Reasonable Loss - 4

Eunsoo withdrew his hand from Dokwon’s grip. Dokwon shrugged in surprise. His previously darkened face suddenly turned contemplative.

Eunsoo quickly grabbed Dokwon’s hand again. This time, not with one hand but with both hands tightly clasped. Then he pressed his lips firmly against that hand and let go.

Dokwon’s eyebrows arched. The contemplative look on his face quickly turned bright again. Seeing this change, Eunsoo smiled softly. And it was when their lips were about to meet.

Honk!

Suddenly, a sharp horn pierced their ears. Dokwon and even Eunsoo furrowed their brows. But the horn didn’t stop at just one.

Honk! Honk! Honk!

Horns blared from all directions. It wasn’t just a light press; it sounded like someone was pounding the horn with their fist.

Sensing an ominous vibe, Dokwon looked around. Then, he saw a large dump truck rushing towards them from the front. Or rather, when he noticed, the car in front had already been flattened by the dump truck collision.

However, the dump truck didn’t stop. With a screeching sound of metal scraping, it charged towards Dokwon and Eunsoo. Dokwon, who was alarmed, immediately reversed the car. But he collided with the car behind. Cars surrounded them on all sides. There was no way to escape.

“Eunsoo.”

Dokwon looked at Eunsoo.

“Dokwon.”

Eunsoo also looked at Dokwon.

Their eyes met in the air. At the same time, the looming shadow of the dump truck conquered the windshield. Dokwon unbuckled his seatbelt and embraced Eunsoo with all his might.

Bang!

A tremendous crash echoed. The car shook violently, and then the body twisted sharply backward. The seatbelt pressing against the shoulders and chest felt painfully sharp like a saw blade.

Amidst all this, Eunsoo felt the warmth of Dokwon enveloping his body. He also sensed his pheromones swirling strongly. And within seconds, a very hot liquid splashed on his face.

Eunsoo stared blankly at the dark red in front of his eyes. He couldn’t see anything. It was just excruciating pain as if his body was being torn apart, and it was terrifying to the point of suffocation.

Eunsoo slowly closed his eyes.

He hadn’t even given any response to Dokwon yet.

Yes.

Okay.

He wanted to say those words.

But for now, it seemed impossible.

* * *

Eunsoo slowly opened his eyes. Everything was blurry. He couldn’t tell if he had woken up or if he was still in a dream.

His throat felt stuffy. It tasted like he had swallowed a lot of fine powder, but the taste was like a disinfectant. His body felt heavy and sore. It felt like he had slept for a whole day, not just a few hours. It was a strangely familiar feeling.

Eunsoo continued to blink his eyes. It was to clear his foggy mind.

How many minutes passed like that? Eunsoo could finally distinguish objects. A white ceiling, a dim fluorescent light, a ring hanging on an iron bar. Nothing looked familiar. Yet instinctively, he knew this was a hospital.

After rolling his eyes aimlessly, Eunsoo turned his head this time. Left, then right. Just moving his neck caused a dull pain. But he still scanned the surroundings.

It seemed necessary to do so.

The room was spacious. But there were no other patients in sight. From the rare sofa and marble table, to the bright lights emitting a soft glow, it seemed like a luxurious ward.

While staring at that, Eunsoo then looked towards the window. More precisely, at another bed under the window, next to his own.