Chapter 6: Lee Seung-Hyun

Who are you?

Trust me, you don’t want to know.

Minutes passed, hours passed and I was still stuck sitting in that damn alley with my imagination running wild for million possible scenarios of what might possibly happen to me.

I’m ed.

I didn’t want to meet Seung-Hyun anymore, he was manipulative and he knew too much. If he even knew how I liked my coffee then what else did he know? But even if I escaped now it didn’t mean that I could escape forever. No matter what, Seung-Hyun would find me; those kinds of people always got what they wanted. He was rich and probably influential so no doubt he’d find me and do whatever he wanted with me. And it’s not like I had anywhere to run or anyone to depend on. There was Taeyang, but I didn’t want to ruin his life, I had other friends too, but it would have been selfish to endanger their safe being because of my own damn problems. It was my own fault for getting myself into this and it was my own responsibility to get myself out of it as well.

Even though I tried my best to convince myself to get up and go home, that after eating and taking a rest I’d be able to figure it all out, I still couldn’t get up. Instead, big tears rolled down my cheeks and I sobbed quietly, my confidence shattering into tiny pieces. It’s not that I had ever been too positive about my own future.

I had nothing – I didn’t even go to a college after high school. My parent’s house, I had to sell it long ago and I might have to sell my father’s bookstore too. Then I would have nothing but my one room apartment in Heukseok Dong until I’d have to sell it too. Eventually, I’d lose everything and it’s not like anyone would hire me without a proper education. What was there left for me to do but to become a e? To sell my body for meager sums to meet the day’s end. The future had nothing in store for me and I had nothing to strive for.

Negativity was strong with me at that moment.

Raindrops interrupted my train of thoughts and before I had the time to get up and look for a shelter it’s like the skies ripped open above me. I was soaked and shaking from the cold, it was getting dark and the alleys had become eerily silent. What’s worse, I had no idea where I was and when I pulled my phone from the pocket of my jeans, it had run out of battery. Just great.

My heart beating madly against my ribcage, I walked into a random direction while cautiously glancing around. But it’s like all other people had vanished from the earth and except the sound of rain and wind, it was silent. Hugging my body for warmth, I hastened my pace with only one thought on my mind: I had to get out of there or I’d go crazy. Would it be possible to get lost on these alleys so bad that I’d never find my way out?

It’s hard to say how long I had walked when I heard heavy footsteps. Alarmed, I looked around trying to spot a hiding place, but there was nothing that would have offered me any kind of safety. Just keep walking Dara, it’s nothing. Just ignore it.

I yelped in surprise when a hand grabbed my upper arm. And when I glanced at the person who had approached me I recognized him to be that young blonde haired boy I had seen at Tango – the same person who had later gone to the old lady’s restaurant to ask about me.

“I finally found you, nuna. I’m so glad”, he sighed in relief, his lips curving into an adorable smile – it reminded me of sunshine.

“Don’t touch me”, I hissed, slapping his hand away, “Who are you?”

“I’m… I’m… just a friend. Don’t worry”, he rest-assured,

Yeah right. I wondered if this guy was affiliated with Seung-Hyun, but it’s not like I wanted to find out. All I wanted was to get away from that suffocating place and even if the blonde boy had such a pleasant and bright smile I knew that it was the wrong moment to be smitten. So I did what anyone would have done then – I ran.

“Hey wait!” He yelled as he came after me, persistently following even though he was falling behind. I had noted how exhausted he was so I knew I had a chance of escaping. But what’s with all these people who seem to know me? And why don’t I know any of them?

After wandering the alleys all day long, I was exhausted myself and soon got out of breath. Somehow I had managed to lose the guy but I knew he was following me, I heard his footsteps echoing somewhere there. Just a little bit longer and I would have escaped but… I just had to slip and fall.

My body collided with the cement and slid forward, ripping my pants on the knee and my sweater on my elbow. I groaned in pain when the hard surface ripped my skin, but I didn’t let that pain slow me down, a surge of adrenaline gave me enough strength to scramble to my feet. Unfortunately, I had also sprained my ankle and when I accidentally put too much weight on it I fell on my knees, unable to get up anymore. This was it then… I’ll die here…

A pair of hands slipped under my armpits and lifted me up. At first, I thought it was that blonde boy but it wasn’t because he soon appeared in front of me, panting heavily. And before I could get my thoughts together my body was spun around in a rough manner and then hauled over a man’s shoulder like a sack of potatoes.

“Hyung! You found her!” I heard the blonde boy exclaim.

“Tsh, of course, I found her.” His voice was smooth as silk, different from Ji Yong’s yet it made me think about Ji Yong.

“Let me down”, I protested weakly. Pressing my palms to his back, I pushed my body higher so I could look up. “Ji Yong!”

My eyes met with the blonde boy’s and he was shocked. I too realized my mistake, how could I call this man Ji Yong? Maybe because I was thinking about Ji Yong just now, it was sort of a reflex or something.

“No, I mean… You damned…  Lee Seung-Hyun or whatever! Let me down.” My speech was choppy and my voice weak, so no wonder he didn’t take me seriously. “Let me down!” I wanted to fight him, but I had no strength left. I just groaned as my upper body swayed from side to side while he walked, carrying me on his shoulder. His strong arms wrapped around my legs and he lifted me higher once in a while, stopping for a moment and then resuming his walk. The blonde boy walked beside him, glancing at me now and then.

“Why would you give her the address? It’s dangerous.”

“Shut up, Daesung”, Seung-Hyun growled, his voice growing huskier as he started to get out of breath. “I know what I am doing.”

“Um, sure… Keep telling that to yourself”, Daesung’s voice dripped with sarcasm.

“Just shut up if you have nothing to say.”

“I’m just saying… This time, you really messed up for good. Ji Yong hyung is going to rip your head off.”

“Please”, Seung-Hyun scoffed. “You know that if there was a fight between him and me I’d win, that’s a fact.”

Wow, he sounds pretty confident.

“I think it would be better if you two didn’t fight…”

I think so too…

“So then you better not say anything to him, about this incident or any incident.”

“He is going to find out anyway.”

“I’ll make sure he won’t.”

“And how exactly are you going to do that, huh? Those guys sold us out, we are ed.”

What are they talking about now?

“Hmmm, there is always a way out you know.”

“And nuna too, now that you have gotten her involved…”

“Ah, let’s not talk about this Dae, I’m tired. I have an early morning tomorrow, the stock market won’t wait for me, you know.”

Daesung shook his head in disapproval. “I don’t know, hyung. I just hope we won’t run out of luck on this one.”

“Yeah… luck…” Seung-Hyun scoffed. “I don’t need it.”

The famous last words…

We finally exited the alley maze and I recognized the back alleys of Namdaemun market. I sighed in relief the tight feeling fading from my chest. I knew that I wasn’t exactly safe yet or if I could ever be safe again, but, at least, we were out of that hellish and dark place. I made a mental note to never return there, but I knew that one day I might have to, perhaps that day would come sooner than I knew to expect.

Seung-Hyun walked to a red sports car and Daesung opened the passenger door for him. In an instant, I was hauled off his shoulder and stuffed into the front seat. His face came dangerously close to mine as he leaned over my upper body to fasten the seat belt. My eyes fixed on the water droplets that fell from his hair and rolled down his smooth skin, paler than Sow White’s. I followed one particular droplet that trailed his chin, fell on his neck and rolled over his Adam's apple. When the droplet rolled past his collar bone somewhere inside his opened collars, I swallowed subconsciously.

Slowly he leaned away, his dark gaze sweeping my face. I thought I saw concern in his eyes, but it probably wasn’t. Or perhaps he was worried that I’d get sick and die because then he wouldn’t get his money. Wordlessly, I watched how he opened the glove compartment and took out a pack of napkins but instead of giving them to me he took out a few and wiped my face. I let him do it for I was too tired to fight back. It would have been no use, anyway. When he was done he looked at me once more, his gaze holding mine for a good minute. His lips formed a straight line and his brows furrowed – it’s as if he was scolding me. Just when I opened my mouth to say something he slammed the car’s door shut and turned around to face Daesung.

Jerk!

They talked for a short moment and finally, Seung-Hyun walked around the hood. He didn’t open the driver’s door but the rear door, took out a piece of cloth, and threw it over the car’s roof to Daesung. The latter caught it effortlessly and I read ‘thanks, hyung’ from his lips. I kept my eyes on the blonde boy when Seung-Hyun got into the car, I felt his gaze on me and then he the heat to the fullest. I know I was shaking uncontrollably and my teeth were clattering but I tried to act cool about. I guess I failed.

The car moved and soon Daesung’s figure disappeared somewhere behind. I sighed and fixed my eyes on the road ahead, not wanting to face the man beside me. I thought I loathed him but at the same time I didn’t. It was a confusing feeling. Another thing that bothered me was that the silence between us offered me solace. It’s like no words needed to be spoken. Like all we needed was just… each other.

Dara, get a grip. What the hell are you thinking again? Was I always this lovesick?!

He probably saw me roll my eyes and grit my teeth because he finally spoke.

“What’s on your mind, babe?”

I didn’t look at him and had no intention of answering. Or maybe I should? Maybe I should just ask him if he is my soulmate or something? He might spare me and instead of selling me to a brothel he might even marry me…Yeah right, that’s even worse! I couldn’t hold in that ironic scoff that spilled from my dry lips.

“Could you please stop calling me that?”

“No.”

I glanced at him from the corners of my eyes, but he seemed to be serious.

“Why?”

He ignored my question. “Why didn’t just come inside? It’s not really like you to-“

“And what the hell do you know about me to say that?” I snapped, tur