Chapter Text
“Ohyul…” The voice was barely audible. “Please… live…”
My head was ringing, and everything was a blur. Red and blue lights flashed through the darkness, disappearing and returning in broken fragments while sirens wailed somewhere nearby, their sound distorted and distant. I couldn't move. Something warm was wrapped tightly around my hand. A hand. Someone was holding mine. I tried to open my eyes, but for a moment, I saw nothing but shadows. Then—a face. No, I couldn't make it out. There was blood. Was it mine? I didn't know.
The man holding my hand coughed, the sound wet and painful. “Ohyul…” His voice trembled. He sounded exhausted, like every word was costing him something. “Stay awake.” I wanted to ask him who he was, and I wanted to tell him that I was trying, but my throat wouldn't work. His fingers tightened around mine. “Please…” The word came out almost as a whisper. “Don't die.”
Something inside me twisted. I didn't know this man, at least, I didn't think I did. But hearing the fear in his voice made my chest ache. I tried to squeeze his hand back, though I don't know if I managed it. The sirens grew louder as someone shouted nearby, “There's another one here!” Footsteps rushed toward us, and the man's grip loosened. “No…” His voice was fading. I felt his fingers slipping from mine. “Stay with me…” I wanted to hold on, and I wanted to tell him—I'm here. But the darkness swallowed everything before I could say a word.
Beep. Beep. Beep. The sound was the first thing I heard. It was steady, mechanical, and repetitive. Beep. Beep. Beep. My head hurt. It was not a dull ache; it felt like something was pressing against the inside of my skull. I tried to open my eyes, but the light was too bright, causing me to shut them again immediately. For a few seconds, I stayed there, listening to the beeping and trying to understand where I was. I didn't know.
I tried again, and this time, I managed to keep my eyes open. Everything was white: a ceiling, lights, and blurred shapes moving somewhere beside me. I blinked slowly as the edges of the room began to take shape. My vision was still hazy, as though I were looking through water. I tried to move my head, but pain shot through my skull, so I stopped. I couldn't seem to move anything properly. My arms felt impossibly heavy, and my legs felt even heavier. Even breathing felt strange. There was something in my mouth leaving a dry, uncomfortable sensation. I swallowed, but it hurt.
The beeping became louder, or maybe I was simply becoming more aware of it. Beep. Beep. Beep. A figure appeared beside me—a woman in pale blue scrubs. She leaned closer.
“Can you hear me?” I stared at her.
I wanted to answer, but nothing came out. Her expression changed as she glanced toward the monitor, then back at me.
“Can you open your eyes?” I blinked, but the effort made my headache pulse harder. She seemed to understand, and her hand briefly touched my shoulder.
“Okay. Stay still.”
She turned toward the doorway. “Doctor?” Her voice was suddenly sharper as she stepped out quickly. I heard her call down the corridor, “Patient is awake.”
Footsteps followed fast, accompanied by several voices. I tried to focus on them, but the room seemed to tilt around me. My heart was beating too quickly, or perhaps it was the machine that sounded too loud. I couldn't tell. I stared at the ceiling. White. Everything was white. And for some reason, I was afraid. I didn't know why, I didn't know where I was, and I didn't know what had happened. I only knew that my head hurt.
I still couldn't speak. I tried, and my throat moved, but no sound came out. Footsteps approached as the door opened, and a man in a white coat entered with two nurses following behind him.
“Dr. Park,” one of the nurses spoke quickly. “He's awake. He opened his eyes when I called to him. He's following movement, but he hasn't spoken.”
Dr. Park came closer, pulled a stool beside the bed, and sat down. “Can you hear me?” I stared at him. I wanted to say yes, but I couldn't. “It's okay,” he said calmly. “You don't have to speak yet.” I could only manage a weak nod, barely a full one. He reached then for my hand. "Please tell me if you can feel my hand."
The moment his fingers closed around mine, something happened. Warm. Firm. A hand around mine. Not his, but someone else's. My breath caught as a weak, barely audible voice rushed back. “Ohyul…” My eyes trembled, and everything blurred until the ceiling disappeared. For a second, I wasn't here. There were sirens, red light, and blood. There was a face I couldn't see clearly, and that hand holding mine tightly. Please… live…
My head suddenly throbbed, and I gasped as the monitor beside me began beeping faster. Dr. Park immediately loosened his grip. “Hey. It's okay.” I couldn't hear him properly because the voice from before was louder. “Stay awake.” My skull felt like it was splitting apart. I squeezed my eyes shut, tears spilling. The memory vanished. No, it had not vanished. It was still there, somewhere. I could feel it, but I couldn't see his face. I couldn't remember who he was, and I couldn't even remember why he had been holding my hand. Only the warmth, the trembling fingers, and the desperation in his voice remained. Don't die.
My breathing became uneven.
“Easy,” Dr. Park said.
A nurse moved closer. “His heart rate's climbing.”
“Give him a moment,” Dr. Park said. “Don't stimulate him.”
I opened my eyes again, though everything was blurred. Dr. Park was looking at me. “Can you hear me?” I tried to answer, but nothing happened as my throat tightened. I looked down at my hand. His fingers were no longer touching mine, but I could still feel someone else's hand there. I stared at it, and a strange ache filled my chest. I didn't know that man, I didn't know his name, and I didn't know why he had been with me. But I knew he was holding my hand like letting go meant losing me.
My head throbbed again, and I winced. Dr. Park noticed immediately. “Let's keep the room quiet.” The lights seemed unbearably bright again, so I closed my eyes. And somewhere beneath the pain, beneath the confusion, I could still hear his voice.
'Ohyul… Please… live…'