Sorry it took so long to update! Life and college was just crazy this past year... T.T I shall try to update as frequently as possible but I cant promise anything! 

With that being said, please enjoy this chapter and let me know of what you think! Feedback always appreciated! 

P.S.: if there are inconsistencies, please forgive me. As you know, I've updated after a long time so even I don't remember what I wrote in the previous chapters. Hopefully it will be nothing too severe! 

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Chapter 3

Demimonde

            The time was somewhere between after midnight and before the break of dawn. It was that time when the night sky was cloaked in inky black and the air so unwelcoming that even the creatures of the night knew better than to wander out. It was that time of the night that made one desire to seek out their love, clinging onto the warmth and safety offered to carry them past a night of cold and fear to the first light of dawn.

            And it was that time that Baekhyun lay awake staring out his bedroom window at the Seoul skyline, creating their own cluster of man-made constellations of electricity mirroring those that prettily dappled themselves across the dark sky, as if paying homage. All around him, it was dark. Not dark in the sense that there be an absence of light. But the dark that brings with it a stifling loneliness, a poignant almost poetic sense of apathy, and piteous serenity. It is a darkness that stains the soul, revealing the cracks, bents and holes within.

            It is this darkness that is home to Baekhyun.

            Although, he doesn’t find the loneliness stifling as much as he finds it liberating. Nor does he find the apathy poignant or poetic, and the serenity is rather welcoming.

            Sleep never came easily to Baekhyun. In fact, it had a good while since it had come to him at all. But he wasn’t concerned. It was, after all, a small compromise for inhabiting so many bodies over the course of his very long life. Of late, he wasn’t sure how much of this identity was him and how much belonged to this… Baekhyun.

            The sound of soft snoring filled the bedroom and the man who was Baekhyun in name only turned smoothly, slowly with the elegance and fluidity of silk. He regarded the man slumbering on the gigantic bed pushed dead center against one of the beige coloured walls of the room.

            Baekhyun padded over noiselessly to the bed and gazed down at the man who had succumbed to the throes of slumber much like the rest of civilisation. The serenity and peace that settled over the man’s face was one that Baekhyun was not envious of. Baekhyun eyes watched the gentle rise and fall of his chest like one would regard air.

            At this time, in the scant illumination provided by the moon, Suho looked so soft Baekhyun found himself tempted to the pale plains of his cheek. However, the man stepped back, a hand into the pocket of his sweatpants. There was always a softness to Suho, whether it was in his smile, his voice, in the way he would stir sugar into his early morning beverage. It was this softness that had people believe that Suho was a benevolent leader.

            It was the one defining characteristic of Suho. Such a revolting weakness it was… allowing Baekhyun to sink his hands into his mind and mould and manipulate every idea, every thought into whatever he pleased. Baekhyun’s mouth twisted in contempt.

            Such a tragic, appalling and beautiful things to have…

            Baekhyun turned away from Suho’s sleeping form and made his way to the door and upon opening it, found Chanyeol’s smiling face greeting him on the other side. Baekhyun reciprocated with an icy stare before pushing past him and stepping into the hallway. He walked with long strides, intent on spending the remainder of the night in solitude.

            The sound of approaching steps, however, hinted that his wish wasn’t to come true.

            Soon, Chanyeol was by side saying, “So? How was it?” like a child asking his friend to comment on a new candy the latter has acquired.

            Baekhyun’s eyes thinned but a smirk threatened to reveal itself and he fought to keep it hidden. The door to his bedroom was within sight and he slowed before asking, almost nonchalantly, “What?”

            In an instant, fingers wrapped themselves around his wrist and the hallway whirled before his eyes. Suddenly, Baekhyun found himself trapped between his bedroom door and Chanyeol tall body. He willed his heart to calm down and ignored the sound of blood rushing through his temples and met Chanyeol’s burning gaze with placid orbs.

            Chanyeol’s lips twisted into a sneer, “What? Well, when he ed you, obviously,” The words flew out by an amiable lilt in his voice which did a poor job of covering disgust and amusement. “When he rocked into you gently with that prick of his in the way only he can. Did he hold you after? Did he whisper just how beautiful you were and how much he loved you? Or how lucky he is to have you in his life?”

            Baekhyun smirked and pressed his body to Chanyeol’s, not missing the way the latter’s sneer grew into a full-fledged sickly grin before whispering, “What’s wrong? Are you jealous?” Baekhyun was just able to get the words out when Chanyeol buried a hand in his hair and ruthlessly yanked his head back.

            With the sick smile still plastered on his face, “Jealous? Of that sad excuse of a man?” he scoffed before drinking in Baekhyun’s face hungrily. He leaned in, “Why would I jealous of anyone when only I can give you what you truly need?”

            “ you.”

            The hold on Baekhyun’s hair was gone and was replaced with a bruising hold on his jaw. “Careful,” Chanyeol seethed lowly and met Baekhyun’s fierce gaze with his own.

            Baekhyun heard the sound of his bedroom door click open, before a pair of lips descended down to claim his and he was being lead into the darkness of his bedroom.   

---

            “Get out,” Baekhyun said, pulling on his sweatpants and shirt. The thought of being around another had repulsed him for a long time.

            “Aww… So soon? Don’t you want to spoon?” Chanyeol chuckled around the cigarette he was taking way too long to light.

            Baekhyun glared at him in annoyance and threw him his clothes. “Get out before anyone waked up to find you leaving my room. I’ve gone to great lengths to acquire Suho’s trust and I’m not going to have to it taken away by your stupid .”

            “Of course, just when you get used to having his bean sized in you without throwing up,” Chanyeol stood up and stretched in all his . Baekhyun paid him no mind and looked out the window once again, watching as the inky black turned into hues of purples, pinks and oranges. “One thing though,” Baekhyun turned to find the other hopping on one leg, struggling to put the other into his pants. Finally, he sat down, pulled up his pant and turned around to face Baekhyun, “What about that nurse chick?”

            Baekhyun stared as the blood in his veins turned to ice and a myriad of emotions exploded within his chest and a kaleidoscope of memories spun across his mind. “What do you think?” he responded calmly.

---

            “Oppa, wake up! This isn’t a place to fall asleep in,” Yoojin chuckled as she tossed the linen cloth at the drooping face of the doctor. Onew’s face shot up with a sharp intake of breath and glared drowsily.

            “Well, what do you expect? After all I had to work for…mmm…”

            “Oppa!”

            “Okay, okay!” the Jinki shook his head and slapped his cheeks, immediately wincing at the stinging pain. Yoojin slid the menu towards him, “Quick, choose. I’ll order some coffee.” She looked over and mentioned to a waitress as Onew squinted at the breakfast menu and requested for one black coffee and a cup of Earl Gray.

            “I want fried chicken,” Jinki mumbled still squinting at the menu. Somehow, it didn’t look like he was reading anything.

            “You can’t have fried chicken,” Yoojin said casually, moving to sit more comfortably in her chair.

            “Why not?!”

            “Because fried chicken is not a wholesome breakfast meal. Now do not argue with me and choose something.”

            Whether it was due to the hunger or the extreme fatigue, Onew did not argue and instead, went back to squinting at the menu, mumbling incoherent words under his breath. Soon enough, he started humming idly and Yoojin tipped her head toward the ceiling, quietly relishing the sweet melody amidst the din of the civilisation.

            It was about 4 in the morning when Onew had called Yoojin claiming that, as they spoke, he might be taking his last breath any minute and he wanted to spend his last moments with the only person who truly cared about him. Groggy and undeterred by the doctor’s need for drama, she assured him working 74 straight hours at the hospital without much of a blink of sleep would do that any human being.

            An hour later, she was at the entrance of Seoul Memorial with a bottle of energy drink the address of the breakfast joint saved on her phone.

            The restaurant was a bit out of the way from both their residencies and a bit far from the hospital itself and it was pretty on the inside and not much to look at on the outside, with a teal coloured door, a simple sign in dull golden characters and wall length windows that looked out into the partially empty streets. On the inside, the restaurant was an aloof blend of stone and wood and minimal steel. There was an old fashioned firewood stove installed in the middle of the room, with a warm fire burning inside to warm up the room. lightbulbs of different sized hung from the ceiling at different lights. 

             It has an unfamiliar yet comforting atmosphere. One that needed frequent visiting to get used to. 

            Just then, the humming ceased and Jinki announced his choice of breakfast. It was to no one’s surprise that the doctor had decided on the over half the menu, and as the beverages arrived, the orders were placed.

            Onew’s mood got better with every sip of coffee and the two friends made idle talk, sharing stories and opinions and advice back and forth, as more and more people began to trickle into the restaurant.

            Yoojin was sipping at her Earl Gray, intently listening to Onew’s woeful tale of how he had to explain the concept of psychogenic problems to a stubbornly ignorant patient when she caught sight of something that cause her to almost choke on her tea.

            A wisp of coppery red moved among the many heads in the room, smoothly and slightly damp two tables away towards her right, right next to the wall-length windows. As she watched, the red locks was accompanied by pale skin glowing and slightly pink from exertion, sparkling, half-moon eyes, a comically long nose and those rosy, pillowy lips so invitingly soft.

            Jaehwan sat facing her way with newly dyed hair in the company of two other men, one of them she recognized as the ethereally pretty guy who transported her to the roof. The three men seemed to be bickering playfully with the other two animated laughing and pointing at Jaehwan and the latter flailing around in supposed anger with a mouth full of bacon and sunny side-up.

            “Yoojin! Yo! Yo? Yooooo… Yoojin?” Jinki’s waving hand snapped her out of her stupor. “What were you spacing out for? Oppa’s upset, you know… To ignore me like that,” Onew pouted and shrunk in his chair like a hurt puppy.

            “Sorry. It’s just that I thought I saw someone familiar. Turns out I was mistaken,” she scratched the back of head and tried to look as sheepish as possible.

            The doctor squinted suspiciously at Yoojin before launching off into another one of his stories. Yoojin made an effort to listen to the man but her eyes were inadvertently drawn to the man sitting just a few feet away.

            How long was it that she had last seen him? That night in the park where they went their ways with nothing but the each other’s name in their memory. It could’ve been a month ago or even just yesterday, Yoojin didn’t keep count. It wasn’t intentional, though. The immediate restoration of the normalcy of her life after Jaehwan’s trespassing made it look like a distant dream.

            The three men continued to talk animatedly, laughing and arguing at the same time, oblivious to the irritated stares they received from still groggy customers. It prompted a small smile from Yoojin’s lips. They were all clad in T-shirts, sweatshirts and shorts. She spied a basketball between the ankles of the youngest one and… and…

            Jaehwan was looking straight at her.

            Yoojin froze. Her heart gave a loud thump that reverberated throughout her body and went silent so much so that Yoojin feared it has stopped beating (all her medical knowledge seemed to have left her in that instant).

            She realized too late that she was staring back at him and quickly averted her gaze and pretended to poke at her scrambled eggs. But what an inexplicable expression he wore… A sense of curiosity rose within, akin to what she felt when she saw him in the park that night. It made her want to walk up to him and… and then what? What was she going to do then?

            She willed herself to calm down. She had to will this feeling away or good. Logically speaking, it would be stupid to approach him in any when they’re association (officially) began with a mutual agreement that they were to never see each other again. They had no relation as such and Yoojin preferred it that way. Superhumans, powers and other incomprehensible things, she can do without.

And so, she sat up straight, shoved a forkful of eggs into and turned to Onew.

            “So what do you think?” Onew asked, mentioned the waitress for a coffee refill.

            “What do I think about what?”

            “Lunch. Jjangjmyeon or fried chicken.”

            Yoojin smirked at the doctor. “Why not both?”

            When she glanced back, Jaehwan had long since looked away, chattering away like nothing happened. Yoojin stabbed violently at the sausage in her plate over and over again, thoroughly scaring Jinki out of his appetite.   

---

            “That was some serious eye contact you were having back there, hyung,”

Damn your dimples, damn you perfect teeth, face, hair, voice, body and brain… Damn you, Hongbin.  

“What are you talking about? Something just caught my eye,” Jaehwan looked away, unconsciously massaging the patch of skin behind his ear lobe.

“You’re doing that ear thing that you do when you’re lying,” Hongbin smirked from under the rim of his cup.

“Ah, why do you have to be so frickin’ smart?! Is there anything about you that’s not perfect about you?!” Jaehwan snapped, flailing useless for a bit before flopping limply in his chair.

Hongbin stopped to think. “Well, not at the moment… if there is one, I’ll let you know,” he finished off with a winning smile that made Jaehwan’s fist itch to punch him in his perfect teeth. They enjoyed a few seconds of silence before Hongbin quipped again, much to Jaehwan’s dismay, “Who thought you’d see her again, huh, hyung? You seem to run into her everywhere in this city. Her apartment, the hospital, and now here. Wait… am I missing one? Ah! The park!”

“Donno who you’re talking about,” Jaehwan’s words slurred childishly. He was painfully aware that he wasn’t being convincing but decided to keep up the act just for spite. He silently cursed Sanghyuk for taking too long in the bathroom.

“Oh, yes, you do.”

“Nope.”

Hongbin threw him a look and sighed. “Fine. Be like that. All I’m saying is that it won’t be so wrong to approach her. She pretty and seems like an interesting person. And she was cool with the powers thing too,” He caught Jaehwan’s obviously incredulous look and corrected himself, “Well, maybe not ‘cool’ but she reacted a bit calmly than the others. That’s something, right?”

“Actually, freaking the hell out is a pretty normal reaction so there’s clearly something wrong with her. I can’t deal with crazy,” The bill had arrived and Jaehwan and Hongbin fished out their wallets and paid their half, covering Sanghyuk portion as well. The kid barely had any pocket money to buy himself some beef jerky let alone pay for proper breakfast. “Besides, why are talking so approvingly of her so suddenly? Last I checked, you were the one who so rudely transported her somewhere else because she was being ‘annoying’.”

Hongbin set his empty cup down, looking genuinely offended and retorted, “I never said she was an annoyance, I said she was being a nuisance. And that was because we were in the middle of work then.”

Jaehwan combed his hair back several times, feeling the dampness in his scalp smoothened the fluffed hair back over his forehead. He desperately needed a shower. “Look, she isn’t like us. She’s normal and you and I both know that that’s the best possible thing anyone can be. She doesn’t need to be dragged into someone else’s war. Let her live her life peacefully. That’s more than we can even dream of.”

The elder kept his eyes glued to the table. Visions played across his mind. Visions of that woman’s defiant and unyielding dark orbs, the gentle sway of her chocolate hair in the morning sun, every decisive step culminating into a confident stride like the Gods themselves wouldn’t be able to stop her from reaching her destination. Jaehwan sincerely hoped, no, he was confident that she was live a good life.   

   Beside, Hongbin nodded understandingly, “Can’t say I don’t agree.” He smiled sympathetically. “Just one more thing though; do you think she’s pretty?”

“…”

“Well? Do you?”

“Bin-ah…”

“I’m not going to stop until I get an answer.”

“…Yes, I think she’s very pretty. Happy?”

---

            Yoojin heaved a sigh and hefted her shopping basket higher as she trudged around the convenience store. Despite the late hours of the night, she couldn’t sleep. Her day off was spent well; wandering around the city, eating a whole lot than she normally (no could argue that, to Yoojin, food came second to no one), and just lazed around in her apartment. But come night and slumber didn’t come around to take her as it usually would. 

            Which brought her to the nearest convenience store. She thought perhaps if she could tire herself out by walking for a while, maybe she could get to sleep more easily. Besides, her refrigerator need replenishing.

            Idly humming to herself, she turned a corner and came to the instant ramyun section and began to browse when she heard two men talking. They stood by the windows, each loudly slurring instant ramyun set on the counter before, in between exchanging rants.

            “…we have to do what they say?! Why do they think they are?!” said bigger one of the pair, sending spittle flying the other one. He was taller and bulkier than his companion. He had spiked up poorly dyed blond hair and a tanned complexion. The cheap suit didn’t help his overall appearance.

            “You know who they are. I think they do as well. Quit your complaining and let’s just do what we were ordered to do, yeah?” the other one drawled as he lapped up the last of the broth. This one seemed older, shorter with slicked back oily black hair and a pasty white complexion. There was a nasal quality to his voice that made Yoojin scrunch her nose.

            The other guy said something and the two went back and forth but Yoojin has already lost interest and had tuned them out. She decided against buying any instant ramyun as a sudden craving for chocolate hit her hard. Hefting the plastic basket with two hand and swung it back, using the momentum to turn herself around (the lazy was strong with her this day), and just as she did a 180, she ran headlong into the shorter of the two men.

            But before the basket could strike him in the shin and send his empty ramyun bowl tumbling all over her shirt, she side-stepped, staggering a bit from the sudden change in direction. The man was slower than her. He barely managed to get the bowl from toppling out of his hand.

            “I’m so sorry! I didn’t-” The man’s apology was cut off when he laid eyes on Yoojin. There was surprise in his widened eyes and slightly agape mouth that bewildered Yoojin. But then again, she worked at a hospital where she could have been seen by hundreds of people a day.

            Not bothering to wait till the man regained his composure, Yoojin smiled and bowed before walking away.

            “Damn, I wouldn’t mind running into her over and over again. Did you see- What? What is it? Why are you smiling like that?”

---

            Yoojin tapped a fingernail on the kitchen counter. The clock read just a little past half past two and yet, here she stood, not asleep. She sighed. Maybe a cup of tea would do the trick. Or maybe three.

            She filled the pot with water and put it to boil and just as she opened the cabinet to retrieve some tea bags, her phone rang. She frowned, confused as she made her way to the island and spied the name on the screen. It was her landlady.

            Yoojin’s stomach dropped and an icy cold took hold of her heart, making it stutter fearfully in her rib cage. Something was wrong. For her landlady, who she doesn’t hear a peep of (unless one is behind on their rent), to call her at this time of the night…

            Perhaps a health issue? Nonsense! Her own daughter-in-law was a nurse much like Yoojin herself so why call her? No, there was no logic that could do away with this dread. Something was worng.

            Drawing a shuddering breath, she answered the call.

            “Yoojin-ah!” came the hushed whisper, frantic and quivering with urgency. “Yoojin-ah! Lock your door! No, get out the window! You know how to do that, right?! Quick! They’re coming to you!”

            “A-Ahjumma! Slow down! Who’s coming for me?” Yoojin’s hands had begun to shake and cold sweat prickled at the back of her neck. She was struck by a sudden light-headedness that forced her to take a seat by the kitchen island.

            “The men! The two men! They are coming after you! They asked me where you lived. I didn’t want to tell them! Believe me, I didn’t want to!” she sobbed from the other side but nothing of it reached Yoojin’s ears.

            The sound of footsteps sounded from outside the front door. Somebody was approaching form the staircase.

            “Ahjumma,” Yoojin said, desperately trying not to sound so terrified. “Lock your door. Call the police immediately.”

            “Yoojin-ah! Run awa-” Yoojin ended the call and dropped it on the island.

            She closed her eyes, trying to calm herself. There was less than half a second before the men, whoever they were, would be at her doorstep. She weighed her choices; she could run away. Like her landlady suggested, she could jump out of the window. The fall would likely garner her a sprained ankle if she landed the wrong way.

            Running away was not an option. Not for her. Besides, even if she were to escape now, she would still not be able to lose them. She could choose to cooperate with the men’s agenda and let them do as they pleased. Maybe she would alive by the end of it all. Yoojin scoffed. Fat chance she would let that happen.

            Yoojin stood up, facing the front door. There was only one option; fight. And fight, she would, even if it was the last thing that she was to do.

            The footsteps sounded closer and closer until she could see shadows from the crack under the door. Two of them. Yoojin took a deep breath. Though resolved to do what she was going to do, she couldn’t shake off the fear that gripped at her.

            There was a knock on the door. Then silence. Yoojin waited.

            There was another knock on the door, this time accompanied by a voice, a familiar nasally voice, “Ma’am?”

Silence.

            Then, “Ma’am, we know you’re in there. We must speak to you. It is of absolute importance. This concerns the safety of your life.”

            Of course, he would know she was here. The lights were still on.

            Yoojin gritted her teeth. It didn’t look like they were going to leave so easily. “My life?” she asked, loud enough to be sure that they heard her. There was some shuffling outside. “And who might you be?”

            “Police,” said the voice of the taller one. “We believe you might be in danger.” He drawled through the pronunciation that made her think that he was used to talking so formally.

            Yoojin allowed herself a snort and retorted, “Somehow, I’m not really inclined to believe you.”

            “Ma’am, we assure you-”

            “Hey, why don’t you do me a favour and off? Maybe you show your pretty blonde companion a good time. I’m sure you can get him to open his legs for 20,000 Won.”

            Yoojin would’ve high-fived herself she could but the blood-curdling silence on the other side proved this time to far from celebratory.

And right as her instincts were, the shorted man said, “If you know what’s good for you, you will apologise and cooperate with us. Do not make me repeat myself,” There was an edge to his voice that made her skin prickle and the hair on her arms stand. The thirst for blood was so apparent in his voice that Yoojin was tempted to yield, fearing the repercussion for further defying them.

But her principles didn’t allow such a thing. Stupid as she was, she was stick to believe in and see this through to the end.

“Like I said-”

             The door imploded, folded in itself like it was made out of cardboard and was flung outside and the railings in the hallway. In the back of her head, Yoojin was able to mourn the death of her second door in two months.

            The two men were just as they had been at the convenience store, shabby dressed but pissed beyond compare. The taller one’s face was red and bulging with veins at the temples. They stepped in to home, conveniently blocking the exit.

            “You stupid …” the blonde one panted, glaring her down with bloodshot eyes. “You really shouldn’t have run ya mouth like tha’. You’re gonna pay fuh that.” And he charged.

            He moved at a dizzying speed but Yoojin was just as quick. She dodged the first punch easily, moving smoothly under him and planting a kick up his chin before backing away quickly. Blondie stumbled back, groaning at his injured chin. But that only served to anger him even more.

            His resumed his attacks with more force, barely giving Yoojin a window of opportunity. It was difficult to land any attacks on him. And so, Yoojin kept him at a distance as she waited for him to tire himself out and give her an opening.

            Another punch came her way which she dodged and landed a punch of her own to his forearm, spraining him. She huffed a breath of accomplishment but just as she stepped back, she was met with a strong blow of her calf, bringing her down to one knee. Next thing she knew, a powerful fist collided with her face once and then twice. Another punch landed on her left ribcage, knocking the breath out of her lungs and breaking a few ribs.

            Yoojin fell to her knees, arms dangling at her sides uselessly, black spots blocking most of her vision and every breath send a jolt of pain racking through her body. Her hair was caught held of and yanked back so violently that her scalp exploded in pain. Through the clouded vision, she saw Blondie snarling at her and the other man apathetically regarded her as he rested a black baton over a shoulder.

            “You bastard!” she spat bloody spittle at him and a baton came down at lightning speed and struck her across the face. Yoojin almost out due to the excruciating pain but managed to hold on to her consciousness. In the next moment, she wished she didn’t.

            “Come here, pretty-pretty,” Blondie seized her by her forearms and pulled her up so they were face to face. She squirmed and struggled against his iron grip and tried to gain some sort pf footing which was quite difficult when she dangling in mid-air, held up only by the man. He brought her so close to his face that she could feel his rancid breath fan her face, making her want to retch.

            “Told ya, you were gon’ pay fur it,” He grinned and putrid grin before flinging her across the room with a grunt.

            The moment of weightlessness was much to fleeting for her to comprehend what just happened, and even before she could gather her bearings, she crashed into the small hallway table, breaking it. Letters and loose change slid and toppled over her and she hit the ground once more.

            She lay motionless for what seemed an eternity and she heard the smaller one say, “Jesus, can you not kill her? We need to take her back alive.” Blondie shrugged and said, “Told ‘er I was gon’ make ‘er pay fur it.”

            Conjuring what strength she could expend, Yoojin managed to sit up with the aid of her trembling right arm. The left was dislocated at the shoulder when she went crashing into the table. “Oh, look. You can still move. What a sprightly one you are,” chuckled the smaller, older man.

            “Wh-Why are you here for me? Who needs… me?” Yoojin managed to rasp out despite the stabbing pain at her left lung but she had to know.  

            “We would’ve told you if you’d made all of this easy on us,” the Blonde crouched and sneered.

            Yoojin groaned, shifting to lean against the wall. Something glinted at the corner of her vision. Something very close to her hand. She sighed, immediately wincing at the sharp pain that followed, “Fine, take me. If you get to your boss’s fast enough, you might still have time for a quick romp.” She flashed a bloody smile, enjoying Blondie’s eyes bulge out of their sockets and his face to an impossible shade of crimson.

            Just as Blondie raised his fist, the other man placed a clam hand on his shoulder. He, then, turned to Yoojin, “Maybe you’d like to know what you’re really dealing with.” The shorter man stepped beside Blondie and got down on his haunches. He raised a hand, palms facing the ceiling. Yoojin shifted uneasy, the same dread eating away inside her.  

            And when it happened, Yoojin heart sank for she knew she was truly not a match for these two men. It made her want to curl up and sob her heart out.

            Slowly, with a nauseating series of crunched and squelches, a spike grew out of the man hand held by threads of flesh. It grew to the length of the man’s forearm and the spiked end glinted sharply and forebodingly. He turned the spike’s point towards Yoojin, who inched back and further into the wall in an attempt at getting away from the weapon, and stopped it an inch away from her eye. She’s didn’t dare close for fear that she might not get to open them again.

            Then, the man smiled a gruesome smile and the spike retreated away from her. Not a beat later, he it into her calf, just above her ankle.

            Yoojin screamed and screamed as the pain ran across her body like a fiery snake, leaving scorching trails in its wake, and every other wound left her choking and croaking in agony as she tried to scream and not do so at the same time.

            Clammy fingers enclosed around and she left the man’s breath in ear. She dug her fingers into the sleeves of his suit, desperately wanting to push him away but failing to find the strength to do so. “Still want to act smart? Do you understand now, aghassi?” He twisted the spike still lodged in her leg and when she choked for breath next to him, he purred and leaned his head against hers relishing in the torment he was causing her. Her fingers grew slack and dropped lifelessly on her lap.

            “H-Hey, we need to take her back alive, right? Isn’t that what you said so?” Blondie looked between his partner and Yoojin, eyeing both of them with fear. His partner froze and turned to regard him blankly, and Blondie put his hands up in surrender and stuttered, “Any more an’ she’ll die, ya know?”

            The older man blinked at his companion for a good second before releasing his hold on Yoojin’s throat letting her head bob down limply. Her hands closed around the glinting object, recognizing it to be a letter opener. He dislodged the spike from her calf and stood up. “She won’t. Call the car. Let’s get out of here.”

            Blondie did as he was told and was told that the car would be down in five minutes. The older crouched and regarded Yoojin’s bloodied face, “What a pretty thing…” he said, shaking his head sadly, “Pity she had to end up like this.”

He moved forward to grab hold of her wrists to hoist her up when the saw the sudden movement a second too late. Yoojin’s hand swung out and sunk the letter opener deep into his neck. She pushed deeper and slashed out until the blade cut cleanly through his neck an out, indifferent to splatter of blood that drenched her forehead and eyes. The man looked at her with shock stricken eyes and made tried to say something but only managed to make a broken gurgling noise as blood flowed out of his open mouth. His face twist in pain and he clutched his neck and stumbled back on his elbows.

Whatever feeble attempts he made of trying to escape his death were for naught when he slumped onto the floor in a bloodied heap.

Yoojin didn’t waste a second’s time and took advantage of Blondie’s shock and threw a porcelain bowl. The bowl found its target dead on and shattered against the centre of the man’s forehead sending him crashing to the ground in stunned confusion.

Quickly, she flipped the blade in the air and caught it by its point and threw it. This time the weapon didn’t quite hit its target but instead lodged itself in his right eye with a squelch. Blondie howled and writhed momentarily engulfed in pain and fury. Yoojin didn’t stay to admire her handiwork and bolted towards the open door, leaving behind her apartment, a corpse and a furious one-eyed goon.

She didn’t bolt as much as limped awkwardly out the door and into the night. The pain was unbearable and her vision was clouded when it was swarming with black spots but she had to bear with it until she got out into the main streets. There all she had to do was flag a car down to get her to a hospital or call Jinki or at least let her off at the nearest police station. Anything that was ensure her safety.

She limped through the hallway, cradling her dislocated arm and somehow managed to wipe the blood off her face with her shirt. Sobs were threatening to pour out of but she firmly bit her lip and carried on. This wasn’t the time to cry. Crying wasn’t going to improve the situation.

She turned a corner and found the staircase and hastened down it.

One at a time. Careful and quick. Careful and quick. One at a time.

A loud bang from somewhere above jolted her and in her frenzy to get away, she missed her footing and was sent flying down the flight of stairs like a rag doll. The momentum threw her against the opposite wall at the bottom of stair.

Add a cracked skull to the list of injuries… Yoojin lay there, motionless, waiting for the pain to subside and gather control over her limbs once again. On the bright side, I made to the ground floor. One of the perks of living on the first floor. Yoojin would managed a grin if it didn’t hurt so much. The fire exit door was right next to her.

She stood up shakily, putting all her weight on her one leg and using the wall as support. In her mind, she apologized to her landlady about the blood and the dead man. Idly, she wondered if the other woman was alright. She was a nice lady and it would pain Yoojin to see her hurt because of her.

Slowly, with bloodied fingers trembling with lack of energy and something else that Yoojin didn’t want to put a name to, she turned the knob and pulled back the door and stumbled out.

The dumpsters. The door opened into the alleyway where the dumpsters were located. All she had to do was follow the alleyway and she’d find herself on the main streets. Just a little longer.

But her body was already beginning to give up. She legs shook, she was beginning to lose feeling in her extremities, she had lost a good amount of blood, her vision consisted of more black than anything anymore and her head was pounding with an unfathomable intensity. And so, she began limping faster and faster.

The streetlights were getting brighter and the alleyway was opening up. A strangled sound escaped her bitten lips and she hadn’t realized the hot tears that cascaded down her blood smeared face.

Just a little more…Please, don’t fail me. Please, please, please…

A few more steps and she’d be out into the main street. She could almost hear the noise of faraway vehicles. Her body wavered and she stumbled towards the side and sought the wall for support and dragged herself along it.

“Please, please, please, please. Oh, God, please…”

Suddenly, the wall vanished and instead took a hard right. Yoojin stumbled out into the main street, and added pressure to her damaged led by mistake eliciting a sharp gasp of pain. She steadied her failing body and turned a random direction and limped and staggered along the street. She didn’t know what she was doing anymore. The pain was clouding every thought in her head and she didn’t have strength to fight it.

“Yoojin-shi?”

She froze. That voice… She knew that voice. She turned around slowly and could only make out dark hazy forms. Three, if she could still trust her sight. From somewhere above her, there was a sound of glass breaking and a dull thump somewhere closer. She didn’t want to think about. She couldn’t. She was already at her limit.

“I’ve seen corpses in better state than her,” she heard a voice say. One of the dark figures, she assumed.

“Appreciate the compliment,” she spat out and was tired to courtesy.

“Yoojin-shi, you need help. Let me help you,” it was that voice again. For some reason, she wanted to punch the source of it but at same time, all she wanted to do was sit down and cry.

“You… Why are you here?” she asked, throat closing off without too much emotion. She backed away when the closest figure inched forward.

“I’ll answer any and every question you have but first we need to take care of those injuries,” The voice was so sweet and so calm that she almost to reach out to him and let him take care of her.

“This wasn’t supposed to happen again. What’s- What’s-,” she was cut off by her own sob and turned away to compose herself. In the back of her mind, she was impressed she hadn’t fainted yet.

“I know, I know. And I’m so sorry. I really am. So please let me help you, Yoojin-shi,” the voice was much closer now. His voice. He was much closer. Perhaps an arm’s length away. Perhaps a breath away. “You… You do remember me, yes?”

She managed a weak nod and tried to open but darkness took over her vision and she fell, all the sounds diminishes to muffles and echoes until there was silence.

   Jaehwan.