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It happened too fast.

One blink—

The red light. The sound of tires. Kaori's scream. Yoori’s cry.

Then nothing.

Just metal and glass and a sickening crunch of the world folding in.

His ears were ringing.

Smoke hung in the air.

The seatbelt was tight across his chest, the airbag deflated now, burned fabric stinging against his skin. Blood somewhere—he could taste it. His shoulder throbbed, something sharp was pressing into his ribs—but all of that faded as soon as he turned his head.

“Kaori…?”

She wasn’t answering.

She was slumped forward in the passenger seat, hair covering her face, her arm twisted awkwardly. Blood smeared the dashboard. His heart stopped.

“Kaori—!”

His voice cracked, panic cutting through the fog. He reached across, ignoring the pain that flared in his side, fingers trembling as he pushed her hair back, checked for breath, for a pulse—

She was breathing. Faint. Shallow. But alive.

Relief punched him in the gut, followed instantly by dread.

“Yoori—” he gasped, twisting—

The back seat.

Empty.

No—no, she was there. Curled up against the car door, her little face bloody, her sobs high and broken, trapped in her car seat but crying, crying—

“Appa!” she wailed, tiny fingers reaching out, shaking. “Appa—!”

“I’m here, baby. I’m right here.” His voice cracked. “You’re okay. I’m coming—just hang on—”

Everything was chaos outside. Sirens now. Voices yelling.

But all he could see was his family.

Broken.

Bleeding.

But alive.

He reached for Kaori again, pressing his forehead to hers despite the blood. “Stay with me, okay? Just stay awake. Don’t leave me, not like this.”

The door creaked as someone from outside began trying to pry it open.

Seunghyun didn’t care.

All he cared about was getting them out.

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