Author's POV:

 

 

 

‘Stick and stones may break my bones, but words from you will never break me again.’

 

 

21 years ago – The 3rd child

 

Sooyeon gotten into her consciousness immediately when somebody's feet accidentally hit her weak body. It hurts her with a touch like that. Her body becomes so sensitive these a few days. The word pain, sore, or aches become so synonym to her life. She could always feel them. Ever since, she gets kidnapped.

 

She heard a kid's voice. The voice doesn't sound familiar to her. So, she knew she was the new kid who had been kept in the same place as them since yesterday. She even saw her face vividly yesterday when the kidnapper sent her to the place. Only her alone while she passed out. At least, the kid still looks like a kid in her eyes. With fat on her skin and not just bone like them. The kid sounded lost and scared when she heard her voice again. She doesn't know how to take care all of them. The two younger kids were too dependent on her since the beginning they have been kidnapped. She was their friend, their sister, their mother, and their’ everything. She gave them a reason to breath. Because she thought if something bad ever happen to them, she will lose hope to fight for her life.

 

She always tried to face her fear. One after another. How many days, weeks, or maybe months since they got kidnapped? She lost count the number when she got to sleep a lot due to hunger and fatigue. Mentally, she is a fighter and the bravest one among the three of them, but physically she is just so powerless. Her body almost becomes a skeleton now. She could feel her bone. It terrified her a little more when she failed to wake up a few times. No energy to fight the perpetrator or to take care the other two kids is kind of stressing her these days. Now, they got a new kid who might need her help or perhaps... vice versa. She got no other plan than to escape again. Although it always failed and left her to receive the never ending punishment.

 

The kidnapper became so cruel these days by leaving them with no food. Yesterday was the only day they came to visit them. No food had been sent. Only a small amount of water they received to keep them alive. They learned the water should be consumed a little at a time. Not all in one go. Been staying at the place for not sure how many days, weeks, or months had taught them about that thing. One of the kidnappers said, they will get delicious food in a few days more. They should wait patiently for the surprise. The kidnappers are insane for locking them in a small barn that located in the forest and near to the cliff. Why did they torture them like that and want them to kill each other? She knew the kidnappers are evil people. Because only evil people like them will do something merciless towards a kid.

 

She has been humiliated a couple of days ago when she tried to fight. They said her parents won't recognize her anymore with her physical appearance right now. Her long hair has been chopped to a boy cut. They did the same thing with the two kids. She got used to receive kick, punch, or slap on behalf of the other two kids for fighting their lives, but that day she was fighting them on behalf of no one else other than herself. She lost her two front teeth when she received a punch on her face. She out after that. When she woke up, she realized they had taken her torn school uniform from her body and she had been sleeping on the ground without a clothes. At that time she awakes, she could feel the taste of metal in with unbearable pain attacking her. Losing her two front teeth because of one strong punch from an adult man is truly awful for her age. To add more stress when the last garment from her body that reminded her from the place she belongs also had been taken from her. She missed her family so dearly. Her mom, her dad, and her sister. She knows crying will not change anything. She had done that phase, again and again until she had no tears left. She won't do that again, even if it's too cold and uncomfortable to lie down without anything on her body. Just because she had no choice and no energy, she slowly stops questioning her fate.

 

She remembered how scared she was with bugs before. Now, bugs and earthworms are the substitute meal that they constantly have. It gave them energy. Not much. Just enough. They ate bugs and earthworms in order to survive. It felt nasty for a human who can eat everything they want in the world, but not to them. She will never believe she had them in her stomach. Fighting to survive left them no choice. Only those who have experienced hunger to the core will know the feeling, she thought. She regrets greatly for wasting the food her mother always prepared for her when she remembered them back now. If she survived this ordeal, she pledged to herself to never waste any food in her life again. Even so, it doesn't give her a reason to kill the other two kids like what the kidnappers want. Hunger will not change her to become inhuman like the kidnapper. She thought the word killing is too frightening. She never gonna kill the two kids. She even wants them to survive and leave the place together with her.

 

She has one goal. Only one goal. She prayed to God to listen to her only goal. Only this goal that matter so much to her. Maybe... the new kid will help them to reach the only goal she had. All of them need to escape together. They will! They surely will! Together, they will escape from the place. She found another hope by having the new kid with them that night. The new kid doesn't need to be brave like her. She just needs to stay breathing with her. That's all that she thought more than enough for now.

 

She remembered what her mother explained about the word 'teamwork' that she asked her mother from one of the kid story books that she had plenty in her home. It taught her a lot thru reading a story book. Her parents were so proud of her because she was a good storyteller for her younger sister. She reads a lot. Really a lot. At the age of three, she could already read and understand almost every word she said. Back to the word teamwork, her mother said she could succeed doing whatever she wants if she learns how to practice working as a team start from her school. After all, teamwork meant working together to achieve a set of goal. She knew all of them have the same goal which is to escape from the place. To have a teamwork they need to have mutual interests and trust each other. She knows they will achieve their mission together. God will help them. Her daddy always said God will listen to suffering people' prayer because God is a kind Man. That's what the words she heard after asking her dad about the homeless guy that they met and gave food in Seoul station.

 

"Who are you?" She heard the new kid's voice again, following with a touch on her arm just like before. She must say the touch from the new kid makes her feel warm. Maybe because she has been lying with only cold accompanying her. The other two kids must have been sleeping right now. The rain and thunder must have scared them and pushed them to sleep. She doesn't need to check thoroughly to know if it's morning or night. She just knew it was night right now. No little light coming to the place makes her aware about that. "Are you alright? I'm sorry if I hurt you. I was just trying to find a way out from this place."

 

 

********

 

 

Jessica felt strange with the phrase Byuntae said in her mind. They go repeatedly. The same as her Korean name that she overheard before it gets disconnected when she tried to find the remote. She wondered if Byuntae likes the idiom or hate it. Byuntae looked so out of focus. Like her body was there, but not her mind. And what does she mean by saying she finally found her? She is always there. Never run anywhere as far as she knows.

 

She cleared . Can't waste her time by just waiting the answer. She thought that maybe she should reconfirm with Taengoo's alter about what she had told her not long ago.

 

"Can I be your friend?"

 

'Always...'

 

"Always?"

 

'She can hear my thought?'

 

"Didn’t I confirm it already that I can hear you?" Jessica became curious when Byuntae seems lost with her explanation before.

 

'How?'

 

"A couple of weeks ago I almost died from cardiac arrest. Taengoo saved me that night. I don’t know how… but I think I got it from her after I woke up because I could only hear you alone... I mean all of you who live or share Taengoo's body."

 

'How you could hear us? I mean from making eye-contact like this?'

 

"I don't need to make eye-contact with you. I can hear you if I'm closer to you within an arm length."

 

The personality discontinued their eye-contact. Jessica could hear the word ‘shhhh’ Byuntae kept on repeating in her head right now. Like the personality try to block her thought, so she won’t hear anything from her mind again.

 

"So, can I really be your friend?"

 

Jessica received a nod with no further comment. The personality tried to find his way out from the room after that. He was heading towards the door. The light in the room led him without a trouble. Jessica follows shortly. Not letting the personality leave further from her room when she thought the CCTV in the house will record them. After what happened before, she felt uncomfortable staying at her parents’ house by being watched like a celebrity from a reality TV show.

 

She searched the app on her phone to disable the CCTV function and security alarm temporarily. She will do that manually too later on, so her parents won't have a chance to control the app, just in case. That was the normal thing she did when she was in the house. She always enable the function whenever she went to sleep or leave the house, and will disable it whenever she was awake or just came back to the penthouse. Not feel like to get watched the entire time by her parents make her did that. Her father had asked her a few days ago about why she changed the app password and did that, and it took her almost half an hour trying to explain her reason. She was bound to make a promise that she will not try to hurt herself like what her parents scared. Thankfully, her father agreed to respect her privacy and never questioned her again till now.

 

The personality left the room just a second after she disabled the CCTV function that scattered almost in every corner of their penthouse. Jessica walked a little faster, trying to match with the personality's fast walk. One thing that she doesn't know, the personality is not Byuntae anymore. The personality's seriousness makes her assume that she is still Byuntae. Her footsteps made the personality aware that he actually had been followed. He stopped his walk and it surprised Jessica. Her speed walk to catch him almost make her bump into the personality's body. Luckily, Jessica could stop herself.

 

'Don't follow me.'

 

Jessica heard the personality's thought which she doesn't like it right now. She kind of regret for telling Byuntae the truth when the personality continues to expect her to hear everything from her mind. She should have never told her about that, she thought. But she can't lie to the personality anymore. She already told her anger by something she overheard from Byuntae's mind. Afraid if she lies, the personality might have a trust issue on her. Disliking it will not change a thing. She had to take it now. The personality already knows that she could read minds. She had even confirmed it a while ago.

 

"Can't we talk like normal?" Jessica voiced out her discomfort. She wants to hear the other person's voice. "I want to talk while facing you."

 

'Call! But not when your ies are very visible for my sight. I get distracted!'

 

Jessica quickly crossed her chest after she heard the other person's thought, feeling tense in her spot directly. She discovered that she had no bra on her body and her s are pointing hard. The cold temperature and the thin fabric was maybe the reason, she thought. Her ivory floral pyjamas set was a bit see through. Maybe it was a bit too much for a sight as well. Oh, God! She almost facepalm herself, finding the temperature in the place is getting hotter in each second. Not that she had expected some companion to make her feel to cover it or wear something proper before. She cussed some foul language in her head. Her face was getting heat up. Did Byuntae take her time to check her out when they were in her room? Had Byuntae perhaps see her hard ? And did she repeat the last word ‘shhh’ on her head so she will not know what she had been thinking? She can’t stop questioning to herself. Can't believe Taengoo's personality had touched her s and now had checked her out like that. Suddenly, the feeling of embarrassment overwhelmed her. She tried to calm down herself by getting back inside her room to wear bra and find something proper to replace her see through ivory floral pyjamas set quickly. Doing the thing that she thought very essential at this point.

 

 

*******

 

 

Jessica was having a hard time to find Byuntae in her house. She had to search her in their big penthouse by checking every room from upper to lower floor. Almost thirty minutes of search wasted. She can't find Byuntae. Impossible to say if Byuntae already left from the house. Because Byuntae can't access the lift without the access card and passcode. She tried to make another search, including the store room, the wine cellar room, every wardrobe, under the bed, kitchen cabinet, and every possible place that she thought the personality will try to hide. She wondered if Byuntae had already changed to the other alter who wants to play hide and seek with her or it’s just Byuntae who likes to play that kind of game with her again.

 

She almost gives up when she remembered Taengoo's personality can teleport. Now, she felt regret to disable the CCTV. She could find Taengoo easily if only she never disabled it, she thought. Her restless face almost resembled to the face that she had seven days ago. She was sweating, trying to catch her breath. Running around inside the penthouse while trying to find the personality was really a tense encounter. Especially, when she was actually still sleepy. She told herself a couple of times to check one last place. She will call it for the day if Byuntae or maybe the other personality are not present at that place.

 

When the door to the rooftop opened, Jessica could have never been so scared in her life that much to watch the personality is standing on top of the concrete fence that divided between the safety floor and air. She didn’t want to think further for the adrenalin rush she received. Her head stops thinking at that point. Only could give a reaction.

 

"Noooooooooooooooo!" Her dolphin scream surprised the personality.

 

The personality turned his head to follow the dolphin scream that swooned him right away. It's been so long he never heard that kind of scream from her. She was indeed holding the remarkable scream that can't be forgotten easily. How can he forget her? She was his everything. The person that he has been looking to find all this while. His guessed was right. She was never dead. Because her body has never been found. He wondered if she still remembers him, because he cannot forget about her until now.

 

Shortly, he sees Sooyeon is sprinting like a fit athlete, but in a slow motion. The real slow-mo that make her free hair look fabulous when the air blowing it to the back. The wave of her hair makes him watch her like a piece of art. Sooyeon had a black tank top with black legging on her body right now. Just like a gym or Yoga attire. No more the see thru pyjamas that can make him go crazy to watch her appealing asset. He noticed her face doesn't change really much like the younger version of her. Same to her voice. Or maybe her voice is a little sweeter than the past. She got a nice structure of teeth now. No more toothless and look all cute. She is so pretty amazingly beautiful in this age. He never knew Taengoo had found her before him. So, Jessica that Taengoo liked is actually Sooyeon? He should have never questioned that. Because he was the one who decides to stay quiet after learning Taengoo deserved to handle the body more than anyone of them. The great thing Taengoo did to help others was the reason why he cooperates to stay idle. He believed that can make up for the foolish thing he asked the Kid Leader last time.

 

Byuntae is easy to be frightened alter. She scared too much as if he will hurt anybody simply. What happen to Tiffany was never his fault. Taengoo had opened the portal for him to come out that evening. Taengoo witnessing something disturbing like what they have experienced together in the past was what brought him that night. He actually saved that American girl from her that gone wrong on that day. She could have gotten by three middle aged men if he didn't come out and helped her that night. All that he got was a hate and misunderstood from Byuntae after he gave up his time to her. He never tried to explain himself. He lets Byuntae and Taengoo think whatever they want after that night, because he likes when they get rid of that American girl slowly from their life. He knew they should never get so attached to that American girl all their life. He dislikes the American girl. She was the reason why his family were all dead. He doesn't want her to compensate them with her money. Money can't bring back his dead family or erase the pain he felt.

 

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