Sunghoon's POV
I choked back something welling up in my chest. Every few minutes, the pain renewed itself. I miss her. Everything that happened replays over and over inside my head and I can't escape the haunting memories of her laughter, her touch, her warmth.
She's cold, lying on the hospital bed with machines surrounding her, monitoring her fragile existence. The beeping rhythm of the heart monitor is the only sound that breaks the eerie silence of the room. Tubes and wires connect her to life, a lifeline that hangs by a thread.
In the dimly lit hospital room, I sat beside her, holding her fragile hand, oblivious to the world outside. Victory seems like a distant memory now, tasting of ashes and blood.
The sound of footsteps echoed in the corridor, growing louder as they approached the room. I knew it was the police, seeking answers, seeking justice. They questioned the rest of the team one by one, desperate to piece together the events that led to her current condition. But I couldn't tear myself away from her side. I couldn't leave her, not even for a moment.
"Wake up." Those two words are all I've been muttering since everything happened, two days ago. "Please."
Her chest rose and fell rhythmically, a cruel reminder of the life that lingered within her, just out of reach. I traced the lines of her face, etching each feature into my memory, afraid that one day they would fade away. The police officers' voices melded into a distant murmur as my attention remained solely on her, my heart aching with indescribable pain.
You failed to protect her. The voice in my head says for the thousandth time and guilt gnaws at my soul, all over again. I blame myself for everything. I should have protected her, shielded her from horrors that now consumed her existence. But instead, she paid the price, while I was left with nothing but a void that can never be filled again.
"P-please..." A sob escapes my lips, a sound filled with anguish and despair. I clung to her hand, praying for a miracle, begging the universe to grant me one last wish.
The room is suffocating, closing in on me as the machines hum their monotonous tune. I yearn for her to awaken, to open her eyes and smile at me with that familiar warmth that once breathed life into my existence.
"I miss you," I held her hand tighter, hoping that my touch could bridge the gap between life and death. "Please come back to me."
The thought of losing her, of a future stolen away, tears through me like a blade, leaving me broken and hollow. I dread the person I'd become if she were to slip away from this world. If only I had been faster, stronger, smarter.
"Sunghoon." Sunoo's voice makes the thoughts stop. I turn to him and he's standing at the door, his eyes red and swollen. Everyone had been the same, crying and breaking down because the hero who was supposed to win is now lying unconscious, on the verge of- "You're hurting yourself."
His words hit me like a wave of raw truth, crashing against the walls I had built to protect myself. I release her hand reluctantly, my fingers losing their grip. The reality sets in, as painful as a thousand knives stabbing at my heart. Sunoo steps forward, his trembling arms reaching out to wrap around me, his own grief adding to mine.
"I can't lose her, Sunoo... I'm nothing without her."
"We won't give up on her." It penetrates the depths of the soul, igniting the flicker of hope that was slowly fading away. I draw a shaky breath, looking at her with eyes filled with tears before I kiss her forehead. She's beautiful even when she's unconscious, her features peaceful despite the chaos that rages within my heart.
Sunoo is the only one to be able to talk to me. The rest are sitting outside, silently crying, praying. A shared love, shared pain, shared pleas to see her awaken from this harrowing slumber.
The police carry out their investigation with Bora and everyone involved. Ujin died from Y/N stabbing him, and Mark and Kwan fled the country long ago. Haru's injuries are not so bad and he's getting treatment somewhere. And here I am, holding her fragile hand, never letting go. I will never let go.
The soft rays of sunlight seep through the gaps in the curtains, casting a gentle glow upon the room. I didn't realize I was asleep, exhaustion finally taking its toll on my weary body. As I awaken, the remnants of a dream linger, its bittersweet tendrils clinging to my consciousness. I find myself still holding her hand, unwilling to cut that lifeline connecting us.
But when I look at her, my breath is stuck and my heart seems to pause. The sunlight caresses her face as she looks at me with those beautiful eyes of hers. And like a gentle breeze rousing a slumbering butterfly, her lips part and a whisper escapes, and if I could bottle it up and listen to it for the rest of my life, I would.
"Sunghoon...?" Her voice, a fragile melody, barely audible, reaches my ears and stirs my soul.
The weight of my anguish, the torment that has haunted me relentlessly, suddenly lifts, and in its absence, I crumble. The weight of all those thoughts that haunted me for the past few days is lifted, yet I break down. Each sob wracks my body, echoing through the room in ragged gasps. My breath becomes entangled with my pain and grief, merging into a symphony of heartbreak.
I clasp her fragile hand tighter, the touch of her skin against mine making my heart ache with bittersweet longing. It's warm. I can't bear to let go, afraid that the moment I release her, everything will crumble once more.
My forehead gently finds refuge against her hand, seeking comfort in the familiar touch. My body is shaking with silent sobs. The sound of my muffled cries fills the room, but it's a sound I've memorized.
"Strawberry you- you're a-awake..." I manage to utter through choked words. The reality of her presence, her consciousness, is both a miracle and a balm to my wounded soul.
In the pit of my despair, I had allowed myself to imagine the worst, to contemplate a life without her. But now, as I hear her voice and witness the spark of life in her eyes, I realize that the future I thought I lost is still here. We still have time to embrace, heal, and rebuild.
"You never let go." A faint smile graces her lips, and those words, spoken with such tenderness, echo through the room, soothing the storm within me.
I raise my tear-streaked face, my eyes meeting hers, and with trembling hands, I cup her face, my touch gentle yet brimming with an intensity born of desperation and devotion.
"I will never let go." A single tear escapes my eye, tracing a path down my cheek and landing softly on her hand. "Not now.. not ever."
