"What did you do to him?!"

As soon as Saemi and left Mark behind, she had intended to fully assist Bambam. However, her mind was still full of the gaze of the boy who looked like he had lost his final glimmer of hope. His eyes always seemed to throw her into confusion, and she wants to stay away from him. She's tired of enduring these unexplainable troubles because of him.

Naturally, this meant that she was distracted. Her mind was so full of Mark Tuan that she completely failed to see those same men in black approaching them from behind. It was only when her thoughts were cut short did she know that she had let her guard down. Darkness clouded her eyes as the men struck her intensely on the back of the head. The two of them had been knocked out in seconds. When they had awoke, they were already in an unfamiliar surrounding.

Saemi took in the dimly lit room, the grayish surrounding, the high ceiling, and the lack of windows and everyday items. She also noticed that as the men spoke, a small echo could be heard, indicating this place must've been quite spacious.

She concluded that they must be in a some sort of storage warehouse.

The two of them were securely tied up on wooden chairs with thick ropes that burned the surface of her skin upon struggling. It was at that moment she was consumed by fear due to the situation she had been thrown into. She doesn't understand how she ended up a situation like this. She isn't the only neighbor. She isn't the only one who could've helped Bambam.

So why did she take this task upon herself to rescue JR?

She is Park Saemi. Park Saemi keeps her cool. She doesn't easily decide to help other people. She isn't easily influenced by the words of others. She knows how to keep herself safe. So because she is Park Saemi, she's afraid. Park Saemi doesn't care for others. That's how she keeps her cool. That's why she keeps to herself. Park Saemi only makes choices that benefit her. Park Saemi is selfish. She doesn't judge anyone because she has no regard for anyone around her. She isn't brave, and she's certainly no hero.

And yet, she isn't just one person now.

Her eyes catches a glimpse of Bambam's face as he screams out to those kidnappers that had taken the only friend he can rely on, and she realizes something. She realizes he's afraid too, just like she is, if not more. He's afraid for himself, but he's even more afraid for his friend. She could see it on his expression. It was unmistakable. He's thinking one thing only.

He would never be able to forgive himself if he was one second too late.

So he isn't giving up. He's not going to give up if there is no proof that his friend is gone. He's not going to give up if he's still got enough life in him to fight. He's not like her. She's constantly wanting things to return to normal, a point in time where she doesn't care about anyone and no one cares about her. She wants to return to a time where she just pities herself without finding a solution. She's constantly running. And here was a boy in front of her, throwing all of that aside. This boy is aware of the changes of the present. This boy is aware that there is no more going back. He isn't trying to figure out the reason for change. He's accepting it and moving forward.

Compared to him, she's just pathetic.

"Your friend isn't dead... yet," the tallest man of the group grins menacingly, "He's just not cooperating very well, so we had to find another way. You know what I mean, right?"

The look in Bambam's eyes doesn't fail to make her shudder. There was so much strength left within him, waiting for his chance to strike back. He really is quite the stubborn person. He would never admit defeat, especially if he knows there was some chance for a miracle. So when the man told him that JR wasn't dead, she knew it only ignited some sort of fire within him.

That was when she knew. Thanks to him, she's noticed so many things about herself, her own flaws. Although she doesn't know if she can ever be as strong as he is, she knows she has to take that first step to improve. She has to take that first step to stop herself from avoiding all her own problems. It was at that moment, she knew that she couldn't back down when the one beside her was fighting so hard.

She should've realized it earlier.

"What do you want with the both of them?" her eyes narrowed at her kidnappers with a newfound confidence, "Didn't they just want to be out of the game?"

Her words seem to catch the attention of the leader who no longer intimidated her, "And who might this be? I don't recall seeing her around when these two idiots came around for our services."

Saemi takes a deep breath. She needs to remain calm and collected. She needs to express confidence. She needs to show her strengths. She doesn't want to lose to Bambam. Even more, she doesn't want to regret not taking action later when the one beside her is trying harder than she ever did in her life.

"Who I am is none of your business."

His gaze doesn't faze her in the least. She knows she's doing just fine, and she knows she's finally taking her first steps into the real world. She was finally coming out of her shell. But as soon as she finally made her move, the man made his.

With an immediate hand gesture, two other men entered the room. In their arms, they dragged a bloody, beaten-up boy. His black hair was drenched, hanging before his eyes in such a way that hid his face. His porcelain skin was bruised, cut, and dirty all over. Blood trickled down his face, and by the looks of it, he had lost the energy to move.

It was clear that the men had done unspeakable things to him.

They tossed him before the two of them, and Saemi was paralyzed with fear. She wants to look away, but she can't. She doesn't want to believe that there were people on this world that could do such horrendous acts to other people.

"No, no, no," Bambam begins to whisper under his breath, each word getting more and more panicked. He calls out his friend's name again and again, but his friend doesn't respond. With each uttered word, Saemi knew that his light of hope had begun to flicker.

If his light dims, then where does that leave her?

"You're both foolish," the man began to speak again, "Did you think that you'd be able to leave the game? Did you think that we'd allow you two to take money from us and not make you pay us back with interest?"

Hearing those words, Saemi finally knew how the two boys had been able to get through with their lives without trouble. They had resorted to borrowing money from the wrong types of people, the wrong types of places. They must really have been desparate. Why hadn't she, their neighbor, noticed it?

She should've been the one who knew the best.

She was without family. She was alone. She was already struggling to make ends meet by herself, and she was just one person. Thinking more carefully now, they seemed to leave before she left the house in the morning, and they seemed to come home late at night too. There were times when she would be taking out the trash, and she would just see them come home. Every single time, they would greet her with a smile, a smile she always brushed off.

Why didn't she see it sooner?

"Let him go!" Bambam struggles harder, desparately trying to break free, "You can't- You can't hurt him like that! We paid you back! Every cent with interest! We just want our lives back!"

Saemi could see his eyes watering now. It's heartbreaking. It's terrifying to be put in a situation like that when put under immense pressure by a dangerous force. It's terrifying to know that one wrong decision could cause the death of someone that she cared about. She's afraid for him, and she wants to do something for him, but she doesn't know where to begin.

The man disregards his cries, "Maybe we should take the life of this girl here. What an unfortunate circumstance. She just happened to be in the crossfire. Our interest rates have increased, you know? You're nowhere near finished clearing your debt to us, and you want to get out? Don't be ridiculous."

Her body tenses as she hears the man speak, but she feels more angry than scared. The thought of increasing interest rates to prevent someone from clearing their debt makes her angry. The thought of hurting loved ones to force people to pay money makes her angry. She never knew that someone could be so unfair. She never knew that someone could be so cold.

"Take my life instead. In exchange, let them both go."

...She never knew someone could be so selfless either.

The moment those words came out of Bambam, Saemi felt an overwhelming sense of hopelessness. Something told her that she had experienced something as tragic as he was at that moment, and she never wants to have that kind of experience again. Those words that Bambam said meant that he had no other way out. She knows that he doesn't want to die.She knows that he wants to spend every waking moment being with the person he cares about the most. She knows he wants to smile, to laugh freely without having to be tied down to anything, anyone.

Strangely, she knows it better than anyone.

The man reaches for a bat and laughs, "Well let's see how satisfied I am with that first."

And he swings. He swings with all his strength, and he's still laughing. It sickens Saemi to the fullest. And the next second happens in a flash. She isn't thinking. With all her strength, she forces her tied up self in front of Bambam. Her chair is falling, and so is she. The bat is swinging, and it's going to miss Bambam. It's going to hit her.

She's now the target.

She doesn't understand why she just did something like that. She doesn't know him that well. They didn't have a personal connection with him. They are hardly acquaintances. They were just neighbors. But why was it she felt so strongly for his situation at that moment? What made her defend him so carelessly? What changed about her?

She can't wrap her mind around it.

Naturally, logic was something she should not have turned to. Logic will never work when trying to figure out why her emotions were suddenly haywire. The more she tries to think about it, the more confused she is going to be. Because sometimes, the heart wins over the mind.

There is always an ounce of uncertainty. She never knows if she's doing the right thing, but at the same time, that was what made her decisions amazing. Just like how it was amazing that she just chose to defend a neighbor, she finally feels like she's living her life to the fullest.

She has no regrets.

She waits and waits, but the bat never hits her. Instead, she hits the cold ground, and she hears that voice. No matter how complicated her feelings are, she had never felt more glad to hear his voice. For the first time in a long time, she realizes that no matter how hard she works by herself, there was no feeling warmer than the one when she realizes that she is no longer alone.

She was stuck in an eternal darkness all by herself, and now, the night was starting to fade away. The sun had finally begun to rise.

"You've worked hard Saemi, and now it's my turn."