So Eun’s mind temporarily went into a blank as she stared at the collapsed guy in front of her. 

Oh . What am I supposed to do now. 

She slowly shuffled to him. “Sir? Excuse me Sir?” 

She glanced up at the clock. 11pm. So Eun heaved a sigh of relief and locked the doors of the cafe. Wow thank God it’s closing time. At least I don’t have to leave him awkwardly sprawled in front of the door. 

Taking in a deep breath to prepare herself for the daunting task ahead, So Eun swung the guy’s hand over her shoulder and started to hobble back to her apartment, or rather the apartment she shared with her room mate Hye Won, struggling to hold up his weight. 

As So Eun carried the guy through the back alley which was the short cut to the apartment, her thoughts shifted to her room mate and childhood friend Hye Won. Thankfully Hye Won is not home today. That always leaves me all alone while she happily runs to Baek’s place to sleep or  who knows do what. I guess it’s luck that she’s not home again today if not - So Eun glanced at the guy whose arm was slung over her shoulder - she’s gonna give me hell. 

The few flickering lamp lights lighting up the dim alley way sent shivers up her spine. It felt like an area where those gruesome murders always took place. The lamps behind her cast a shadow in front of So Eun, outlining her figure and the guy’s. 

But wait- why were there 2 shadows? Not 1?

So Eun stopped dead in her tracks and stared at the extra shadow behind hers. Am I seeing things? She closed her eyes for 3 seconds and opened them. There the extra shadow was, except it seemed…closer?

Just then, So Eun’s mind flew to all the gruesome murders and and every crime possible and her eyes widened in pure fear. . . . FML.

So Eun quickened her pace and tried to walk as fast as she could with the extra weight on her. As she started to walk, she saw the shadow behind her moving as well. Okay keep calm. Let’s be calm. Breathe So Eun, breathe. BREATHEEEE. 

So Eun saw the shadow coming closer and almost screamed bloody murder when the shadow suddenly stopped moving, and moved backwards? 

She heaved a huge sigh of relief. YES. GO. GET OUT OF HERE. 

After what seemed like ages which was probably only 15 minutes, So Eun reached her apartment that was thankfully right next to the elevator which saved her a lot of trouble. 

She threw the guy slumped over her on the couch and took a few moments to catch her breath. 

“First aid kit… Where’s the first aid kit?” So Eun murmured to herself as she scoured through the cupboards for a small white box. 

She kneeled on the floor next to the guy’s bruised face and took in the splotches that have now turned blue black. So Eun sighed and pulled out the ointment to treat the wounds. Meanwhile, the guy seemed like he was having a terrible time for beads of perspiration trickled down his forehead profusely despite So Eun’s consistent effort at dabbing them away.

As So Eun finally finished cleaning up his face, she leaned back to check for any wounds she missed out. Instead, what she noticed was a good looking yet vulnerable face. He had pretty thick brows that were furrowed and quivering slightly. So Eun assumed that it was likely due to the pain.  Her eyes fell on his tall nose, then his defined lips that kept mumbling a name over and over again. It sounded something like…Yiming. 

So Eun raised her eyebrows. Who’s Yiming? She shrugged her shoulders and pushed the thought away.

So Eun slowly lifted up his shirt and grimaced when she noticed a long yet deep gash that ran across his abs. Yes, abs. So Eun had to try to divert her attention from the guy’s well defined abs to the more important issue at hand, the wound. Besides, she tried to remind herself, I have the most perfect boyfriend ever that I’m gonna be faithful to. 

She scrutinised the gash. It was way too deep and serious for her to simply wrap him up in bandages. Luckily for So Eun, she learnt how to do simple stitching although she was terrible at it. Terrible as in, it usually hurt like hell for the unfortunate person subjected to her 'skills'. Not that she had a choice now. 

With a small gulp, So Eun picked up the needle and surgical thread and started stitching him up, all while internally apologising for the pain the guy would probably have to go through. As she prepared to make her last stitch, So Eun furrowed her brows in concentration and poked the needle in from one side of the gash. 

“OW!! OWW!” 

. So Eun dropped the needle instinctively, startled by the sudden shriek from the previously unconscious guy. 

Before she even had time to react, she suddenly felt her head being pushed down sideways onto the guy’s left leg. His right calf sat on top of her neck, straining it and trapping her head between the guy's legs. So Eun couldn’t believe it. Here she was, trying her best to fix him up and even bringing him, a complete stranger to her house and the first thing he did to her was to straddle her neck with his legs. 

So Eun breathed out in annoyance and brought her hands up to slap the leg on her neck. “It hurts! Can you please let go of me? And I’m not done stitching you up!” 

From the corner of her eye, which was the furthest her vision would allow in such a position, she caught sight of a blonde mop of hair which was then followed by a pair of dark eyes which were peering at her curiously. 

Suddenly, So Eun felt the weight on her neck diminish. She sat up and cracked her sore neck. This guy could at least use less strength on a lady. Is he trying to break my neck or what?

The guy looked at So Eun and awkwardly diverted his vision when she stared at him with a pointed look. 

“What was that for?” So Eun huffed. 

“Sorry about that. It is an instinct thing.” The guy looks down at the bandages strewn all over the floor. He looks up at So Eun. “You were…fixing me up right?”

So Eun snorts and picked up the needle to finish up the stitches. “Damn right you are. Till you started to go all ninja on me.” 

The guy doesn't say anything but clears his throat in response. 

As So Eun picked up the bandages to wrap the guy’s torso, he asks her quietly, “Who are you? Why did you help me?”

She replied slowly, “Well…you collapsed right smack in the centre of the cafe, so I couldn’t exactly leave you lying there.” So Eun pauses for a moment, then continues, “Plus you were in a horrible beaten up state so my conscience didn’t allow me to just leave you be.” 

The guy stays silent for while, almost allowing an awkward atmosphere to creep in till he asked, “Your name?” 

“So Eun. I’m Im So Eun.” So Eun answered as she pulled back in satisfaction and admired her work. It wasn’t perfect, seeing how some parts of the bandage was sticking out awkwardly, but it was definitely a much better job compared to her previous attempts. She turned to the guy who stared back at her with his dark eyes and beamed, “All done! I tried my best to clean up the wounds on your face. And I stitched you up right here,” she pointed at his bandaged torso, “so-“ 

“I know. It hurt like hell.” 

So Eun suddenly recalled his sharp cry of pain that woke him up from his unconscious state when she was about to complete her last stitch. She grimaced, “Sorry. I’m not that good at stitches but I’ve learnt basic stitching in the past so don’t worry, it won’t burst open or anything like that. It may be slightly messy, but it will definitely do the job of stopping blood from spewing out.” 

“Lay.” 

So Eun peered at him curiously. “Lay?” 

“Call me that.”

A small smile inched up on So Eun’s lips, her teasing instincts were starting to creep in. “Lay as in, Lays potato chips?” She looked at the blonde male with a playful glint in her eyes. 

Instead, he simply raises his eyebrows at her. “Seriously? But to answer your question, yes. Lay as in Lays potato chips.” 

So Eun grinned. This guy could be fun. 

“Did anyone follow us just now?” 

“No…” So Eun trailed off as she suddenly recalled the extra shadow tailing behind them earlier at the alley way, “Wait yes…at least I think so.” 

The moment she said that, Lay jerked up from the couch and grabbed So Eun’s shoulders with a tight grip, fiercely glaring into her eyes. “Are you sure.” He whispered with a deadly tone, his voice now an octave lower.

So Eun was taken aback by the sudden change in Lay’s composure. The way he glared at her together with his low voice made him seem like a totally different person from the way he treated her earlier. She tried to reply as calmly as she could, “I saw a shadow following behind us just now. But it left halfway through.” 

At this, Lay shut his eyes in annoyance and ran both of his hands through his hair. “.” 

So Eun held her breath at his response, her heart beating faster and faster. Did I do anything wrong? What if there’s someone after us??

“Do you know what you have gotten yourself into?” Lay says quietly. He looks at So Eun again, but now with an unreadable expression. 

“What?” She notes his sudden hostility. "And why are you looking at me like that?"

“You shouldn’t have gotten yourself involved with me.” 

“What? Why?” 

Before So Eun even got her answer, Lay got up from the sofa and stalked right out of the apartment. 

So Eun’s eyes widened as she watched Lay close her apartment door behind him without a word. Is he just going to leave like that? He’s just gonna throw me all these random scary questions and not give me any answers? Who does he think he is?

Damn it. Lay ran his hands through his hair once again as he sat on a rusty metal chair in an abandoned train carriage. A small lamp light lit up the dingy old carriage but even then, most of the carriage that Lay called home, was enveloped in darkness. 

His mind flew back to So Eun. He clasped his hands together on his knee and rested his chin on his clasped hands in deep thought. Lay muttered to himself, “DC probably thinks that the So Eun girl is involved personally with me.” At this, he let out a cry of exasperation. 

Damn it. Why did this have to happen and make things so complicated than it already is? Lay cursed himself silently for not choosing a better time to give in to his wounds and instead now bringing in an innocent girl he barely knew into his messed up life. 

Just then, Lay’s phone which had been sitting on a wooden coffee table started to vibrate. He leaned over while clutching his bandaged torso to pick up the phone.

“Who’s this.” Lay answered the phone with a deadpan tone. 

A maniacal laughter came from the other side of the line in response. Lay knew who this was all too well. How could he not? After all, this was the person he loathed to the deepest pit of hell. He clenched his fist that was now so tight that his fingernails was digging into his palms. 

Lay replied darkly, “What do you want?” 

“What do I want? I don’t want anything, dear boy. But I see you have a little girlie in your life.” The voice on the other side taunted him playfully. “Who is she? Your girlfriend?”

Lay narrowed his eyes. “She is no one. Leave her out of this.”

“Ooh, getting defensive are we?” The other side chortled. 

“I said, leave her out of this. She has nothing to do with this,” Lay spat, his balled fist threatening to throw itself right at the cold metal walls of his home. 

“Whether or not she has anything to do with this, I will decide. Not you. Remember your place, Lay. You are NOBODY.” 

With that, the call disconnected. 

Lay breathed out heavily. She’s not safe. She’s no longer safe. 

Hi all! 

Deep sincere apologies for not updating for such a long time. I have been away for vacation so I could not update. But Im now back so expect more regular updates ;)

Thank you all for supporting me and I'll be sure to do the best I can for this story. 

FYI, things will start to get a little intense so be prepared! 

See you all in my next update! MUCH LOVES <3