Chapter 14: Going Back to the Past
Soo-jin, hugging Joon-ho tightly, pressed the wound that was gushing, intending to stop the bleeding, but how could her hands, with no strength, stop the bleeding?
Joon-ho, seeing Soo-jin worry about him, smiled because, for the first time, Soo-jin was worrying about him.
But for her, it was a nightmare. She had never seen real assassins, never in her life had she ever seen someone wanting to kill them.
In the past, Joon-ho many times told Soo-jin that her life was in danger, but up until now, without any incidents, she had taken his words lightly. There was never a time when she felt her life was in danger.
Unknown to her, Joon-ho would eliminate every threat, every possible enemy to Soo-jin's life, before anyone could ever touch her.
As Soo-jin was trembling and hugging Joon-ho, she closed her eyes in fear, not wanting to see anything, thinking this was a nightmare and she was going to wake up soon.
Joon-ho, in Soo-jin's arms, could hear many screams and gunshots from outside as he thought about the fact that innocent lives were in danger, being killed because of him.
"Thudddddd...."
Joon-ho, looking at where the sound had come from, saw a man standing. Looking at the man who had broken the door, Joon-ho's gaze followed in the direction of his hands.
He was carrying a semi-automatic machine gun, emitting smoke from its barrel.
This was the same gun from which Joon-ho heard the gunshots before, which had probably taken the lives of many innocent people.
Soo-jin, hearing the loud noise, wide opened her shut eyes and looked at the man standing near the door carrying a gun. Trembling in fear, she grabbed Joon-ho tighter.
Joon-ho, seeing the man with the aim to kill them, his head gears started turning rapidly in the imminent threat of death in front of him.
He was thinking of every possible way to protect Soo-jin at all costs. His mind was racing against time, thinking of a way to save Soo-jin.
"Tap, tap, tap...."
As the assassin leader walked, his boots' tapping echoed loudly in Soo-jin's ears.
Not wanting to hear anything, she placed her hands on her ears and quickly tried to block every sound entering them.
Joon-ho, even after thinking a lot, could not find a way to protect Soo-jin, as he was not even in a condition to walk properly, not to mention fight.
As death neared both of them, Joon-ho hugged Soo-jin in a last attempt to protect her with his wide back.
This was the only thing he could think of at this moment. Joon-ho, looking at Soo-jin's terror-stricken expression, buried her face in his chest, stopping her from looking at the assassin.
Soo-jin was scared, trembling in fear as Joon-ho patted her back, wanting to calm her down. Soo-jin, clutching his collar tightly, wanted to hide in his chest and end this nightmare already.
The assassin leader, seeing them affectionate, had a creased smile and laughed out loud. Not speaking a word, he pointed the gun's muzzle at Joon-ho's back.
Without hesitation, the assassin leader pressed the gun's lever, and the bullets, roaring, started to dig into Joon-ho's flesh.
Soo-jin, seeing Joon-ho's blood on the floor, realized this was not a dream.
Looking at his pained expression, still protecting her, she wanted to push him aside, but with a firm grip, Joon-ho did not budge an inch, curling her inside his warm embrace.
As Soo-jin cried for Joon-ho, cried for not being able to help him, cried for never being able to share his burden, cried for never protecting him, cried for everything, a bullet pierced her belly.
Soo-jin, touching the spot where the bullet pierced her and feeling the pain, looked at Joon-ho.
But this time, the roles were reversed because Soo-jin was happy, for she was going to die with Joon-ho, and Joon-ho was in despair because he was not able to protect her.
As he looked at Soo-jin bleeding, many more bullets passing through his back pierced her belly.
Joon-ho's tears fell on Soo-jin's cheeks. He hated the fact that his body was not even able to protect her. Looking at her pained face, Joon-ho's consciousness was slipping bit by bit.
With his last breath, he heard only one word Soo-jin spoke in his ear: "I..."
As the bullets relentlessly pierced Soo-jin, with her last breath, she had only one thought: I am sorry.
If only I could have another chance, I would definitely become a wife you would be proud of.
Soo-jin, feeling Joon-ho's grip loosening, neared his ear.
She wanted to apologize, wanted to say, "I am sorry," wanted to do the thing she had come here for in the first place, but she only managed to utter a single word: "I..."
While she regretted the fact that she wasn't even able to apologize to Joon-ho until her last breath, both of their consciousnesses slipped, and they lost their breath at the same time, embracing each other, their consciousness gone into oblivion.
***
"Soo-jin, are you inside? Hey, Soo-jin, if you are, please answer. Everyone is already waiting for you outside.
Don't do this. Why are you not answering? Hey, Soo-jin, did you run away secretly or what?"
"Haah... haah... uhh... uhh... haah..."
Soo-jin, hearing loud bangs on the door, woke up to her senses, huffing and puffing. Grabbing her throat and looking down towards her belly, she did not see blood gushing out like a fountain.
She was still trembling, shaking in fear.
Placing her hands on her belly, as her mind vividly remembered the sensation of the cold bullets entering her belly, she still remembered the warmth of Joon-ho's wide and strong arms provided.
still remembered the creased laughter of the killer, still remembered the emotionless bullets digging into her flesh,
She remembered the safe chest heaving up and down, protecting her with his last breath.
As the emotions flooded her, tears started to trail down her face, drop by drop, ruining her makeup as they descended down her cheeks.
Her whole body trembling, she was shaking in fear.