Chapter 44

She didn’t even know where they took her, being drugged by the chloroform that was on the swath of fabric that was placed over . She wept bitterly as she waited for her fate. In the back of her mind, Tiffany knew that she had never been to this seemingly cold, dark & gloomy place. She tried to reach a hand out but found that her hands were bound as were her legs, “Somebody, please help me?!” She cried out. Somebody laughed & then the other two men joined along, “Nobody can hear you here. It’s a place none of your rich classmates will ever go to in this school.” He bent down & patted her face, “So, quit the racket before I tie a handkerchief around your mouth.” Tiffany whimpered, her adrenaline running as she feared what was going to happen to her, “Please don’t hurt me? I have nothing. I’m worthless to you.”

The guy who had patted her face shook his head, “That’s where you are wrong. I guess you didn’t even know that you have a lot of enemies in this school. So many women hate you all around the world & have hired us, me & these two goons.” He said, motioning to his buddies, “To do you in.” Tiffany shook her head furiously, “Why?” The guy shrugged, “Because you are the love interests of the wealthy & famous handsome singer, Kim Jejung.” He laughed as if he couldn’t believe that she didn’t get it, “But we are not together anymore. In fact, we never announced our relationship.” The guys all laughed again, “You are so denses. It’s because you didn’t say anything about your relationship that caused people to be even more jealous & hired people like us to find out who you are.”

Tiffany inched away until her back hit against the wall. She never knew that she had such an impact on Jejung’s life to make people hate her just because she was his girlfriend, “Please, please just let me go? I really don’t have any place in Jejung’s life anymore. He will tell the world in a press conference soon that he’s as free as a bird from me & as single & eligible as they come.” She said in a choked voice, “I just don’t want him & other people to see me even worse than I’m now. I want to stay pure & good.” She continued to cry at the thought of her being violated & more from the fact that she just voiced out the truth that Jejung was single & free to go out with any girl but her. The guy reached out to her cheek & she flinched at the coarseness of his fingers, “That’s not going to happen while I’m around. Now, shut up!” Tiffany tried to scramble away but at the move, she got a slap in the face.

The three goons laughed, “Look at her, she didn’t even move away from my grasps. How dumb can she get?” One of the other men laughed, “She must be blind, huh, boss?” The guy who did all the talking to her, stopped laughing & waved his hand up & down in front of Tiffany’s face, “Hey.” He said, slapping the second guy in the chest, “You are right. She is blind. Look, she’s not even blinking when I do this.” He said, waving his hand up & down again. Round big teardrops dripped onto the floor at their mocking. The three goons suddenly stopped laughing altogether as the man got down on his haunches & bent until he was level with Tiffany, “Now, enough talk, I want a piece of this girl & I want it now.” Tiffany made one last futile effort to escape but her hands were unbound only to be forced to be placed on either side of her on the floor. Tiffany screamed out loud as the guy took the front of her big black croft & barrow henley shirt & ripped it from the top to bottom, exposing her flesh & undergarments, “Please, no, please don’t?!” She cried, as her attackers started pressing their lips nearer & nearer. She could feel their close presence & smell their stench. It was unbearable. Jejung ran from one lecture hall to the next, opening about every room there was. He ran to the top of each building only to find it empty. As he reached the courtyard again, he ran a hand through his hair in exasperation, “Where are you, Miyoung?! Please tell me where you are?!” He cried out loud in the open air. He went down on his knees by the maple tree & the bench where he & Tiffany had spent countless days just holding each other. He clasped his hands & bent his head & closed his eyes in a prayer, “Please dear lord, don’t let anything happen to her? Please guide me to her? I don’t know what I will do without her. Just let me find her. Thank you, dear lord, for listening to my prayer. Amen.” He finished & got up again.

As soon as he got up, his eyes automatically landed on the steam coming out of a chimney in the distance. He stared at it quizzically, wondering why he found it so fascinating all of a sudden. Then it hit him, “The boiler room!” He said, out loud. He cursed himself for not thinking of it before. All he had been thinking were the places inside the school like the cafeteria, the lecture halls & stuff. He even stormed into a few women’s restrooms but still, he hadn’t found her. He hadn’t even thought about going to the lower parts of the school, the part that remained underground like the boiler room & tool shed. Jejung ran as if his life depended on it, the two rose pouches kept on bouncing along at his hips as the wind blew at his hair as he picked up his feet faster & faster.

A scream tore through the air, cutting deeply into his heart as he reached the underground of the university. His heart stopped pounding as he reached the door of the boiler room. Without even thinking twice, he pressed his hand on the handle & pushed the door open with ease as he couldn’t wait to get in. Another cry was heard when sunlight from the outside pore into the cold dark room with the boiler humming in the room in the back. Jejung stepped inside & pain washed through his soul at what he saw.