Trapped Together — Chapter 25

ROWOON?!

ARE YOU OKAY?

YOU NEED TO BREATHE!

ROWOON!!

WHAT'S WRONG WITH HIM?

IS IT A SEIZURE?!

MY, MY FRIEND...

HE HAS A PHOBIA...!

THEN FIRST, LET'S LOOSEN HIS CLOTHES...!

YES...!

ROWOON!

ROWOON...!

RO...!

...WOON!

ROWOON!

ROWOON?!

HE FELL ASLEEP.

HE MUST HAVE BEEN EXHAUSTED.

MY SISTER

HAD LEUKEMIA.

MY SISTER LOVED PLAYING THE PIANO,

AND I LOVED LISTENING TO HER PLAY.

BECAUSE WHENEVER SHE PLAYED THE PIANO,

SHE LOOKED LIKE SOMEONE WHOSE PAIN HAD COMPLETELY VANISHED.

THE SOUND OF THE PIANO WAS THE MOST

PEACEFUL AND BEAUTIFUL THING I'D EVER HEARD.

SIS.

WHAT DO YOU

PRAY FOR EVERY DAY?

TO GET HEALTHY QUICKLY?

FOR YOU, ROWOON-

THAT YOU GET EVERYTHING YOU WANT,

DO EVERYTHING YOU WANT-

AND LIVE A LONG, HAPPY LIFE.

YOU'RE ALWAYS

STUCK HERE BECAUSE OF ME.

YOU CAN'T EVEN GO OUT AND PLAY.

AND YOU'RE STILL SO YOUNG.

I DON’T NEED THAT.

I LIKE IT HERE.

IT’S FUN.

AND IF THAT’S WHAT YOU WANT,

THEN PRAY TO GET BETTER INSTEAD.

THAT WAY WE BOTH WIN. IT’S BETTER.

...I GUESS SO.

THAT MAKES SENSE.

BUT EVEN IF I’M NOT AROUND ANYMORE...

I WANT YOU TO BE LIKE THAT EVERY SINGLE MOMENT.

YOU KNOW HOW IT IS, HONEY.

LET'S BE REALISTIC...

THERE'S NO POINT IN CONTINUING ROAH'S TREATMENT.

MORE CHEMOTHERAPY WILL ONLY CAUSE HER MORE PAIN.

THAT'S WHY SHE SAID SHE WANTED TO STOP.

...I KNOW.

I KNOW, BUT...

WE'RE DOCTORS, AND YET AS PARENTS...

WE'RE RESPECTING ROAH'S WISHES.

WE HAVE TO BE STRONG.

SISTER...

STOPPED HER TREATMENT.

...WHAT'S WRONG?

ROWOON.

ARE YOU BORED OF HEARING ME PLAY THE PIANO NOW?

SIS, ARE YOU NOT GETTING TREATMENT ANYMORE?

ARE YOU GOING TO DIE?

...NO!

WHY WOULD I DIE?

I'M STOPPING TREATMENT BECAUSE I'M HEALTHY NOW.

WHAT?

LIAR!

IT'S TRUE. IT'S BECAUSE I'M ALMOST ALL BETTER.

SEE? MY HAIR IS EVEN GROWING BACK LATELY. RIGHT?

I THINK SHE KNEW HOW A BODY

THAT HAD GIVEN UP ON CHEMO WOULD LOOK TO A CHILD.

HER BODY SEEMED TO BE RECOVERING QUICKLY,

AND AT HER URGING THAT DAY,

FOR THE FIRST TIME—

I WENT OUTSIDE AND PLAYED

WITHOUT WORRYING ABOUT HER.

SIS!

ROWOON.

SIS, DID YOU SLEEP WELL?

YEAH.

DID YOU HAVE FUN YESTERDAY BEFORE COMING HOME?

YEAH!

I PLAYED IN THE PARK FOUNTAIN WITH THE OTHER KIDS, IT WAS SO COOL.

I THINK YOU’D REALLY LOVE IT TOO.

YOUR SKIN IS HEALTHY NOW SINCE YOU’RE ALL BETTER.

WHEN YOU GET DISCHARGED,

LET’S GO TOGETHER...!

THE METALLIC SCENT OF BLOOD,

THE DARK CRIMSON HUE FILLING MY VISION,

THE SENSATION OF THE WARM, STICKY LIQUID

SLIPPING THROUGH MY FINGERS NO MATTER HOW HARD I TRIED TO COVER HER MOUTH.

BY THE TIME IT WAS ALL OVER AND I CAME TO MY SENSES,

SHE WAS NO LONGER BY MY SIDE.

HER VITALS WERE FINE JUST THIS MORNING...

INTERNAL BLEEDING WAS ALREADY UNDERWAY.

SHE PROBABLY HAD NOSEBLEEDS SINCE YESTERDAY...

IF ONLY WE HAD WATCHED HER MORE CLOSELY,

WE WOULDN'T HAVE LOST HER SO POINTLESSLY...

RENOWNED SPECIALISTS AT A TOP UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL.

AND YET, TWO PEOPLE WHO COULDN'T PROTECT THEIR OWN DAUGHTER.

AS I WATCHED THEIR TREMBLING BACKS,

I REALIZED ONLY ONE THING.

I

HAVE TO BECOME SMART.

MUCH SMARTER THAN MOM AND DAD.

ONLY THEN CAN I PROTECT WHAT'S PRECIOUS TO ME.

THAT YOU GET EVERYTHING YOU WANT,

DO EVERYTHING YOU WANT-

AND LIVE A LONG, HAPPY LIFE.

SIS.

I'M SORRY, BUT I CAN'T DO THAT.

YOU MUST FIRST HAVE THE POWER TO PROTECT BEFORE YOU EARN THE RIGHT TO POSSESS.

SO,

UNTIL I EARN THAT RIGHT,

-I CAN'T.

I HAD TO BECOME A GREAT DOCTOR.

I BELIEVED THAT WAS THE ONLY WAY I COULD BE HAPPY

WITHOUT SOMETHING LIKE THAT EVER HAPPENING AGAIN.

BUT—

ONE DAY, ON THE ANNIVERSARY OF MY SISTER'S DEATH,

YOU APPEARED ALONG WITH THE PIANO PIECE SHE USED TO PLAY.

YOU EMBRACED MY HEART WITH COMFORT,

WHILE SIMULTANEOUSLY SHAKING IT TO ITS CORE.

JUST WHAT

ARE YOU?

WHAT ARE YOU,

THAT YOU DRAG THE HAPPINESS OF MY UNCERTAIN FUTURE

INTO THE PRESENT AND TIE IT DOWN?

YOU ARE—

!

ROWOON...!

ARE YOU OKAY?

ARE YOU AWAKE?

CAN YOU BREATHE PROPERLY NOW?

YOU ARE—

JUST WHAT ON EARTH

ARE YOU?