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The smell of the hospital hit his nose sharply. Si Young slowly opened his eyes, despite the pain spreading through his entire body. It was too bright—the hospital lights mercilessly cut into his exhausted vision.
With effort, he pushed himself up and sat, looking around.
And then he noticed a familiar silhouette.
It was his longtime “friend”—Detective Tae Joo.
He was asleep.
Si Young looked closer and couldn’t help but notice how uncomfortable his position seemed: Tae Joo was sitting on the floor, his head resting against the edge of the hospital bed Si Young lay on.
Something in his chest trembled strangely.
The thought that Tae Joo had been worried about him and stayed by his side all this timе unexpectedly pleased him.
Si Young smirked.
And immediately, a burning pain spread through his body, drawing a quiet groan from him—he still hadn’t recovered.
At the sound, Tae Joo woke up.
He lifted his head abruptly, looking around in confusion, as if he didn’t immediately understand where he was. But the moment he saw Si Young — alive and awake —relief flooded his face.
Too strong.
He didn’t understand it himself. This was Si Young .The same one. The one who used to torment him in school. The one who humiliated and beat him in front of others, even when he begged him to stop.
So why…
Why was he so relieved now, just sitting beside him?
While Tae Joo was lost in his thoughts, he was pulled back by the snap of fingers in front of his face.
“Hey, detective, wake up,” Si Young said with a smirk. “What are you so lost in, hm?”
“Nothing,” Tae Joo replied, quickly changing the subject. “How are you? How do you feel? Does anything hurt?”
“Since when did you start caring about me so much, hm? Didn’t you just recently threaten to kill me, or did I misunderstand your motive?” Si Young asked, raising an eyebrow.
“And who said I stopped wanting that?” Tae Joo said, his voice serious. “Just because we started working together to catch that bastard doesn’t change what you did to me.”
The detective looked away and was about to stand when the prosecutor grabbed his hand.
“Tae Joo-ya, wait.” Something in his voice made the detective stop. “I know it’s too late to say this, but I’m sorry. Really.” Si Young ’s gaze was full of regret. “I treated you horribly, and there’s no excuse for it. But please know that I didn’t do it without a reason.”
And that was it.
Right here, Tae Joo should have told him to stop.
He should have refused to listen. He wanted to pull his hand away and object—but instead, he remembered something.
Fragments of yesterday’s events. Words Si Young had said in a feverish state.
He might not remember them himself, since he had been injured and not in his right mind. But Tae Joo remembered everything clearly.
“If I hadn’t gone to bring those snacks back then… we would’ve stayed friends, right?”
“I thought you were my father’s son. And I don’t like brothers…”
“But being friends—that’s fine.”
Si Young ’s voice pulled Tae Joo out of his thoughts again.
“Hey, are you really okay? What’s wrong with you?” Si Young asked, worried.
“I… just… Do you remember what you told me yesterday?” Tae Joo asked, hope flickering in his voice.
He wanted those words not to be empty. He wanted them to be sincere. From the heart.
“Yesterday…” Si Young paused. “Ah, yesterday. I remember vaguely. Why? I didn’t say anything weird, did I?” He smirked.
“Did you really mean it?”
The smirk faded.
“Mean what?”
“Being friends. Me. With you.”
“Ah… that. Of course. Maybe you won’t believe me, but I’ve thought about it a lot.” Si Young took a breath before continuing. “I was a stupid kid, ruled by emotions instead of reason. I was so angry at my father, but I took it all out on you.”
His fingers tightened slightly around Tae Joo’s wrist.
“I’m really sorry, Tae Joo-ya… I was such a bastard. I’m so ashamed. I can’t even imagine how hard it was for you back then.”
Tae Joo didn’t move. Didn’t speak.
“Forgive such a terrible friend as me...” Lifting his tear-filled eyes, Si Young looked at Tae Joo, waiting for an answer.
The detective didn’t know how to react to an apology from the one who had caused him nightmares every night.
“Si Young-ah,” after a pause, gathering courage, Tae Joo continued, “I forgive you. I really want to forget all those horrible memories.”
He was tired of carrying that anger and resentment inside him. He didn’t want to remember those days anymore. He wanted to forget it all and live peacefully. And to do that, he had to forgive him.
“Really? Why…?” Si Young whispered.
A pause.
“Maybe… I just don’t want to hate you anymore.”
Yes. That was exactly what Tae Joo needed to say.
An awkward silence followed, as if time itself had stopped.
After a while, a quiet sob broke it.
“You really…!” Si Young muttered, his voice trembling.
“Are you crying?” Tae Joo asked, surprised.
“I’m not crying! It’s just…” Si Young sniffled again. “I’m really glad you forgave me. I know it wasn’t easy for you. Thank you, Tae Joo-ya.” He smiled brightly.
He hesitantly spread his arms, silently asking for a hug.Tae Joo didn’t particularly want to hug him right now. Every instinct told him not to move forward.
But still… he did.
He stepped closer and carefully hugged his still weakened “friend.”
It was awkward, of course… but at the same time, comforting.
“Tae Joo-ya,” Si Young said quietly. “Don’t you have work?”
Tae Joo lifted his head and glanced at the clock on the wall. He hadn’t even noticed how long he’d been there—it was already noon. He couldn’t waste time. He had to catch the criminal.
“Si Young-ah, I have to go. Get better.” The detective quickly stood and headed for the door.
“Hey, what about me? What am I supposed to do?” Si Young asked. He would clearly be bored here alone. “At least give me the case files. Maybe I can help somehow. I’ll die of boredom otherwise.”
“Alright, alright.” Tae Joo smirked. “I’ll bring them now.”