„Ooooh my god, Chaerin’s gonna love this! Look at those socks! So cute!”

Though her colleagues promised her to help with finding a good present for Chaerin’s birthday, in the end Sandara could come up with an idea herself. She saw that the blonde had some Rilakkuma merchandise and she asked a few people at Blue Fish if Chaerin really liked this cartoon bear that much. She did, everyone said that. So Sandara found herself buying a Rilakkuma winter hat and thick rilakkuma socks at a shopping mall. It was a really scary experience though. She was somehow afraid of the lot of people wandering around there, so she tried to find everything as soon as possible and leave quickly.

„Where did you find those?” Asked Hayi with wide open getting the socks out of Soohyun’s hands.

Sandara just chuckled at their enthusiasm. She hoped Chaerin would react the same as the girls.

„Do you think it’s a good present? I really don’t know what should I give her.”

„These are cool” Said Hayi. „She’ll love this. Actually, Chaerin is the kind of person who is grateful for everything she get. You can’t really give her bad stuff…”

„Is that so?” Sandara sighed getting back the hat and socks into the gift bag. „I just want to give her something good. Something that will make her happy.”

„These will” reassured her Soohyun with a kind eye-smile. „She’ll even love it more because they’re from you.”

Sandara stared at the grinning girls a bit shocked. What was that supposed to mean? She isn’t that special person to Chaerin. She is just a stranger who has nowhere to go and Chaerin is kind enough to let her sleep in her apartment. It’s been only four weeks since they first met. Four wonderful weeks for Sandara. She can’t tell Chaerin with words how grateful she is for that so she wanted to express her feelings through this present. And then she bought a pair of socks with a cartoon bear on them.

It sounds ridiculous.

Thank you for saving my life. Here, let me give you a pair of socks with bears on it. Happy birthday.

Winter is almost over! She won’t even have too much time to wear them…

Though she didn't have time to actually voice her worries as their boss was heading out of his office and the two girls fled to work. Sandara hid the gift back under her coat and followed the girls. She was fixing her apron when their boss walked past them leaving the restaurant altogether.

They didn't have too much customers at that time, it was between lunch hour and dinner.

The three of them stood up beside the counter continuing their chatting.

„I’m really not sure about this” Said Sandara.

„You already bought it” shook her head Hayi. „You should just give it to her now.”

„Yeah. It would be such a waste” added Soohyun.

It was all true. But they didn't understand. Everyone at Blue Fish had difficulties in life, but even they couldn't understand what Sandara felt. What was it like to finally finding a home. Simple socks can’t deliver this message.

It will do – she decided. She will give it to her and when she come up with a better idea, she will just give it to her randomly. The party will be the day after tomorrow, she wouldn't have time to find something better in a short period like this.

Okay. If she will give a present without real meaning she should at least do everything she could with the preparations. Organizing a party this big needs a lot of things to be done. She was the part of the „decoration team”, which means the exact thing, getting decorations for this theme party and putting them to the right places to make the restaurant look cooler as well. There is lot of things left to do.

Soohyun and Hayi were getting orders from new customers, so Sandara stood by herself when she spotted him. That awfully familiar figure leaned his back to the lone pylon outside, his hands in his pockets staring directly at her. Eyes darker than night sky, smiling like a hungry beast.

She froze in her spot forget how to breath. Her heart started beating quicker than ever, throbbing against her eardrums with great force closing out all the noise of the restaurant. Her palms became sticky due to the cold sweat that ran through her body. She parted her lips in an attempt to took a breath, but she couldn't. As if the man outside was already in front of her grabbing her neck tightly prevent air to enter her aching lungs.

But the weirdest part was about this that her mind went blank. She couldn't think about anything though she really should have. She should have ordered her legs to move and flee from that damned building running as far away as she can.

But… but Chaerin.

What do I do now? A lone thought ran through her shocked mind.

She grabbed the side of the counter and limped to a chair behind it. She sat down, elbows on her thighs, hiding her face in her palms. She finally could drew air in again, but every breath she took stung her trout like poison.

She wanted to cry. Scream. Yell. She did neither. Somewhere deep down she knew because there was no point to. It’s over. She’s dead.

Surprisingly the remaining hours flew quickly. The man outside disappeared when she looked at the direction of the pylon the next time, but she knew he was there somewhere waiting for her. When it was time to leave, she took every bit of her willpower to say her goodbyes to her colleagues with a fake smile on her face and stepped out to the chilly winter night. Every shadow, every faint barking of dogs made her jump and with a damn good reason.

When she walk past a dark alley, she knew, she could feel it down in her nerves. Yet still, the hand that reached out from the blackness scared her. It grabbed the collar of her coat and jerked her into the alley. The next thing she felt was the cold wall against her back and the presence of the man hovering over her.

„Our precious Sandy. Long time no see.” Came the low, deep voice.

She went mute. She wanted to scream, but didn't have the power to. She stared at the dark face with her eyes wide. Her hands grabbed the wrist that held her down, but they had not enough force to get it off of her.

„It took us a while to find you. You hid well, I have to admit.”

She couldn't believe it was happening. This scene, she saw it. Several times actually in her dreams. Or more like nightmares. Chaerin woke her up every time pressing her body against hers muttering in her ear that it was just a bad-bad dream. That it wasn't real and she was there to help her. Except it was real now and Chaerin won’t save her this time. Nobody could.

„Th-Th-They saw you” she muttered finally referring to the workers at Blue FIsh. „They know you were there.” It was an extremely careless thing to say, but she didn't really know how to defend herself anymore.

„Oh, my dear Sandy. You really think I’m that stupid?” He drew his hand back allowing Sandara to breath properly, but after a second he backhanded her so hard she fell to the ground. She couldn't say a word. Not a whimper left . Her old instincts come back knowing in these situations she isn’t allowed to speak or cry. She must stay still.

„We are watching you for a few days now. That blonde is really hot.”

How… How dare he?! How dare he speak about her like that?! Not Chaerin!

She wanted to stood up and slap him, she really did want it, but she couldn't. She stayed there, sitting in the dirt, shivering – but not due to the cold. Her old self came back and took over her body. That coward little girl she tried to push back ever since she decided to run away from the club several month ago. When she realised that it’s the only way to escape from that hell, she grew up a little. She was almost the adult she should be by her age. She wasn't right now. She was the same, scared little girl when she entered South Korea all over again.

„You have one choice, and you know that. We don’t want to get attention with you disappearance so suddenly. Apparently, your little caretaker is famous.” His voice was deep and rough. Extremely demanding. „You have to make it look like you come back of your free will, got it?”

This isn’t happening. This can’t be happening. She finally started to believe – naively – that she got away from them forever. She thought she could live happily with Chaerin. It was so good. It felt so good to have a home again. To have somebody that treated her like a human being… No. Chaerin treated her so much better than any person in her life.

It was too good, she should have known better than that. Good things are short. Nothing last forever, except her suffering.

„You will tell them and then you will come back to us.”

She still stared down, her lips moving slowly. She wanted to say something, anything, but her body was limp.

„Answer if someone asks, you little !”

Her hair was yanked back painfully forcing her to stood up and look at the man.

„What’s up, Sandy? Kitty got your tongue?”

„Two days” She muttered faintly.

She was surprised to hear her own voice. Her mind was still empty, she didn't know where this idea came from.

„What?”

„I need two days. I will be at sajangnim’s club on Friday morning. Just give me two days. I won’t run away, I promise.”

„You think your words mean anything after what you did?” She thought he would hit her, but she was lucky. He just yanked her hair again. „We can guarantee your return in an other way.” His lips turned into an evil smile. „What was her name again? Lee Chaerin?”

„No, please!” She pleaded without thinking.

„Then be a good girl, Sandy.” The man chuckled. „If you won’t come back to us, that hottie can bid farwell to her carrier.” He bent down so their eyes were at the same level. „If you will be really bad, maybe you can’t even take flowers to her grave.

He let her go, and Sandara fell against the wall unceremoniously like a ragdoll.

„I’m in a good mood today, you are lucky. You get that two days. But if you won’t show up on Friday morning, I will make sure someone will suffer for you. Every day we spend looking for you again, one person will pay with their life in your place. Got it, Sandy? Got it?!”

She wasn't sure when did he left. She only came to her senses when the cold started to creep through the material of her clothes. She told herself to move and stood onto her shaky legs, grabbing the wall with her left hand for support. She wasn't in pain, but the shock she endured made her wobbly. It was too much to bear.

It was just a bad dream. A really-really bad dream – she told herself. It’s alright. Everything is fine. Chaerin will wake me up soon. She will hug me and tell me that she’s got me. That’s right. I’m next to her, sleeping under a warm blanket.

It’s just a bad dream.

Please…

Wake me up.

I have warned you that this won’t be light stuff! Bad things will slowly take over (but they won’t last forever, I promise). Sorry if I disappoint anyone and I’m ready to lose subscribers as well. Sorry. T-T