A/N: Is it bothering that i'm posting this much lately?
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Blinking, I open my heavy eyelids as I gradually regain consciousness. Relieved, I realize that I am no longer under Riki's control, but in Sunghoon's house, where I lay wrapped in several warm blankets on the large four-poster bed of my guest room.
For a moment I stare motionless at the ceiling before I dare to let my gaze wander around the room. Sunghoon is not there. Why isn't he by my side? Where is he?
Instead, Teresa sits sleeping at my side. Her head rests on my mattress. Although I feel no pain at the moment, I contort my face as I revisit all the memories of that terrible evening. Sunghoon could have died. I could have died.
Is he haunted by a guilty conscience again, and is that why he doesn't dare face me?
A tear escapes from the corner of my eye and makes its way down my cheek. I immediately wipe it away with the back of my hand and Teresa lifts her head. "You're awake," the middle-aged woman states, a Band-Aid stuck to her forehead. Her brown eyes radiate relief, but at the same time I realize how taken she is.
"How are you?" I ask, pointing to the Band-Aid on her forehead. The images of her lying bleeding and unconscious on the kitchen floor come to mind. "How I am is beside the point," the woman with brown hair waves off. "How are you? Are you in pain?"
I can still feel the throbbing in my temple from the blow of the gun. Also, my wrists are bandaged. I merely shake my head. "Where's Sunghoon?", I want to know instead and try to sit up, but I still feel too weak, so I remain lying down.
"He... is pretty upset," Teresa informs me, but she seems to know as well as I do that Sunghoon avoids being in my presence because he blames himself. I don't want our relationship to be negatively affected by what happened today. That would break my heart.
"I love him," I whisper with tears in my eyes. "I'm sure he loves you too," Teresa tries to convince me. "Then why isn't he here?", I want to know and I can't hide the disappointment I feel.
"I'm here," Sunghoon speaks up, standing in the doorway and looking in my direction. The heart in my chest skips a beat. Our eyes meet and I find it hard to withstand his gaze as pure pain is reflected in his brown eyes.
"I'll leave you to it," Teresa informs us, rising from the chair that stands at the side of my bed. She then leaves the guest room with a final scrutinizing glance in Sunghoon's and my direction.
Silently, Sunghoon still stands there a few feet away from me, looking at me. His eyes grace dark circles and are puffy. Has he been crying?
"Say something," I plead with Sunghoon softly. This unsatisfactory silence is tugging at my nerves. I want to know what's going on in his head.
"I will never be able to forgive myself for what I put you through," Sunghoon continues. His voice seems shaky, but he quickly regains his composure. "I promised to protect you. And I failed..."
"You didn't fail," I immediately retort, bracing myself further with my elbows. "If you had failed, I would be dead now. But I'm alive."
Sunghoon seems to think hard for a moment before sighing and averting his gaze from me to stare at the ground. "I'm scared, Lola. I don't want to lose you... That would kill me," Sunghoon confesses to me quietly. It's rare and unusual to see him from this vulnerable side. But I'm glad Sunghoon is honest with me.
"You won't lose me," I reply, shaking my head. He approaches my bed and sits down on the chair where Teresa sat before. He reaches for my hand and breathes a gentle kiss on the back of it. "I'm sorry for everything I put you through today. You should never have been involved in this," he tells me, massaging the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger.
I think about what Riki told me; that Sunghoon's father and uncle had his family's lives on their consciences. "I have something to ask you," I begin cautiously. Sunghoon lifts his gaze to look me in the eye again. "Did you know that your father and uncle are supposed to have something to do with the death of Riki his family?"
Sunghoon looks at me confused. "What are you talking about?" he inquires of me, his eyebrows drawn together thoughtfully. I tell Sunghoon what Riki told me. Starting with the accusations against his father and uncle, to the revenge plot and the accident Riki orchestrated back then that killed Sunghoon's father while Sunghoon was seriously injured in a coma.
"I didn't know about any of that," Sunghoon assures me in shock, sighing audibly. "But now that you say it, it all even makes sense. Riki wanted revenge for the death of his family." Wanted?
"Where's Riki now?", I ask, confused. Sunghoon lowers his eyes. "Jay shot him. He's dead," he informs me, and I feel a weight lift from my heart. I don't wish death on anyone, but Riki wouldn't have hesitated to kill Sunghoon or me.
"So it's over?", I whisper in a brittle voice. Sunghoon nods. "It's over," he agrees with me, looking visibly relieved. He reaches for my face to wipe away the tears that are making their way down my cheeks with his thumb.
"I love you, Hoonie," I say softly. I've never loved anyone in my life as much as I love Sunghoon. "I love you too, Jagiya," Sunghoon replies softly and breathes a gentle kiss on my lips, which I return with my eyes closed.
Sunghoon lays down in bed with me and pulls me into his arms. I place my head against his chest and listen to his regular breathing and the pounding of his heart until I sink into a deep sleep.
A/N: So our Hoonie here is fr a soft boy after all :-) and i felt soooo bad for using my precious ni-ki as the bad guy...