Eyes Full Of Stars || Park Sunghoon

38 ¦ Sacrifice

A/N: Thanks for 7K and enjoy this new chapter. Love y'all. <33
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When I open my eyes again, I am no longer in the dining room with Sunghoon and Jay. For a moment, I even believe that all of this was just a dream and that Sunghoon will rush into the room at any moment to calm me down.

But the longer I look at the door, the less likely it is that this is happening and the more real these cruel images become in my mind.

"You're awake," I hear Teresa's faint voice next to me. I look at her, and holy shit she looks terrible; her brown eyes are reddened and she seems deeply upset. Wait Sunghoon...

"Where's Sunghoon?", I ask in a panic. "How is he?" The images that appear in my mind's eye, showing Sunghoon lying on the ground bleeding, are unbearable. I squint my eyes, but the images won't go away.

What if he is dead? What if my father killed him because of me?

"Sunghoon is alive. He's in the hospital and he's in the ICU because he lost a lot of blood. But he is out of danger," the middle-aged woman informs me, sobbing quietly. I feel a stone fall from my heart. Sunghoon is alive.

"I have to go to him," I say immediately and straighten up, but Teresa pushes me back into the mattress by my shoulders. "You can't," she replies thoughtfully calm yet determined. "He needs a lot of rest. Besides, it's getting late. We'll leave first thing in the morning. Okay?"

Although I can't stand it another second without convincing myself that Sunghoon is really alive, I nod. "What about him?", I ask Teresa, referring to my father. I can't bring myself to call him that any longer after everything that has happened. A loving father simply doesn't do that to his daughter.

"The bullet only got him in the shoulder," Teresa replies, almost seeming to regret it. I can't blame her. After everything he's done to each of us, I wish he were dead, too.

"But I don't think he'll be released anytime soon. As soon as he's released from the hospital, the police will arrest him. They're already guarding his room."

"I hope they lock him up for good," I mutter, lowering my gaze to my fingers, which have long since lost the blood of the man who swore to protect me. After tonight's events, I can say with certainty that Sunghoon would do so even with his life.

Only now do I realize that Teresa is holding the velvet-covered burgundy box with the ring from the jewelry store in her hand. "He promised to protect me. But he won't ask me to marry him until I'm ready," I tell Teresa quietly.

"You don't owe me an explanation," Teresa says, setting the box down on the nightstand. "If you like him, then that's all that matters." Teresa blows a kiss on the top of my head and rises from the chair that sits by my big four-poster bed.

"You should keep resting," Teresa says sweetly, wanting to turn away from me and leave the room. I quickly reach for her hand. She stops and tilts her head in my direction. "I love you and my mother, Teresa," I inform her.

Of course, I haven't forgotten that they have lied to me all my life, but that doesn't change the fact that they have always been there for me and loved me unconditionally. The fear I have had for them has shown me that they are still important to me. I just want them to know it.

You should always tell the people you care about that you love them before one day it may be too late. It will haunt you for the rest of your life otherwise.

"I know," Teresa replies with a smile and squeezes my hand lightly. "I also speak on behalf of your mother when I say we love you, too." "Good night, Teresa," I whisper softly. The middle-aged woman leaves the room, leaving me alone.

With shaky fingers, I reach for the ring box and pull out the ring; a white gold model with a small, plain main stone. The ring band is set with even smaller stones.

It's the ring I saw in the shop window that time after Sunghoon and I first went to the bridal fashion store. I didn't even say a word about it, but Sunghoon must have noticed how I looked at the ring.

Sobbing, I put the ring back into the box and close it. Thereupon I rise from the large four-poster bed and leave the guest room. I finally stop in front of Sunghoon's closed bedroom door. I don't know if he would like me to go in without being asked, but I can't help it.

I lay down in his bed and pull the heavy covers up to my chin. With my eyes closed, I breathe in the familiar scent of the young man who has come between my father's gun and me to keep the promise he made to me. I never wanted him to get hurt because of me.

For a while I just lay there, imagining Sunghoon lying next to me, until eventually I fall asleep from exhaustion.

The next morning, Sunghoon's driver takes Teresa and me to the hospital. We reach the ICU, where we are told that only one person is allowed to see him at a time, so Teresa decides to wait outside for me.

My knees start to shake as the nurse shows me the room with the sliding door open where Sunghoon is supposed to be. "Mr. Park, you have a visitor," the nurse, whose back is blocking my view of the young man, informs him.

Sunghoon's tired brown eyes immediately begin to sparkle as I enter the room and he sees me. "Lola," he murmurs in a weak voice, extending his hand to me. "I thought something happened to you."

"I'm fine," I say in a shaky voice and join him at the bedside, holding his cool hand in mine and allowing him to stroke the back of my hand. "Jay came just in time and shot my father. He was hurt too, but according to Teresa, Jay's condition is stable."

My vision blurs as my eyes fill with tears. "I'm so sorry... I didn't mean for this to happen," I assure Sunghoon, lowering my gaze. I can't bear to see him like this, and at the same time, I'm just glad he's alive. "I thought you were dying."

"Please don't cry," Sunghoon murmurs, pulling his hand out of mine to reach for my face instead. With his thumb, he wipes away the tears that run inexorably down my cheeks.

"Why did you come between us? You could have died!", I reproach Sunghoon, desperate sobs continuing to escape my lips. "I'm still alive, though," Sunghoon informs me with a smirk, and goes to sit up in his bed, but stops, his face contorted in pain, and immediately sinks back into the mattress. Instead, he reaches for my face again and pulls it down to him, breathing a soft kiss on my lips.

"I'll take the pain as long as you're okay, Jagiya," Sunghoon mumbles against my lips before placing one last kiss on the tip of my nose and I rest my head against his shoulder.

I'm so glad he's alive.