[11:00 AM/Shanghai Central Hospital]
The hospital corridor was quiet.
The kind of silence that only existed in places where people spent their days waiting.
Waiting for recovery,miracles.
Or waiting for loss.
Taekyun stood outside Haru's room.
His hands rested inside the pockets of his coat.
His face remained calm.
Expressionless.
But the dark circles beneath his eyes told a different story.
Six months since Haru had closed her eyes.
The door opened.
A doctor stepped out holding a file.
"Mr. Taekyun."
Taekyun immediately looked up.
The doctor gave him a small nod.
"Please come inside."
Without saying a word, Taekyun followed him.
The room was bright.
Sunlight filtered through the large windows.
The machines beside the bed beeped softly.
Just like every day.
Haru lay peacefully beneath the blankets.
Her small body looked healthy now.
Almost too healthy.
No scars remained visible.
No bruises.
No signs of the horrific accident that had nearly taken her life.
She looked as if she were simply sleeping.
As if she would wake up at any moment and ask why everyone looked so worried.
The doctor glanced down at the report.
Then sighed quietly.
"Today marks six months."
Taekyun lowered his gaze.
"I know."
The doctor looked toward Haru.
"That's why we're concerned."
A long pause followed.
Then he spoke carefully.
"All of Haru's physical injuries have completely healed."
Taekyun remained silent.
"We've repeated every neurological examination available."
Another pause.
"And we're confused."
His voice softened.
"Her body has recovered."
"Yet she's still not regaining consciousness."
The words settled heavily inside the room.
Taekyun slowly looked at Haru.
At her face.
At her eyelashes.
At the tiny fingers resting motionlessly above the blanket.
The doctor hesitated before continuing.
"We're afraid...."
His voice grew quieter.
"There is a possibility her coma may become permanent."
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
Permanent.....
The word echoed through Taekyun's mind.
Permanent.
Meaning years.
Decades.
A lifetime.
His eyes burned.
But his expression never changed.
Because deep inside....
He had already been afraid of this.
The moment months passed without improvement.
The moment she stopped showing even the smallest reaction.
The possibility had quietly entered his heart.
And stayed there.
Part of him had already accepted it.
Not because he wanted to.
But because he was exhausted.
And because...
If she stayed asleep....
Maybe she was safe.
Maybe no one could hurt her anymore.
The doctor gently placed a hand on his arm.
"Mr. Taekyun."
Taekyun finally looked at him.
"It's not certain."
The doctor offered a small smile.
"We spoke with her specialists in Korea."
"We want to give her another month."
Taekyun frowned slightly.
"A month?"
The doctor nodded.
"We want to start physical rehabilitation."
Taekyun's gaze sharpened.
"Physical therapy?"
"Yes."
The doctor opened the report.
"We'll begin slowly."
"Muscle stimulation."
"Movement therapy."
"Sensory response therapy."
"We'll try to encourage her body to respond."
Taekyun stared at him.
Then quietly asked,
"And if it doesn't work?"
The doctor's smile disappeared.
Silence.
"We may have to consider more aggressive treatments."
Taekyun's jaw tightened.
"What kind?"
The doctor lowered his eyes.
"Neural stimulation."
"Pheromone-assisted therapy."
"Brain response treatment."
The room became still.
Taekyun immediately shook his head.
"No."
The answer came without hesitation.
The doctor sighed.
"Mr. Taekyun"
"No."
His voice was firm this time.
"I don't want any of that."
The doctor remained quiet.
Taekyun looked at Haru.
"She's suffered enough."
The doctor understood.
He truly did.
But he still spoke.
"We understand your concerns."
"We really do."
"But we need to start somewhere."
His gaze softened.
"At least give physical therapy a chance."
Taekyun looked away.
"It'll hurt her."
"A little."
The doctor admitted honestly.
"But it might help."
Taekyun closed his eyes briefly.
Then shook his head again.
"If she's peaceful like this...."
His voice cracked slightly.
"then I'd rather spend the rest of my life watching her sleep."
The doctor fell silent.
For several seconds.
Then he slowly pulled another chair and sat down beside him.
"Mr. Taekyun."
Taekyun didn't respond.
The doctor looked through the window.
Toward another room nearby.
"Have you seen the boy next door?"
Taekyun nodded slowly.
The teenager who never moved.
The room they passed every day.
"His name is Xiaobao."
The doctor smiled sadly.
"He's my nephew."
Taekyun looked at him.
The doctor's eyes reddened slightly.
"He's seventeen now."
A pause.
"When he was ten years old"
"He had an accident."
The doctor's fingers tightened around the file.
"Very similar to Haru's."
Taekyun listened quietly.
"My brother and his wife refused therapy."
"They couldn't bear seeing him in pain."
The doctor's smile trembled.
"So they waited."
"A month."
"A year."
"Then another year."
His voice lowered.
"Seven years."
Taekyun froze.
"Now his organs are beginning to fail."
The doctor's eyes glistened.
"And we're losing him."
Silence filled the room.
"If they had given him a chance years ago."
He swallowed.
"Maybe things would have been different."
The doctor looked directly at Taekyun.
"Sometimes love isn't holding someone forever."
"It's giving them a chance to fight."
Taekyun lowered his head.
The doctor slowly squeezed his shoulder.
"If a soul wants to leave...."
His voice was gentle.
"You can't force it to stay."
"But if a soul wants to return...."
"You have to leave the door open."
The room fell silent again.
The doctor stood.
"Think about it."
Then he quietly left.
The door closed.
Leaving only Taekyun and Haru.
Taekyun sat down beside her bed slowly and carefully.
His hand reached for hers.
So small.
Still cold compared to before.
He lifted it gently.
And pressed a kiss against it.
His eyes remained fixed on her face.
The same round cheeks.
The same tiny nose.
The same little girl who used to run through the house.
The same child who would grab his shirt whenever she wanted attention.
Now she didn't move at all.
Not even a little.
Taekyun lowered his head.
Resting his forehead against her hand.
For several seconds, he said nothing.
Then,
Very quietly.
"Abba will do everything."
His voice cracked.
"If Haru comes back."
The room remained silent.
A tear slipped from his eye.
Landing softly against her fingers.
"I won't hurt you."
Another tear followed.
"I'm sorry."
His shoulders trembled slightly.
"If...."
He struggled to continue.
"If I'm keeping you here....."
"If I'm causing you pain....."
His voice broke completely.
For the first time that morning.
Taekyun sounded lost.
"I don't know what the right choice is anymore."
His fingers tightened around hers.
"I don't know how to let you stop suffering."
His breathing shook.
"And I don't know how to let you go either."
More tears fell.
Quiet.
Like they had been falling for months.
"I have no one left, Haru-ah."
The confession escaped before he could stop it.
A broken whisper.
A father's truth.
His mother was gone.
His family was gone.
His country was gone.
The life he built was gone.
And Haneul....
Haneul was still trapped inside his own nightmare.
Taekyun pressed another kiss against her hand.
"Abba is selfish."
A weak laugh escaped him.
"Very selfish."
His eyes closed.
"So stay."
His voice trembled.
"Sleep a little longer."
"I'll wait."
A tear slid down his cheek.
"I'll visit every day."
"Every single day."
His hand moved to brush her hair gently.
Just as he used to.
"Abba loves Haru too much."
A long silence followed.
Then another whisper.
"I love Umma too."
His eyes lowered.
"I can fight the whole world."
His voice steadied slightly.
"But I won't let either of you disappear."
His fingers tightened.
"Not you."
"Not Haneul."
His hand moved carefully.
Resting over the blanket.
Near where her tiny hand lay.
"And not your little sibling."
For a long moment he simply sat there.
Listening to the sound of her heartbeat through the monitor.
Listening to proof she was still here.
Still fighting.
Finally he stood.
Slowly leaning down.
Pressing a gentle kiss against her forehead.
Before everything changed.
"You're my daughter."
His voice was barely above a whisper.
"The strongest girl I know."
His hand lingered against her hair.
"So fight."
His eyes burned again.
"Fight whatever is holding you."
Another pause.
Then the words he repeated every day.
The words he prayed she would hear.
"Come back to me."
The room remained silent.
But Taekyun stayed there for a little longer.
Holding her hand and waiting.
Just as he had for the last six months.
He waited.
One second.
Five.
Ten.
As if part of him still expected her fingers to move.
But the room remained silent.