The moment they left the hospital room, Do Yong-tae dropped Lim Da-mi’s hand. Without a word, he walked ahead.
Da-mi hurried after him, justifying what she had done.
Do Yong-tae merely let out a sigh thick with irritation. Tears pricked Da-mi’s eyes.
An hour ago, Do Yong-tae had told her that Hong Yu-yeon had woken up from her coma and reached out to him, and that he was going to the hospital right away.
Hearing that, Da-mi couldn't just sit still. She feared that Yong-tae, who had harbored lingering feelings for Hong Yu-yeon for so long, might turn back to her the moment he saw her awake.
So she had rushed to the hospital.
Fortunately, Da-mi arrived at the exact moment Do Yong-tae reached the hospital.
Just as she had feared, Do Yong-tae froze upon seeing Yu-yeon awake. Da-mi knew she had to keep her wits about her.
And so, she had boldly announced her upcoming marriage to Do Yong-tae right to Yu-yeon’s face.
To be honest, that moment had brought quite a thrill. Witnessing the downfall of that haughty, proud princess who had lived receiving nothing but love her entire life with her own eyes was utterly electrifying.
As if the time she had spent pretty and radiant belonged to another life, she had been reduced to skin and bones, her face pale with shock.
It should have been a moment of sheer triumph, yet the second she walked out of the hospital room, that satisfaction curdled.
All because of Do Yong-tae.
Da-mi shouted, straining to keep pace. Walking ahead, Yong-tae stopped in his tracks and turned around. An icy chill emanated from his gaze.
‘Yu-yeon.’ Always ‘Yu-yeon.’
‘Did you really have to call your ex that right in front of your girlfriend?’
To Da-mi’s question, Do Yong-tae turned away without a word. She was utterly dumbfounded.
At her merciless assertion, Do Yong-tae glared at Lim Da-mi. It was a murderous look, hardly something to direct at a lover. Tears welled in Da-mi’s eyes.
He had always been the kind of man to give in and comfort her whenever she showed tears, but not this time. Even after seeing the tears in her eyes, Do Yong-tae simply looked away again. Then, leaving Da-mi entirely on her own, he strode away ahead of her.
Da-mi screamed at her boyfriend’s retreating back. Yet even as she shrieked venomously, her chest burned with anxious dread.
A year ago, when told there was virtually no chance Hong Yu-yeon would ever open her eyes again, Do Yong-tae had come to her with a face relieved, as though a crushing burden had been lifted from his shoulders.
For nearly a year immediately following Hong Yu-yeon’s accident, Do Yong-tae had wavered. Even while sharing his bed with her, he had treated her coldly, as if his heart still belonged entirely to Hong Yu-yeon.
During that time, Da-mi had given Do Yong-tae her body, her heart, her everything, yet she’d had to endure the humiliation of being his second choice. All because of that damned loyalty of his, she had been treated worse than Hong Yu-yeon, who was lying motionless in a hospital room like a corpse.
After spending all that time in a purely physical arrangement, she had officially become his girlfriend a year ago.
From then on, Da-mi had pushed for marriage. She had poured in twice, three times the effort Do Yong-tae ever did, seeing to it that they greeted his parents and arranging the formal family meeting.
In that way, she had even managed to lock down a wedding date. Though she wasn’t thrilled about holding the ceremony in an obscure church rather than a regular wedding hall or a hotel, she was willing to put up with it all simply because the groom was Do Yong-tae.
By now, Do Yong-tae was her pride. She would never let anyone take him away.
Agitated by Choi Hyeon-myeong’s appearance, Yu-yeon shifted violently.
Her body had not yet recovered, making it merely a strained struggle, yet the bed creaked beneath her. Jeong-yeon grabbed hold of both the bed and Yu-yeon.
Yu-yeon screamed through her hoarse throat. Her lungs felt shriveled, releasing shallow, ragged gasps alongside harsh, grating sounds. Her breath tangled wildly, far beyond her ability to control.
The composure she had somehow kept upon hearing about her boyfriend and best friend getting married, the fierce resolve she had clung to so she wouldn’t collapse upon hearing the news about Dad—it all fell into utter ruin.
It was as though she were taking out the rage of every single misfortune on the man standing before her.
A harsh voice snapped out even at her younger sister, who was frantically trying to stop her.
Perhaps because she knew nothing, her hopelessly naive younger sister took the man’s side to the bitter end. Yu-yeon’s eyes burned red with sheer dumbfounded rage.
Watching her, the man smirked.
As Yu-yeon lashed out with her voice, the man’s tone abruptly dropped.
Toward someone bedridden, a chilling, murderous gaze blazed right before Yu-yeon, refusing to yield an inch.
Standing beside them, Jeong-yeon pressed a hand to her forehead with her eyes closed, looking as if she would rather not watch.
Without a single curse, he spat out words that cut just as deep. His chilling voice sent the entire room plummeting into a tense silence.
Yu-yeon, who had been glaring furiously at him, could not bring herself to speak, even as her body trembled.
A moment later.
Letting out a long breath, the man spoke in a measured tone.
He meant he didn't care to deal with someone like her today.
“…”
And it meant that while he was stepping away today, he was determined to extract that gratitude.
Though his tone remained sarcastic, it was a far cry from the slick, playful demeanor he had worn two years and four months ago; he was dead serious.
Having delivered his pointed barb, the man turned right around. With his long legs, it didn't take him long to reach the door and exit.
The moment Choi Hyeon-myeong left, Jeong-yeon stamped her feet, looking close to tears.
Yu-yeon held her ground to the bitter end. She had no other choice. In her most recent memories, that man was nothing but a bastard.
Jeong-yeon gave Yu-yeon a resentful look before rushing out of the hospital room.
Jeong-yeon had to sprint to catch up with Hyeon-myeong’s long strides. Only after clearing the hospital entrance did she manage to call out to him.
Hearing the shout behind him, Hyeon-myeong turned around.
Catching her breath in front of him, Jeong-yeon offered an apology.
Forcing the corners of his mouth down, Hyeon-myeong managed to arrange his face into a serious expression.
“…”
In truth, it was he who could barely steady himself, not her.
His heart was hammering violently against his ribs.
The moment he received word that Hong Yu-yeon had woken, he had rushed over without a second thought. Arriving far too quickly had been his mistake. And so he had been turned away.
To Hong Yu-yeon, Choi Hyeon-myeong was probably nothing more than a madman.
Recalling what he had said to her two years and four months ago, Hyeon-myeong chided himself for his rash behavior today.
‘That’s right. That’s what I did back then.’
Though he had acted the refined gentleman all along, his insides had been churning with rage over Hong Yu-yeon and Do Yong-tae.
Frustrated with Hong Yu-yeon, he had dared to provoke her—and that had been their last encounter.
He should have waited quietly until she could catch up on the two years and four months she had lost.
Even after filling that gap, she might still need time to sort through her feelings.
To stand completely still while the rest of the world moved on—how agonizing it must be for a woman with such fierce pride. In his rush to see her open her eyes, he hadn’t thought of that at all. And yet.
“…”
He felt a laugh threatening to spill out, like a madman.
In truth, he had practically fled the hospital room.
Though gaunt from having eaten nothing for over two years, and lacking the strength even to sit up on her own, she had still snapped so fiercely at the object of her fury—just as she had two years ago. Those vivid, spirited eyes had hammered incessantly against Hyeon-myeong’s heart.
Seeing her face move was mesmerizing. He knew full well it was nothing short of a miracle.
And because of that, he had nearly reached out to touch her. He had to clench his twitching hands tight against the urge to trace her skin. In the short time he had spent in that room, the veins on the back of Hyeon-myeong’s hands had bulged again and again.
It was enough. Having seen her face, he was satisfied.
Two agonizing years. The woman who had lain motionless as a doll, eyes closed, had finally opened them and moved her lips to speak. He had seen it with his own eyes, and that was enough.
A clock long frozen had only just begun to tick again.
Hong Yu-yeon, do you remember the last thing you said to me two years ago?
When word of your accident reached me, those words clung to my sleepless nights like a curse.
That was why I wanted so desperately to see you wake.
Tell me, how was that long, long dream?
Did you manage to dream a deep sleep without me in it, just as you wished?