Brown hair. Mismatched eyes. Full lips. Slightly tanned skin.

He walked towards me, his tongue his chapped lips. I waited expectantly, sitting still. In his hands held a white fan, and he was tapping it against his hands. He smirked, and his fingers uncurled. It came close to my face, their tips resting on my forehead. They trailed down to my nose and rested on my lips. Swiping them ever so slightly, he withdrew his hands and straightened up.

He then turned his back towards me and stalked out. The sound of his boots faded away as the metal door slammed behind him. I released the breath I was holding in and slouched in relief. I was puzzled. This guy comes in every day at the same time, does the same actions and he leaves after a while.

I stared at the grey washed concrete walls and sighed. It has been days since I woke up here, clad in a plain ivory cotton dress and white flats. There was only a mirror, a table with a lamp and a metal frame bed in the room and I was slowly getting bored. The only times I was out of the room was when I need to relieve myself or bathe. Other than that, I was stuck here. The red eye blinked above, watching my every move. I would sometimes imagine it was him watching me and I would open my mouth to sing a lullaby, hoping he would come by to visit again.

It had been odd to wake up here, but I had no memories of the past. It seemed to be lost, and a raging headache came whenever I tried to recall. Staring at the mirror ahead, I observed myself for the umpteenth time. Raven black hair with my fringe covering my left eye, round eyes, a dainty nose and blood red lips on ghostly pale skin. I did look like a vampire, but I doubted I was. The food that came was normal food, not blood.

The loud clang of metal against metal brought me out of my induced trance. Peering over, I glanced over to see the same visitor. He had appeared for the second time in the day, which surprised me. Striding over, his hand reached out towards me. Cautiously, I placed my hand in his and he pulled me up. We went out of the room and ran. Our shoes clanked against the marble floors as we navigated through corridors. He finally skidded to a stop at a big space which looked like a foyer.

A chandelier shined up above as it shed light onto the mahogany spiral stairs leading down to the doors carved with dragons. He pulled me along slowly, guiding me down the marble stairs. Walking towards the doors, I felt an unknown feeling burst through me. It brought me wave after wave of excitement. His large hands clasped into the carved bronze handles and pulled it open. Sunlight streamed in as my hand reached up to shield my eyes against them. I felt myself being pushed forward, towards what laid beyond the doors. He reached over and whispered, “Remember, you're mine.”

My eyes shot open, a huff of breath escaping me. I placed a hand over my eyes, sighing internally. It's that dream again. Ever since the incident, this same dream has been recurring in my mind. It filled me with a sense of repulsive familiarity. Who was he?

“Hello, darling.” His voice spoke in my mind and I let loose a loud shriek. I placed my hands on my ears, feeling a sense of dread creep up my spine. Fear sent me freezing up, and I couldn't register anything except my breathing which was getting louder by the second. I couldn't control the fear that overwhelmed me. I wanted to run, escape even, but I couldn't.

“Missed me?”

Everything faded to black and I gave in to the cold hands taking me away. That night he brought me back into his castle, and I became a captive like my dream. Something told me I've been here before. But he was kind to me. Even if I threw things at him and even swore, he just took in stride. His patience sent me over the edge and also, it unnerved me.

My memories and dreams didn't make sense, as well as the man in front of me. Why am I here? Who is he? Who am I? These questions circled my mind constantly, but no one could give me answers. Every time I see him, he never spoke. He would do the same thing as he did in my dreams. I was getting increasingly annoyed by his unannounced entrances and the rules forced on me.

One day, he came in for the second time. My breath hitched. Am I getting freedom? Without a word, he pulled me and we ran. Our steps clicked against white marble and we soon reached the same foyer with the same set of stairs and doors. His hands grasped the handle and he looked at me. His mismatched eyes seemed to give two different messages as if his internal mind was in absolute conflict. He blinked and they cleared, back to its usual stoic state.

I took a step towards the door as he pulled them back. Without needing his push, I stepped out and felt that rush of happiness within me. Looking back at him, I smiled. “Thank you.” Gratitude swelled within me.

As I took a step more forward, suddenly my vision tilted over and I felt my body fall. My face met sideways with the concrete and I saw him smiling sadly.

There's no escape.

Time’s over.

In that instance, my memories came back to me. I had done this not once, not twice but countless times. It was a recurring punishment I had here, in hell. My mind cleared as I remembered the deed I had done to him.

I'm sorry, Taehyung.

Restart.

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