17 If she dies, I will never forgive her

"Oh..." Nam Dong Min glances at him solemnly. "I have to check on my mother. I will see...you later." He is too tired to talk about the details. At this moment, their father and Nam Ji Won are having surgeries.

"Why did you lie?" Na Young yells at Tae Il after Nam Dong Min is gone. "And who are you?"

"I am Leo," Tae Il replies slowly. It is not unusual that Na Young couldn't recognize his real face.

"You are...?" Na Young looks at Son Jong Pil for confirmation. He nods. "His real name is Seo Tae Il."

"But you are not her boyfriend." Na Young stares at him with disbelief. "Why did you lie to her brother?"

"I didn't lie." Tae Il lies. "I already knew her, but I pretended to not know her at the concert because I didn't want to reveal my secret. She was mad because of that. We had a small fight that day."

"I understand now." Son Jong Pil scratches his chin. "It makes sense. My instincts are never wrong."

"Oppa, he is lying." Na Young points at Tae Il. "Ji Won told me that she didn't know him and he wasn't her boyfriend."

"Does Ji Won tell you everything?" Tae Il asks sarcastically. "Did she tell you that she went on a trip?"

Na Young is dumbfounded to hear his words. Recently, she has not been talking to Nam Ji Won. At first, she has been mad at her. Later, it's because Son Jong Pil contacted her. They have exchanged numbers at his house that day. When she secretly started going out with Son Jong Pil, she has been afraid that Nam Ji Won would get mad at her. So, she avoids her for a while out of guilt.

Seo Tae Il, on the other hand, is disturbed. He keeps remembering Nam Ji Won's grinning face. Yesterday, she has been with him. What happened in a night? Why did he sleep so much? She gets hurt suddenly like this.

"Right now, it's important that we don't fight." Jong Pil intervenes. "Nam Ji Won and her father are having surgeries."

Jong Pil's words clear their heads a bit. Questions or answers don't matter at the moment. Nam Ji Won and her father should live.

Mother Nam is sitting with her eyes closed. Nam Dong Min is sitting next to her. Nam Go Eun, a girl with cold eyes, is pacing outside the operating rooms. The door of the first operating room opens. The surgeons come out with tired faces and depressed eyes.

"We are sorry."

Tae Il's heart stops when he hears the words. Mother Nam loses her consciousness. Nam Dong Min holds her tightly to keep her from falling.

"What do you mean by sorry?" Nam Go Eun asks, deadpanned.

"I am sorry that we couldn't save your father."

Nam Go Eun falls on her knees. Na Young rushes to her side. Tae Il realizes that he could breathe again. He finds that he is actually relieved to hear that it's not Nam Ji Won who died. That girl is turning him into a terrible person.

"It's her fault." Nam Go Eun speaks in a low voice. "She always caused trouble. This time, she killed our father."

"Noonim, you shouldn't speak like that." Nam Dong Min cries. "It was an accident."

"If she didn't take him with her, he wouldn't have died." Nam Go Eun looks at him with hollow eyes. "It's her fault."

"Don't speak this way. She is our sister."

"Oh, she would survive." Nam Go Eun mumbles. "A person like her won't die easily."

Seo Tae Il leaves. He couldn't carry on listening. He could see the hatred in Nam Go Eun's eyes. If he stays, he might do something to her. Even he doesn't understand why he was like that. He is mad at Nam Ji Won, but he can't hate her either.

When Nam Ji Won's surgery is over, the surgeons reveals that she has a slim chance of survival. She has fallen into a vegetative state.

Mother Nam loses her consciousness again when she gets the news. Jong Pil and Na Young help Go Eun to take her home. Dong Min decides to stay.

Tae Il returns the next day. He sees Go Eun instead of Dong-min. She looks haunted. He sits next to her.

"Are you really her boyfriend?"

"Yes." Tae Il looks straight ahead.

"You don't seem like her type." Go Eun chuckles. "Do you think that she will wake up?"

"Yes." Tae Il answers.

"Do you hate me?" Go Eun leans back. "I always hated her. She got the most attention and love of our father. But she also loved him the most. If she found out that he died, she would blame herself for the rest of her life."

Tae Il doesn't answer her question.

"I don't want her to die," Go Eun says sorrowfully. "She is annoying, but I don't want her to die. I hate her, but she has to live. She can't go like our father. I am afraid that she will follow father."

"She won't die." Tae Il assures her. "She won't sleep forever."

"How are you sure?" Go Eun looks at him. "You are just a kid."

"Believe this kid's words." Tae Il sighs. "You asked a kid. You received his answer. You should trust him."

"If you are wrong, I won't forgive you." Go Eun wipes her tears. "If she dies, I will never forgive her. I won't forgive father either for leaving us like this."

Tae Il clenches his fists. She should wake up.