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The world has faded into a dull blur. Cold air and red and blue sirens. Nothing other than the warm clasp of her husband's hand around hers, his gentle yet insistent voice telling her not to close her eyes, and the familiar scent of his jacket wrapped around her makes sense. Everything she could ever need is right there inside that car. She wants to go to sleep and forget about the nightmare she has been living for the past couple of months. And she wants Baek Sa-eon.
The next thing she registers is his voice changing back into his sharp and demanding tone. She feels his strong arms around her, cradling her like something precious, and she complains about the harsh lights with a small whimper. He presses a comforting kiss near her ear before whispering that they are in the hospital and they are going to take care of her. But she maintains a tight grip on him when he tries to lay her down on the gurney with a sob catching in her throat.
"No, no, no," Hee-joo cries, needing to touch him in order to know he's there. "Don't leave me."
"Hey, hey," he murmurs as he cradles her face with his hands, lovingly and assuringly. She can't open her eyes to look at him, and so she leans in to have him close. "I'm right here. I'm not going anywhere, so don't cry. I'm right here. I won't let you out of my sight. I promise."
She feels every pinch of a needle, every prod of a doctor, and every whir of a machine. It doesn't take long before all the voices and the noises coalesce into a hum that sails her off to dreamland. And for the first time in a long time, she sleeps a dreamless sleep. Free from the traumas of her past and the dangers of her present. She sleeps and sleeps and sleeps.
And when she comes back to the real world, it's slow and gradual. Like a feather gently falling on the soft earth. The bed feels like butter underneath her and the pillow cool and crisp. The gentle hiss of the air humidifier overhead and the constant beep of the heart monitor beside her remind her of where she is. She turns her head to the side to look for him and finds him asleep.
The hospital room looks different than the ones they've had before, more spacious and certainly more expensive. There's a sitting area for guests and a cabinet for personal clothes and items. And there even seems to be another bed for a family member staying overnight. But instead of using that, her husband has opted to stay by her side, angling his long body awkwardly to rest.
He looks uncomfortable sitting on a chair with his head resting on his arms on her mattress. He'll wake up with a crick on his neck if he keeps this up. She gingerly lifts her hand up to his hair and runs her fingers through the strands, feeling the familiar prickle of tears in her eyes. They have gone through so much hurt and pain. When can they start living their lives like ordinary people?
He wakes with a jolt and a sharp intake of breath. It takes him a second to get his bearings before he freezes in realization. He lifts his bloodshot eyes to meet hers, releasing a tremulous sigh of relief and saying, "Hee-joo?"
"Mm," she smiles, loving the way he says her name and allowing a stray tear to fall down her temple. Her hand journeys down from his hair to his ear then his neck. "Does your neck hurt? You slept at a weird angle."
He laughs with a few tears falling down his cheeks before taking her hand and kissing the back of it. "Only you would worry about me when you're the one on the hospital bed," he comments. "I feel fine. I'm more than fine now that you're awake and talking to me again."
"How long was I asleep?"
"Three days," he replies gently as he caresses her hair and takes in her shock. "I was so worried when you weren't waking up. You had a concussion and two broken ribs from the car accident. You were also severely dehydrated. But the doctors told me that you just needed a lot of rest so that your body would heal."
"I'm sorry for worrying you," she murmurs, wiping away his tears with her thumb. He looks exhausted with the bags under his eyes, the frown lines that have become more prominent, and his unkempt hair. "You look so tired, my love. Why don't you lay here beside me to sleep?"
He looks slightly alarmed at the suggestion. "You can't move yet, darling, you might hurt your -."
"Please? I miss sleeping beside my husband," she interrupts him with a small pout and her wide eyes. He sighs in disapproval, knowing what she's trying to do and knowing that he's too putty in her hands to deny her anything. "Come on. You can help me scoot over, so that we can have some space for you."
He takes stock of all the wires connected to her before carefully sliding his arms under her knees and back. "Tell me if anything hurts. Hee-joo, you have to tell me, okay?" he urges her, his anxiety rising above his devotion, and she nods obediently. "Okay. One, two, three."
Her hands curl into fists as she forces herself not to make any sound of pain. Her whole body seems to be in protest of any movement. Her feet and legs are suffering from pins and needles. Her torso is screaming. Her head is aching. But she only releases a small sigh of relief when he finally puts her down on her side of the bed.
He settles down beside her with a disappointed click of his tongue. "I told you to tell me if it hurts."
"But then you would've stopped, and you wouldn't be beside me right now," she whispers while still breathing through the aftermath of the pain. "I'm fine. Just give me a minute. I'll be fine."
He scoots over and tucks her head under his chin, lying close to her without aggravating any of her sore spots. When she finally relaxes once again, he vows, "I never want to see you in the hospital ever again. I'm never going to let you out of my sight. You'll probably hate me for being overprotective, but I don't care. I don't want to see you in pain like this again."
"Tsk, as if I could ever hate you, Baek Sa-eon," she murmurs before pressing a kiss on his throat. "What happened after I fell asleep?"
"It's over," he tells her. "Your kidnapper has been captured and convicted of all his murders. He's been sentenced to death. My mother has also been convicted. My father and Mr. Min have died after being shot by the kidnapper. It looked like they were going to kill him before they got overpowered."
She places her hand on his chest in comfort, unable to find the right words to say. His whole family is now gone, destroyed by betrayal and ambition and greed. What is there to say in the aftermath? What in the world can she say to make it better?
But then he scoots down to meet her eyes. There's a wary smile playing on his lips and his eyes are lit with hope. "Does this mean we're finally free, Hee-joo?" he whispers as he tucks her hair behind her ear. "I finally have the chance to make you happy without worrying about the past creeping up on us. We can do whatever we want to do now. We can plan our future together."
People will talk about the fall of their two powerful families for a long time. The switches. The murders. The victims. The spokesperson who was not who he said he was. The interpreter who pretended to be mute. The love that grew through the cracks despite it all. It's a story that the media will be eating up for a long time. But for now, right there in that hospital bed, the two lovers are finally able to love one another and live their lives the way they want to.
It doesn't feel real.
And yet, with her eyes sparkling with unshed tears, she nods, "Yes, Sa-eon. We're free. We can do whatever we want now."