~FIND ME A HAPPY PLACE?~
"Promise"

"WHERE THE HECK IS SHE?" I shouted at her sister.

She was terrified by my voice. "Downstairs--at -- at the basement" she stammered. A look from her face and you could see the terrified look in her eyes. Maybe my face irked with anger as I imagined what her parents are doing to Ji Eun.

I quickly tried to find this basement in her house. As I got closer to this door in the hallway, I heard screams of pain coming from this yellow door. Those made me open it and it revealed a ladder going downstairs. The screams began to get louder and louder. I quickly went downstairs only to see a dark basement. The only light coming from inside is a lightbulb in the center of the room. I gasped as I saw the horror that was happening downstairs. Ji Eun was strapped to a chair at the center. She was sweating so hard. Her brown hair turned black because of the way it soaked at the sweat pouring from Ji Eun's skin. She was still wearing what she wore from earlier. Her face shows that she's in pain.

"WHY DID YOU STEAL FOOD ON OUR SUPPLIES?" A voice said at the dark. I looked and I saw a man holding a button in his hands. He pushed the button and then I heard a buzz like electricity flowing. After that, Ji Eun started to scream really hard. I did not waste time as I hurriedly went down the stairs. The man, who I presume as his father saw me. There was a woman beside him.

"It was only a little" Ji Eun croaked, "You were never going to eat it.... I thought.. It would be a waste.". 

"YOU BASTARD GIRL!" the man shouted, "You stole our supplies of food!"

Then he electrified her again. Ji Eun's body began shaking as she screams.

"PLEASE STOP! IT HURTS!" Ji Eun begged.

Then the woman saw me.

"Who the are you!" the woman asked.

Last thing I knew, I was going to attack Ji Eun's father. I tackled him on the ground as I threw punches to his face. He tried to fight me. He landed a couple of punches on my face but I didn't mind those punches. I concentrated on punching him with all of that left with my energy. I felt someone attacked me from my back. That made me stop punching Ji Eun's dad and look at the one who kept punching me. I saw it was the woman. I pushed her hard on the ground. She fell from the ground and I continued to punch Ji Eun's father till he lost consciousness. I felt the blood coming from his face wet my knuckles. 

I began waking up from my hatred when I heard Ji Eun scream my name.

"STOP! JOON MYEON! YOU'RE KILLING HIM!"

That made me look at the woman who was strapped in a chair. I thought about how in the world would she make me stop punching the guy who just kept hurting her this much? I never realized how serious she was when she told me they were hurting her so much. I stood up. My body is wet with sweat and my hands are covered in blood. The woman who's Ji Eun's step mom just stared at her husband who got beat up by me. It was not enough. What they did to her was never enough. 

"Are you all right?" I asked Ji Eun. 

She nodded as I get rid of the metal chain that was strapped on her wrist.

When she became free, she tried to stand up but her knees wobbled; that made me grab her in the waist and carry her. With a bag on my back and Ji Eun in my arms, I was ready to take us upstairs. 

"We're going to run away now." I told her. I looked if she's going to tell me to stop but she didn't. She nodded and just cling her arms around me as her head rested on my shoulder.

"I need to get some things, in my room" she mumbled. I knew that look. She's trying hard again not to cry. I carried her as she guided me to her room. Her room is not that big, only a bed and a drawer. It was neatly cleaned and it smelled entirely like her, sweet and rose like scent.

I laid her to her bed as I began packing her things for her. I was so determined in getting her clothes inside my bag; I didn't even notice her saying that she could do it herself. She hit me in the head. I looked at her and my face softened as she tried to give me a smile and told me, "Let me pack my things. Just sit first. You need rest." 

She sat beside me as she put her things in my bag. 

"Look away," she commanded. I blushed as I saw her pack her private things like her bra and . I acted as if I never saw those things. 

"I'm done." she muttered. I grabbed the bag and picked her up again in my arms. She told me she could stand by herself but the way she got electrocuted before, I can't believe her.

"Later," I said, "But let me carry you first."

She pursed her lip and then nodded. She began clinging back to my leg and rested her head on my shoulder. I could feel her breath that tickled my neck but I forced myself to not get lost at those thoughts. We were about to go outside but then we heard a voice behind our back.

"HEY YOU!" her father screamed as he's being carried by her wife and daughter, "YOU WON'T GET AWAY WITH THIS!"

I didn't even look back because he won't find us. I'll make sure of it when Ji Eun and I leave this house. I opened the door and didn't even bother by closing it as we stepped outside. A thought made me smile for the first time since everything happened, we are free. Both of us are free by now.

~FIND ME A HAPPY PLACE?~

I carried Ji Eun until I decided to take us to the bench were we both seated before. The bag that I've been carrying on my back felt heavy now. I dropped it on the ground as I sat beside Ji Eun. She became silent since we left the house. I looked at her face and I couldn't even feel any read any kind of emotion.

"Are you all right?" I asked. 

"You're hurt" she said. Now I could read her emotion. Her eyes are full of worry as she caressed my face. She saw that I was bruised in the face because of one of his father's punch. Good thing I gave him a lot of punches. She also saw how my hands are now red because of dry blood coming from my father's and hers. She tried to touch my hands but that made me flinch from her touch since it felt painful. I told her that it's ok but she shook her head. 

"I better find some bandages for you" she tried to stood up but her knees are still weak so she landed back to her seat. In a split second, my arms are around her to steady her balance.

"You're still weak. You need to lie down." I said as I forced her body to rest. I let her use my lap as a pillow as she lay on the bench. She's looking at me as I saw her eyes became red. She eventually cried as she caresses my face. My heart broke as I saw her cry. 

"I'm sorry you got hurt because of me" she cried. She looked broken as she said sorry to me many times more. My heart aches at the sight of her crying. I held her hand that's touching my cheek. I could not help myself but cry like her. I wanted to make the pain she felt before go wash away. If it is possible, I kind of wished that we could switch places. I would rather have the life that she's been living before than her being the one who gets to be hurt both physically and mentally. How I wished that it was me on that chair and not her. I wanted to make her forget all the pain and sufferings but I don't know how.

"I'm the one who should be sorry," I said, "I didn't save you earlier."

She smiled but a weak one, "It's all right. I can handle myself and you saved me. That's what matters."

"How long?"

She was confused, "How long what?"

"When did they begin torturing you like that” I said.

She froze but answered, "Two years before. My father built it so that he could punish me."

 I can't stop crying. I want to go back to that house and beat the life out of those people. I don't care if I killed them because they deserved it. I wanted them to feel the pain they made this innocent girl felt. 

"I'm so sorry" I said once again. Her hand wiped the tears that kept on flawing on my cheek. She told me to stop crying since she stopped now. 

"I never wanted to see you crying like this. Not for me. It's all right now because you saved me. So stop crying, Joon Myeon. You look ugly when you cry." she laughed lightly.

I nodded and started to wipe the tears with the back of my hand. 

“Find me a happy place, when I woke up” she said.

I nodded and said, “I’ll find it for you”

She smiled and then closed her eyes.

I felt her shiver so I grabbed my bag and took a jacket that I packed inside. I covered her body with the jacket as she tries to fall asleep. She said good night and thank you to me. I told her to have a good night sleep since we'll be leaving this town tomorrow morning. After a few minutes, she slept on my lap. Her face felt like she's in peace as she slept soundly.

I can't help but remember the way she screams before. How she begged them to stop hurting her. I can't help but cry as I look at her face. She's the person I wanted to protect the most but I failed. I failed because I didn't even save her two years ago. I never knew that she's being tortured by her father. I never knew it. Not until now. My hands went towards her face, caressing it as she sleep. This girl that been caged inside a house of monsters that kept hurting her. She doesn't deserve it. She doesn't. She deserves a life that is full of happiness and peace. Not unlike me, I'm a kid that became a monster as he grew up. I can't help but look at my knuckles; they're turning purple as dry blood covered it.

This hands that gave hell to two monsters just like me, two monsters that pained the both of us for a long time. They deserved it but I can't help but wish that they could have more pain than I've given to them. How I wished that I had more time to hurt those bastards. I wished a rain of fire would fall into their heads. I knew just by wishing those things are also proof that I'm one of them. Even though I’m one of them, I am different because I’m a monster that has a mission.

A mission to protect the woman I care and love. Let me be the monster they created me and I’ll fight back, harder.

I placed my forehead on top of hers as she slept in as I promised her one thing.

“I’ll protect you, Ji Eun. I’ll find you a place where you deserve but let this monster living somewhere at deepest part in my soul that loves you at least be with you. He’ll guard you to this cruel world that we’re living. He’ll find you your happy place.”

This will be the promise I will do forever until the day I die. Until my last breath and heart beat would kill me, I’ll make sure that the woman I love would have a place that she may call home. She deserves it.

And I’ll do anything just for this promise to become a reality…