✓ IF YOU STAY | HEESEUNG

39 - My Love Mine All Mine

The doctor had confirmed that her foot was indeed broken. She sat there, letting him put the cast while Heeseung stood by her side, never really leaving it. Minjae sat on a nearby chair, his wide eyes still filled with concern for Y/N while he clutched his frog bag tightly. Once the cast was securely in place, Y/N tried to stand with her crutches only to end up almost falling on the ground.

"Be careful." Heeseung held her in time and she allowed herself to lean against his strong arms. "You should rest, Y/N. You know what? I'll let you rest here while I drop Minjae at his daycare. It's just a short drive away, and I won't be gone long. Okay?" She didn't want to be alone but she didn't want to be a burden either. She nodded and gave him a small, appreciative smile.

"Noona, I will come back and I will draw on your foot." Minjae leaned against the hospital bed, pointing at her cast before she smiled and ruffled his hair. She was already so fond of the child. 

When the two left and she was left alone, she allowed herself to relax and closed her eyes for a moment. But the fact that she was going to need help going around for a month or so made her anxious and stressed.

"Shit..." She buried her face in the palm of her hands and breathed heavily, her body wracked with panic. Just when she thought she might be completely overwhelmed, strong arms wrapped around her and she felt like she was being shielded from the world. Heeseung had returned sooner than expected, and the warmth of his embrace enveloped her, pushing the anxiety and stress away.

"It's okay. Breathe, Y/N, take a moment to catch your breath." And because he kissed her forehead and rubbed her back, she could feel her tense muscles relaxing and her breathing steadying. "Jesus Christ, Y/N, I leave you for a moment, and you decide to have a breakdown on your own." The sound of his soft chuckle made her smile a little as he wiped the sweat off her forehead and tucked a few loose strands of hair behind her ears.

"Sorry, it just hit me all at once... I feel like I'm not handling this well." 

His eyes softened as his thumb stroked her cheek. "There's no 'right' way to handle these things. It's not every day that you end up with a broken foot, you know? In fact, I would have cried too if it had happened to me. But I'm here, okay? I'm here for you and you won't have to be alone."

"Aren't you disappointed we won't be able to go on a date soon?" The question had been lingering in her mind since she fell into her apartment and the way she was hesitant and all made him shake his head. 

"Y/N, I can wait. This isn't a race, and it's not about a date. It's about you, and I'm more concerned about your well-being right now. Besides, we can still spend time together even if you have a cast on your foot. It looks pretty cool, like a battle scar." He gently tapped her newly casted foot with a playful smile.

"You have an odd way of making everything seem okay." Her words made him grin, his eyes crinkling at the corners like sunlight breaking through the clouds. And when he brushed the hair out of her face once again and his eyes lingered on it, she could feel her heart warm up. "I didn't have time to properly dry it so I guess it's a bit of a mess," She said, with a self-conscious laugh but all he did was shake his head and smile. 

His fingers gently traced her cheek, then down to her chin, tilting her face up to meet his gaze. "You're beautiful, Y/N. Messy hair, hospital gown, cast and all. You're always beautiful. Even when we were in high school, I couldn't take my eyes off you. I remember it very well, you know? How you wore that blue dress on the day of our school's festival, and you had a flower in your hair. You were breathtaking."

She had never been particularly good at taking compliments, but coming from Heeseung, they felt genuine and so her heart skipped a beat. "You remember that..." It was hard to believe that someone like him would remember such a seemingly insignificant detail from their high school days.

"Yeah. And after a month or so, I'll remember this moment too." He smiled. "I'll remember how you looked so beautiful with your messy hair and those perfect eyes that I can get lost in. I'll remember how you looked beautiful even when you cried and how strong you've been through all of this."

"Thank you, Heeseung." She smiled, her back leaning against the bed while she stared at him. "Oh... shouldn't you go to work?" 

"I can take a day off. My work schedule is flexible, you know? I can still make dresses at two in the morning." The sound of his laughter made her want to wrap herself in the warmth of that moment forever. "Relax, Y/N. I'm really not going anywhere." She realized she hadn't allowed herself to relax because she had always been alone. Not alone in a physical sense, but alone in a way that she had carried the weight of her life's decisions by herself. It still felt weird to have someone take care of her and just let her relax without having to think about what's going to happen next. "Does it hurt?"

Y/N glanced down at her freshly casted foot and nodded. "It does hurt a little, but I think I'll manage." 

"Tell me if it hurts." He whispered, gently massaging the area around the cast. "Did you have breakfast? Should I get you something to eat?" The way he worried about her well-being warmed her heart and she realized how much she had missed having someone look out for her. 

"I haven't had breakfast yet," She admitted, "but I don't want to trouble you any further." It's been a few years since her parents left the country and she had been living independently, taking care of herself whenever necessary and comforting herself in solitude when things got tough. So, having someone do that for her was foreign and comforting at the same time.

"Y/N, you're not troubling me at all. Let me take care of you. It's what I want to do." She watched as he ruffled her hair and walked out of the room to retrieve some breakfast for her. And after a few minutes of her staring at the ceiling, he returned to the hospital room with a tray of food in hand, a reassuring smile on his face. "I brought you some porridge and toast. Nothing fancy, but it should be easy on your stomach." He carefully set the tray down on the bedside table, making sure it was within her reach.

"Thank you." She couldn't help but smile at him. 

He pulled up a chair beside her bed and handed her a spoon. "Here, let me help you with that." He scooped up a small spoonful of porridge and brought it to her lips. "Why are you looking at me like that, Y/N? Are you surprised that I can be this caring?" 

"Well, I've never really had anyone take care of me like this before. It's still a bit strange to allow myself to be taken care of," Y/N admitted, her gaze softening as she looked at Heeseung. "But it's a nice kind of strange. You taking care of me like this and being with me when I need it the most... it makes my heart flutter." 

"Are you falling for me, Lee Y/N?" The way he tilted his head and the way his thumb wiped the corner of her lips was enough to make her heart skip a beat.

"I am." She smiled a little, not breaking eye contact. "I feel all warm and tingly inside, like I'm wrapped in a cozy blanket, just being here with you. I think I already am falling for you-" Her eyes widened when Heeseung's cheeks flushed a faint shade of pink, and a shy, pleased smile tugged at the corners of his lips. 

The idea of love had always been a bit of a fantasy for Y/N, something she read about in books and watched in movies. But now, it was here, in the form of Heeseung, and it was messy, complicated, and real.