The Bathtub

 

“We need to call the cops.” Woohyun, shocked yet calm, held his phone tightly in his hands and began to press the numbers 1, 1, and 9 respectively.   Just as he was about to press the green dial button, his friend snatched the phone from him and shut it closed. “N-no,” she told him, “not the cops…”   Frustrated, he yelled, “Jieun! What’s wrong with you? This guy’s insane! This is a kidnap! How can Myungsoo just…just take Sanghyun like that?”   With shaking pupils, Jieun glanced up at Woohyun. “Myungsoo… He’s probably lying. He’s just saying that to get me back. We can talk through this. Maybe… Maybe he’s just desperate, you know?”   Her friend couldn’t help but sigh. She was in denial – she refused to believe the evident truth that lay in front of her very own eyes. “Fine. Let’s go to your ex-boyfriend then, Jieun. We’ll see how scary this guy is in person – hopefully, that’ll snap you back into reality.”   “I’m going to go alone.”   The sudden statement took Woohyun by surprise. “W-what?” he managed to choke out, “What did you say?”   “He told me to come alone,” she claimed, courage somewhat taking over her, “and I think it’d be best if you stayed behind. I need to talk to Myungsoo privately, anyway.”   “Jieun—”   She gave him a small smile. “I’ll be fine. You worry too much, Nam Woohyun.”     The room was dark.   The only thing that embraced Jieun was the darkness as she stepped in to the apartment that she once used to live in with Myungsoo. She stumbled around near the hallway, searching for the light switch; once she felt the familiar plastic, she clicked it on.   Kim Myungsoo sat in the living room alone with his legs crossed and a glass of alcohol in his hand. Upon the sudden light, he looked up, saw Jieun, and smirked. “You’re home,” he stated calmly, taking a sip of the drink in his hand. Then, with a fiery glare, he snapped, “Why can’t you just listen to what I say? You just made things more tedious than needs be.”   Jieun felt her heart beating loudly and her ears pounding. Carefully, she asked in a feeble voice, “You were lying…right?” She gulped. “You just… You just said that to bring me back here. Right, Myungsoo? Right?”   With a cold smile, Myungsoo cocked his head towards the right. Jieun shifted her gaze to the direction he pointed at. Her greatest fear faced her – one of her closest friends, Park Sanghyun, was tied to a chair unconscious. Bruises covered the entirety of his skin, and his swollen eyes and lips made it so that no one can recognize him.   Jieun felt like time had stopped. Her breaths became jagged, and with tears forming in her eyes, she staggered over to her friend. “S-Sanghyun... Park Sanghyun…!”   Her cries stirred Park Sanghyun awake. He winced in pain, and at the sight of Jieun, he panicked. “G-get away from me!” he yelled. He tried to squirm away from her, but was unable to because of the ropes that bound him to the solid chair. “You guys are insane! Let me go, you freaks! Let me go!”   “S-Sanghyun…” Jieun sobbed. “I-I’m sorry… It’s all my fault!” Then, she faced Myungsoo and shrieked, “Let him go, Myungsoo! I-I can’t believe you did this to him! What did Sanghyun ever do to you, you bastard?”   Smirking, Myungsoo casually took another sip of his drink. “I did warn you, didn’t I?” Then, letting out a deep breath, he continued, “But… As I promised, I’ll let him go, since you’ve returned.” He grabbed his cell phone that was on top of a table beside him, pressed several buttons, and said, “Take him out.”   As soon as he ended the call, two men stormed into the apartment, untied Sanghyun, and dragged him out by the arms.   Jieun sat on the floor, devastated. She had trusted Myungsoo. Even Woohyun warned her of his insanity; despite the constant warnings and her very own intuition, she had refused to believe it all for the sake of the love that she and Myungsoo had once shared. But, what had become of them now?   Myungsoo stood up and walk