___________________
At the Hospital Hallway
The hallway buzzed faintly with the morning rush — nurses passing, monitors beeping softly in the distance.
Noah was on his way back to the emergency ward, dragging the empty IV stand behind him when he saw Yogesh approaching from the opposite direction. His face was carved with irritation and steps brisk, a few disposable food bags swinging from his hand.
He stopped right in front of Noah, glaring daggers.
"Didn't I tell you to stay in your ward?" Yogesh's voice cut through the hallway like a whip, making a few people turn their heads. "And why are you coming from that direction?" His tone only grew sharper, words snapping before Noah could even open his mouth. "Don't tell me you went to see Di this early—"
"Will you at least breathe?" Noah interrupted, calm but clearly unimpressed. "You're throwing questions like bullets." He slipped one hand lazily into the pocket of his hospital gown, eyes steady, voice smooth — too composed for someone being scolded.
Yogesh clenched his jaw. "I was worried when you weren't in your ward," he said, frustration edging into his tone. "But looking at you now, dragging your IV like a rebellious boy, I think you're perfectly fine." He grabbed Noah's hand from his pocket, shoved a food bag into it, and said curtly, "Here. Breakfast. Eat it yourself. I'm going to check on Di."
Noah nodded slowly, accepting the bag. "Thanks… for the food," he said after a pause. His eyes softened slightly. "And for taking care of me." A small, knowing smirk flickered across his lips. "I'll repay you somehow. Just tell me what you want."
"Good," Yogesh replied shortly. "Then don't make trouble for Di. That's all I want."
Noah's expression shifted — calm melting into something darker. His voice dropped, low and cold.
"You don't need to tell me that. I'd never cause her trouble," he said, eyes narrowing slightly. "And I won't let anyone else touch her either."
Something in his tone made the air around them tighten.Yogesh glanced at him, frowning slightly, but brushed it off. "I hope that's true." He stepped past Noah, heading toward the VIP ward where Yunah was resting.
Noah stood still, watching him go until his figure disappeared around the corner. His grip on the food bag tightened. The calm on his face slipped away, replaced by something cold and unreadable.
He turned, dragging the IV stand once more — the faint screech of its wheels echoing down the hall. Then, stepping into the elevator, he looked up just as the doors began to close.
For a brief second, his reflection in the metal doors stared back — calm eyes, soft smile gone — replaced by a quiet, dangerous resolve.
And when the elevator sealed shut, the last glimpse of Noah was a face devoid of warmth — controlled, determined, and quietly lethal.
***********
The elevator doors sighed open on the hospital's sixth — the top floor. Noah stepped out without the IV stand; it lay abandoned inside the elevator. He held the disposable breakfast bag in one hand while the other bled faintly from where he'd ripped the gelco himself. He brushed a hand through his silk-black hair and moved with heavy, deliberate strides toward the director's office.
He didn't knock. He pushed the door open and walked in directly like he is the boss and owns everything in that place.
The director — a middle-aged man in spectacles, who was the same man who did operation of Yunah— snapped to his feet, startled. "Y-young master," he stammered, trying to steady his voice. "What brings you here? You could've called — I would have—"
"No need." Noah sank into the visitor couch like it belonged to him, voice flat and cold. He fixed the director with a steady, unreadable stare. "Shift me to the VIP room beside Yunah."
The director's smile faltered. "B-but… that room is occupied. It will be difficult —"
Noah cut him off without raising his voice. The calm in it made the words sharper than any shout. "I said I'm getting shifted next to her. I don't want to hear excuses. Try to deny me once more and you'll find yourself without that position to keep. Understand?"
The director's face went ashen. "Y-yes, Young Master… I'll arrange it immediately." He moved mechanically, fumbling for the phone as Noah sat very still, like a king who'd already decided his sentence.
*************
The entrance of the hospital hallway buzzed with noise and movement — visitors chatting, nurses rushing by, doctors heading off shift, and patients being wheeled past. Amid the chaos, Nerav, Noah's elder brother, strode in briskly through the glass doors holding his phone close to his ear, wearing a gray suit, looking handsome as always even in his concerned expression. Meanwhile his man Eren, was following close behind him.
At that exact moment, the sliding doors opened again — Serena, Yunah's best friend, burst through in a hurry, her bag slung over her shoulder, her breath uneven from running and her hair was all messy. Behind her, a team of nurses rushed in with an emergency stretcher, shouting for space.
"Make way! Emergency incoming!"
Serena stepped aside instantly, pressing herself against the wall to give way — but as she turned to sprint forward again, she collided hard with Nerav. His phone slipped from his hand, clattering onto the floor.
"Hey—!" Nerav snapped, glaring at her. But Serena, already too focused on reaching Yunah, didn't even glance back. She disappeared into the hallway, her messy hair swaying behind her.
"What the…" Nerav muttered under his breath, his annoyance simmering. "Does she not know how to apologize?" His tone was sharp, offended.
Eren quickly bent down, picked up the fallen phone, and wiped it carefully before handing it back. "Here, sir."
Nerav took it, his jaw tightening. He watched the direction Serena had vanished in for a second longer, then exhaled sharply. "Forget it. Let's go — find Noah."
With that, he slipped the phone into his pocket and strode off down the hall, his footsteps echoing as the noise of the busy corridor swallowed him.
*********
Serena pushed the door open to Yunah's VIP room, her footsteps quick and uneven. The worry on her face was unmistakable.
"Yunah…" she called softly, her voice trembling as she hurried to the chair beside the bed. "How are you now? Why didn't you tell me earlier?" Her eyes searched Yunah's face, filled with both concern and quiet hurt.
Yunah smiled faintly, her tone gentle. "I'm fine, really. And this—" she gestured at Serena's teary, panicked expression with a small chuckle "—is exactly why I didn't tell you earlier."
Serena frowned. "That's not funny, Yunah." Her voice cracked slightly. "I was terrified when I found out. You could've at least called me."
"I know," Yunah said softly, reaching out to take Serena's hand in hers. "But I didn't want you to worry. Look—" she smiled brighter, trying to ease the tension, "—I'm fine now. No more tears, okay?"
Serena stared at her for a moment, her lips pressed into a thin line before sighing in defeat. "You're impossible, you know that?"
"I've heard that before," Yunah replied with a teasing grin that finally pulled a small laugh from Serena, the tension in her shoulders easing.
"Fine. I'll stop worrying," she said, squeezing Yunah's hand gently. "But if you hide things like this again from me in the future, I'm never going to forgive you and I swear on it." She said pouting like a cute little kid who got hurt.
Yunah smiled, eyes warm seeing her cute pout. "Deal."
------------------------
That Evening.
On the rooftop of the hospital, Noah sat on the edge of the concrete railing. A cigarette burned between his fingers, its ember glowing faintly in the cool evening breeze. His hospital gown fluttered beneath the ash-gray hoodie he'd thrown over it, but his expression remained still—cold, unreadable.
He exhaled a slow stream of smoke, his voice low and razor-sharp as he spoke into his phone.
"Did you find out who was behind Umesh?"
"Yes, young master," came Ashish's steady voice from the other end—loyal, cautious.
"Who is it?" Noah asked, no hesitation, no wasted breath.
"It's a new gang that's been rising in our area," Ashish reported. "The leader's name is Joseph Lepcha—brother of Stephen Lepcha, right-hand man of Eagle's Claw's boss. It seems they formed this gang to expand into our territory."
Noah's jaw tightened. "They're having a deal tomorrow night, aren't they?"
"Yes, young master."
"Good," Noah said, inhaling deeply, his tone like steel. "Then we'll take them down tomorrow."
But before he could end the call, a familiar voice cut through the wind behind him—calm, but heavy enough to freeze him mid-breath.
"What are you doing here, Noah? Who are you talking to? I was sear—" the voice stopped midway, then rose sharply again "Are you smoking?"
The cigarette slipped slightly between his fingers. His heart pounded—not from guilt, but from something he hadn't felt in years.
Fear.
The last time he'd felt that… was the night his parents died.