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Seok-hyun silently took the blows of Hee-jin's fists. Eventually, exhausted by her own effort, Hee-jin let her hands drop. In that moment, she burst into tears. The sound of her sobbing, which seemed to be dragged up from the deepest depths of her lungs, sounded like a scream.
“Please, just leave me alone…. You’ve already broken me like this, is it still not enough?”
Hee-jin's words were filled with pain and frustration. He knew all too well that her crying was not only anger directed at him, but also despair toward a reality she could no longer endure.
The accusation and hatred embedded in Hee-jin's cries pierced Seok-hyun sharply. It hurt many times more than when he was being hit by her hands. Though invisible wounds were etched into his chest, Seok-hyun comforted himself, telling himself it was only a temporary feeling.
After all, since problems had arisen because he failed to execute his plan perfectly, it was only natural for her to hate him. However, getting angry at the fact that he wanted to fix her was irrational. He could be the single ray of hope amidst the despair enveloping Hee-jin.
“Noona… since I broke you, it’s only natural that I fix you.”
He whispered his sincerity calmly. But upon hearing those words, Hee-jin suffered an even greater fit. She wailed so loudly that she seemed on the verge of losing her breath. Whenever he tried to touch her to calm her down, she cried even more hysterically, leaving Seok-hyun with no choice but to step back.
Watching Hee-jin sob like a young child, Seok-hyun unconsciously gnawed at his lip with his teeth. The dry, rough texture of his parched lips felt unfamiliar.
“I’ll…”
*I'll fix you.* The words he couldn't quite finish lingered in Seok-hyun's mouth.
✾ ✾ ✾
“What on earth were you thinking? Didn't you cherish Yoo Hee-jin?”
Yuna, who ran into Seok-hyun in the company elevator, poured out her questions as if she had been waiting for the moment. Her anger over the order to go down to Busan had already taken a backseat; her entire focus was now on the fender bender.
Good heavens, Go Seok-hyun had caused a car accident.
That in itself was unbelievable, but the victim was actually Yoo Hee-jin. No matter how she tried to understand it, the situation was incomprehensible. Setting aside rational affection, Yoo Hee-jin was an extremely valuable asset to Go Seok-hyun. Yuna couldn't forget how Seok-hyun's eyes had sparkled whenever he spoke of her violin skills.
And yet, Go Seok-hyun had personally destroyed that value? The Go Seok-hyun Yuna knew was not the type of person to shout things like, ‘If I can’t have it, I’d rather break it.’ He was the type to say, ‘There is nothing I cannot have,’ and find another way. Even now, Yuna felt admiration when she thought of the strategy and skill Seok-hyun used to recruit key figures in the industry.
“I do cherish her.”
A single, firm word dropped coldly inside the elevator. Yuna realized for the first time that Go Seok-hyun's voice could be this frigid. If he truly cherished Yoo Hee-jin, why on earth did he cause such an accident? Claiming he wasn't in a good physical state was merely an excuse. Others might be fooled, but Hong Yuna would not be deceived by such words.
“Then… something went wrong, didn't it?”
Seok-hyun, who had been staring straight ahead the entire time, slowly turned his head at those words. In that chilly gaze, there was neither question nor regret. Yuna unconsciously swallowed hard at the sight of eyes in which not a shred of human warmth could be found.
Go Seok-hyun was a man who placed immense importance on his public image. He was kind, polite, and affectionate to everyone. Yet here he was, showing a chillingly cold expression, even if they were the only two in the elevator. Despite having known him for so long, it felt as though she was only now seeing his true face.
“I’m going to set it right, so mind your own business.”
Those words sounded like a warning. Yuna wanted to ask how exactly he intended to set it right, but she couldn't bring herself to speak. Just then, the elevator doors opened. Yuna stepped out of the elevator as if she had been flung out.
Despite having spent so much time together, she now felt as though she didn't even know who he was. It felt as if she had finally encountered the true nature he had hidden behind a beautiful face and an elaborate mask.
As the elevator doors slowly closed, it looked as if darkness was swallowing Go Seok-hyun. No, Go Seok-hyun was the darkness itself.
✾ ✾ ✾
“I’m going to disinfect it now.”
The nurse, who had now become a familiar face, unwrapped the bandages for dressing. The sight was gruesome, with the area still swollen and the pins protruding. Hee-jin couldn't bring herself to look down at her hand; she squeezed her eyes shut and turned her head away.
“Please keep bending and straightening the three fingers that aren't injured.”
Hee-jin's expression was complex as she looked down at her hand after the dressing was complete. She was told that soon she would need to move the injured finger slightly as well to prevent the joint from stiffening. A schedule was set, with a physical therapist assisting her at first.
Because Go Seok-hyun had been massaging her fingers relentlessly, she had become accustomed to moving the healthy ones. However, every time she bent her ring finger, the stiffness and faint pain felt in her middle finger seemed to tell her it was all in vain. That no matter how much she moved the healthy fingers, it was useless. That her life as a violinist was over.
Hee-jin moved her right hand to pick up the phone resting on the bedside table. Only now did she have the mental strength to contact the symphony orchestra. Until now, after the surgery, she hadn't had the luxury to look around her.
Holding the phone with one hand and typing was nearly impossible. Hee-jin laid the phone on the blanket and pressed the letters one by one, suffering through several impulses to simply give up and throw it away. While taking deep breaths to write the email, tears eventually began to drip down.
*Unfortunately, I have been involved in an accident during my vacation, which is why I am contacting you in this manner. I have undergone surgery for a comminuted fracture of the proximal phalanx and am currently recovering. Therefore, it appears that I will be unable to perform for the time being. As for the exact date of my return…*
Would she even be able to return? It wasn't that Hee-jin had just been wallowing in despair. She had tried her best to cling to a shred of hope by searching for similar cases. However, it took six weeks just to remove the pins piercing through the hand, and most accounts stated that even after a year of rehabilitation, the finger's condition did not recover 100%.
Some asked when their grip strength would return, some said they couldn't lift heavy objects, some said they couldn't clench their fist tightly…. If people felt discomfort even in daily life, could she possibly play the violin? The violin was an instrument that required extremely fine motor control of the fingers.
‘There’s no way it’s possible….’
After barely managing to send the email, Hee-jin checked her phone. She saw a message from Andy asking when she would be back, but she couldn't bring herself to reply. He would find out about her condition soon enough anyway, but she didn't have the courage to bring it up first. She felt that if she called him, she would just cry without being able to say a word. She didn't want that.
“Noona.”
Ultimately, she ignored it and checked another message, but a familiar voice rang out as always.
“Why were you crying so much? Your eyes are all raw.”
Entering the hospital room, Seok-hyun saw her red, swollen eyes and quickly approached to check her complexion. He combed through her messy hair with his hand and comforted her, telling her not to cry with an unnerving naturalness.
“In this situation, you shouldn't be crying; you should be staying strong.”
At that brazen remark, a surge of explosive anger and confusion rose in Hee-jin's chest. The situation—where the person who had shattered her was approaching her as if he were her savior—was absurd.
Hee-jin found the mere touch of his hand loathsome and wanted to push him away, but unable to shake off her sense of helplessness, she remained still. She was too exhausted. It was too overwhelming to handle this situation alone. Her greatest fear was that she might end up leaning on the very person who had caused all this pain. To have to rely on the one who broke her—what could be more horrific than that?
“I’ve prepared everything. You can be discharged whenever you want now.”
After tidying Hee-jin's hair, Seok-hyun brought up the idea of going back to his house. To think he still hadn't given up. Every time those words came out, Hee-jin shuddered with rage.
“That’s never going to happen, so please just fuck off.”
Hee-jin's tone was harsh, but Seok-hyun actually welcomed such a reaction. Showing hatred was proof that she hadn't given up. It was much better than when she had been resigned and lethargic. To Seok-hyun, this violent expression of emotion looked like the process of Hee-jin coming back to life.
“What are you going to do without me? Can you make a comeback on your own?”
“Don't you dare—!”
Hee-jin, about to scream at him to mind his own business, suddenly flinched. The tone in which he spoke with such certainty about her return reminded her of the time when he was certain she would stand on the world's greatest stages. That consistent conviction was chilling. Even now, with her hand ruined, Go Seok-hyun was still trying to drag her life along according to his plan.
“Are you going to give up like this?”
“Ugh….”
Hee-jin faltered, unable to cope with the wave of despair and confusion crashing over her. A Yoo Hee-jin who couldn't play the violin was nothing. From the age of seven, when she first learned the violin, until now, Yoo Hee-jin's life had been one with the instrument. If she gave up now….
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