CHAPTER 4

JI HOO'S POV:

Anger unlike any I've experienced before is consuming me.

How could a father do such a thing to his children?

After Woo Bin had called me back with the details, all I have wanted to do is hunt the bastard down. He ran off after the incident and the cops are still searching for him.

What a fucking low-life coward!

The Twins are 5 years old for god's sake! Young Saeng has a concussion, Hye Sun has a broken arm, and they're actually the "lucky" ones, unlike their sister. They had to watch her be brutally stabbed and beaten by their father. I can understand how horrific it must have been. My parents' death still haunts my dreams from time to time. They have already been through too much at such a young age. They have no one but Saia and a few distant relatives. Woo Bin contacted their Aunt but she won't be arriving for a couple of weeks. The nurses and I are doing our best to keep the children calm but they want to see their sister. That isn't going to be possible for awhile.

Saia…What can I do? Why has this happened to you?

Saia is my biggest concern. How has this woman managed to affect me so quickly and deeply? I don't even know her. I lean back in my chair and rub my exhausted eyes. I can't get the images of her out of my head. There had been so much blood….God….She is lucky to be alive. My throat tightens at the thought. She gave me such a shock when she responded to my touch on her way to surgery. The need to touch her had been too much but I never thought she would open her eyes. I thought my heart was going to leap out of my chest when she looked at me. Does she feel it too? This connection we seem to have? When I touched her ankle yesterday, I know she felt something.

Aish! I am going crazy!

"Dr. Yoon, you should go home. You look exhausted."

I look up to see Dr. Park in the doorway of my office. He looks exhausted too. He is a good doctor and a good man. He has taught me a lot and I respect him. He is probably the closest thing I have to a friend here and I can tell he is concerned about me.

"Miss Caelum will be coming out of surgery in a few minutes. There is no need for you to stick around."

"….."

"You should go see her in Recovery before you leave."

I sigh and nod my head. There isn't much else I can do.

(^_^)

SAIA'S POV:

"Are you finally going to wake up for me today?" I hear someone say.

Curious….. His voice seems familiar. I have been struggling out of the thick fog in my head for a while now. Everything feels so heavy and achy.

"You opened your eyes for me once before. Can you do it for me one more time?"

Of course! my heart sings. I realize who it is and when I finally manage to pry my eyes open, the first thing I see is him. He's dressed casually with his hands in his pockets. He looks down at me with a small smile, his head cocked to the side, and his eyes glued to mine. I hear the heart monitor beep faster with my heart rate and I silently curse it. How is he able to affect me so easily?

"We haven't properly met but I'm Ji Hoo. And you are Saia."

I nod….At least I think I did. My head feels like a 2 ton weight. He adjusts the bed for me and helps me sit up. My head is still a little fuzzy and I blink my eyes, trying to adjust them to the brightness of the room. Another doctor comes in and starts asking me questions and checks my vitals. I struggle to answer because my throat feels like the Sahara Desert. Did I remember what happened? Yes. (Unfortunately) Did it hurt anywhere? Not really. (Must be because of the medication) He also explains to me about my surgery and the condition of the twins. It's been three days since that night! They are probably terrified!

Ji Hoo is watching me like a hawk and he quietly offers me a cup with a straw. The water feels so good to my throat and I drink it greedily.

Why is he here?

The other doctor is still asking me questions but Ji Hoo finally intervenes. "I think that's fine for now." His tone leaves no room for argument and clearly dismisses the doctor from the room.

Geez….That move has Chaebol written all over it…. Something about him seems familiar though. As if I should know him. Even the name Ji Hoo seems to ring a bell at the edge of my brain but I can't quite put my finger on it.

"Young Saeng and Hye Sun will be happy you are awake but you won't be able to see them for a while longer." He says.

"Are they doing okay?"

He nods and pulls a chair close to my bed. I am glad he is here even though I am unsure of the reason. It's comforting. The small smile he had earlier is gone though and he seems very serious as he leans towards me.

"Saia, tell me everything."

"….Huh?"

"…What happened?"

Surely he doesn't want to know about this…..right? I mean, it's not exactly a happy story…But he is just sitting here, watching, and waiting quietly for me to start. I feel like I can trust him but telling him means that he will see how awful our lives have been.

Sighing, I lean my head back on the pillow and try to compose my thoughts. Will telling him everything disgust him? For whatever reason, his opinion means a lot to me. I want him to stay here for however long he is willing to. I open my eyes and search his. He doesn't have to say anything because I see my answer in his eyes. He isn't going anywhere.