With trembling hands, Choi Yuna dialed the number, her voice barely steady as she called Park Soo Min's mother, the powerful CEO of the renowned clothing brand SooMin.
"Aunty… it's Soo Min. He… he was in an accident. Please come quickly to the hospital," she managed to say, her voice breaking.
As she rushed into the hospital, her heart pounded in fear. The bright white hallways felt suffocating, and the scent of antiseptic filled her lungs. Through the glass doors, she saw doctors and nurses working frantically inside the operation theater.
Yuna dropped to her knees in front of the doors, her hands clasped together. "God, I've never asked you for anything before, but today… please, I beg you, save Soo Min. Please don't take him away from me." Her voice was barely above a whisper, yet filled with desperation.
Minutes stretched into eternity before a familiar voice echoed through the corridor.
"Where is my son? Soo Min!"
Park Soo Min's mother arrived, fear and tears evident in her usually composed face. The moment Yuna saw her, she rushed forward, wrapping her arms around the grieving mother.
" Aunty, please don't worry… Soo Min is strong. He will be fine," Yuna assured her, though she herself was trembling. Tears streamed down her face, her hands tightening into fists as she struggled to stay strong.
As the hours passed, more of their friends arrived Park Kia, Im Eun Ae, and others. They sat together, waiting, praying, hoping. The air was thick with tension, silence occasionally broken by quiet sobs.
Then, the double doors of the operation theater creaked open.
A doctor stepped out, his face grim.
Yuna and Soo Min's mother sprang to their feet, rushing toward him.
" Doctor, how is my son? Is he okay?" Soo Min's mother asked desperately, her voice shaking.
" Doctor, please tell us he's fine," Yuna pleaded, gripping her own hands so tightly that her nails dug into her skin.
The doctor hesitated, then took a deep breath. His words felt like knives slicing through the air.
" I'm sorry… we did everything we could. But we couldn't save him."
Silence.
A suffocating, deafening silence.
Soo Min's mother collapsed onto the floor, her eyes wide in shock, tears falling uncontrollably.
" No… No, no, NO! My son… my baby…" her wails echoed through the hospital.
Yuna's entire world shattered in that moment.
Her body trembled as she turned to the doctor. Her eyes, filled with a storm of emotions, burned into his.
" You're lying," she whispered, shaking her head. Then, in an instant, she grabbed the doctor's collar, her strength fueled by pure desperation.
" You're lying! You're a doctor, you were supposed to save him! It's your JOB to save him! Go back inside! Bring him back! Please!" she screamed, her sobs wracking her body.
The doctor placed a gentle yet firm hand on her shoulders. His own voice was heavy with sorrow.
" I'm sorry… We truly tried our best. But… he's gone."
The words crushed her.
Yuna's knees buckled, and she collapsed onto the cold hospital floor. She clutched her chest, gasping for air, as if her very soul had been ripped apart.
" No… This isn't true… Soo Min said he loved me… He promised he'd never leave me… This is all a lie… He can't be gone," she sobbed, her voice filled with raw, unbearable pain.
Her friends rushed to her side, trying to hold her, to comfort her, but she was inconsolable.
And then… everything went black.
Yuna lost consciousness, her body succumbing to the overwhelming grief.