Chapter 387 (2/2)

“I would have come whenever you call me.”

I decided to speak and behave honestly since I no longer wanted to become too worried to say anything. Yoo Chun Young seemed to look at me; however, I was too scared to confront his face, so I just added while clenching my fist with downcast eyes.

“Even if it wasn’t this situation… I would have come if you needed me.”

“…”

The silence between us continued. Slightly plucking up my courage, I raised my head. Yoo Chun Young, who was still sitting on the bench, was looking up at me rigidly just like before.

His eyes, which looked blurry like having layers of fogs inside, now turned a little clear. When he detached his lips, at last, I touched my hands in bewilderment.

“Why are you so trembling?”

Did I? When I looked down at my hands, I found them really trembling. Eun Jiho, who was leaning against the wall until then, frowned and took off his cardigan to hand it out to me.

“Have this on you.”

“Huh? Uh… okay.”

I took his cardigan in an unguarded moment and put it around my shoulders. Even though I shoved myself into his clothes that still had his body heat around, the tremor of my hands wouldn’t go away. I was also aware that it was due to myself being strained to the limit.

The moment I adjusted his cardigan over me wordlessly, Yoo Chun Young spoke again. I lifted my head.

“And you’re about to cry.”

“No, I’m not.”

I shook my head again this time but actually had no confidence to not break into tears. Having no close relatives living in the suburbs of Seoul, I was very anxious and afraid of this unanticipated situation––waiting in front of the operation room–– which I never went through before.

However, what would happen if I began to wail at this moment? If I burst into tears as if I had expected some sorrowful future, that would overstrain people. In the end, Yoo Chun Young would also lose his composure which he was striving to maintain right now.

As if he read my thoughts, Yoo Chun Young, who stared fixedly at me, continued to speak in a low voice.

“If you tremble more than me, I’d feel sorry to call you.”

No, it was just that this was my first time to be in front of the operation room. The moment I tried to speak out that way, Yoo Chun Young added while fastening his eyes on me, “But you know…”

“Uh-huh.”

“I’m so glad to see you again.”

“…”

He kept on speaking nonchalantly with downcast eyes in front of me, who was at a loss of words. His voice sank down heavily to the floor.

“I’m sorry to scare you, but… please stay here a little longer…”

That was when my hands stopped trembling. Clenching my fist, I replied, “A little longer? Hey, where would I go leaving you here?”

Yoo Chun Young raised his head and grinned faintly with his yet pale face.

Looking at his smile, I thought how thankful it was that I wasn’t traveling abroad.

* * *

Instead of Yoo Chun Young, who would be so painful to go over the situation, Eun Jiho told us what happened.

Now I had come to think of it, it had been almost two months since I didn’t speak with him, but we were fine as if we had talked to each other yesterday. The long history of our friendship seemed to work. However, even this silly thought disappeared as soon as I heard Eun Jiho’s explanation.

“It’s been six hours since he went inside, but there’s no sign of ending… It can take longer than ten hours.”

“Ten hours…”

I repeated the time unit inside my head absentmindedly. Having no experience of myself or other people around me getting surgery, I had no idea whether this was a major operation or not. However, according to the look on Eun Jiho’s face, I could estimate that it was very serious.