Targeted

Soo Hyuk had never been able to shed a tear. He had always found it strange that other people do, because the mere act of crying really doesn’t change anything, nor was it going to change the current predicament this girl was in.

She had made eye contact with him, but instead of avoiding her pleading gaze, Soo Hyuk allowed the moment to sustain simply because an instant kill was far from interesting. As he continued to wrap his arm around her bare neck, feeling her quickened pulse, he took note of her dilated pupils and her moistened corneas, which glistened against her brown irises.

The girl writhed pathetically under his hold, but Soo Hyuk could already sense her strength deteriorating. How fragile the human body was he thought, he could easily snap her neck if he wanted to and he found his control over the girl’s life and death amusing. That was until he caught a glimpse of movement in the reflection on the girl’s bedroom window.

At that instant, Soo Hyuk knew he had been tailed, and too closely to harbour the intent of only watching.

***

Perhaps the guy was falling for the pleading and petrified look in her eyes Ji Won thought, because although his unyielding grip on her remained firm, she could feel it loosen ever so slightly. Or maybe he was struggling against the force of her thrashing about, but judging from his rigid stance, that didn’t seem at all likely. She concluded on the former, and willed her tears to fall more rapidly with the hope of changing the guy’s mind when suddenly he released her, but only to seize her wrist and forcefully drag her into the bathroom.  

Ji Won tried to free her wrist, scratching and jabbing at the veins protruding out of the back of his hand. When that didn’t seem to work, she went on to strike at him, alternating between slapping and pounding at his rock-solid back.

The guy effortlessly hauled her into the bathtub then propelled her up against the mosaic tiled wall. He his palm against to silence her screams, but Ji Won persisted to yell from , and as loudly as she possibly could.   

“Shut up! Do you want to get the both of us killed?!” He hissed at her.

Hold on a second Ji Won thought, it was barely moments ago that he had attempted to throttle the life out of her, or at least that was what she had assumed. Completely bewildered and at a loss as to what to do, she fell silent anyway. Because one, this guy seemed to have brought along homicidal company, and two, she was not ready to die, not at least without saying goodbye to her parents first. Instead, she darted her eyes around, searching for something that would aid in her self-defence. And that was when she noticed it; a looming silhouette behind the partially closed shower curtain which veiled them from its sight.

Ji Won froze into place, and for a split second, she forgot how to breathe. Having sensed her idleness, the guy removed his hand from and positioned it flat against the wall, just above her head, while his other arm remained by his side. She felt the guy lean in closer, pressing his body against hers with his chest only inches away from her lips. Feeling his steady, silent breath on her hair, she was reminded to breathe again, and before she could even think to stop herself, she exhaled. And gasped for air.

The guy took hold of the shower hose just as the curtain flipped opened, revealing a menacing gaze. He looped the person’s neck with the length of the hose then drew it tight, the strain visible on his face. The person reached for his arms and flipped him over the edge of the bathtub, his body crashing onto the bathroom floor as Ji Won squeezed her eyes shut at the impact.

When Ji Won blinked open her eyes, the two had disappeared from the bathroom. She could hear in the adjoining room bodies clashing into glass and the sound of missed fists smashing against the cement walls.  

Finally, Ji Won thought, this was her opportunity to escape. Without further delay, she ran for the door to her apartment, her hands trembling as she jerked at the handle. Oblivious to the cold that bit through her polka dotted socks, she panted as she raced down the building’s stairway, leaping over multiple steps at once towards the base of each flight.   

She glanced over her shoulder when the sound of hasty footsteps pursuing hers drew closer, but no one was behind. She spun her head back round, only to stumble backwards as the same guy landed in front of her from above, impeding on her course down the next flight of stairs.  

Perhaps her breathing was too shallow, or she was overexerting herself from running, because Ji Won began to feel dizzy. The reason as to why became apparent as the guy started to slowly approach her. Blood trickled down along his left wrist, the burgundy red contrasting with the paleness of his skin. She grappled onto the side railings for support as she struggled to fight the light-headedness. But as soon as the raw coppery scent hit her, her surroundings became hazy, and then eventually black.   

Hi everyone! Thank you for reading (and subscribing)!!! Hope you enjoyed this chapter as much as I did writing it. Anyway, I have exams coming up NUUUU (!!!), which sadly means I won't be able to update for the next week or so :( BUT I'll be back *Terminator style*!

OH and just to give you a tiny sneak peek of the next chapter, it's going to be called 'His Hideout' ;)

Happy reading!!!