Sowon blinked. A surge of fear and confusion spread throughout her body, leaving her weak at the knees. Why were they there? Who were they? Her mind became muddled with questions and worries, and then became blank. Sowon closed her eyes tightly, as if everything was a dream – a nightmare that would disappear if she just woke up. She opened her eyes. The huge van was still there. She could still make out at least two silhouettes behind the tinted windows.

The indigo-colored van, which looked like a small version of a moving truck, had been parked on the side of the road – on the side of their road, to be exact – since morning. At first, Sowon had paid it no mind – sometimes the owner of the land of the apartment buildings across the road sent a couple of men to check out the premises, although they paid no heed to their little house. However, for several hours, the silhouettes hadn’t even budged. The strange situation had reminded Sowon of the letter she read yesterday. Therefore, since an hour ago, Sowon had been watching the van from the first-floor window, hidden behind the curtains that covered the glass pane halfway.

“Sis, I’m going now.” Chaewon’s voice woke Sowon from her trance. Sowon had forgotten that her sister had to go to her afternoon job as the dish-washer at the town restaurant.

“Stop! Don’t open the door!” Sowon’s voice was hoarse and shrill and so unlike her that Chaewon stopped in the middle of leaving the house, a look of surprise on her face. But it was too late. She had already opened the door halfway, and her hand was still on the doorknob. One of her feet was placed on the grass outside the house.

Sowon whirled back towards the window and saw a burly man wearing darkly-tinted sunglasses leave the passenger’s seat of the van. He must have seen the door open, since the door was facing the road. He seemed to be at least six feet tall and was wearing a black suit, despite it being quite warm outside. He had no hair on the top of his head, leaving it smooth enough to shine under the blinding afternoon sun. Several other men who looked almost identical to the first started to leave from the back of the van.

Sowon turned to her sister, who was frozen in place. The younger girl had probably spotted the men by now. Sowon frantically motioned to the stairs. “Run!” she cried.

Chaewon stared at Sowon uncertainly, fear reflected in her eyes, and then without a word bolted upstairs. Sowon rushed to the front door and slamming it shut, turned the lock and bolted the door with the rusty chain. Then she ran to the window and pulled the old curtains over it, as if being unable to see the men and the van made her somewhat safer.

Sowon hesitated. Should she stay downstairs and make sure the men didn’t force their way in by breaking the door? But then, what could she do against a bunch of men who looked like they were trained for combat? She was just a normal seventeen-year-old girl with a younger sister to care for.

  Without any warning, an explosion interrupted her thoughts. She heard it before she even saw it. The door, including the rusty chain lock and hinges, was blasted inwards, nearing whamming into her, which would have been fatal. Then everything seemed to happen in slow motion. Bits of plaster from the wall flew into the air, along with pieces of broken bricks. A fog of thick, white dust followed them, clouding the air. Black smoke also appeared fusing with the white, and sparks whizzed by.

  Sowon felt herself flying in the air and then smash into something solid. Her sight became temporarily black and red, and her eardrums rang. The force of the explosion had slammed her into the far wall. Thankfully, her back, instead of her head, took most of the impact.

  Sowon dwindled between consciousness and unconsciousness. Her sight was cloudy, the reason not only being the dust and the smoke, and a pain began to increasingly throb in her head. She heard a scream, and to her muddled thoughts, it seemed like from somewhere far away. Chaewon… At the thought of her sister, Sowon’s head cleared somewhat. Fear stabbed her heart. Chaewon!

  Sowon wildly looked around her. The smoke was fading, and the dust was settling. There was a huge gap where the front door had been, yet it was way bigger than the size of the door. To her utter shock, a couple of the huge men were dragging a kicking and shouting Chaewon out. Behind them, there were another couple of men. Sowon tried to bolt up, but her aching body was still numb from the shock. Her limbs didn’t feel like her own. She opened to call out to her helpless sister, but ended up doubling over and coughing hoarsely from her dry throat and the dust still surrounding her. When she looked up, the men and her sister were gone from sight.

  What were the men doing? Did they come for her sister? Sowon, with all her strength, willed herself to move. A big weight of desperation pulled on her chest. She fell down several times before managing to stand unsteadily on her shaking two legs.

  “Chaewon.” The word came out as an unintelligible croak. Sowon wobbled towards the door, trying to reach it as fast as she could, but fell halfway to her destination. She felt something sharp prick the surface of her hands in multiple areas. Bending her head, she saw tiny shards of glass sprinkled on the floor like salt. The glass window had shattered, leaving the curtains to freely blow in the wind. From her current position, Sowon could clearly see the men drag Chaewon into the back of the van out of the large gap in the wall.

  “Chaewon!” This time, it came out as a sob. Sowon hated how helpless she felt as she saw her sister being taken away. The van doors slammed shut behind the young girl and the men. The van backed up into the road and rushed off, leaving not a single trace behind. Sowon was unable to run towards it in her current condition, much less stand.

  “Chaewon…” A tear dropped from Sowon’s eye, and then more followed it. “Chaewon!” Her shrill voice pierced the air, leaving an echo of loneliness and sadness. Nothing but the wind responded to her cry.

Hello, new readers! How do you like the story? Please subscribe!!!! :D