Seonwoo, who arrived on the first floor in an instant, headed to the place the nurse had explained. Outside the building, rain was still falling, but because the light coming from the ambulance was strong, he could find it right away.
It looked identical to a regular ambulance, but there were no ‘119’ characters. As if to replace that, the hospital name and logo were written in large letters.
“You’re the guardian, right? You can board this way.”
Medical staff different from earlier guided Seonwoo. Taejeong had already been moved into the ambulance. The interior was very cramped with various medical equipment taking up space.
Seonwoo had to squeeze his body to sit on the foldable auxiliary seat. Although medical staff sat in the seat right next to Taejeong, Seonwoo’s seat was also at a distance where he could reach if he stretched out his hand.
The ambulance departed at the same time as Seonwoo fastened his seatbelt. He explained that the move might take a long time because of the heavy rain, but there was no way it would enter Seonwoo’s ears right now.
“……”
Now he could finally see his face properly. Taejeong had the most peaceful face Seonwoo had ever seen. Seonwoo thought that appearance looked exactly like a dead person.
Not because of the pale skin that had lost its color, nor because of the dark circles under his eyes that looked even more darkened in contrast. But because the thick eyebrows visible under the pale blue surgical cap were hanging down calmly unlike usual, because the two eyes that always glared at Seonwoo as if to kill him were quietly closed, because all of that didn’t seem like the Taejeong that Seonwoo knew. So it seemed like he was already dead.
The machines connected to Taejeong’s body were making stable sounds, and the medical staff right beside him also showed no signs of being busy. Nevertheless, Seonwoo didn’t think Taejeong was alive. He could only believe it after directly seeing the chest subtly rise and fall under the blanket.
After confirming that he was breathing fine and returning to Taejeong’s face to check his condition, Seonwoo got angry for no reason. He wanted to snap at him, asking why he was making him worry by getting beaten like an idiot.
If you were born with that build, shouldn’t you at least resist somehow? The image of him silently enduring the violence being inflicted kept coming to mind, so Seonwoo glared at the compression bandage wrapped tightly around Taejeong’s shoulder.
Seonwoo thought he had no involvement in the situation that led to Taejeong becoming like this. He considered that he had merely witnessed the scene of violence by chance. Yet he didn’t know why he felt a debt in his heart toward Taejeong. If he couldn’t know the reason even though it was clearly an emotion that arose from within himself, anyone would be confused. Seonwoo found that confusion kept leading to irritation.
Would Taejeong now end up in the same situation as his mom? If so, Taejeong might also be unable to take even one step out of the hospital from now on. Even though he didn’t want to imagine it, the image of the two people lying side by side in a hospital room was drawn in his head.
“……”
Seonwoo realized his idle thoughts were endlessly stretching in a bad direction and dry-washed his face. He tried to ventilate his head, thinking it was all because the Vice Director kept going on about family. However, in this situation, moreover with Taejeong before his eyes who hadn’t even come out of anesthesia after surgery, it was impossible to stop thinking.
The things Taejeong would experience from the moment the anesthesia wore off and he woke up were clearly drawn before his eyes. Seonwoo knew well the sense of loss that came from a ruined body. Moreover, the Vice Director would be waiting at the place they arrived. The road the ambulance was now breaking through the rain on was no different from a road personally offering Taejeong into suffering.
Seonwoo thought that perhaps this moment right now might be Taejeong’s last peace. No, he was certain of it.
“……”
Seonwoo, who had been looking at Taejeong for a long while without moving, slowly extended his hand. Like he had done in the taxi, he grabbed Taejeong’s wrist. Because of the distance, it was his right hand this time.
The skin touching his palm no longer had moisture but felt colder than then. The hand with a large scar left on it intermittently convulsed. Naturally, pain accompanied it too. Still, Seonwoo didn’t let go of the hand.
The purpose was only one. I’m beside you, so know that.
There was no way Taejeong would know that, and even if he did, it was a fact that wouldn’t help this situation at all right now, but Seonwoo still wanted to let him know.
<To be continued in Volume 2>
