Hyun-woo didn't stop until he reached the emergency room doors. The nurses and staff, startled by the sight of a man carrying a woman with such panicked urgency, quickly moved to assist. They directed him to a treatment room, and he carefully laid Hae-in down on the examination bed, his hands still shaking. He couldn't shake the image of her falling, of the blood on her pristine leg. It was a phantom fear, a memory of a pain he had yet to experience, but one that was just as real to him.
A young doctor, looking calm and professional, came in and began to examine Hae-in's foot. "It's just a minor cut," the doctor said reassuringly. "Nothing to worry about. We'll clean it up and put on a small bandage."
Hae-in, ever the CEO even in a moment of distress, tried to sit up. "See? I told you, Hyun-woo. I'm fine. We can go now."
But Hyun-woo didn't budge. He stood there, his face a mask of resolute concern. He had his own plan. He wasn't going to just let it go. He had to be sure. He had to know. The memories of the drama, of the tumor he knew she had, the silent killer that had almost taken her from him, were a cold, hard knot in his stomach. He hadn't seen any signs of it yet, but the possibility was a terrifying weight on his mind. He would not take any chances.
"Doctor," he said, his voice firm and steady, "I'd like you to run every check-up available on her. A full body scan, blood tests, everything. I need to make sure she's completely healthy."
Hae-in's eyes widened. "Hyun-woo, are you crazy? It's a small scratch! I have a meeting in an hour!" she protested, her professional side taking over. She didn't have time for this nonsense.
"We can reschedule the meeting," he said, his gaze fixed on the doctor, ignoring her protests. "Please, just do it. I want to make sure there's nothing wrong."
The doctor, sensing the seriousness of the situation and the obvious concern in Hyun-woo's voice, nodded and said he would make the arrangements.
Hae-in turned to Hyun-woo, her face a mix of exasperation and disbelief. "Baek Hyun-woo, this is ridiculous. We're wasting time. My foot is fine."
He finally turned to her, his face a picture of sincere, pleading vulnerability. He looked at her with his large, brown eyes, his lower lip trembling slightly in a way that had always, from the moment they first met, been her weakness. It was his signature puppy-dog look, the one he used when he wanted to get his way.
"Please, Hae-in," he said, his voice soft and laced with a subtle sadness. "Just this once. For me. I just… I need to know you're okay. I need to be sure. Please?"
Hae-in's resolve crumbled. She had always been helpless against that look. It was a weapon she had almost forgotten he possessed. The sight of him, so utterly desperate, so genuinely terrified for her well-being, was an arrow straight to her heart. How could she say no? She sighed, a sound of resigned defeat. "Fine," she grumbled, her voice filled with a familiar exasperation that was now mixed with a deep, abiding love. "But you're paying for all of it."
A profound sense of relief washed over Hyun-woo, so powerful it almost made his knees buckle. "I'll pay for everything," he vowed, a small, grateful smile on his face. He watched as the doctor cleaned and bandaged her wound, his hand holding hers the entire time, his grip firm and reassuring. Even as she winced in discomfort, he held her, his thumb gently caressing the back of her hand, a silent apology for his over-the-top reaction.
While Hae-in was taken for her various check-ups, Hyun-woo sat in the waiting room, his mind a whirlwind of silent prayers and terrified thoughts. He knew he was overreacting, that to her, this was just an overprotective husband's paranoia. But to him, this was a mission. He had to confirm that she was healthy, that the tumor, the shadow that had haunted her in his memories of the future, was not there. He prayed, with a fervent, quiet desperation, that his early intervention, the change in his own being, had somehow altered fate. He prayed that the tumor was a lie, a terrible dream, and that she was perfectly fine.
Hae-in came back from her check-ups, looking exhausted but also a little amused. "Happy now, you big baby?" she asked, a small smile on her face. "I've been poked and prodded more times today than in the past five years combined. They probably know what I had for breakfast last Tuesday."
Hyun-woo stood up, his relief so palpable he felt light-headed. He gently took her hand and intertwined their fingers. "I will be happy," he said, his voice sincere and full of a profound love, "when the results come back and tell me what I already know: that you are perfectly healthy."
She looked at him, and the genuine, heartfelt emotion in his eyes was so overwhelming that she felt a lump form in her throat. She had always craved this level of concern, this depth of care, but had never thought she would have it. But here it was, in the most unlikely of places, from the most unlikely of sources—her husband, her rock, her partner. The man who was now a confident hero, but who, at his core, was still the same loving, devoted man she had fallen for so many years ago.