SELA - 49

It felt as if I was being crushed by a giant weight, unable to move even a fingertip.

My consciousness, which had momentarily gone dark, slowly returned, and I barely managed to lift my eyelids. Cough, cough, I coughed roughly, due to the unidentified smoke seeping into the car.

Where am I? Right, there was an accident. We were on our way to lunch together... Ji-hyuk. Ji-hyuk, are you okay? What if you’re seriously injured?

As I groaned and tried to move my body, I realized that the weight pressing down on me was Ji-hyuk’s arms and body, and I was suddenly terrified. I remembered Ji-hyuk hugging me at the moment of impact. His arms, which hadn’t let go of me even as my vision spun and the glass shattered, were vivid in my mind.

“Director... Ji-hyuk...”

Barely turning my head to the side, I faced him and whispered. His eyes were neatly closed as if he were asleep, and he didn’t respond. He seemed to have lost consciousness.

I tried to move my body to wake him. I grabbed his arm and shook it desperately. Ji-hyuk, Ji-hyuk. Please open your eyes.

However, only the shards of glass scattered on his body fell off. He didn’t regain consciousness. Suddenly, a high-pitched ringing pierced my ears. I struggled to cover my ears and frowned. My dizzy head and the inside of my ears felt swollen and about to burst.

“Excuse me, are you okay?”

“...”

“This lady is conscious. Let’s get them out from the back first!”

Several people gathered at the window on Ji-hyuk’s side, where the glass was shattered. They saw I was awake and exchanged words of relief.

I opened and closed my eyes, looking at them. I didn’t care what happened to me, I just wanted them to get Ji-hyuk out first. As if my desperation had reached them, they tried to open the door, pulling on the handle. But.

“It won’t open?”

“This side is completely crushed and jammed. It won’t open.”

“Then let’s try the other side.”

“Let’s do that.”

The people who had gathered at the window rushed around the car and approached my side. After some murmuring, the door opened with a creak and a thud. Outside air poured into the car, which was filled with subtle smoke. I gasped, quickly inhaling the air.

“Miss, are you coming to your senses?”

“This way, just a little, no. Wait. I’ll pull you.”

The man who suddenly entered the car released Ji-hyuk’s arms, which were wrapped around me, and grabbed my torso and arms, pulling me out. My limp, heavy body was slowly pulled out.

When my torso was halfway out of the car, other people came and grabbed my legs. Then, they lifted my body and pulled me out all at once. They gently laid me on the ground.

“...”

I saw the blue sky before my eyes. It was a very high and blue sky, with only a few clouds. Tears streamed down my temples.

“Help... Please... help...”

“Huh? What did you say?”

“Person... inside... help...”

“Hey, don’t move!”

The people around me tried to stop me as I gathered all my strength to lift my body. But I couldn’t just lie there. I gritted my teeth and endured the elbows that kept bending involuntarily and the arms that were losing strength, and raised my upper body. I could barely see Ji-hyuk.

“Ugh!”

Eventually, I collapsed again. Perhaps due to the impact of hitting the back of my head, my already dizzy head became extremely heavy and spun.

An unidentified liquid was flowing down from under the car, forming a puddle. The people who opened the front door were pulling Jin-ha out. But Ji-hyuk, Ji-hyuk was still in the car...

I couldn’t resist my increasingly heavy eyelids and finally closed my eyes. It was complete darkness.

________________________________________

Fortunately, Ji-hyuk didn’t suffer any life-threatening injuries. He had a mild concussion, severely strained muscles, and many cuts and bruises. It seemed to be thanks to Jin-ha’s quick reflexes and response, as he was a former car racing driver.

Jin-ha, who was the most seriously injured of the three, had a broken arm. Despite his young age, he tried to get up and brush it off, but we managed to calm him down and admit him to the hospital.

As expected, the other car that had crossed the median was driven under the influence. The intoxicated driver was reported to be much more seriously injured than the victims on our side. Broken limbs and crushed ribs. He wouldn’t be able to escape punishment.

After briefly fainting and waking up, I stubbornly refused to be hospitalized and got up. Then, I looked for Ji-hyuk. Although I still had muscle stiffness and dizzy concussion aftereffects, something more important was here, so I couldn’t help it.

For over an hour, I sat beside Ji-hyuk, holding his hand. I pressed my lips against his intertwined hand and quietly watched him. There was a scratch on his cheek where a shard of glass had grazed him. His body was even worse.

“Ji-hyuk.”

I barely managed to call his name. My hoarse voice didn’t sound like my own.

Looking at his sleeping face, I was suddenly filled with disappointment and anger at myself. Since nothing had happened, since I was so happy, shouldn’t I stay by his side longer? Shouldn’t I pretend not to know and be greedy? It was crazy talk. It was nonsense. Look what happened in the end.

It was a car accident that had taken him away once before. If things had gone slightly differently, I would have lost him again. The thought sent a chill down my spine and goosebumps all over my body. I couldn’t believe what I had done and what thoughts I had entertained. After struggling so much with pain, I was trying to make another foolish choice.

“Ji-hyuk!”

At that moment, the door opened, and Young-shin appeared. Following her, Ji-hyuk’s father, Tae-won, also entered the room. I, who had been holding Ji-hyuk’s hand, stood up. Young-shin’s eyes were cold as she looked at me.

“You’ve arrived.”

“...”

Despite my words, Young-shin didn’t respond, as if she hadn’t heard anything. Tae-won only nodded slightly.

“Ji-hyuk, my son. What happened?”

Young-shin, approaching Ji-hyuk, pushed me away. Yes, she literally pushed me away. I, who already had no strength in my body, was pushed back several steps.

“We’re here, so you can leave now.”

It was Tae-won’s words. His gaze, looking at me sternly as he pushed up his glasses, contained a strong command, not a suggestion. Realizing this, I nodded and turned around.

“Are you leaving?”

Just as I was about to leave the room after glancing at Ji-hyuk once more, Soo-hyuk opened the door and entered. As tall as Ji-hyuk, he lowered his head to meet my eyes and spoke to me.

“Yes.”

“Why don’t you stay a little longer? How are you? I heard you were in the car too.”

I felt Young-shin and Tae-won looking at me at his words. I smiled awkwardly, feeling uncomfortable with their piercing gaze.

“I’m fine. Thank you for your concern.”

“Car accidents can have serious aftereffects, so take good care of yourself. You should be hospitalized if possible.”

“Yes. I’ll keep that in mind. Then.”

I greeted Soo-hyuk and walked past him. The door closed behind me. I stood there for a moment, then started walking, my feet heavy.

The white hallway stretched endlessly under the pale fluorescent lights.

________________________________________

It was still bright outside. Leaving the hospital entrance, I walked aimlessly, not knowing where to go.

My feet led me to a small park next to the hospital. The place, decorated with green trees, beautiful flowers, benches, and pergolas, was prepared for patients and their guardians to rest.

I walked blankly along the narrow, winding path and sat down on a nearby bench. The muscle tension that was belatedly releasing was causing pain to slowly creep into my body. I narrowed my eyebrows for a moment and took a deep breath. A lukewarm breeze blew, ruffling my hair.

Despite the chaos, the sky was ridiculously clear. I looked up at the light scattered through the dense leaves. It was so beautiful that I momentarily doubted if all this had really happened. Maybe it was just a brief illusion or a nightmare...

I laughed. My body was screaming that the pain was real. Was I just trying to ignore it?

Just as I was sick of my selfishness and cowardice, I felt someone sit next to me in the empty space. My gaze naturally fell on the person.

The man, wearing a patient gown and dragging an IV pole, looked very ill. His hands holding the pole handle, his exposed wrists, and ankles were pitifully thin, and his hair was gray in patches. His neck and the back of his hands were covered with age spots. His body, which coughed roughly in sporadic bursts, looked like it could collapse at any moment.

“...”

I realized I had been staring at the man and turned my head away. It was rude. At that moment.

“Hey.”

“...”

“Hey!”

Was he calling me? I looked at the flower bed in front of me and then turned my head to the side.

The man had turned towards me and was looking at me. His leaning posture made it seem like he was about to grab me. But that wasn’t the important thing.

His face, with almost no cheek fat and prominent cheekbones, and the dark circles under his eyes, was definitely...

“You!”

At my shrill voice, the man grinned.

“Long time no see?”