Jinwoo offered a brief nod before excusing himself, leaving the two of them behind. As they stepped out of the hospital, the crisp evening air wrapped around them like a quiet embrace, carrying with it the scent of damp earth and rustling leaves.
A few patients sat scattered across the lawn in wheelchairs—some silent, their eyes distant, others engaged in hushed conversations with visiting family.
The soft rustle of trees filled the silence between footsteps as Luna and Hyunsu made their way toward a nearby bench under a ginkgo tree, its golden leaves trembling in the breeze.
Luna sat down first, her eyes instinctively drawn to the hospital building across the garden. A strange feeling crept into her chest—familiar and disorienting, more like a memory.
Hyunsu sat beside her, casting a sidelong glance in her direction. He noticed the way her eyes lingered around the hospital building, the slight tension in her shoulders.
"You've been here before?" he asked.
Luna blinked, startled by the question. "No, but why do you ask that question suddenly?" she replied, her voice quiet.
Then after a beat, she added, "But it feels like I have. Like I've sat right here."
Her fingers brushed the bench's edge unconsciously, as if trying to feel something buried in the wood or the air itself.
Hyunsu didn't respond immediately, clearly he was thinking something. But instead, he skipped the topic and reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a file—thick, worn, the corners slightly bent. Without a word, he held it out to her.
She hesitated for a moment before taking it from his hands. Her eyes scanned the pages. Medical charts. Test results.
Luna's throat felt dry. She didn't respond immediately, instead flipping through more pages. Her grandfather's name appeared again and again, followed by lines of unfamiliar medical jargon —until her gaze froze.
Guardian: Lee Jaesuk.
Her hands trembled slightly around the edges of the document.
"My uncle," she whispered, barely audible.
A silence fell between them, heavier than before. Then, her voice cracking under the weight of everything she was trying to keep inside.
"Why didn't anyone tell me?" Her eyes shimmered, but the tears didn't fall. "Why… was this kept from me?"
Hyunsu watched her in silence, his hands curling slightly at his sides. The sight of her—eyes lowered, shoulders tense, struggling to hold herself together—stirred something sharp and aching in his chest.
Just reach out, a part of him urged. Let her know she's not alone.
But he didn't move.
They weren't there yet. And he knew it.
As much as he wanted to comfort her, to be that steady presence she could lean on, he couldn't cross that invisible line.
Not now. Not when everything between them was still so fragile—still undefined. One wrong move could make things messier than they already were.
Don't make this about you. She doesn't need confusion. She needs space. Truth. Clarity.
So he stayed where he was. Quiet. Present.
Wishing he could do more.
"I don't know everything," he said quietly. "Not all the reasons… not the whole story. But I thought you deserved to know this—now. Before it becomes something you find out too late."
Her eyes dropped back to the paper, but the words blurred as the pounding in her ears grew louder.
Something about this place—this exact moment—felt eerily familiar. Like a memory trapped beneath the surface, rippling through time, straining to break free.
"I can take you to him, if you're ready...." Hyunsu added softly. "He's in the VIP ward."
Luna didn't answer right away. She clutched the file to her chest, eyes fixed ahead, her breath uneven.
"Why is he stuck here?" Luna finally asked, "What… exactly happened to him?"
Hyunsu exhaled slowly, his gaze fixed on her as he gauged her reaction. "According to the reports, he was in an accident."
Luna's eyes shot up to meet his, wide and disbelieving.
"An accident?"
He nodded. "After that, he went into mental shock. It was… severe."
Her chest tightened. She gripped the folder more firmly.
"He doesn't talk," Hyunsu continued, his tone clinical. "He doesn't respond to people. He doesn't react to touch, to sound, to anything."
He met her eyes again. "He just… exists Luna.... That's it."
Luna's fists clenched around the file, her knuckles paling as she held on.
Her world tilted on its axis.
Just... existing? The thought hit her like a punch to the gut.
It felt worse than death.
Her vision blurred as a swell of emotion rushed over her, fierce and overwhelming, like a tide threatening to drown her.
Hyunsu was just there, silent, yet his presence was a steady anchor in the storm of her thoughts. He didn't offer empty words of comfort. He didn't need to. His quiet understanding spoke louder than anything he could say.
She took a shaky breath, trying to find her footing in the chaos of her emotions.
"I want to see him," she whispered.
Hyunsu gave a slight nod. "Alright."
For the first time in many years, Luna was about to confront her grandfather and another step closer to her past.
And the weight of it hit her all at once—a rush of fear, regret, and uncertainty. She didn't know if she was ready for what awaited her on the other side of that door.
Her grip on the document tightened until her fingers ached, her arms trembling as silent tears began to track down her cheeks. The enormity of it all—her grandfather's condition, her mother's silence, a decade of unanswered questions—pressed down on her like an invisible force, suffocating and relentless.
Every instinct within him screamed to be there for her—to hold her, to take away her pain. He wanted to reach out, to offer her comfort, to hold her tightly in his arms and tell her everything would be okay.
But he knew it wasn't that simple. She wasn't ready for that. She didn't need to feel more pressure from him.
Yet, his hand moved before he could stop it. It extended toward her, trembling slightly as if unsure of the next step, but determined nonetheless. His fingers hovered just inches from hers...
Luna turned her head, her eyes moved toward him.
But she froze.
The hand in front of her wasn't Hyunsu's.
The face beside her—
Wasn't Hyunsu's.
Her breath caught.
Time seemed to slow.
The air shifted.
Something—someone else—was sitting beside her. Familiar and foreign. Real and unreal.
Her heart thundered in her ears as the world twisted around her.
Her breath hitched, her heart slamming against her ribs. A wave of cold dread rushed through her veins.
She jerked away from the figure beside her, ignoring the outstretched hand as if it burned. Her body shot upright, breath catching in her throat. For a moment, she looked as though she'd seen a ghost.
Her chest rose and fell rapidly, her vision swimming, the quiet world around her suddenly spinning out of control.
Hyunsu stood instantly, his brows furrowed in alarm. "Luna?"
But she didn't hear him. Her eyes were wide, darting from the hospital building to the trees, to the patients in wheelchairs.
Everything felt off.
No—everything felt familiar.
Too familiar.
A sharp pain flared behind her eyes. She pressed a trembling hand to her forehead. "Why…" she whispered, voice barely audible, "why do I feel like I've been here before?"
Then her knees buckled.
"Luna!"
Hyunsu caught her just in time, steadying her before she collapsed. He lowered her carefully onto the bench, kneeling in front of her, hands gripping her shoulders.
"Luna, breathe," he said urgently, his voice even but taut with concern. "Just look at me. Stay with me. Are you okay?"
"Focus on me, focus on my voice... Luna...?"
She blinked hard. Her vision blurred—then cleared as she followed his words.
Hyunsu.
It's him now. His face. His voice. Calm and steady. His hand, warm and steady, clasped hers, anchoring her in a way she hadn't anticipated.
But before…?
Her heart pounded. Her skin was cold. Something was wrong.
Something was very wrong.
"Did you…" Her voice trembled. "Did you see anyone just now?"
Hyunsu hesitated. "What?"
"A man," she said, eyes scanning the empty air beside her. "There was someone else here. Sitting where you were. I saw him."
Hyunsu turned his head sharply, looking around the garden. Nothing but swaying leaves and distant murmurs.
"Luna, no one was here. It was just me."
She shook her head, her fingers digging into the bench.
"No… I know what I saw."
Her voice cracked. "And this place—this exact spot—I've been here. I remember this bench. The air. The way the trees sound." She looked at him, her eyes wide and haunted.
"It's like I'm reliving something I don't remember."
Hyunsu didn't answer at first. He was studying her—not just her words, but the raw emotion behind them. Her confusion. Her fear.
This wasn't just a panic attack. It wasn't stress either.
This was something else.
Something deeper.
He swallowed, forcing his voice to stay calm. "Luna, I've seen déjà vu episodes before. Sometimes our mind tricks us when we're under pressure. Memory fragments, associations, subconscious things resurfacing—"
"No," she said sharply, cutting him off.
"This isn't just a feeling. I didn't imagine it. I'm not hallucinating, I'm not losing my mind, Hyunsu," she added, her voice rising as she struggled to keep herself from completely breaking down.
She looked back toward the empty space beside her, dread settling in her chest like a storm cloud.
"I saw someone."
Hyunsu hesitated. Could it be… connected to her dreams?
He didn't want to push her, not now when she was already distressed. Right now, she needed to breathe.
So instead of questioning, he exhaled and softened his tone. "Okay," he said. "Just take a moment. You're safe. I'm right here."
Hyunsu's fingers twitched, an instinctive pull to reach out to her. To take her hand. To offer her some sort of grounding in the storm of emotions she was fighting.
Then, as if sensing the need to do more, he shifted closer. Slowly, carefully, he extended his arms, drawing her gently into an embrace. It was tentative at first, but as Luna's body trembled against his, he tightened his hold, letting her lean into him.
His heartbeat was steady beneath her cheek. His warmth, solid and reassuring, surrounded her as he held her without words.
He didn't say anything. He didn't need to. The simple act of holding her was enough—enough to let her know she wasn't alone. That he would be here, no matter how heavy the world felt.
Luna's breathing slowed, the tension in her body easing, just enough to feel like the moment had paused—if only for a second.
And in that pause, Hyunsu found himself holding her not just for her sake, but for his own, too.
***
Once Luna's breathing steadied and the tension in her body began to ease, Hyunsu guided her gently through the hospital corridors. They moved in silence, her heart raced as they approached the door to Elder Lee's room.
What will I find in there? she thought, her mind racing. Will he remember me? Will he even know who I am?
Hyunsu opened the door gently, stepping aside to let her in. The room was dimly lit, the faint beeping of machines filling the silence. Elder Lee lay in the bed, his face gaunt, his eyes closed. His frail body was hooked to monitors, tubes running from his arms, his chest rising and falling with shallow breaths.
She stepped forward slowly, her hands trembling. Her heart ached with a quiet sorrow she hadn't anticipated. She reached out, her fingers brushing against his frail hand. He didn't respond.
Tears welled up in her eyes again, unbidden, and for a moment, all the walls she had built over the years threatened to crumble. She had promised herself she wouldn't break down, not now.
Her voice faltered, barely a whisper. "Grandfather, do you remember me? It's me... your granddaughter… Luna..."
Her breath hitched as her fingers brushed his frail hand, feeling the coldness of his skin. Her heart ached, the loss of their connection hitting her with a force she hadn't anticipated.
She swallowed hard, "I am sorry... I didn't visit you all these years. I didn't know... you were like this.. alone... all this time...
Forgive me... GrandPa...
I don't know how to fix this. But I have to try.... I will" tears slipping down her cheeks.
The words felt like a promise, even though she wasn't sure how she would keep it.
***
"Who's been handling Elder Lee's treatment until now?" Hyunsu's voice was tight with barely contained frustration as he spoke, his gaze still fixed on the figure of Luna inside the room.
He couldn't tear his eyes away from her—standing there, fragile, her tears falling freely as she gripped her grandfather's hand.
His fists clenched at his sides, the sight of her anguish gnawing at him, and he couldn't help but feel a surge of anger—anger not directed at her, but at the situation.
He wanted nothing more than to be there for her, to hold her, to take away her pain. But all he could do was just watch helplessly.
Why can't I just go in there and help her? His mind screamed.
Why do I have to stand here, powerless?
But in that moment, he was far from power & strength.
He was just a man..., a man who was watching the woman he cared about break apart at the seams.