[CONTENTID1]CHAPTER FIVE - HOPE [/CONTENTID1]
[CONTENTID2]

The following weeks passed with few hiccups. I received less beatings from the employees after Master Wu declared me as his favourite toy to play with. The other girls hated me, they hated that I was only touched by one man unlike them, who were assaulted by many. I didn't blame them for hating me, I would've hated me too. I started falling ill around January, a few months before my eighteenth birthday. 

"Hyerim, get up," Fei orders me but I groan in response, stuffing my face back in my pillow. I've been moved to a private room, it's nowhere near as luxurious as that of my master's but it's much more accommodating than tthose of the other slaves. On one hand, I feel guilty to receive special treatment but on the other, I know damn well that I deserve it. After everything I've been through and everything that I'm still going through, I think I deserve a little comfort. But comfort is not what I'm feeling right now. I feel sick, weak and tired. "Hyerim, up!"

"I don't feel well, unnie," I tell her, clutching my stomach. 

"Jiejie. You're in China, not Korea," she reminds me and I wave her off. I feel a smack on my backside and jolt upright. "It's time to get up. We have much work to do today, Master Wu is having guests over later."

"But I'm ill," I whine and she rolls her eyes, hauling me to my feet. She helps me wash and dress in comfortable clothing, which again differs to the attire given to the other slaves (except for Fei, of course) before taking me through to the kitchen. I'm overwhelmed with different smells which cause me to almost throw up. Usually, I like going into the kitchen because I can steal some food here and there but I'm not in good shape at the moment and so I would rather not be here. "Fei jiejie, can I please work in the laundry room instead? I feel sick in here." She gives me an odd look but nods, dismissing me. 

Upon entering the the laundry room, the heat hits me and I feel suffocated. I crack open all the windows and gulp in the cool air. I clutch my stomach again and wince in pain, cramps twisting and turning below the skin. I'm starting to worry now. When I was a kid, I often heard Eomma telling Hyomi to practise safe whenever she got herself a boyfriend. I worry that perhaps I've caught something, after all, I do not know how many other people my rapists have slept with. I could easily be carrying a disease right now. It does not feel like a pregnancy, which would be much worse.

"Look, it's little Miss Favourite," Jieun sneers as she, Minah, Yezi and Hara walk in. They all have baskets of clothes in their arms and Jieun kicks the door closed. "Finally came to join us little people?"

"Oh, off, Jieun. Stop being a whiny little , we're all going through the same thing here," I snap and she looks as though she's just been slapped. I hit her shoulder as I pass her and load dirty clothes into one of the washing machines, turning on the settings. I feel someone grab me by the hair and yank me back. "What the--"

"Who the hell do you think you are?" She hisses and slaps me hard across the face. I bite down on my bottom lip and clench my fists, desperately holding back my anger. "You think because you're the master's favourite that you can talk to me like trash?"

"Me? Talk to you like trash? You're the one who's being a grade-A . Reality check! This isn't ing high school, Jieun. This is war. This is hell," I spit at her and she flinches, stepping back slightly. "I don't have time to deal with childish bull like this. I need to keep myself alive, I suggest you start prioritising." 

"You little--" Before she can say anymore, vomit erupts from my mouth, my stomach emptying it's contents onto her feet. She screams, the other girls scream, and jump away from me. I press my hands against my stomach as I continue to hurl, pain racking my every muscle. I feel tears squeezing out of my eyes but no one helps me. "Go, go, quick! Before someone catches us with her!"

"But she needs help!" Minah argues and Jieun shoves her towards the door.

"She can have Master Wu's help," Hara sneers and they leave me, Minah and Yezi sparing me final glances before they disappear behind the door. I sink to my knees and let out my suppressed sobs, chunks of last night's meal all over my chin, chest and the floor. 

"Help! Somebody help me!" I scream, my voice breaking mid-sentence. I fall onto my back and hug my knees to my chest, rocking back and forth as pain continues to pulsate through my body. Eventually, my sobs draw to an end and all I can hear in the room is the tumbling of machines, my soft breaths and the grumbling of my stomach. The door opens behind me and I hear rapid footsteps nearing me. 

"Jesus Christ! Hyerim, what the hell happened to you?" Fei asks but I cannot answer her. I'm too tired, too weak and in too much pain. She helps me to my feet and drags me to the bathroom, pushing me under the shower and letting the water rain over me. "Oh, Hyerim. What did you do?"

"I think I'm sick, jiejie," I croak and she presses a hand over my forehead. She looks down and her face blanches. I follow her eyes and see that I'm bleeding heavily. The dark red liquid is running thickly down my legs and into the drain. "It's not supposed to look like that, is it?" She shakes her head slowly. "J-jiejie...I don't think I-I can stand much long--"

Everything went dark. When I awoke, hours later, I was lying in a bed that wasn't my own and I was surrounded by people I didn't recognise. An old man with little hair and many wrinkles stood above me, dressed in a white attire. He told me what happened.

"An ectopic pregnancy?" Fei repeats, her brows furrowed.  I can't see properly, the images are still fuzzy and my hearing isn't much better. I rub my eyes and let out a croak. They turn to look at me. Fei rushes to my side and takes my