My lips quickly brushed his cheek and pulled away.
That alone seemed to be enough, as Ban Eunhyeol wore an extremely satisfied expression.
Even though the hospital room was pleasant and cool, I found myself fanning from the heat.
With only the two of us in this kind of atmosphere, it was hard to just sit still on the bed.
‘Am I really going to be nursed like this all night?’
Seeing Ban Eunhyeol’s bag on the sofa, my vision darkened.
But unlike my worries, Ban Eunhyeol didn’t make any more similar demands, only focusing on nursing me.
She fed me since my right arm was broken and helped with anything that required using my hands.
Before I knew it, it was already dark outside, and the streetlights beyond the hospital windows had turned on.
We chatted, unaware of how late the night had gotten.
We didn’t even realize someone had come outside.
***
After being chased out before he could even see Dana wake up in the recovery room, Do Ihyun just sat gloomily on the sofa at home, day and night.
‘If only I’d moved a little faster…?’
Regret kept swelling up, crashing over him like waves.
He hunched over, clutching his head, sighing deeply over and over.
Then, seeing the sky outside turn red, he suddenly got up.
‘I’ll just check if she’s okay and come back.’
He had seen Dana wake up in the recovery room, but thanks to Ban Eunhyeol chasing him out, he hadn’t been able to check her condition.
If he could just see her awake and safe, he thought he’d be satisfied and could return home.
“I’m heading out. I’ll be back soon.”
After patting Choco, who’d stayed by his side worrying about Dana, a couple of times, he stepped out of the house.
As he walked across the yard toward the front gate, he stopped for a moment, noticing something.
‘I need to throw it out…’
It was the black Biker that had been sitting in the yard for two years already.
He looked at the Biker with a bitter gaze, then turned away.
He opened the gate and left the house.
Maybe it was because it was midsummer, but even after walking just a little, sweat started pouring down.
Even so, he pulled his hat down low and headed for the hospital where Dana was admitted.
He entered the VIP Ward where Dana’s room was and walked carefully down the corridor.
If he happened to run into the Four Heavenly Kings or Yeon Hayeon, he might not be able to see Dana and would have to go back.
‘Please let her be okay, please.’
He prayed endlessly inside as he walked toward the end of the corridor where Dana’s room was.
At that moment, he saw the Four Heavenly Kings and Yeon Hayeon coming out of the room, grinning with satisfied smiles.
He quickly hid around the corner and watched them head toward the elevator.
“Good times, huh.”
“Yeah, it’s a good time.”
They exchanged words with hidden meanings and kept laughing broadly.
Watching them get on the elevator, Do Ihyun’s eyes narrowed.
‘Ban Eunhyeol’s not there.’
He turned his head and looked toward Dana’s hospital room.
Ban Eunhyeol was probably still inside. Maybe only those two were left behind while the other friends went home first.
Imagining Ban Eunhyeol sticking close to Dana and taking care of her, his mood instantly dropped.
He stayed at the corner, even after the elevator descended, then finally forced himself to walk.
The moment he stood before the hospital room—
“Now that no one’s watching, hurry up and do it, won’t you?”
Ban Eunhyeol’s sly voice leaked out through the door.
Dana’s reply couldn’t be heard.
Do Ihyun froze on the spot, unable to move, standing in front of the slightly ajar hospital room door.
And then, before long, a smacking sound came from inside.
He wasn’t an Awakened anymore, so it wasn’t like his hearing was abnormally sharp.
The hospital door wasn’t flimsy enough not to block normal sounds.
Yet, for some reason, this sound came through so clearly.
It was the sound he least wanted to hear, but his ears picked it up sharply.
Do Ihyun’s hand hovered over the hospital room’s doorknob, then dropped weakly.
Even so, his feet seemed glued to the spot in front of the door.
Then, from inside, he heard Dana’s lively voice, sounding as if she’d fully recovered.
Even though they weren’t talking about anything special, her voice was filled with happiness.
In the end, he bowed his head, trudged down the corridor, and left.
His atmosphere was so dark that no one dared to speak to him.
He didn’t stop anywhere and just headed straight home.
The moment he arrived, he collapsed onto the sofa, staring blankly ahead with unfocused eyes.
Do Ihyun didn’t move at all, as if he had frozen in that position.
“Woof woof!”
Choco barked at him, but it was useless.
Do Ihyun, tormented by pain, eventually closed his eyes.
He thought it’d be better to sleep than to endure this agony awake.
Lying there, he placed his arm over his eyes and clenched his fist tightly.
Soon, heavy, labored breathing escaped from him as he fell asleep just like that.
***
Two years ago, when he had just started his first year of high school,
Do Ihyun was a quiet student who had no interest in making friends or studying.
Many students approached him first because of his looks and demeanor, but he pushed them all away.
He planned to quietly attend school like this, graduate without getting caught up in trouble.
If it hadn’t been for Ryu Harang, the girl who moved in next door and was the same age.
“Ugh!”
It was on his way home after school, before it got dark.
In a deserted alley, a dull thud and someone’s scream rang out.
He absolutely hated getting involved in troublesome things, so with his hands in his pockets, he intended to just walk past the alley.
“You think I’m a pushover? Just because I’m short, you thought I’d go easy?”
But then, a girl’s voice came from the alley.
The scream had definitely belonged to boys, but the threatening voice was a girl’s.
A little intrigued, he peeked his head out from behind the alley corner.
His eyes widened as a single girl’s figure filled his vision.
That was his unforgettable first encounter with Ryu Harang.
After that, he couldn’t help but pay attention to the girl who lived next door.
He couldn’t forget the sight of her single-handedly punishing all those delinquents.
Because of that, he purposely started going home past her house, and found himself gazing out the window more often.
And then, they met face to face.
“You’re the one who lives next door, right?”
It was when she was dealing with some boys pestering her at a PC bang.
He was watching, and their eyes met.
Sitting across from her, Do Ihyun was startled and nodded.
“You’ve never fought before, have you?”
Seeing at a glance that he was different from the rest, she reached out her hand to him.
That was when it all began.
The boy who had planned to quietly graduate suddenly rose to the top of the Iljin High rankings, and through that, made a true friend.
He also grew much closer to his childhood friends, with whom he had been friendly since young, but never really sought out first.
That’s how the Three Major VIPs of Iljin High were born.
The other friend lived in another neighborhood, but even though they attended different schools, their houses were close so they met often.
He was surrounded by friends, even had a girl he liked.
Life couldn’t have been more abundant.
But those good times didn’t last long.
Because their houses were close, he often hung out with his childhood friend from another school and Ryu Harang, but something happened that he’d come to regret.
“We decided to start dating.”
One day, his childhood friend said something shocking.
Because those two had fallen for each other, Do Ihyun ended up losing Ryu Harang without even realizing it.
He’d noticed his friend had feelings for Ryu Harang, but thought she’d turn him down.
Even while reeling from shock, he wished them happiness.
He squeezed out as much sincerity as he could to congratulate them.
But in reality, he couldn’t stand to watch them so happy together.
“Don’t speed up with Harang riding behind you. It’s dangerous.”
“As long as you wear a helmet, it’s safe. Riding along the coast with the sea breeze blowing—it’s so refreshing, you know? Clears your head.”
His friend, who often rode his Biker with Ryu Harang on the back, suggested going to the beach.
Worried, he cautioned them, but his friend didn’t seem to care.
“Wouldn’t it be safer to ride bicycles instead of a Biker? Bikers can be…”
“It’s fine, nothing’s going to happen.”
Ryu Harang didn’t think any differently.
And only a few hours after they left, news of an accident arrived.
They had crashed while riding along the coastal road, and both died on the spot.