When He stole My Heart

By Three

By the time March arrived, the already incredibly busy members of DW seemed to have shifted into overdrive. They had an upcoming tour, a fan meet, and had scored several collaborations with big names both domestically and internationally.

Rhim voiced his regret that they were finally working with names they had only dared to dream about, and Danny wasn’t able to be a part of it. “There’s always next time,” Emmy commented, to which he just nodded and eventually agreed. “I’m sure you are right. But still…,” he said, smiling sadly at her.

“Well… there’s always gonna be names and people you want to work with and haven’t yet. I’m sure you still have a long list of people you want to work with. Next time he’ll join you. I’m sure of it,” she explained encouragingly.

“Who’s on that list?” she finally asked after he looked at her.

“How much time do you have for me to tell you?” he almost laughed. Of course, the list would be long. She needed to laugh about his question. It seemed so like him, them really. But wasn’t that the best way of achieving success? To always aim higher? To have a goal to work towards?

“Well… I have another four hours of my shift left and nothing else to do really. He’s pretty much my only duty… so humor me.”

He nodded and was quiet for a moment. “You seem to be here a lot. I mean… every time one of us comes to visit you are always the one looking after him and being on duty. I remember when I was here a few years back when my appendix burst I had a different nurse every day and some days I had more than a dozen different ones. Yet… Danny seems to have pretty much you as his personal care taker.”

Emmy thought about his comment and the implied question for a moment.

“He is that special,” she finally said somewhat in a joking manner, witnessing Rhim look at her curious, seeming as if he wanted to question her answer further. But he decided against it when he surprised her with his list of a few names they hoped to still collaborate with.

Over the last few weeks, shifting from February into March, Emmy became a weird and strange part of their little group. It wasn’t really surprising if you thought about it. Apart from them, it was only really her who always was around Danny as well.

Emmy couldn’t remember the last time she had seen his girlfriend, if she were honest, and by now it had shifted into a dynamic that she was spending most of her time here at work looking after him.

Generally, there was a rotation of nurses that looked after a patient, but all her colleagues preferred to hand “Danny-duty” off to someone else, seeing there wasn’t much to do and to get into.

It was no secret that most girls working in the VIP wing of the hospital were technically just here in order to find a wealthy husband. Of course, they all were competent. They had to be if working with such high-profile patients, but they weren’t killing themselves working.

They put in the minimum amount of effort and hoped to reap the best benefits, mainly a sparkling ring on their finger at some stage.

And it had worked before. Emmy had seen quite a few of her female colleagues getting married to someone that had been a patient at this hospital before. So their motivation was high.

Her motivation was the patient itself, and she quite honestly didn’t care whether he was paying several million won a day or just a fraction of this. Everyone needed looking after if they were here and the amount of money they spent or had in their bank account shouldn’t matter to anyone if she were honest.

But it seemed like she was all by herself with that belief on some days. Not that Emmy minded. If she were honest, the other patients, mainly the ones that were awake and conscious, were usually surrounded by a large number of people working for them or just caring for them in general and it mostly hindered her in her work. So looking after Danny was an easy task. Emmy could get done what needed to be done without many interruptions or discussions that people were in her way or keeping her from doing her job.

After Rhim had left, Emmy was surprised to find Lily stepping into Danny’s room shortly after. She looked every inch the superstar she was, and if Emmy were honest, she also looked slightly overdressed. Wearing the latest creation of some Italian designer and shoes that looked like they weren’t made for walking longer distances, Lily also sported big sunglasses which covered most of her face and a brightly colored designer handbag slung over her arm.

Once she saw Emmy, she first looked slightly taken aback in surprise before smiling at her brightly, but Emmy didn’t miss the fact that the smile seemed forced and fake. But that wasn’t her concern or an issue.

So Emmy smiled politely at her, which finished what she had been doing a moment earlier.

“How’s he doing?” Lily asked Emmy, while typing on her phone frantically and not looking up for a second.

“There hasn’t been much change,” Emmy informed her, seeing her nod, type some more, and move closer to Danny’s bed and then sit down on it. Emmy witnessed her patting his hand and just looking at him indifferently.

She wasn’t judging her at all for seeming emotionless since this wasn’t easy for everyone equally but raised both eyebrows when Emmy saw her move herself closer to Danny, fiddling with her phone, and seemingly making a few selfies a moment later. What the…?

Emmy wondered what exactly she was doing when she stopped with the selfies and looked at her. “Would you mind giving us a few moments of privacy?” Lily asked almost annoyed and with a certain sharpness in her voice.

“Of course. Sorry...,” Emmy apologized, bowing slightly and leaving the room a moment later.

Emmy had barely sat down at her desk when she was surprised to find herself once again more or less face to face with Kal.

“You are already leaving?” Emmy said astonished and cursed herself a moment later. How long someone came or stayed wasn’t her business. That seemed to have been her thought as well since Lily looked at her irritated.

“What else do you think I should be doing? It isn’t like we can have a conversation, seeing that he is u-n-c-o-n-s-c-i-o-u-s.”

The fact that Lily talked to her in a way as if she herself didn’t know that he was not awake annoyed Emmy, but she knew better than to mention that.

“You could tell him about… what is going on in your life. The other members of DW do something similar and research has shown that talking to someone who’s unconscious can drastically improve their condition. Or you could read a book to him,” Emmy proposed innocently.

Emmy’s suggestion was meant as a well-meant recommendation, but seemed to have the opposite effect if the sighing and incredulous look she was getting was any indication.

”Do I look like I would have time for that? Like I would have time to read to him? I barely have time for myself, let alone for something as pointless as that,” Lily almost spat, and Emmy cringed inwardly.

“And I can update him about my life when he is able to respond. What’s the point of me telling him something about my life when I’ll have to tell him again once he is back alive?”

For a moment, Emmy wondered whether she should correct her comment that he was still alive and just not awake, but refrained from doing so. She didn’t seem like the sweetheart the press made her out to be, and her previous reaction had shown she wasn’t really ecstatic about suggestions coming from her, let alone corrections.

“I’m busy as it is already and don’t need to waste my time with something as pointless as talking to my boyfriend who’s not understanding whatever I’m saying anyway because he is in a coma.”

And with that, she was gone.

The suggestion with reading Emmy had made wasn’t completely unfounded, seeing that she had actually done that for the past few weeks. Sitting down next to Danny’s bed, she took out one of the books that she had brought earlier.

What started as some sort of way of passing time whenever one of the other guys couldn’t show up had moved now into a daily routine that she took pleasure in.

Emmy knew about his love for books and that he read quite a lot during his time when he wasn’t writing or composing songs, producing, or being in general busy with idol life.

Of course, she didn’t really know what he usually read, but knew that one of his favorite books was Hermann Hesse’s “Damian,” so she started with that one and slowly moved on to other classics.

Starting on Shakespeare was interesting but quickly morphed into a nightmare when the way it was written was giving her a headache.

By now, Emmy read to him almost every day. Sometimes during her shift, sometimes after she had already finished working.

Over the past few days and weeks, she had gradually made her way through five books that way and started finding it more than just relaxing.

She was a firm believer in what she had told Kal earlier and Phoenix a while back. Unconscious patients responded well to people talking to them.

While Emmy didn’t really have anything to tell him about except for one or two news about his band that the others might or might not have mentioned, she found reading was the next best alternative.

An hour after her shift had finished, she looked for a birthday gift for a friend of hers when she stumbled over a news update about Kal and Danny and his condition.

The article was talking about Danny’s condition and its lack of news, and quickly went on focusing on Z and how she was dealing with all of this. The pictures displayed were showing Danny in the hospital and Z next to him, looking sadly into the camera.

It was the same outfit she had worn earlier today, and Emmy wasn’t even really surprised to learn the pictures in the article came from Lily’s own social media accounts.

Lily might not have had time for telling him about her life and day, but he still served a purpose – if only that was to help her in playing the role of distraught and grieving girlfriend down to a tee.

Sighing, Emmy found herself considering the idea of whether she should comment on one of Lily’s pictures and point out how tasteless her display was, but then again, what was the point?

Lily’s only had come for the attention, and that was what she had gotten. And sadly, Danny had been in no condition to disagree.

Emmy couldn’t shake off the uneasy feeling Lily's behavior had left her with. She found herself pondering over the different ways people coped with difficult situations.

While some, like Rhim, seemed to accept the circumstances with a resigned optimism, others, like Lily, appeared to shield themselves with a facade of indifference, perhaps to protect themselves from the harsh reality.

As the days passed, Emmy's routine of reading to Danny became more than just a duty; it became a source of solace for her. The stories she read became a bridge, connecting her to him in a way that transcended his unconscious state.

She found herself sharing her thoughts and feelings with him, as if he could hear and understand her.

One afternoon, while reading a particularly moving passage from "To Kill a Mockingbird," Emmy noticed a slight twitch in Danny's hand. Her heart skipped a beat, and she leaned closer, her eyes fixed on his face, searching for any sign of awareness. But he remained still, his expression serene.

Emmy wasn't sure if it was just a reflex or a genuine response to the story. She decided to believe it was the latter, choosing to hold onto the hope that Danny was aware of her presence and the words she spoke to him.

Meanwhile, the rest of DW continued with their hectic schedule, juggling rehearsals, interviews, and performances. Emmy admired their dedication and resilience, especially considering the emotional burden they were carrying.

She often overheard snippets of their conversations, bits of their lives and thoughts that they shared with Danny, as if trying to keep him connected to their world.

One day, as she was leaving the hospital after her shift, Emmy bumped into Kal again. This time, he seemed more relaxed, less preoccupied with his usual concerns.

"Hey, Emmy," he greeted her with a warm smile. "How's Danny doing today?"

Emmy hesitated, unsure if she should share her observations with him. But something in Kal's demeanor told her that he genuinely cared about Danny's well-being, beyond the superficialities of fame and success.

"I think he might have responded to the story I was reading today," she said, her voice barely above a whisper.

Kal's eyes lit up with a mix of surprise and hope. "Really? That's amazing! What were you reading?"

Emmy recounted the passage from "To Kill a Mockingbird," and Kal listened intently, his expression thoughtful. After a moment of silence, he spoke again, his voice soft but resolute.

"I believe you, Emmy. I believe that Danny can hear you, and that he knows you're here for him. Thank you for taking care of him, for being his voice when he can't speak for himself."

Emmy was touched by Kal's words, his sincerity shining through despite the masks they all wore to shield themselves from the pain and uncertainty.

She realized then that, in their own way, each member of DW was struggling to cope with Danny's condition, each finding their own way to keep him close, to keep him a part of their lives.

As she left the hospital that day, Emmy felt a renewed sense of purpose. She wasn't just Danny's nurse; she was his advocate, his companion in this silent journey.

And as long as there was breath in her body, she would continue to be there for him, reading to him, talking to him, and believing that one day, he would wake up, and they would laugh about all the stories she had read to him.