From Past To Present, I Still Love You 134 White to Red

One security guard shot Jaemin's arm while the other shot his leg.

Jaemin fell to the ground, yelling in pain. Tears ran down his face as profanity echoed in the air. But more than the physical pain, his heart hurt. He sacrificed everything for it to amount to nothing. Now, his life was over. Completely over.

Yoona was frightened by the bullet shots. However, no attention went to Jaemin for she ran over to the other injured person in the room. She didn't even realize that he had been here the whole time. The minute the white-haired boy fell to the ground, she screamed hectically making her lungs sore.

His hair was stained with drops of red.

She grabbed Ji-ho, gently lifting his head from the ground. The amount of blood made her feel dizzy but this didn't compare to the pain in her heart. It must hurt so bad. Poor boy. Adding to the wound, he had an illness in the body. All she could think about was if the illness would make the situation worse. She hoped not. Please. She wanted Ji-ho to be safe and alive.

Minhyun cursed under his breath before placing his fingers against Ji-ho's wrist, checking to see if there was a pulse. Thankfully, his heartbeat was intact, but beating dangerously slow.

Why did that boy jump in front of him? Why did Ji-ho try to save him? This dumbass. Minhyun thought that Ji-ho was smart but clearly he wasn't. Even if he was going to die soon, that didn't mean he could throw his body recklessly.

Minhyun had everything planned. There was a bulletproof vest under his suit. Although there could've been a chance of him dying even with the protection, he had embraced for the situation with preparatory. He was waiting to take on the bullet, yet, how did this boy have no fear to jump right in front of him?

God. Crazy fucker. Minhyun didn't know where to begin. He couldn't comprehend how this boy could have the courage to do this... For him.

Nobody in the world had offered their life for him. Nobody in the world would voluntarily jump to save him from a bullet. Except Ji-ho. For once in his life, somebody showed him unconditional support. It was shocking. Even if Ji-ho was to die soon, one day to live was more precious than gold. To think the young one through that all the way to exchange their fates.

A strange feeling in his chest grew.

What was this feeling? It felt like his chest was tightened with chains, the metal ripping his skin. He never felt such pain in his body before. It almost felt like a piece of him was ripped apart. Slowly but surely.

However, he made sure to hide the panic on his face and carefully focused on relieving as much pain from the boy's body as possible.

On the other hand, Yoona was drowning in tears. Her face was red with pain. Emotionally, she was traumatized and shocked by the event. Why did Ji-ho have to go through more pain than he already was in? Was he going to die? She was scared. Utterly scared.

Ji-ho's usual pale face was extremely chilly, all the blood on his body leaking to the ground. Minhyun placed a piece of clothe and pressure over Ji-ho's wound to stop the bleeding. Since this was the airport, there was emergency workers coming soon. Hopefully, they would come in time.

"O-ow my shoulder. Fuck."

The whisper surprised the two and relief filled their faces. He was okay. Good enough to be able to speak.

"Thank god..." Yoona cried. Tears ran down her face. "You brat. Why did you do that!"

Ji-ho's eyes didn't fully open. His voice was raspy. "Why are you crying... You look ugly when you cry."

Yoona tried to glare at him through her tears. "Stop."

Ji-ho let out a pained smile. His eyes wincing. "To think you're mean to me even on my death bed..."

Realizing the severity of her words, she immediately backed away. "I-I'm sorry," Yoona frantically said. She grabbed his hand, squeezing his fingers tightly. "Is it that painful."

"Truly." Ji-ho looked up to the ceiling as if it was the sky. His eyes gently closed. "I believe that heaven is calling me now..."

The smile on his face disappeared.

"Ji-ho?"

There was no answer.

She grabbed his shirt, clenching it with her fingers. "Answer me!"

Yoona's tears ran down her face again. In the midst of all the turmoil, she focused all her attention on the young boy. Reality had hit her. And even whilst the emergency workers carried him away, she was sitting on the ground with a pained expression on her face.

---

The sound of the heartbeat meter echoed through the room.

Yoona sat quietly in the chair beside of Ji-ho's bed as she waited for the doctor to answer her questions.

"He's sleeping," the doctor commented. "He doesn't have too much blood to begin with which is why he fainted. Luckily, due to the blood transfusions he should be able to wake up soon."

That boy. Even his body played jokes on them. She almost had a heart attack.

Relief filled her heart. Thank god. If Ji-ho were to have died in her arms or in this hospital bed, she wouldn't know what to think. Although his time was ticking without the bullet wound, if he died trying saving her, it would've tormented her for the rest of her life. In the end, it was due to her own carelessness that this situation came to be. She should've brought a bodyguard with her.

Seeing Ji-ho breath through the tubes was all she needed to know that everything was alright.

For now.

"You okay now?" Minhyun whispered. He wrapped his arms over her shoulders, bringing her to a back hug while he stood up. "You're face is pale."

Yoona let out a sigh. She could already feel herself aging thirty years. "Yeah. I was scared."

There was a moment of silence. Minhyun glanced at the window, peering at the sky. "Me too."

"Hm?" Did she hear him right?

"I was scared too." He brought her closer to his body. Embracing her tighter as if he needed a emotional pillar of support. "Weird huh?"

She turned around. A warm smile filled her face as she gently cupped his cheek with her right hand. "It's not weird. Those feelings are what makes you human."

Minhyun closed his eyes. He gently hummed. "That's true."

She brought her attention back on the young boy. Seeing him almost lifeless on the bed still brought her chills, even though she knew he survived this incident. But thinking deeper, this was going to be the everyday life of the boy. Even though he had survived this, there was little time left till his body would kill itself. In the end, his life was only prolonged for a short while.

It was painful to think about. Her emotions were already this distorted from this incident. How would she handle it when the time really comes?

"Is there really no way to save Ji-ho from his illness?"

Minhyun ran his fingers through his hair. "I tried. There's none."

"Really?"

The atmosphere was chilly. "Yeah."

Even though money had many solutions, it was frustrating to see that a simple illness could not be cured. Even seeing him in this state made her heart wretched. How was she going to handle his death in the future?

There was also another question mark. Although Minhyun barely showed any expression on his face, it was clear that Ji-ho's sudden hospitalization took a toll on him as well. She wondered. What would happen to Minhyun?

Chapter end