Apollo’s Heart - Chapter 44

Chapter 44

Chapter 44

The limp woman in his arms was notably skinny. Four years ago, Yuri was lean, but she was not as skinny as a stick that would break by a snap.

Does she even eat at all?

Jay’s voice flitted through his mind.

–          “She has already attempted suicide a few times.”

Is it related to her mental issues?

As Tae-jun held Yuri in his arms, a violent and compelling appetite surged from deep within that it devoured the rest of his rationality. The appetite that he had lost for quite some time – the desire to hold her and taste every bit of her, suddenly surged in him. Unconsciously, his grip on her tightened.

When they arrived at Seoin Hospital, Jin-ho was already waiting for them by the entrance.

Jin-ho, an internist, immediately made to move the stretcher. To Tae-jun, he not only considered him as an employee but also a good friend.

But instead of placing her on a gurney, Tae-jun carried Yuri in his arms all the way to a private ward. Surprised, Jin-ho only took a bag from the man’s hand and followed without a word.

Like his brother Jin-wook, who had known Tae-jun for over twenty years, Jin-ho had also known him for a long time. However, Jin-ho had never seen Tae-jun treating anyone else with such possessiveness.

Jin-ho grimaced at the unconscious woman in Tae-jun’s arms. She seemed like someone who was weak. She was tall but very skinny. And even though her eyes were closed for the moment, he could tell she was beautiful.

“Who is this?” he asked.

Gently laying Yuri on the bed in the private ward, Tae-jun answered. “Mine.”

“What? Then what about your fiancée?” Jin-ho asked incredulously.

Regardless of their close friendship, Jin-ho was well aware of the line drawn between them. Without an extra word, he briefly examined the woman in front of him before he prepped her up for an IV.

“Psychological shock from abrupt stress. She seems weak. If you want, I can run some further tests to examine her health in detail.”

“I see.”

Psychological shock? That’s not good. Tae-jun crossed his arms.

After shooting the man a quick, narrowed stare, Jin-ho finally left the ward.

About half an hour later, Yuri groaned, her eyes still closed. As if she were suffering from something excruciating, she tossed and turned on the bed. She shrieked from fear, before bolting awake and letting out a gasp.

“Are you okay?” Tae-jun lowered himself to her level to check.

Blinking her eyes in anxiety, she rushed into his arms.

“I am sorry, I am sorry.”

Tae-jun flinched.

Ever since he had started tracking Yuri and discovered her real identity, Tae-jun enjoyed guessing what her first words were going to be, numerous times. Would she be surprised? Afraid? Would she panic? However, an apology was not one of his many assumptions.

Clinging onto his jackets, Yuri rested her cheek on his chest. A strange feeling clambered up Tae-jun. Just for her, he had prepared a long list of vengeance, yet his resolve quickly crumbled at this moment.

Patiently, Tae-jun had come up with well-planned revenge, and Yuri’s first words mysteriously unarmed him. Well, a ward is an inappropriate place to share the happiness of a long-waited reencounter.

Tae-jun chuckled coldly and put his hands over her shoulders to pull her apart from him gently, as to not startle her. At that moment, Yuri opened her lips.

“Roy.” She gasped out in a breathy voice.

As if doused in ice, Tae-jun’s face hardened as he heard the name come out of her lips.

Damn you! How dare you call another man’s name in my arms?!

Tae-jun breathed in, trying to rein in his temper a thousandfold, to try not to grip her throat; instead, he only seized her shoulders in a fit of deep-seated anger.

⸙

Her shoulders hurt. When she lifted her eyelids, the first thing that came into Yuri’s blurry vision was a man. Next to him was another man in a white gown. He seemed like a doctor.

She soon realized that she was at the hospital. Yuri could not see the man’s face, but she could easily visualize the look on his face. He would have a sad, concerned, and a perplexed look, as it always had been for the past three years.

“Are you okay?”

“I am sorry, I am sorry.”

Over and over again, Yuri had been repeating the same thing tediously, but he deserved an answer to it. She wanted to explain to him that she did not mean to die this time. A deep sigh would come out between his lips.

In regret, Yuri called his name.

“Roy.”

However, this time was different. The man’s face contorted in displeasure. As if he was going to crumple her like a flimsy piece of paper, the man grabbed her shoulders with brute force.

Yuri grimaced her face in pain.

“Roy?”

“And you claim that he’s just a boss and a teacher?” The man spat at her in disdain.

The man’s callous voice fell over her head, freezing every part of her body. Like parting clouds, her consciousness cleared the haziness away, and soon she zeroed in on the actual man before her.

Roy was not a smoker – but this man smelled like cigarettes. Every fiber of his body exuded masculinity all over her. Yuri relaxed her grips on his arms and looked up.

Her confused eyes met the man’s – incensed, his eyes were ablaze.

“Look at me, look at me in the eyes. Can you see who I am now?!” He demanded.

Frightened, Yuri turned ashen and tried to wriggle free from his arms.

“H-How … Why …” she asked shakily, as she tried to yank herself away from him in panic. His grip only tightened at her resistance, as he sneered at her …

“Don’t you remember? You passed out in the elevator.”

Slowly, Yuri traced her vague memory. She got into the elevator, and he followed her. Her head started hurting and cold sweat ran through her back. His entry was the last thing she could remember.

⸙

Yuri began to tidy up herself. “If you helped me when I fainted …”

With furious eyes, Tae-jun cut off her words.

“Why did you disappear four years ago?!”

Yuri froze at his question.

Four years ago?

His question shook Yuri. This man was indeed part of her lost memories.

But How? Why?

⸙ ⸙ ⸙