"Luckily you have come early. So, we can prevent the worst."
The explanation of the male doctor as Sunwoo fixed his shirt back after the treatment somehow brought relief to his breath. He knew the accident was something nobody could predict but hadn't for Soobin's fast action, he also wouldn't know what would have happened to him by now.
"I advise you not to do heavy work." The doctor added that Sunwoo couldn't say anything but agree.
"Thank you." He smiled and slightly bowed as the doctor patted his back before taking his leave.
Moving his neck to both sides as if to stretch his numb limbs, the silence in the room was too loud for him. It was scary to think that he was alone - or actually not. Who knew if any ghosts were roaming around?
"Where is she?" Then only he realized that he hadn't seen Soobin yet since their arrival.
He carefully jumped down the bed, collected his belongings, and left the room into the corridor. His target was the waiting area because where else could someone be other than there if they weren't a patient?
He must say that his prediction was something he should be proud of - though unnecessary because Chae Soobin indeed was there.
She ducked to the floor in a corner, and her face was fully buried between her knees. From a glance, Sunwoo could see the subtle movement of her back as if she was crying. But, why?
Slowly he scooted closer, the sob was now clear to be heard. So Sunwoo ducked as well next to her, arranging something to be said in his head. He had so many to question until he unknowingly had worn frown on his face. He just couldn't understand why she was crying like someone had just died.
"Are you okay?" He asked softly but the amount of shock Soobin consumed was massive. She flinched as she looked up at the speed of lightning, not caring to wipe the damp under her eyes. "Why are you crying this bad?!"
Sunwoo was flustered, he wiped the tears with the back of his hand without thinking.
"A-Are you okay?" She asked, sniffling in the process.
"Mhm... They said I'm fine." He smiled to ease the worry in her chest. But, it wasn't easy because Chae Soobin was hard to convince. "Ayee... It's not like I'm gonna die. Why are you crying?"
At that, Soobin was being pushed down to the deepest level of the ocean where it was dark and hard to back up to the surface. Her chest felt heavy, and oxygen was running down as a memory from the back of her head replayed.
"I'm fine. I'm not gonna die. Don't worry."
She was once convinced without knowing that it was all white lie they poured on her.
"She said the same thing," Soobin said, slowly averting her gaze from the floor to Sunwoo's face. "And she lied."
"Who?"
"My mother."
Sunwoo's shoulder slumped, his sharp gaze softened and a large amount of air released from his system. Diving into the ocean inside her eyes, Sunwoo found out why she stayed here in the corner and bawled her eyes.
But, he won't be questioning. He wouldn't ask her anything to concrete his assumption.
"Give it to me," instead, he held out his palm with a beautiful smile adorning his face. She pondered and did not register what it was about which Sunwoo then sighed. "Your car key. Let's get out of this place and I'll drive."
"But, you're injured."
"Then, do you expect me to let you drive?" He jokingly scoffed. "You can't even see well. Those tears are clouding your vision."
"Hey!"
"Oh, you smiled."
At that, Soobin seemed to realize that she indeed was smiling. Sunwoo had that talent - to make someone spontaneously smile no matter what kind of emotions they were engulfed in.
Though Soobin was grateful to have someone like him by her side, a small part of her felt undeserved. Maybe, she still saw him as a younger boy who befriended her. She didn't see him as a man, so she couldn't open her heart to easily accept him.
Sunwoo drove back to his house. Carefully parked the car in front of his house, he noticed that nobody was home. And he didn't plan to call any of his parents because it would be a fuss to tell them how he was injured.
But, he couldn't let Soobin stay here for too long - though truth be told, he loved the idea so much.
So, he proposed, "Wanna walk around the block?"
She blinked from the passenger seat, and by reflex, her gaze darted to the injury spot.
"Doesn't that hurt?"
"It's fine," Sunwoo might have made an excessive move because the next thing was, he held back the pain as he gritted his teeth.
"Stop pretending!" She sounded angry but there was a faint sound of her voice breaking. "If it's painful, just say it. There is no saying that said male shouldn't have normalized pain."
Sunwoo let an airy scoff escape, and his eyes harshly blinked. This was the part why he preferred his soulmate older than him, they would care for him perfectly. He loved it.
"I'm fine. So, let's go." He beckoned her out of the car. "You want me to open the door for you?"
"No!" Immediately, Soobin pushed the door open and jumped down the car.
"Tch... You and your anti-romantic."
Trailing the sidewalk in silence, the moods were different for both of them. Sunwoo kept smiling as he stole glances at the girl, too ecstatic to be in her presence. However, Soobin had her eyes darted on the ground all the time.
Once in a while, she would sigh as the grip around her bag strap crossed over her body was tightened. It seemed like something was weighing her down.
And it concreted when she slowly lifted her head to look at him. "I'm sorry if I made a fuss."
"Huh?"
"I mean, you might have found me annoying by pressing you to go to the hospital. You might find me overprotective." She scratched her scalp. "I don't mean it."
"I don't say anything about it, do I?" He shrugged with lips protruding. "I assumed you've been through something similar."
Soobin got the hint, she was fully aware of the tactic. The tactic where one would ask her to open up. Normally, she wouldn't tell easily. But somehow, Sunwoo had her full trust in the story.
"My mother died of sickness." She started as she resumed walking. "It was so sudden. Yesterday she was fine and the next day she was hospitalized. I was fed with lies. She said she would be fine but a few months later she left."
The pain in her voice almost made Sunwoo shed his tears as well. He couldn't imagine how painful it was for a little Chae Soobin to endure.
"Your mother..." She paused as she looked up at Sunwoo. "She reminds me of my mother a lot. The way she talks and acts, they are all the same as mine that I remember."
"Soobin..." He extended his hand forward to wipe the unaware tears on her cheek. "I see, you're missing her. Your father gave you a new mother, right? Comes with a free brother, doesn't it enough?"
She chuckled and she laughed. The term was funny but the tears kept dripping. Was she insane?
"You can't expect the same thing from two different demeanors." She remarked as soon as she calmed. "Love is subjective. Every person will have their own way to show it."
"I agree!" He clicked his finger. "And I'm looking forward to how you will show your love."
He smiled and walked ahead, leaving the girl with her thoughts as she watched his back.
"Why do you like me?" She asked and Sunwoo abruptly halted. "I saw many girls trying to get your attention and you definitely, have met many types of girls in those parties you attended. But, why me?"
Sunwoo grinned. He needn't think of the answer because it was always there in his head.
"Because you are you."
"Hmm?"
"Those girls faked themselves to get my attention. But, you let me see the real you. You said no if you don't like my flirt and you grimaced at my sweet actions. You're being honest." Sunwoo took two steps closer to her. "You will always have my respect."
"Oh stop it, Sunwoo." She huffed. "Having your respect like this makes me wonder."
"About what?"
"When and how you will get disappointed in me." Soobin conveyed a message through their shared glance, hoping that 'because you're close to Juyeon' would reach him well.
"Why should I get disappointed?" But Sunwoo was furious. He raised a hand as if he was taking an oath. "I will always believe you. Even if people throw you away and blame you, I will not leave you. I promise."
It wasn't convincing. Instead, it weighted Soobin more. Words surely were easy to say but she never saw the guarantee that action would be the same. She wanted to put all her trust in him in this matter but it scared her.
For, she had fallen into this state because she was killed by her own trust.
"Chae Soobin..." Lovingly, Sunwoo called, "You are a gem and I am the light. Gems need light to shine. I'll make sure you will be shining through me."
That was cringe, Soobin could confirm. But he made it bearable.