stayed fixated on her arm. "I'm okay." She placed a warm hand on his cheek, gently moving his face to look her in the eyes. The moment she saw those lifeless eyes, her heart shattered. "Hey, I'm okay."
Nari felt Gwang-il flex his jaw muscles under her palm, finally snapping himself into some kind of consciousness. He scooped Nari from her bed, earning a tiny yelp from her as she wrapped her arms around his neck. The three of them rushed to follow behind Nam-il's footsteps, brushing off the nurse's protests. Nam-il would be back to pay them off later.
-
The sound of screeching tires echoed across the slippery docks as the sun set, casting orange and purple hues across the reflecting puddles. Ship engines roared beneath the stuffy blanket of water, and small waves brushed against the pillars. This was the place where Gwang-ill fell in love, and the technique that unbroken Nari. It was here that two souls became one, and it was here that two souls would be torn apart.
"He's going to take you straight to the South, and I'll have someone waiting for you there," Dong-hyun said, nodding before turning to Nam-il. "Thank you," he whispered, saying a final goodbye to a brother. Aunt Hana patted her tears dry before wiping away Ye-won's tears. "We would come, but...," Ye-won hiccuped, "I know, I know. Your mother, your sister. You can't leave them. Just promise me you'll be safe." Ye-won chuckled, "You're the ones that need to be safe."
As Uncle Hyun helped Aunt Hana onto the boat, a purple hue soaked Nari's skin. She turned to Gwang-il and whispered, "When I see you again, I'm going to buy you some strawberry milk? Soon okay?" A small, almost unnoticeable smile tugged at Gwang-il's plump lips. His hand slowly tangled itself into her hair, his pupils trembling as he fought to keep his composure. He lowered his head until his cracked lips rubbed against the shell of Nari's small ears. "I love you, Baek Nari."
PART 3 COMING SOON.