Saved Me; Ryeji FF

twenty nine.

"Yeji!" Ryujin gasped out, bolting upright on the bed.

The hospital room was bathed in the soft glow of muted light. Her breathing was ragged as her eyes darted around the room, her heart pounding in her chest. The beeping of the monitor next to her was the only sound that broke the silence, a steady rhythm that reassured her that she was, in fact, alive.

As her vision cleared and her racing thoughts began to settle, the memories of the accident flooded back. The collision, the impact, the fear- it all rushed back like a tidal wave. Her body ached as she swung her legs over the edge of the bed.

Why am I not injured?

Her steps were cautious as she ventured out of the hospital room, her confusion growing when she walked through the empty hallway. The eerie silence was broken by the sounds of her own footsteps.

"Hello?" She called out, her voice carrying down the corridor, but received no response. Her brow furrowed, and a sense of unease settled in her chest. Something wasn't right.

She continued down the hallway, passing by an empty nurse station and vacant waiting areas. The lights seemed to flicker overhead, casting a strange play of shadows on the walls. A chill ran down her spine causing her to quicken her pace with growing urgency to find someone, anyone.

As she turned a corner, she spotted a black door at the end of the dark hallway. Her heart pounded, she felt herself floating away from her body with no control of what she was doing. Next thing she knew, her fingers were wrapped around the door handle of the mysterious door.

The door opened, revealing the hospital morgue. Her eyes took in the cold, sterile environment before her. The room was illuminated by fluorescent lights, casting a haunting glow over the metal tables that were covered with folders.

Her gaze swept over the room, unable to shake the feeling that the place held a deeper significance. Why was she there?

Ryujin walked further into the morgue, white sheets covering bodies on metal tables along the corridors. The smell of chemicals invaded her senses, causing her to feel nauseous from the fumes. With her nose and mouth covered by her long sleeves, she took a look at the tags on the bodies' feet.

These are the names of the people I killed.

She continued to read the names, remembering every one of them and how they died. Each one of the decomposing corpses died by her hands, each one trembled in fear beneath her blade. The hitman continued to walk through the morgue, until she came across a body with the cover slightly lifted.

A shiver ran all along her body as she approached, her heart sinking as she saw the face of the person lying there.

It was Yeji.

Her mind raced, unable to comprehend what she was seeing. She placed her shaky fingers onto her cheek. Cold. Panic and grief welled up within her, consuming her.

And then, a voice, familiar and haunting reached her ears. "Shin Ryujin..."

She turned around slowly, her heart pounding. "Youngjae." Her voice trembled as she spoke.

"You killed my daughter." He raised his voice sternly.

Ryujin's chest tightened, guilt and sorrow washing over her. She had known that her actions would result in detrimental effects but never had she thought that it would have resulted in Yeji's demise.

"I didn't. I would never-"

"You did!" Youngjae yelled, causing the room to tremble. "You have to pay for what you did."