My Girlfriend Is Very Good To Me [EN]: Chapter 65

Ep. 64

How many hours had passed? I had collapsed, unable to even scream, only letting out death-like groans until someone heard me, called 119 [emergency services in South Korea], and I was taken to the hospital.

The SAT [Scholastic Assessment Test, a standardized test widely used for college admissions in the United States] was completely gone. Practically beyond the Pacific. I really wanted to crawl to take the test, but my arm hurt too much to do that.

Anyway, I was taken to the hospital, got a shot, and had a check-up.

Luckily, or perhaps unluckily, my right elbow was fractured, but not completely shattered, so I didn’t need surgery. I did get a cast, though.

Thanks to the medicine or the shot I received, the pain had subsided a lot. When I came to my senses, a nurse came and took my personal information.

Mourning my smartphone, which was cracked in two like my elbow, I borrowed a phone and contacted my parents.

One way or another, around lunchtime, not only my parents but also my entire family had gathered in the hospital room.

“How’s your arm? Does anything else hurt?”

“Yeah. I’m a little sore here and there, but nothing else is broken.”

“Okay… Good. You can take the SAT again next year. You did really well.”

Hearing my mom say that as she checked my body, I almost teared up… but not really. I still didn’t feel real.

Rather than me, Yoonjung noona [older sister, used by a male] was sobbing next to me.

“Sniff… You worked so hard… What are we going to do…”

“It’s okay. Like Mom said, I can take it next year.”

I forced a bright smile, feeling like the atmosphere was getting gloomy because of my weeping sister. Even if I didn’t feel real, it wasn’t like I could laugh and joke around, but if even I looked like I was about to die, we wouldn’t be able to say anything to each other.

“Ah, why is the atmosphere like this? I’ll just work at Sunhoo hyung’s [older brother/male cousin/friend, used by a male] workshop this year.”

“Yeah. Your spot is always open, so join us anytime. I’ll exploit you like a slave.”

“Such harsh words.”

-Click

Fortunately, they took my nonsense well, and while we were joking around, Dad and Junghoo hyung came into the hospital room.

But as soon as he came in, hyung started packing my things without saying a word.

“Yeonhoo, let’s move rooms.”

“Suddenly? I think I can just get discharged today and get outpatient treatment.”

The doctor said earlier that I could go home if I took my medicine and wore a cast.

I looked at my dad with a puzzled expression, and he pointed outside and explained the reason.

“The grandma and her son you helped are outside. They said they’ll pay for all the hospital bills. Get some physical therapy later and stay here for a few more days to see how you’re doing.”

“Ah~ How’s the grandma? Is she okay?”

I gave up the SAT and threw myself, so if even the grandma was hurt, I might have really cried.

“Yeah. She sprained her ankle a bit, but she wasn’t hurt badly. She usually has high blood pressure, so she suddenly had symptoms of anemia.”

“That’s a relief.”

Okay, it’s good that she’s safe.

Damn it.

—

I was moved to a private room thanks to their kindness. My arm still hurt, but it wasn’t as unbearable as right after the injury. So, it felt a bit excessive, but there was no reason to refuse since they were repaying me for helping them. It’s also true that I couldn’t take the SAT because of it.

I was sitting on the hospital bed, looking around the private room with wonder, when the grandma and some middle-aged man came in.

“Thank you… Thank you so much… I don’t know how to repay you…”

As soon as she came, she burst into tears and knelt down in front of me to express her gratitude. I was so flustered that I told her to please get up.

I heard that she was about to get married soon, so she was going to take care of her at home for a few days until the ceremony. That’s why the grandma came today and this happened.

Her husband had already passed away due to old age, and she didn’t have any other relatives, so she said she was her only family.

“What about your important test today… I’m sorry…”

The grandma was also crying next to me, apologizing repeatedly. Even if there were no special circumstances, I wouldn’t have regretted my actions.

What if I hadn’t reached out there? And it was within my reach?

Even if I don’t know, I would have thought about that all day today, and the test would have been ruined anyway.

You could say it’s mental gymnastics, but that’s how I felt. Moreover, they are each other’s only family, and I saved them.

I felt like even the slightly complicated feelings in one corner of my heart were washed away.

The grandma and the middle-aged man conveyed their gratitude and apologies countless times, and they even tried to give me compensation, but my dad and I stopped them. We understood their feelings, but there was no need to go that far.

So, they left a business card, promising to pay for all the expenses during my stay in the hospital, my smartphone, and to contact them anytime if I needed help, as they had promised earlier.

I took a quick look before my dad took it, and it seemed like he was the president of some health company.

After the two of them left, I sat quietly on the hospital bed with a more calm mind than before.

“Yeonhoo, don’t worry and relax. Starting a year later now is nothing in the long run.”

“That’s right. When you go to the army and see people, you’ll get a sense of it. Being a year late is really nothing.”

I had already organized my thoughts to some extent and accepted the situation. Still, they were still trying to comfort me. Even Sunhoo hyung doing that was quite refreshing. I didn’t know he still had the emotion to comfort people.

Anyway, they’re saying that because they’re worried about me.

Actually, more than not being able to take the SAT now, more than having a fractured right arm and being uncomfortable for a while.

I was much more worried about Heena.

She already took care of me so much to make sure nothing happened, but it turned out like this in the end.

Of course, she’ll be sad that I got hurt, but more than that, Heena taught me so diligently for over a year.

I was worried that I couldn’t take the test in the end. I felt so sorry.

Thinking about that made me sigh.

I was wondering how to tell Heena when Sunhoo hyung handed me his phone.

─YAH!! HAN YEONHOO!! Are you okay?!

Oh, shouting. It’s Heesung hyung [older brother/male cousin/friend, used by a male].

“Yeah, I’m okay, so turn down the volume a bit. I’m going to be hospitalized because my eardrums burst.”

─Ha… No, be careful. You little… really.

I could feel the worry in his rough tone. Anyway, this hyung really likes me.

“Well, there’s nothing I can do about it now. It’s a good thing. Please contact Heena for me later. My phone is broken…”

─I’ll just pick her up and take her there, so be aware.

“I’d appreciate it. Heena will be very worried, so please talk to her well.”

─It would be nice if it ended with just worry… Anyway, I heard the story, but it’s not dangerous, right?

“Actually, they said it’s okay for me to be discharged today, but they’re paying for the hospital bills and everything, so I’m going to stay here comfortably for a few days.”

─Okay, I understand. Then I’ll see you later.

“Okay~ Drive carefully so Heena doesn’t get hurt~”

I hung up the phone, handed it back to Sunhoo hyung, and lay down on the hospital bed.

Honestly, I don’t think I’ll think about studying for two or three months. I’ll just maintain my senses and start from March. Anyway, Heena and the others will be busy with college life from then on, so I’ll just study alone.

Hoo.

Thinking about everyone makes me feel complicated again. Shit.

—

The hospital food was surprisingly unique, so I ate the kimbap [Korean seaweed rice rolls] that my mom packed for me in the morning in the hospital room. After that, I was so bored that I walked around the hospital a bit and listened to an explanation of how I would receive physical therapy.

And then everyone went home. It wasn’t a serious situation, so it was awkward for everyone to stay here. Actually, they were lenient because it was right after I was admitted, but the visiting hours for lunch had already passed.

My parents will pack my clothes and come back.

It was really boring to be alone in a small hospital room. Especially since I had only been studying in my free time recently, this empty time felt even bigger.

Especially since Heena wasn’t next to me.

I looked at the clock while thinking about my girlfriend all the time, and it was about time for the SAT to end and for people to go home.

The university hospital I’m in isn’t far from the school where Heena is taking the SAT, so I think she’ll be here soon.

-Thump, thump, thump!!!

While I was blankly wondering when she would come, the outside of the hospital room suddenly became very noisy.

I thought someone had brought a child to visit and was about to lie down without paying attention.

-Bang!!

“Yeonhoo-ya!!!! [term of endearment]”

What came in, throwing the door open with all her might as if to break it,

Was my girlfriend, with a face covered in tears and disheveled hair sticking to her face.

“Uh… you came?”

“Are you okay?! Where, how much are you hurt?”

I expected it, but she looks at my body with a more serious face than I expected. She must have heard from Heesung hyung to some extent.

She sticks right next to my hospital bed and looks around, and in the end, she looks at my elbow in a cast and bursts into tears.

I was grateful for her appearance, and somewhere, even I was moved by her heart that thought of me so much.

So, instead of reassuring her, I unconsciously apologized first.

Because if I said warm words, even I would start to cry.

“I’m sorry.”

“Sniff… What for…?”

“I couldn’t take the test after you taught me so hard.”

She was showing such an emotional reaction even though it wasn’t a situation to be so worried about, so I hid my embarrassment and inwardly said what I had been holding back since earlier.

However.

“What’s so important about that!!!!”

Those words of mine were buried by Heena’s huge shout that I had never heard before. After shouting like that, she showed me a very angry face for the first time since we started dating.

“You’re…hurt…sniff… What does…that…matter…Hwaaaang..”

Soon, she burst into tears, grabbed my patient gown, and buried her face in my chest.

Right. If it’s Heena, she’ll worry about my body more than whether I ruined the test or not.

Thinking about it, it was obvious, but I made excuses to hide my awkwardness. I regretted it inwardly and hugged Heena, who was grabbing me and crying loudly.

“I’m sorry for getting hurt. I’ll be more careful in the future. So don’t cry, okay?”

It’s a four-week injury, but making my girlfriend cry like this was like committing a major crime.

What’s so important about that test? She’s having such a hard time with just this much injury. I should be more careful in the future.