Episode 30: Drowning..

(Hyun Jin’s POV)

“You and So Ra will be paying for my snacks as you promised” Minho was taking off his diving suite.

“Wow, since you managed to swim bravely with the sharks, you really deserve it” So Ra was still amazed by what he did.

“Did Jin see me do it?” Minho was looking around. “Huh? Where did Jin go?”

Huh? Wasn’t she just…

I scanned our surroundings, and gasped to see no trace of her.

“Huh? Maybe she’s still looking around and taking pictures of the fish?” So Ra spun around looking for Jin.

“Ok then, let’s go back and bring her first” Minho was drying his hair.

The three of us went back to where we left Jin and for some reason, a dark feeling of anxiety was overcoming me.

_______________________

(Jin’s POV)

This place is dark.

“Jin?” I called at him, and my voice echoed in the room.

This room sure looked deserted and I could only see the very top of one of the giant aquariums.

I squatted down and looked at the marine creatures that swam in the water beneath.

“Whoa… I think this is how they feed the fish”

Just then, I got pulled by the leg, to see two men dressed in black looking down at me, I gasped.

“We finally meet, Mikasa Jin”

T-They spoke in Japanese, I got an utter shock.

“But too bad we won’t be talking for long” the other man uttered with a scary grin.

“W-Who are you?!” I tried to crawl back but a third man appeared from the darkness and kneeled near me, pinning my shoulders down. I screamed but he covered my mouth.

“Don’t make a fuss and we promise that you’ll fast be able to meet your father in heaven” they started to snigger at me loudly, and my eyes started to tear in dread.

I shook my head at them but it only made their laughs scarier.

Just then, one of them pushed my head in the water and I knew what was happening.

They’re trying to drown me, they’re trying to kill me!

My heartbeat started to quicken as I grasped the situation, and as I started to struggle because I could no longer breathe, they pulled my head out cruelly by the hair and said:

“You can choose whether to get drown or to be shark-food” they laughed “Or both at the same time!”

And after saying that, I got lifted up by one of them when the two others carried something that looked like a heavy metallic barrel.

“Any last wishes?”

I gritted my teeth, not being able to stop my tears from flowing, because I knew that by the time I’ll be thrown in the water, I’ll die either ways due to my aquaphobia.

“Sayonara” they said before tossing me in the aquarium with a loud splash.

I was falling quickly due to the barrel that go attached with a rope to my ankle, everything around me started to turn black and I squeezed my eyes tightly close, remembering the faces of my friends.

Minho…So Ra… Jin…

Sayonara.

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(Hyun Jin’s POV)

“What do you mean there’s a water leakage?!” I asked the guard who was standing before the closed gate.

“We were just in there a few minutes ago and everything was fine!” Said So Ra.

“There’s a possibility our friend is stuck in there!” Minho was almost attacking the guard but I restrained him together with So Ra.

“That’s impossible, we made sure no one was inside so look for your friend elsewhere”

“” Minho punched his palm. “Let’s try calling her”

I just had an idea. How could I forget. I immediately took out my phone and went through the tracking app.

“What are you doing?” Minho impatiently asked

“I installed trackers in both her phone and necklace before I handed it back to her so we might be able to track her location”

“Huh?” Both Minho and So Ra gasped.

“No time to explain!”

The three of us focused on my phone’s screen:

“Wait… aren’t these…” Minho pointed his finger at the screen.

“T-Two different signals?” added So Ra

“Wait, one shows that she’s in the aquariums’ area and the other…” Minho narrowed his eyes “Is moving at quiet a high speed!”

I couldn’t believe it.

“Probably she left her phone in there, and already left the building before us” Minho held his jaw.

“No, that’s not it…” I shook my head, breaking into a cold sweat, my hands started to shake and the only thing I knew next was me rushing toward the guard who was busy speaking to another guard so I used the chance to sneak into the area.

“Hey! Young man! It’s dangerous to get in!”

I glanced back to see Minho and So Ra standing in the guard’s way and hindering him.

I started to call at Jin at the top of my lungs, looking around me, the place seemed more spacious than before.

“Jiiiiiin!” I was panting. “Where in the world… are you?!” the signal of the tracker suddenly started to beep louder.

Is it possibly broken?

I looked at one of the aquariums and my eyes sprung open to see…

“J-Jin?” I approached the glass not believing what I was seeing. “N-No way…”

My hands trembled as I tried to reach for my phone:

“Hey you!” 3 guards came my way “Stop right there!”

I clenched my fists and yelled:

“Someone’s drowning in there!” I stammered.

“W-what?” they peered at the aquarium to get a huge stun.

I couldn’t think clearly anymore, every single thought in my mind got fogged. I followed one of the guards who started to climb some stairs in a storage room nearby, when the others started to make calls.

“How could this happen?” the guard looked terrified as we reached the top floor, and I immediately saw the water’s surface.

“W-what are you doing? Hey!”

But there was no way for him to stop me even if he wanted to, I jumped in the waters.

I promise to save you so just hang in there, just a little bit longer, please!

I was able to reach her, saw some fishes gathering around her but got alarmed by my presence and swam away.

Her body was supposed to float, which means that it's got to be hindered by something… I looked at the strange rope and realized that it was attached to some heavy object.

Whoever did this to her… will never get away with it I swear!

I reached for the platinum keycard I had in my pocket and then used it to cut the rope, and as soon as she got released, her body started to go up and I pushed her up as well, as fast as I could manage.

“HEEH!” I exhaled sharply as soon as we reached the surface, to see the guards who sighed from relief to my sight.

“The medical team will be here in a few” one of them reassured me as I laid Jin down.

I panted and uttered with a breathy voice:

“Call… the police…”

I meanwhile checked her heartbeat and she seemed like it was very low.

As long as it beats… she’s alive! I sighed in relief.

I pinched her nose shut and titled her head.

“W-What are you doing?”

“I’ll give her a CPR”

“Y-You?!”

Without wasting any more time, I went through with it, silently praying that she’d respond.

I performed several chest compressions and full breaths, the guards were watching my moves astonished.

Please! Open your eyes already!

She finally started to cough and water was coming out of .

“J-Jin!” she kept coughing, and it felt as if a thorn was plucked from my heart. 

I peered at her pale face, and my tears fell down as I saw her lips move slightly. I immediately hugged her so tightly.

A minute later, the medical team arrived and they took care of Jin.

“Young man, you did well” a guard smiled at me as he wiped his the sweat off of his forehead, and patted me on the shoulder.

“It’s not done yet” I clenched my teeth “We need to contact the police!”

“C-Calm down, your friend’s saved, no need to freak out!”

They seriously think I’m just overreacting?!

“It’s a murder attempt! Not an accident!” I pointed my index finger at the water “Something got attached to her feet with a rope so that she wouldn’t float up!”

“W-Why didn’t you say that earlier?!” they split up and started to make phone calls.

I got my phone out, and the tracking system was still working so I called my father to inform him about what I deduced.

***To be continued...