After the Blade
…….
She stopped crying and clung blankly to Yeona’s embrace. No thoughts came. Everything felt hollow. She simply held on tight. Yeona held her just as tightly and refused to let go. Neither of them spoke. Suhyun was grateful for the silence.
“…Is it over?”
[Yeah. The police showed up and… hic! …tased that lunatic….]
“What about Kei?”
“…!”
What happened to him? Was he safe? Or…
A terrible thought made her body tremble. If something had happened to him, it would be entirely her fault. The fear was overwhelming. Even if he was all right, what would he say when he saw her? Her body shook again.
“I’m sorry… I’m so sorry… I didn’t mean for any of this… I should’ve been the one who got hurt.”
Tears spilled again. She didn’t want to be hated. Being hated hurt too much. She never wanted to live that kind of life again. She clung harder to Yeona.
It’s over…….
She had thought she was starting over. She had thought she was doing all right. One act of her father’s madness and everything collapsed. Yeona would leave too. Haram would surely keep her distance. Then what would happen to Jiwoo and Minu, who had always been close to Haram? She had ruined yet another set of relationships.
It would’ve been better if I died… I’m sorry for being scared… I was scared of dying… I’m sorry.
She cursed herself for shamelessly staying alive while thinking those words. At the same time, she hated herself for still refusing to let go of Yeona.
Giseong arrived and subdued Takheon after a brief struggle. Thankfully, the police and ambulance reached them soon after, and the situation was quickly brought under control. In the end, Takheon was tased and taken into custody. Yeowu, unharmed, and Giseong, who had only minor bruises, went with the police as witnesses. Meanwhile, Junsu, who had lost consciousness from severe injuries, and Haram, who had gone into respiratory distress after witnessing the scene, were loaded into the ambulance together.
Haram regained consciousness quickly and immediately called Yeona.
“…Is this on speaker, unnie?”
Haram asked after hearing Suhyun’s crying. Yeona confirmed it.
[Yes. Is that a problem?]
“…No.”
Haram looked at Junsu lying in front of her. Paramedics were pressing hard on his bleeding wound and rushing a blood transfusion. They had been able to identify his blood type because he had mentioned it once during a stream.
“I know his blood type, so… they’re doing an emergency transfusion and stopping the bleeding right now.”
[Really…? Is he going to be okay?]
“…He hasn’t regained consciousness.”
[…What?]
Yeona’s voice was startled. Haram continued, voice trembling with tears.
“He lost a lot of blood… and they said his organs might be damaged… hic… It looks really bad. They said he needs surgery right away……”
[…….]
Yeona fell silent. Haram thought that was probably for the best. There was nothing good that could come from Suhyun hearing any of this. She would only blame herself, even though none of it was her fault. It was the fault of the people who had posted the photo with Junsu and the lunatic who had come after seeing it.
…Suhyun unnie will definitely turn it into her own fault, so I can’t let her know.
Even if Junsu didn’t make it, Haram decided she would keep her mouth shut. She wouldn’t tell Suhyun anything about him until she heard from a doctor that he was safe.
“…W-we’re heading to the ER now…. He’s still alive, so… haa… he’ll be okay.”
Haram spoke in a shaky voice, praying it would be true. Yeona stayed quiet for a long moment before answering in a low voice.
[…You’re right. I’ll take Suhyun home first.]
“Don’t leave her alone.”
[Yeah, I know.]
Haram warned her again because she knew leaving Suhyun by herself tonight would be dangerous. Yeona understood and ended the call.
“Blood pressure’s coming back!”
“Press harder!”
“…….”
Haram watched the paramedics work with empty eyes. She could only hope Junsu would survive.
He’s always lived so kindly… it would be too unfair if he went like this… Please keep streaming. What am I supposed to do when I’m bored…….
Right now, she wasn’t the big YouTuber Mizuame Akari. She was simply one fan, sincerely praying.
Without hearing what had happened to anyone else, Suhyun let Yeona lead her home by the hand.
“…….”
“…….”
They stood in front of the house for a long time without speaking. She had hoped for so much. She had really, truly hoped.
She looked up at Yeona’s face. The smile on it looked slightly awkward, as if she had been badly shaken. It wasn’t Yeona’s usual smile. Suhyun lowered her head and punched in the door code.
“…Thanks for bringing me home. Bye, Yeona… I’ll call you.”
Just as she was about to go inside, Yeona spoke in a slightly trembling voice.
“Suhyun.”
“…?”
“Can I stay over tonight? I want to visit the hospital tomorrow too.”
“…Did they say he’s okay?”
Yeona hesitated for a moment at the careful question. Suhyun knew her too well. That hesitation meant—
She’s about to lie.
It was the pause she made when she was about to lie. A crushing sense of guilt washed over Suhyun. Of course he wasn’t fine. He had been stabbed in the stomach. No matter how she looked at it, it was a fatal wound. She didn’t know how deep the blade had gone, but…
“…Go home, Yeona. You’ll hate staying with me anyway. You have to take your lenses out to sleep, and you won’t be able to see without them.”
“…….”
“You said it got worse……”
As she tried to close the door, Yeona raised her voice.
“It’s not like that…! I don’t hate you!”
“…!!”
Yeona’s orange eyes were brimming with tears. Suhyun stared at her in shock.
“I… I don’t hate you… I like you! We’re friends… Just let me stay. I’m worried about you.”
“…….”
“Don’t hurt alone, Suhyun… Let’s hurt together. I’ll stay right beside you.”
Yeona pulled her into a tight hug. Suhyun was surprised she could still do that when she probably smelled like vomit.
“…I quit drinking and smoking. I’ve been really careful so you wouldn’t smell anything… because you hate it.”
“…!!”
“If you hated it, I wouldn’t have done any of this… So please, don’t try to handle everything by yourself……”
Being alone had always felt natural. Sharing sadness was still something she wasn’t used to. She knew this was wrong. Someone had gotten hurt because of her. Even so, she burst into tears.
“Yeona…! I’m scared…! What do I do? What am I supposed to do now? If Dad… if Dad comes back… I feel like I’ll die…! I’m scared, protect me, don’t go!”
She was terrified. Her father was too frightening. The tears wouldn’t stop. Her legs felt like they would give out at any moment. If Yeona wasn’t holding her, she would probably faint right now. She was so scared.
Watching her tremble, Yeona spoke softly.
“It’s okay… It’ll be okay. You and Kei… Kei was protecting you, so don’t worry about him hating you… Just say thank you, all right?”
Yeona comforted her even while her own voice shook. Suhyun stayed pressed against her for a long time. Yeona’s body didn’t smell of alcohol or cigarettes—the things Suhyun hated.
…Orange.
It smelled sweet and warm, like oranges.
It was nearly midnight. Junsu had been rushed into surgery. Haram sat blankly outside the operating room, sipping the tea she had bought.
“…I can’t calm down.”
Her heart was still racing wildly. It was terrifying—watching someone die right in front of you.
“Suhyun unnie… has always lived feeling like this.”
Even now, thoughts of Suhyun wouldn’t leave her mind. Someone who had protected her younger siblings under that monster and endured such abuse. Haram could only feel grateful that she was still alive.
She was lost in thought when she heard footsteps approaching.
“…Akari-nim.”
“Is Junsu hyung okay?”
“Ah… You’re here.”
Giseong had a bruise on his face and was holding an ice pack, while Yuho stood beside him with a shocked expression. Haram’s eyes welled up at the sight of them.
“What do we do…? What if it’s really bad? If Junsu-nim dies like this…!”
She couldn’t finish the sentence. Yuho walked over without a word and gently patted her.
“…He’ll be all right.”
“Have Junsu hyung’s parents… not arrived yet?”
“No… I called them. They’re on their way, but they live far, so it’ll take a while……”
The three of them waited outside the operating room, their worry growing heavier by the minute. They took turns staying awake, checking if the surgery had ended, and spent the entire night without knowing whether Junsu would live or die.
At five in the morning, a doctor finally came out.
“The surgery was successful. The blade was dull, so it didn’t reach his organs directly, and none of the major blood vessels were damaged.”
It was very hopeful news.