143 A Newfound Emotion (1/2)

Minhyun ran down the hospital halls. His breathes were heavy from running up the stairs but he did not rest until he saw Yoona sitting alone in front of the surgery room. Seeing how sad she looked made his heart burst.

When he reached her, he wrapped his arms around her shaking body.

At first, Yoona was surprised by the sudden embrace, but once she noticed that it was Minhyun, she melted into his arms. She was thankful that she wasn't alone in this place.

Now, she could get an idea to why Ji-ho didn't like being here. It was lonely. Not knowing what will happen and battling the loneliness was really stressful.

She was thankful that he came so quickly.

”Are you okay?”

She tried to stop her tears and pursed her lips. ”I-I'm going to be honest. It's... been t-tough.”

For Minhyun, his heart was about to stop the moment he found out Ji-ho had fainted. He knew that this was coming, but it all felt too soon. But in Yoona's case, she was there when he fell down and was by his side throughout this episode. He couldn't imagine how hard it must've been for her.

”I heard everything from the doctor on my way here,” Minhyun said. ”It's not looking good...”

The fact was that Ji-ho may not survive this operation. Everything was against his favour.

Yoona leaned her head against Minhyun's chest. ”So, what are we supposed to do...”

”All we can do is wait,” he said honestly. Although he wanted to lift the mood by saying that there was a chance. He couldn't give false hope to both Yoona and himself.

Tears ran down her eyes. ”I-I should've known not to bring him outside. It's all my fault.”

All her emotions riled up in her chest again, surrounding her heart with darkness. Lately, every time Ji-ho got hurt, she was involved in one way or another. She felt responsible.

Minhyun couldn't bear seeing her in this state.

”Yoona. Let me ask you this. Why do you think Ji-ho kept this a secret from you?” He placed his hand on top of hers and gently squeezed it.

She wiped her eyes with her sleeve. ”I don't know,” she whispered. ”I don't understand.”

”Then let me ask you this way. Do you think a boy like him would be happy being locked inside of a room, counting down the days till he pa.s.sed away? Do you think he would want to survive that way? When he didn't want to stay in the hospital to begin with?”

Yoona shook her head. ”No.”

”Today. Was he happy?”

There was a pause. She could see Ji-ho's joyful face with that teasing smile pop up in her mind. And then she nodded. ”Yes.”

”How blessed was it that he was able to be happy today? For someone like him, he'd rather live less days happily than more days trapped. And this is a fact that you know well isn't it.”

What Minhyun was saying was right. All this time, she was blaming herself for bringing him into this situation to begin with. In her head, she regretted for putting him in a dangerous situation. However, in the bottom of her heart, she knew that Ji-ho wouldn't give anything for the date he had with her today.

He wouldn't want her to feel this way.

”Thank you,” she whispered. Minhyun really knew what words to say in her darkest moments.

He let out a smile and patted her head. ”You're welcome.”

The two waited hand in hand during Ji-ho's surgery. The hours felt like days upon days as they awaited for the doctor's to tell them the boy's condition.

When the doctors finally came, the two stood up immediately. The look on the doctors' faces, rather than being sad or joyful, were fearful, possibly due to Minhyun's presence. The main doctor took a step forward to break the news.

”Ji-ho has survived the surgery.”

With just hearing that, Yoona placed her hands over her mouth and jumped up and down. Her eyes glistened with tears, not of sadness, but of happiness. To think that he survived this hurdle. It was a miracle. She had been bracing herself for the worst.

On the other hand, Minhyun had a dark expression on his face. He was happy by the fact that Ji-ho was alive, but he knew the condition that came along with it.

Minhyun already knew that Ji-ho was in pain due to his illness. Adding to the fact that his wounds would not heal, from what he could tell, although alive, Ji-ho would be in extreme pain when he turned conscious. He wasn't a doctor but this was what he could deduct by the facts.

And he was right.