88 – I Came to Love You Once Again (2)
Something is pounding. I’m not sure if it’s the sound of my heart or the sound of the ground shaking. If it were my heart, could it make such a loud beating sound? If it weren’t for Guero, would the sound of footsteps be able to touch one’s heart this much? Such trivial questions disturbed my mind.
Of course, both are nonsense. There is no common sense in being deaf to your own heartbeat. Guero lives in a world so far away that we can no longer meet him. That was common sense in this world.
But at this moment, I couldn’t discuss common sense. How can I question something like that?
Eren is in front of me right now.
“…”
Of course, the person making eye contact with me now was not Ellen, but an unfamiliar boy. Even if I compare it to the picture I was holding in my hand right now, he was just a young boy who had no resemblance whatsoever. And above all, there is no way Ellen could be in this world. That absolutely can’t be possible.
…
No.
He was Ellen.
The more I looked at him, the more he was Ellen. The more I heard the voice, the more it was Ellen. It definitely couldn’t be that way, but I kept thinking that way.
One more time. I thought I would understand if I heard his voice one more time. I got up halfway out of bed and leaned towards the boy. But then, a loud noise and the boy’s voice woke me up.
Boom!
“Yuna!”
“Huh…?”
“Window. Can you open it?”
“Window…?”
Boom!
“Ugh!”
While I was hesitating, another loud sound rang out and the boy’s body shook violently against the door. Only then did I come to my senses and walked towards the window.
“O…Opened.”
“Yes. Good job.”
Meanwhile, the boy smiled kindly at me and blocked the door with the chair next to him. And quickly ran towards the window. After that, the vibrations rang again and the bodyguards’ pitiful voices came out.
Boom!
“Miss! Miss!”
“Wow… You guys are strong. It would have been really reassuring if we were on the same side. Right?”
“Huh?”
When he turned his head, the boy was already pushing his body through the crack of the small window. I looked at him as if mesmerized by his swift appearance, like a squirrel. Then the boy’s kind voice was heard again.
“Yoona.”
“Yes…”
“Well…I’ll run away for a moment and come back? I did something bad to those guys…”
“Wait a minute…”
“Lady!!!”
At that moment, the security guards broke through the door. Even though they were out of breath, they screamed loudly when they found the boy.
“Hey! You’re not coming here!”
“If you get caught, really bad!”
“Wait! Wait!”
“Come here you idiot!”
I approached them to stop them, but they didn’t listen to me and rushed towards the window. As the boy freaked out and disappeared, the security guards came up and looked out the window.
“That…That crazy bastard. You should chase after her first. I’ll check on the girl’s condition and follow her.”
“I understand. If I had gone anyway, I would have ended up in the hospital room next door. I’ll be caught soon.”
“I told you to wait a moment!”
Despite shouting once again, the man ran towards the hallway at great strides. And the other one looked at me with a genuinely worried expression.
“Are you okay, miss? Didn’t that crazy bastard do anything bad?”
“I’m fine. And she’s not like that. She…”
“He’s a stalker. He’s a crazy scumbag who chases after celebrities for nothing. My wife told me to be careful because there could be people like that…But it’s my fault. Don’t worry, we’ll catch you and hand you over to the police.”
“That’s not it! Please listen to me!”
I urgently grabbed the arm of the man who was about to leave. But he simply slapped my arm away.
“Miss. I understand that you are surprised. But let’s go now. A guy like that must be handed over to the police.”
“But…”
“Hey! I found it! There it is!”
“…!!!”
At that time, an evil shout was heard from the hallway. Then, without hesitation, her man strode towards her door. A large shadow walked away into the dark hallway, scattering an ominous light.
“No…!”
Something like a scream escaped me without my knowledge. There was no hesitation in her man’s steps. It seemed like if he caught the boy, he would twist his neck without mercy.
Of course, it might have been right to leave her like that. What if that boy is really my stalker? If you are a criminal. It was right to leave it to the bodyguards like this.
But that boy wasn’t a stalker or anything. There was only one person in this world who smiled at me like that. There couldn’t be another person in this world who called my name like that. Although I’m not sure, that boy definitely reminded me of someone.
And if I was right, I couldn’t let those people capture him like this.
The moment I thought that, I picked up the food tray that was still sitting next to the bed. And then he swung at the back of the man’s head with all his might.
“Stop!!!”
Sigh!
“Ouch!”
…
“…?”
“…???”
But instead of fainting, the man looked back at me with an expression of confusion. I too was a little embarrassed and looked at him, and before I knew it, I hit the top of his head again.
“Ouch!”
“Uh…”
“Lady?”
“…”
An awkward atmosphere flowed. He looked at me with an expression of not understanding and slowly approached me.
“Uh…Well…I don’t know why you did that, but please put that down first.”
“Don’t come any closer.”
“Yes? No, but…”
“Don’t come any closer!”
When he came one step closer, I screamed without realizing it. Then, suddenly, pounding footsteps were heard in the hallway, and nurses in disarray came pouring into this room.
“That’s it! That pervert!”
“Oh…No! I’m really going crazy!”
“Now even the patient…You bastard!”
“Ugh!”
I don’t know why, but the nurses were very angry and rushed at the man. Then he suddenly looked at me and let out a loud noise.
“Yoona! Avoid!”
“Ah…”
My whole body stiffened at the situation that happened in an instant. A boy who came suddenly. Bodyguards rushing in. An action I took without even realizing it. And then a mess unfolded before our eyes. It was a situation too complicated to accept all at once.
But now was a golden opportunity. This man will be tied up and immobilized by the nurses for a while. He can’t go save Eren if it’s not now.
…
Yes. Ellen.
Now it was my turn to save Ellen.
The moment I thought of that, I kicked out the hospital room door.
From Noble mtl dot com
And then, I started running as hard as I could.
“Ugh…!”
Because I didn’t exercise much, I quickly became out of breath. The slippers she barely brought with her kept slipping, and sweat dripped down through her baggy gown. If she were in Yuna’s body, she wouldn’t be like this. She became so resentful of her own body.
“Ha…Huh…”
Still, she somehow mustered up her strength and looked around her. But the boy was nowhere to be seen. As I was looking around to find any trace of him, I found a person standing in the hallway and spoke to him.
“Hey…There…!”
“Yes?”
“Ah… That…”
When I was met with the gaze of a stranger, I stuttered without realizing it. Even if you knew someone like Ari, it was very difficult to deal with someone you didn’t know yet. Even in this situation where every minute was precious, my voice was shaking and it was hard to come out.
“Well…So maybe that’s…”
“Huh? What?”
“Ho… Did you see the big man… With the boy who was passing by here…?”
“Huh? What…Oh, the big guy? He was just running over there? What are you doing rudely in a hospital?”
“Ah…Yes. That…Thank you!”
I stuttered until the end, lowered my head, and started running in the direction indicated. I wasted too much time just asking for directions.
“Ha…Ha…”
My vision became increasingly blurry and my breathing became rough and my throat was clogged. It felt like the thoughts packed in my head were condensing inside and leaking out as wet tears. Meanwhile, his slippers were slipping, and his head was spinning as his breath rose to the tip of his chin.
“Ha…Please…!”
Boom!
“Gotcha, you bastard!”
“…!!!”
But the sound I heard again woke me up from my blurred consciousness. No please. I held my breath and ran like crazy down the stairs where I heard the sound.
Soon, I saw the nurses gathered in front of me, making a fuss. I ran straight to them and opened my mouth urgently.
“Hey! Did you see the yellow-haired boy and the big man?”
“Huh? I saw that patient…You can’t come out now.”
“Where are they? Where did they go?”
“So down the stairs…”
“Ahh…!”
This time, I didn’t respond and ran in the direction she told me. Judging from the loud noise, it was clear that the security guard had found the boy. Even at this very moment, she will continue to fall into crisis.
“Haa…Ha…Uuuk…”
I was so out of breath running down the stairs so quickly that I was almost nauseous. My pulse was pounding and pounding as if my lungs were going to be torn apart.
But there was no time to hesitate. At first glance, he looked so fragile and small, unlike the world there. Maybe he changed that way because he came to see me. It felt like his whole body would twist just from being caught by his man.
I have to help.
Because I’m the only one he has now.
Boom!
“No…!”
I heard the sound again. As I ran towards the source, I saw a man standing awkwardly. I rushed over and grabbed his shoulder.
“Hey…Where have they gone?”
“Huh? That’s…”
“Where did you go!”
“That…! It looks like it’s going down towards the lobby…I guess…!”
When I screamed loudly, this time they stuttered. To be honest, I wasn’t even aware that I had screamed. Because that’s not important right now.
“Please…Please…!”
A desperate voice hung on the edge of my breath. Meanwhile, the slippers that kept sticking to my feet were very annoying. The slippers that did not fit my body made my steps staggered and slow. Of course, if you don’t have it, you might hurt the soles of your feet when going down the stairs.
But it didn’t matter. I had to endure that much hurt.
I eventually threw my slippers away and started running barefoot down the hospital hallway.
“Haa…Haa…Haa…”
Tap, thump, thud.
The moonlight shining outside the window spread bright blue in the hospital hallway. The sound of cold marble clinging beneath my sweaty bare feet.
Suddenly, the last day in that world came to mind. That precious memory of walking barefoot on the ground with Ellen. It was a moment when my heart warmed because the warmth I held in my hand was warmer than the chill rising from the ground.
But now I was running barefoot on the ground alone. The chill that hit my skin was so cold that it made me shiver. To endure, I needed warmth this time too. I needed someone like me back then.
“El…!”
At that moment, I opened my mouth. I’m not sure yet. Although there was still no rational evidence, my heart was already beating with conviction.
“Ellen!!!”
I eventually cried out his name at the top of my lungs. It had been so long since I made a loud noise that I started coughing, but I kept calling his name.
“Ellen…Ellen…Ellen…!”
I am on my way. I’m on my way now, so just wait a little longer. The words I couldn’t bring myself to say were scattered behind that name. I once again called his name with earnest hope.
“Ellen!”
I screamed as hard as I could, so I almost slipped and fell as soon as I came down the stairs. After barely maintaining my balance, I stood for a moment and looked around.
“Ha…Ha…”
The hospital lobby was dark and empty. Seeing that the door was closed, it didn’t seem like he had gone out.
At that time, I suddenly noticed beads of sweat scattered on the floor. As I followed the traces, the bookshelves in the hospital lobby caught my eye. A type of hospital library prepared for patients. The water trail was heading in that direction.
…Thump.
“…!”
At that time, I heard a small noise from there. It sounded like someone’s footsteps or something hitting the wall.
I ran there with all my strength. I couldn’t breathe anymore. The sound of my heart beating so fast rang in my ears.
“Whoa…”
Thump. Thud. Thud. Thud.
“Umm…”
I think this is a really big problem.
I straightened my sprained ankle while running. The man was a better bodyguard than I thought, so I almost got caught twice. And this time, it seemed like the time had finally come for him to grab me by the scruff of the neck.
As a temporary measure, it was hidden behind the bookshelves lined up in the lobby, but since it was not a very complicated structure, it was certain that it would be found quickly.
“Hmm…”
…
As I took a deep breath and looked over the bookshelf, an empty wind passed by the floor. Fortunately, the man was not visible. What should I do? Should I move? I was worried, but nothing was solved if I stayed still. Even at this very moment, Yoona is probably thinking about my identity.
That’s why I had to stand up first. I grabbed the bookshelf and barely managed to get up.
“Tsk…Chaa…”
“…I finally found it, you damn bastard.”
But then the man’s shadow covered my head. I smiled awkwardly at the murderous voice.
“Hmm…”
“We went through a lot of trouble because of you. Just follow me. Tell the rest to the police.”
“Hey handsome guy. Wait a minute…Ugh!”
“Shut up and follow me. I’m just holding back from wanting to beat you to death.”
He immediately grabbed my collar. He was suddenly strangled by an immense force, and his breath was taken away.
“Ugh…!”
I instinctively grabbed the inside of his arm, but it had no effect on his man. It seemed like he was really angry.
“Wait…Wait…!”
“Shut up.”
“Hey, just wait…!”
“I can’t do this. I’ll have to give him a beating.”
As I continued to resist, he eventually raised his hand. His large fist cast an ominous shadow over his head. I gritted my teeth and closed my eyes tightly.
Bwaaak!!!
…
“Wook…?”
But the next moment, it wasn’t my moans that came out, but the man’s vain breathing. He suddenly released his hand and caressed the back of his head.
“What…”
Bwaaak!
Before he could turn around, an extremely thick book hit him squarely on the temple. He stumbled for a moment and then fell to the floor.
And after that, she appeared in her pure white hospital uniform.
…
“Ha…Ha…”
“…”
“Ha…Ha…”
“Yoona…?”
“Ha…Ah…”
When Yoona heard my voice, she let go of her book and sat down on the floor. He seemed very surprised by his own actions. I looked at the unconscious man and then suddenly turned my attention to the book that had fallen on the floor. Through the hazy darkness, the title of the book, ‘s*x and Love,’ stood out. I started laughing without realizing it.
“hahahaha…”
“…”
“Why did you choose this book again?”
When I told the joke, Yoona held her breath for a moment. Then she spoke to me in a trembling voice.
“You…”
“Yes.”
“Are you really Ellen?”
“Yes.”
“Really? Is this really Ellen?”
“It’s me. It’s Yoon.”
Her chest, which had been heaving with heavy breathing, soon calmed down comfortably. I quietly opened my mouth to Yuna, who was still hesitant.
“What’s wrong?”
“I…”
“If you don’t believe me, can I pat you on the head?”
“…!”
At that one word, Yuna gasped and took in her breath. She then couldn’t even stand up and crawled on all fours towards me.
“Really…Really?”
“Yes. It’s me.”
“It’s really Ellen, right?”
“It’s me.”
“Oh my…You…”
Her tears trickled through her sweat-soaked hair. She extended her hand toward me as if she still couldn’t believe it. I also raised her hand to face her.
“Oh…No!”
But Yoona suddenly turned bright red and stepped behind her. She then brushed away her tangled hair and covered her face with both hands.
From Noble mtl dot com
“No… I haven’t even put on makeup and I haven’t even washed properly…”
“Yoona.”
“Please don’t look. At least not now. I’m much better than Yuna…”
“Yoona.”
I walked towards her as she retreated and grabbed her wrist. And then she carefully removed the bride’s veil that shyly covered her face.
Her face, revealed through it, was still bright red. Her two dark eyes were shining pitch black through her extremely disheveled hair, as if she had just woken up from sleep. I would be lying if I said she was exactly what I imagined, but she was definitely the Yoona I was looking for.
As I ran my fingers through her hair, she said what she had wanted to say all along.
“I really missed you.”
“Ellen…”
Finally, my name was called. Even though it wasn’t my real name, it made me laugh.
“Ellen!”
Yoona called my name once again and she hugged my body tightly. The two cheeks that were touching each other were so hot that it felt like they were going to burst at any moment. She felt like she was going to lose her mind because of the unique scent emanating from her arms.
Nevertheless, I held on to Yuna’s shoulders, trying hard to keep her spirits up. Her embrace was so hot that my body also felt heat. The sound of her heartbeat slowly rang out, as if knocking on her heart.