Ha-Joon's eye slowly returned normal. His body trembled as control returned to him. He looked down at his broken body, his torn clothes and the motionless Shintaro.
He staggered backward, breath heaving.
He sighed with regret: "If only I hadn't lost control... Forget it, I don't care about him anyway."
For a moment he stood still exhaling deeply.
Then, a memory flashed.
Somi.
His body moved before his thoughts caught up. He turned and raced through corridors, retracing his steps through the battered interior of the estate. Shattered ornaments and cracked floor tiles blurred past him as he burst into the chamber where she lay.
She hadn't moved.
Somi, bloodied and broken, was barely breathing on the tatami mat. Her injuries ran deep, cuts across her torso, purple swelling on her face, a trail of dried blood on her lip. Shintaro had nearly ended her.
He knelt and scooped her into his arms with utmost care.
With a grunt, he launched out of the Yamazaki estate, quickly dashing in between road and alleyway. His moved his body through sheer adrenaline.
He moved through the streets, ignoring the stares of bystanders, the whispers that followed the bloodied man carrying an unconscious woman. A taxi driver swerved away in fright.
Soon, they reached the city limits.
Ha-Joon spotted the glowing red cross of an emergency hospital on the edge of Kyoto's ward border. Without stopping, he descended onto the street, ignoring the startled cries of pedestrians as he rushed in, Somi still in his arms.
"She needs help! NOW!"
The hospital lobby exploded into movement. Nurses and doctors scrambled with a stretcher as he laid her down. She was taken into the trauma wing, her blood staining the white hospital sheets.
As soon as Somi was taken away for treatment, his body gave out and his vision blurred.
But before passing out, his last thought clung stubbornly to consciousness:
"Please... let her live."
....
Ha-Joon awoke in one of the hospital beds, bandages wrapped parts of his torso and shoulder.
He flung the blanket off, legs swinging down. Pain shot through his ribs, but ignored it. He stood, steadying himself, and stepped out into the corridor.
The emergency ward wasn't far off, as he reached towards the ward.
Nurses glanced his way, startled by the sudden appearance of the bruised man. One of the nurses spoke nervously: "Sir, you're not allowed to move with your injured body."
Ha-Joon paused slightly before ignoring the nurse warning.
He slowly reached towards the door, without hesitation, he pushed forward.
Beyond the glass window, Ha-Joon saw her lay in the hospital bed, unconscious but alive. A nasal cannula ran under her nose. Her face, though pale and bruised, was no longer caked in blood. The machines beside her beeped steadily.
He stared her for a moment before sighing in relief.
A nurse noticed him and quietly said, "She's stable for now. You can stay outside for now."
Ha-Joon gave a curt nod and leaned against the wall outside the ward.
After a few minutes of waiting, a soft noise reached his ears. A faint cough, followed by shifting bedsheets.
Ha-Joon turned his head, and through the glass, he saw Somi's eyes flutter open, squinting against the bright lights of the ward.
He pushed the door open and stepped inside quietly.
She blinked at him, groggily: "Ha-Joon?"
He gave a half-smile: "Took your sweet time waking up."
Her lips twitched slightly, giving a small smile: "Looks like, you've been through hell."
"Still better than you," he replied softly.
A beat of silence passed before her hand shifted slightly over the blanket, reaching toward him.
He took it without hesitation.
He hesitated to speak for a moment, seeing his hesitation.
"Thank you." she spoke quietly: "for saving me."
Ha-Joon sat down beside the bed, his brows furrowed: "I was too late," he said bitterly: "If only I was fast-"
"You weren't," Somi cut in, her voice strained but firm: "You managed to save me."
But Ha-Joon didn't respond right away, his jaw clenched. For a moment silence followed throughout the wards expect the beeping sound of machine next to them.
Then, Ha-Joon leaned forward: "I forgot… In my haste, I never even thought about it that Shintaro had spies in the Hangure clan... Forgive me."
Somi directly looked at Ha-Joon's eye for a moment before shaking her head: "It's partly my fault. I should've warned you about them... So, don't blame yourself."
Ha-Joon nodded, but before he could continue, the nurse barged in and motioned Ha-Joon to leave.
.....
For the next few days, Ha-Joon remained at the hospital, watching over Somi as she recovered. He stayed by her side in silence, barely speaking unless she stirred. Nurses learned to avoid his curt glare, and doctors gave updates in hushed tones.
Each day, as she grew a little stronger and her bruises faded. Ha-Joon's restlessness grew as he couldn't remain idle forever.
And there was unfinished business waiting for him.
Once Somi could finally sit up on her own and smile without pain, Ha-Joon stood at her bedside.
"I need to go," he said.
Somi nodded as she could guess about his next step.
"The vassal family," he added, voice filled with sharpness: "It's time I pay them a visit."
She didn't try to stop him. Instead, she reached for his hand one last time.
"Be careful."
Ha-Joon smiled softly before nodding.
He had planned to let Gun deal with the vassal family after his return, but the recent event had completely disrupted his plan. Now, he didn't care about Gun and planned to personally visit each of the vassal family.
And he will compensate Gun by fighting him to his heart content.
As he reached outside of the hospital. The Hangure officers had already reached outside waiting for him.
All the officers formed a straight line and bowed respectively: "Welcome back, President."
Ha-Joon nodded and before stepping inside the black sedan:
Let's move.
(To be continued...)