Her head hurt. Well, not really. But her mind was groggy. And her neck was sore. Without a doubt, Taeyeon knew she had been drugged. She wanted to open her eyes but her eyelids were like lead, heavy and uncompromising. Her wrists were still restrained and her hands were a little numb. Her left arm especially, presumably from lying on her side for too long. Fortunately, she was lying on something soft, or her arm might have ended up in a worse state. Her legs were bent backwards and attempting to move them made it clear that her ankles were secured to her wrists, which explained her awkward position.

Trying to lift her eyelids was like prying a stubborn mule of a clam open. What kind of drug had they pumped her with? Finally, with superhuman effort, she managed to open her eyes just a crack. Light pierced in, making her see stars. Shutting her eyes, she counted a few seconds before opening them again. It wasn’t as bad this time. Taking a few deep breaths, Taeyeon tried to bring her mind back to alertness by darting her eyes around and she managed to pick up a few pieces of information.

She came to realise that there was someone breathing behind her. Tiffany. It must be her. But was it safe to move? Taeyeon tried to listen out for sounds but there were none. Surely their abductors couldn’t have left them in the room without a guard? She decided to risk taking a look. Tucking her hands and feet in, Taeyeon leaned back and rolled onto her back. She froze, waiting for a sign that their captor had spotted her moving but there was nothing. And true enough, Tiffany’s back was to her when she looked. Lying on the other side of the bed, the woman seemed to be sleeping.

Since there didn’t seem to be anyone in the room, Taeyeon try to call Tiffany. Two hushed whispers later, she received no response so it was safe to assume the woman had not emerged from her drugged state. A quick look around the room confirmed her suspicion. There was no one in sight. What sort of abductor would bring them to a hotel room and leave them alone? Or had they misjudged the dose of drugs for her? Or were they confident of the bonds that rendered her helpless? While it was possible to roll onto the floor and to the door, reaching the handle would be next to impossible. What could she do next?

It was quite difficult to twist her arm or move her hands in any direction. The restraints were thick and there was little room to manipulate. How was she to free herself? Her thoughts fell on the little switchblade she had strapped high up on her inner thigh. If she could just get it out . . .

The turning of the door’s handle had her rolling back onto her side and closing her eyes on reflex. She evened out her breathing and chanted ‘sleep, sleep, sleep’ in her mind to calm herself enough to make whoever it was believe she was still out cold. Footsteps approached the bed.

“You were right. They’re still out,” said Gruff Voice A.

“I told you. The dosage was just right,” Gruff Voice B replied.

The dosage was wrong, but thanks for helping.

“But I still don’t feel good about this. What if they find us?” asked Gruff Voice A.

“They won’t.”

“What if they look at the cameras?”

“All they’ll see are two men with two drunk women. And we’re in a hotel. Nobody gonna suspect anything. See, they’re still here.”

A moment of silence ensues until Gruff Voice B speaks again. “Damn, they’re pretty.”

“We’re not supposed to touch them.”

“You’re a ing coward. Nobody will know. Anyway she only said to leave the rich girl alone. She didn’t say anything about the rich girl’s friend.” Taey