Chapter 4.2

The night had passed, and the sky, engulfed in darkness, was beginning to show a little bit of blue. At the empty bus stop, Hae-gang sat, shivering. She had no one to call. Her entire family had died two years ago. Hae-gang laughed, trying to conceal the pity she felt for herself, but even that was difficult with a frozen face.

On the billboard attached to the building in the distance, the fire incident at the hotel where she was staying was on the news until dawn.

Hae-gang was sorry for the casualties, but the fire was like a gift to her. Without it, she couldn’t even guess how many more years she would have been stuck there.

This is all for you.

She shook her head to try to silence the sudden voice, but it kept ringing in her ears.

“How funny,” she chuckled dryly. It wasn’t. Hae-gang just wanted to laugh.

Hae-gang rose from the bench. The coldest time of the day is dawn.

She crossed the empty road in pursuit of the sunlight that had just begun to rise. There was an overpass not far away, but she had no more strength left in her to be law-abiding. Eventually, she jaywalked, thinking it would be fine because barely a few cars passed from time to time.

But that wasn’t the case.

Just as she was about to take her third step into the driveway, her head automatically turned to the startling sound of the engine. What caught her eye was a blue sports car, which was coming closer every second.

And for a moment, time passed slowly, and memories flashed through her head like a panorama.

As she stared blankly at it, she was jolted awake by a deafening sound.

She somehow twisted her body to avoid the crash, but she couldn’t be fast enough. An excruciating pain hit her arm when it collided with the car’s side mirror.

Hae-gang rolled to the ground, trying with all her might to remain conscious.

The driver hurriedly came to her side.

“Hey, are you okay?”

She wanted to say she was, but she couldn’t speak through the pain.

The man frowned upon seeing the huge beads of sweat on her forehead. He kneeled closer to Hae-gang and took out his phone while observing her condition.

“Just a little bit…”

Hae-gang didn’t hear the man’s words, having concentrated all her failing consciousness on her throbbing arm. When he opened his mouth again, she could make out his words. He said he would 119.

“No!”

Hae-gang screamed and grabbed the man’s collar with her uninjured arm. If she goes to the hospital, they will have to check her identity. Then “he” will certainly know. She shook her head frantically, as she could no longer muster any strength to talk.

Concern and confusion fell on the man’s face at her desperation.

Hae-gang pushed the man away, releasing her grip on the collar of his shirt.

“Just go,” she breathed out. “It’s all right.”

“I can’t do that.”

She was allowing him to leave without taking any responsibility, so why wouldn’t he? It was an opportunity to pass this troubling incident along, but his eyes darkened as he adamantly refused. He pondered for a moment, then picked up his phone again.

Hae-gang tried to steal the man’s phone, but the man avoided her reach by leaning backward and saying, “You are not going to the hospital.” “I know a doctor, so get treated.”

Hae-gang could barely comprehend the man’s words as she was falling into unconsciousness every minute.

“I don’t think you can get up alone; can I help you for a moment?” the man asked.

The man’s hand approached Hae-gang cautiously, taking her silence as a yes. He placed a hand behind her back, careful so as not to strain her injured arm, and scooped her up. Hae-gang collapsed onto the man’s chest as she finally fell into unconsciousness, and he had to wrap her arms around him to keep her from falling over.

The man looked closely at the pale woman in his arms, and bewilderment contorted his face.

The first time he looked into her face, he was lost for words. This woman was so similar to his first love.

“Nonsense,” he muttered.

Indeed, it was. Their resemblance was uncanny, but they were entirely different people.

And most of all, her first love was already dead.

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