I heard the lock twist before the door to the apartment was slung open. “Hwani?” he asked for me and I gently put away my laptop on the nightstand and then went out to meet him. “I’m here.” I smiled as I watched how he slid out of his shoes and jacket. He looked a bit surprised when he stared up on me.

“Ah, I thought you had gone out to meet your friends.” I knew that he was referring to Sung Yeol and MyungSoo, because he knew that they were my only friends besides him. I shook my head once and told him that we had fought. I didn’t tell him much more than that since he didn’t know about those threats I’d been receiving these past months.

“So what was it that you wanted to talk about?” I wondered once he had stepped inside the living room area and slumped down on the couch. It took a few seconds before he answered me, as if he needed to rethink what he was supposed to say.

“Can we talk after I’ve showered?”

I nodded my head and noticed how his frown was replaced by a smile. He walked off to the bathroom and I decided to return back to my laptop. There weren’t much to do on it since I didn’t want to log into my page. I didn’t want Sung Yeol or MyungSoo to know that I was online. But even though I’d spent practically the whole day thinking and rethinking the possibilities of it being them; I still couldn’t come to a conclusion.

It felt so weird.

But if it weren’t them, then who? Maybe it was Sangmin that was behind this after all. It would after all make sense so why not. But in that case, why hadn’t he done it before? Well maybe it had something to do with my run away from home. Does even Mr and Mrs. Yoo even know that I’ve ran away? I doubted that they knew because if they would, then they would’ve called a long time ago.

I swiftly picked up Sooni and gently her fur as she looked up at me with her big eyes. “You are the only one I can trust.” I smiled down at her as I heard how the shower was turned off.

A few minutes passed by and I laughed slightly when I heard how Yong Sook cursed at something inside the bathroom. Probably at something that didn’t go his way. Silence filled the air once again before my cell phone suddenly rang. I gently placed down Sooni on the floor before I reached out for my phone.

I pressed away the call in an instance once I saw who it was; Sung Yeol. I didn’t want to talk to him. But the quietness didn’t last for long as my phone started to ring again. Once again it was Sung Yeol. What does he want? I pressed it away again. Only to hear it ring again. My patience had flooded out of me and I answered the call in a brisk and irritated voice as I asked him what he wanted.

“Where are you?” his always so calm voice had been replaced by a rushed, almost terrified tone and I found myself feeling a bit uneasy. “I-I’m at Yong Sook.” I immediately regretted telling him that after that it had left my mouth. What if he went after me?

“Get out, now.” Didn’t he understand that he was scaring me, but before I got the chance to say anything Yong Sook’s voice appeared behind me, and I dropped the phone to the floor. The adrenaline was pumping in my veins as I slowly turned my head around.

He was staring directly at me, though I found myself shifting my gaze away from his as I scooted further away. “Who was that?” he asked calmly, yet he had this underlying tone that started to scare me. “N-no one.” I stuttered out as my back hit the bed frame behind me. I tried to reach out for my phone but as I was about to grab it Yong Sook kicked it away and took a step closer towards me.

“What are you doing?” I looked between him and my phone that was lying against the wall, and thus out of my reach as Yong Sook bent down to my level. “Do you know; I’ve always hated you.” he murmured harshly and I winched when he placed a finger against my forehead and let it run down to my chin.

I turned my head to the side when I noticed that he began to lean in. He was not going to kiss me. Pain shot through my body when he grabbed a hold of my chin and inched my head back so that I was looking straight at him. His facial features had hardened, his jaw was pressed together and his eyes flaming.

“I’ve despised you ever since that day five years ago when you got adopted.” He spat as he continued to run his finger along my cheek and down towards my throat. And that’s when he stopped and slightly pressed his finger against it so that it began to hurt. I felt how tears were building up inside when Yong Sook continued with his speech.

“Sangmin was right; you are really easy to hurt. You don’t fight back and since you don’t have any friends you easily let me in. Even though those two idiots could’ve stayed away then this would’ve been a lot easier. Either how, that one guy got what he deserved.” A huge smirk began to form on Yong Sook’s lips and I started to understand everything.

Why Yong Sook suddenly stepped into my life again. Why Sangmin started to terrorize me ever more, those threats. It was Yong Sook and Sangmin working together. They wanted me dead.

“I thought you were my friend.” I stated in a low, almost inaudible tone as my teary eyes pierced themselves into his. He only scoffed at me. “Friend, yeah right, do you know how much I suffered after you got adopted. Do you know that you were my only friend before you left. After that I was on my own getting bullied every single day. No one cared. So now, it’s my turn to leave you.”

My tears had escaped and they were soaking my cheeks as they made their way down. My heart had sunk to the lowest point ever. I felt bad; if I didn’t get adopted then maybe Yong Sook wouldn’t feel so miserable.

“Please don’t do this.” I pleaded to him, but he only roared at me to shut up and stay quiet. “I’ve waited for this day to come for five years. And know it’s finally here.” He laughed at himself, as if today was some kind of anniversary. I begged one more time; I told him that he didn’t have to do this.

“Shut up.”

I gawked when I felt his hands around my throat. Sung Yeol and MyungSoo’s faces flashed before my eyes when he tightened his grip around my throat. It didn’t take many seconds before it was getting hard to breath.

‘I don’t want to die.’

I frantically started to kick around with my legs as I tried to free myself from his grasp. My head started to get light and I knew that if I didn’t free myself soon it was going to be too late. I noticed that he started to have trouble with keeping his hands steady and with a last kick, I hit him in the stomach and he groaned in pain. I breathed in and out deeply as I tried to stand up on my legs. It was a bit hard in the beginning but once I could stand straight I kicked Yong Sook in the stomach one more time, it would give me enough time to grab Sooni and get the hell out of there.

Once I was on the streets I ran, ran and ran. I did not once stop to look behind me, because if I saw that he was fallowing then I probably would’ve gotten a nervous breakdown and stop. So I kept running with Sooni tightly in my embrace, she was staring at me and I guessed she must think I’m crazy, just like everyone else.

I dodged people and tried not to run into some, but at times it was hard not to. They would yell after me but I didn’t stop. I couldn’t stop because if I did then he – they would catch me. For what I knew Sangmin could be out looking for me as well.

I rounded a corner and immediately came to a halt when I saw who was standing before me. Go Eun and her two friends, luckily there were no Sangmin or Yong Sook in sight. “What do you want?” I stated in a rush as I glanced around me before I returned my gaze and fixed it on Go Eun; she was staring at me with this weird look. “I am in a hurry.” I blurted as I impatiently began to stomp my feet’s against the hard ground.

“Sangmin’s looking for you.” Go Eun blurted and I could literally feel how my eyes widened in horror. No, they – he wouldn’t get me this time. I darted off as I began to run again, away from them and away from Sangmin’s grasp while hearing Go Eun’s loud voice screaming at me from behind.

‘Where the hell is Sung Yeol’s apartment?’ I thought, once I actually needed to get to it I couldn’t seem to find it. But when I absolutely didn’t want to go there, then it was easy to find it, so why not now. I stopped as I tried to look around me at the same time as I recalled my breath. My eyes scanned the surrounding buildings as Sung Yeol’s words boomed in my head.

‘Get out, now.’

Did he know? Did he know that Yong Sook was behind all this? But how?

With a last quick look I began to run again, though as I was running I recognized some of the shops. Some of the buildings looked fairly familiar and a small relief entered my heart as I saw that special apartment building rose before my eyes. I smiled down at Sooni before I headed towards it. Once I was right outside the door I was greeted by the guard who smiled brightly at me.

“Could you please let me in, I really need to see Sung Yeol and MyungSoo.” I spoke in a hurry, still a bit terrified that they were behind me. I couldn’t feel safe just yet. “They are expecting you.” he spoke in a well-mannered voice as he pointed with his hand towards the elevators. I bowed and left.

I think the elevator ride was the longest I’d been on, because it truly felt like it would never stop. The floors didn’t seem to have an ending, but once it reached the top floor I squeezed myself through and hurried over to their door. I began to knock but when seconds passed by and nothing happened I began to bang harshly on it.

The door was slung open, and thus revealing a somewhat stressed out Sung Yeol. I didn’t know what happened, but all my emotions released themselves and I found myself crying as I said sorry over and over again. I had accused him for something he didn’t do and I felt terrible about it. Especially since the one who’d actually done it, was someone that I’d almost treasured higher than both Sung Yeol and MyungSoo.

“It’s okay.” He didn’t seem angry at all as he wrapped an arm around my waist and brought my body closer to his; I gently placed my head against his chest. After a moment of complete silence and a lot of crying from my side I pulled away and asked him where MyungSoo was.

“Showering.”

I nodded and then let Sooni down on the floor before I glanced up at Sung Yeol again; he looked a bit bothered to be honest. But once his eyes pierced themselves into mine I felt how my heart thumped harder. My cheeks heated and I turned away from his gaze.

“You need to tell the police.” His sudden words brought my back to reality again. How I wished that my past world could just collapse so that I could start a new one, with both of them, away from all this. Away from the Yoo family, Yong Sook, everyone at school, precisely everyone except Sung Yeol and MyungSoo.

“They won’t believe me, plus I left my laptop at Yong Sook’s place.”

~~

THIS IS NOT THE END ;P