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Even though the person was badly injured, his so-called friend appeared to be completely relaxed. His languid eyes even made him look somewhat like a drunkard.
“You’ve been saying lately you’re feeling like crap, and now this happens. Figures.”
The friend chuckled softly. How could he laugh at a time like this? Hyun-soo couldn’t believe what she was seeing.
“Are you laughing?”
“Huh?”
“He’s in this state, and you didn’t take him to the hospital? What have you been doing all this time?”
Hyun-soo’s sharp, high-pitched voice caused her friend’s previously relaxed expression to harden.
“And what about you?”
Suddenly, another voice came from behind.
“Why are you just getting here now?”
Soon after, the sound of crunching glass echoed as a tall figure stood beside Hyun-soo. When she recognized the owner of the voice, she immediately felt her heart sink.
“Did you think we didn’t try?”
It was Joonwoo, the one who had called Hyun-soo directly.
“If you were so worried, why didn’t you come earlier? What were you doing that made you so slow...”
Joonwoo crouched down to meet Hyun-soo’s gaze and laughed as if finding her words absurd.
“You sure got here fast. Right?”
This time, it was Hyun-soo who glared at him. But Joonwoo ignored her and jerked his chin toward Han, implying, “Since you’re here now, deal with Yoonhan yourself.”
Hyun-soo gritted her teeth, trying to suppress her anger, and looked down at Han. His pale face suggested he hadn’t fully lost consciousness, but he was smiling faintly.
Surprised, Hyun-soo brushed back his sweat-soaked bangs, and Han’s eyes fluttered open slightly. However, they quickly went out of focus, unable to distinguish objects or people clearly. She wiped away the cold sweat dripping endlessly from Han’s forehead with her sleeve, just as blood continued to seep from various wounds.
“If I’d been too late, you should’ve called 911. How could you let someone get like this...”
“We couldn’t call anyone.”
“What?”
“We couldn’t make the call.”
When Hyun-soo looked up at Joonwoo, his serious expression confirmed that he wasn’t joking.
“Why?”
Why couldn’t they call for help? It was around then that Hyun-soo began to notice the strange atmosphere. Despite the severe injury, no one seemed surprised or panicked. Everyone around was either sitting or lying down, their demeanor unsettling.
Han’s friends sprawled across the large sofa had peculiar expressions on their faces—some excessively happy, others seemingly drowning in despair, their emotions swinging between extremes.
Some had closed their eyes entirely, while others stared blankly with unfocused pupils, looking dazed and out of it.
Hyun-soo’s lips trembled as an instinctive realization hit her.
“Don’t tell me... did you guys take drugs?”
Even as she spoke, Hyun-soo desperately hoped this assumption was wrong. She didn’t want to see Han pushed to the edge like this.
“That bastard Han didn’t do it. He drank himself into this mess.”
“So, what about you guys...?”
“That’s none of your business.”
“Hah.”
A bitter laugh escaped her. Hyun-soo simply nodded at Joonwoo’s curt response.
“Fine. You’re right. It’s not my problem.”
“...”
“Alright, just help me out. We’re taking him to the hospital.”
“As I said, we can’t call anyone else here...”
“The driver is waiting downstairs. I’ll ask him for help, but first, bring him to the room entrance. Bring something to clean him up with.”
“You heard me.”
Though Joonwoo directed the command at her, he passed the task off to another friend standing nearby. Hyun-soo shot him a glare before turning her attention back to Han. By now, Han’s eyes were closed again, and cold sweat drenched his face and body.
“Han, wake up. Can you hear me? Han.”
Carefully patting his cheek, Hyun-soo contacted Driver Park. Not long after, he picked up the phone. Her voice shook as she spoke.
“Driver Park, it’s me. Something’s come up. Please come upstairs.”
Han was rushed to a nearby hospital and treated quickly. Though there was concern about the severity of his injuries due to the amount of blood loss, fortunately, apart from a few areas requiring stitches, no major complications arose.
Relieved that things hadn’t escalated to surgery or a blood transfusion, Hyun-soo finally exhaled. Secretly blaming herself for possibly missing the golden hour, she couldn’t help but offer fervent thanks to a God she didn’t believe in.
After checking Han’s face to ensure nothing was amiss, Hyun-soo quietly stepped out into the living room. True to the VIP ward’s private suite, the attached living area was spacious and comfortable.
Glancing around the environment, which rivaled even a decent studio apartment, Hyun-soo retrieved her phone from the guardian’s bedroom and sat on the couch. She checked the text message that had arrived while she was busy.
“I’ll head over as soon as I’m done with work.”
The sender was Guk. On a business trip to Samjeong Resort, he couldn’t rush to the hospital immediately. Even if he hurried, he wouldn’t arrive until tomorrow at the earliest.
After a brief moment of hesitation over whether to reply, she turned off the screen. If she told him she was alone with Han, he’d only worry more.
Fatigue suddenly washed over Hyun-soo, and she pressed her heavy eyelids firmly.
“...”
It seemed she’d have to spend the night here.
Unsure of how Han would react, she hadn’t yet informed Chairman Yoon or Jiyoung about his hospitalization. For now, she was the only one available to take care of him.
Thinking about Han’s circle of acquaintances aside from his family and herself, Hyun-soo shook her head. She recalled the people she saw earlier at the hotel. Even strangers on the street wouldn’t have reacted the way they did. No matter how stubborn Han was about waiting, surely...
“Hmm...”
What was that sound? Hyun-soo froze mid-action at the faint noise she heard.
“...Me... Sister...”
He definitely said “sister.” Could it be that Han had woken up? With a hopeful heart, Hyun-soo tossed her phone aside and rushed into the hospital room.
“Han. Yoon Han.”
“...”
“Do you realize where you are? Do you recognize me?”
“...Sister.”
“Yeah, it’s me, Hyun-soo.”
There was no way Han wouldn’t recognize her face leaning close to his bed. After all, she was the person he had waited for so desperately.
“I know it’s you, Sister Hyun-soo.”
“Why are you smiling? Did you do something good?”
“It’s better than crying, right?”
“They said you refused to go to the hospital. Why would you act like a child and refuse treatment?”
Despite the dozens of cuts and bloodstains covering his body, he welcomed the pain. He thought, If I endure this much, surely this person will come back for me.
“Are you really asking because you don’t know?”
Han’s question, delivered with slow, deliberate movements of his heavy eyelids, left Hyun-soo speechless. Did she really not know? Was she truly unaware of this boy’s stubbornness, his feelings?
“I haven’t told your parents yet. I wasn’t sure how you’d want to handle it.”
“Sister.”
“What should I do? Should I contact them now? Would that be okay?”
“Don’t change the subject.”
“...”
“You already know everything.”
“Han.”
“You know everything, so why do you keep pushing me away?”
Her fingertips tingled, and sweat gathered in her palms. She had once imagined Han might approach her honestly someday, but she never expected it to happen so soon.
“If you know... what changes?”
“At the very least, things won’t stay the same.”
“No, they will. Nothing will change.”
“Your voice is trembling. Why? Are you nervous because you’re lying?”
“Don’t twist my words like that.”
“Twisting... Who’s twisting? Me?”
The hazy, dull look in Han’s eyes regained some strength. Within them, Hyun-soo could see only herself reflected. The weight of that realization was almost unbearable.
Stepping back from the bedside, Hyun-soo clutched the hem of her clothes tightly.
“I left my phone behind. I’ll go contact the elders.”
“Don’t go.”
Hyun-soo turned around.
“Don’t leave.”
No matter what he said, she continued moving without hesitation. But then—
“I like you.”
When Han finally whispered his feelings, she couldn’t help but freeze in place. Slowly stopping her steps, Hyun-soo turned back. All color drained from her face.
“What did you just say...?”
“I like you.”
“Do you even realize what you’re saying?”
“It’s more than that. But I’m holding back because I’m afraid you’ll run away.”
“You’re insane.”
“What?”
Han let out a soft laugh, incredulous. He had imagined countless reactions from Hyun-soo upon confessing, but he never anticipated being cursed at.
“I said you’re crazy.”
“Haha. Let’s say that’s true.”
“You weren’t there, didn’t see with your own eyes... I’m married. To Yoon Guk. We’re husband and wife.”
“So what?”
“To you, I’m your sister-in-law. So how can you say you like me...?!”
“Just accept it. Why does it have to be so complicated?”
“You’re insane. Completely out of your mind.”
Chuckling again, Han struggled to sit up despite the pulling sensation from his stitched wounds and reopened cuts. His whole body throbbed, but somehow, he managed to endure it.
“Liking someone isn’t a sin... What am I supposed to do about my feelings?”
Finally managing to sit upright, Han leaned against the headrest of the bed. Cold sweat beaded on his forehead.
“This is predictable, but stop this. Stop it, Han.”
“I’m not asking for much. Just acknowledge my feelings. Is that too much to ask?”
“Of course it is! Don’t say such nonsense!”
The smile that had lingered on Han’s face until now gradually faded. He licked his dry lips before speaking again.
“Don’t I even have a chance?”
“...”
“Is there really no room for me at all?”
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