Chapter 81 - The Smile in the Dreams

Jiwon opened his eyes. A white light almost blinded him. Blinking several times, he registered his surrounding. 

His head was heavily bandaged and a sharp pain ran through his brain. His arms were in a sling and one of his legs was plastered. Looking around, he realized he was in a hospital. 

Why am I here? He thought. Suddenly the memories came pouring into his head. Flashes of the incident ran through his mind. The truck. The flashlights. Ms. Sohee's still body on the ground…

Jiwon jolted up but his body writhed in pain. Crying out loud in agony, Jiwon fell back.

"ARGHHH!" he screamed as pain shot through his body. His grandfather rushed in with a doctor and nurse.

"Jiwon!" he cried. Jiwon was trying to get up once again but his wretched body was not complying.

"Grandfather!" he tugged onto to the old man's shirt. "Grandfather! Where is Ms. Sohee and the President? Are they alright? Are they here? Where are they?"

"Jiwon…"

His grandfather was unable to say anything. Jiwon was struggling to get up but his treacherous body betrayed him.

"Take me to them," Jiwon requested but his grandfather was not looking at him. The old man looked...ashamed. He could not meet his grandson's eyes.

"Grandfather?" Jiwon called. "Grandfather, take me to Ms. Sohee!"

Meanwhile, the doctor and the nurse held him down, trying to sedate him. Jiwon felt the stab of a needle shooting through him.

"Grandfather…" Jiwon pleaded. "Where are they?"

But his grandfather was silent. He was not saying anything. Where were they? Jiwon desperately wondered. Why was his grandfather not telling him anything?

He had no time to dwell on his thoughts as sleep overcame him once again.

…

It was dark outside. The moonlight was creeping into the lonely room where Jiwon lay. He was asleep for hours. But nightmares plagued his slumber. 

The man with grey hair kept on appearing in his dreams. The smile was taunting him, jeering at him. He took away something from Jiwon. But what?

"This won't be the last time you'll see me…" the grey haired man whispered and let out a laugh. It was a laughter full of menace. He will return and he will once again snatch away Jiwon's most prized possession. 

"No…" Jiwon whimpered in his sleep. The grey haired man's face kept on smiling at him, reminding him of his failure.

"We'll meet again," he said. "Kwon Jiwon…"

"NO!" 

Jiwon woke up, crying out loud. Despite the cool temperature, he was sweating profusely. He felt his heart beating rapidly against his chest. His breath was short and lagged. Once again confused by his surroundings, Jiwon realized he was still at the hospital. 

Ms. Sohee and her husband, he realized. He carefully dragged himself up, ignoring the pain in his abdomen. Searching around the room, he found a pair of walking sticks by his bed. Painfully hoisting himself off the bed, Jiwon took the sticks under his arms for support and decided to look for Ms. Sohee and her husband all by himself. 

It was uncomfortable to walk with the sticks, but his leg was completely fractured. Slowly making his way towards the door, he peered outside to check if his grandfather was anywhere around. Seeing that the coast was clear, he carefully began to head towards a lift to go downstairs to the reception area.

After reaching downstairs, he dragged himself towards the reception. A nurse, who was sitting there, looked alarmed.

"Sir, you are not supposed to be out of your bed!" she scolded him. "I'm taking you back."

"No wait, please!" Jiwon pleaded, mincing in pain. "Please, tell me if Sung Sohee and her husband were admitted to this hospital! I need to meet them. Are they alright?"

The nurse bit her lips. She knew this boy was a VVIP patient and was well aware of what happened to his companions. 

"Sir, you should go back to your room," she suggested. "Please, let me take you back."

"No!" Jiwon insisted. "Please, just let me see them! Please."

Seeing the plea in the boy's eyes made the nurse feel conflicted. He would find out sooner or later anyway.

"Come," she finally said. "I'll take you to them. Let me give you a wheelchair."

She disappeared for a minute before emerging with a wheelchair. Gently seating Jiwon on the chair, she guided him towards the hospital's west wing.

The corridor was empty at that time of the night. The nurse led him to a special section of the hospital which was not for patients.

"What is this place?" Jiwon frowned. "There are no hospital rooms here."

"This...this section is not for patients, sir," the nurse replied in a small tone. There was something odd about her voice.

"What is this place for?" Jiwon demanded. A smell of incense lingered in the air. The place was cold. Not by temperature but by feeling. The place made him feel cold and alone. He did not like it. Was Ms. Sohee and Mr. Taewon really here?

The nurse stopped in front of one of the rooms. She hesitated before heading towards the room's door.

"Sir, this may be a little shocking to you," she informed him in a grim tone. "But please, sir. Bear with it. It was an accident and…"

"What happened to them?" Jiwon demanded with fear in his voice. Why were the nurses eyes filled with pity? 

The nurse sighed and slowly opened the door. Jiwon held his breath in anticipation. As soon as the doors opened, Jiwon felt the ground slip from underneath him.

At the end of the small room was a shrine decorated with flowers and holy objects. Candles were lit around it and ashes from incense sticks spread across the shrine. In the center were two pictures. One was of a handsome man with a warm smile. The other one was of a woman with shockingly green eyes.

The pictures were of Ms. Sohee and Mr. Taewon.