5 p.m.

Jaehyun could only flinch and tightened his lips as to not give Junhong the satisfaction of seeing him in pain. He felt the slow trickled of his blood flowed down his cheek after Junhong playfully nicked him with the knife.

He could feel the guy smiling at him as if he knew Jaehyun was only pretending. He continued to trace Jaehyun’s face with the knife wondering which part of the face next he should cut all the while breathing heavily as if excited by the prospect of cutting and hurting

Jaehyun then heard a small whimper coming from Irene who only sat frozen in horror and tears in her eyes. She could only watch helplessly.

“Why are you doing this?” he asked still keeping an eye on where the knife was at. He could see the pointed tip was sharp and the small trace of his blood was still on it. Jaehyun’s heart nearly stopped when the knife was under his left eye.

“Why you ask? Simple! Chaeyeon is mine and mine only.”

“But she….she….broke up with you” Jaehyun replied stuttering a bit because the knife still remained in the same position. Suddenly he felt something akin to a sting where the knife was only to realise he was cut slightly under his eye. By now he was shivering a bit in fear.

“True but in my mind we never did broke up.” Junhong stood back cockily and smug “The only reason I stopped harassing her well…..I thought I would give her some space and overtime she would comeback to me.” Jaehyun had heard of that through word of mouth that her ex-boyfriend had caused a commotion at her apartment after they broke up but thought it was just rumour at that time.

“Even when she was close with other guys, I let her but I warned them not to touch or get too close her or something else might happen to them. Of course most of them obliged and some stay away from her after they heard an incident involving a certain student from another department got ‘attacked’ at night on the way home.” A smile curved his lips as he reminisce that particular memory.

“Then why kidnapped me? And why Irene noona have to do with this? She’s not involved in any of this!”

“Oh? But she is.” Junhong grinned “She brought you to her and you made Chaeyeon smile.” He said bitterly and snarled in disgust “That smile should have been for me only. I should be the one to make her smile and no one else!” he shouted which echoed the entire room. Jaehyun gulped.

Junhong now stood directly in front of Jaehyun with the knife gripped tightly in his hand. Expressionless, he looked down at the tied up boy who was now more fearful by the minute. In a hoarse voice that chilled Jaehyun, he said “Do you really think I didn’t know? It’s not just you and Chaeyeon I had been watching but Irene as well. Chaeyeon getting her ankle twisted? Irene asking favour from you? Her going to her blind date? The proposition? Buying her favourite strawberry latte? You getting allowed to enter Chaeyeon’s apartment easily? And especially the kiss on the street?”

Jaehyun’s eyes widened and clenched his jaw. So the guy was really onto him everyday. He felt violated somewhat

Then in a move not one of them expected, Junhong suddenly drove the knife to Jaehyun stabbing him in the stomach.

Horrified, Irene let out a terrifying scream. Jaehyun felt immobilised as he felt the sharp pain coursed through him. He felt the blood seeping through his clothes and when Junhong drove the knife out, he let out an agonizing scream. The pain was so excruciating that even breathing became difficult to him. Through his hazy vision and pain, he saw his blood dripping down the knife and when he looked up, the guy only smiled calmly.

“You forced me to do this. If you had just listened, this wouldn’t have to happen” Junhong said blaming it all to Jaehyun.

He started to raise his knife again when out of nowhere, he was slammed at the side by Irene who had come out of her fear. The knife dropped from his hand and she kneeled in front of him. “Are you okay?” Her expression was grimed when she saw his injury.

“You’ll pay for that b****” Junhong screamed as he charged towards Irene and Jaehyun was determined not to let hurt her. She immediately stood up and when Junhong was near, Jaehyun tripped him sending the guy face down on the ground.

Irene hurriedly went to the knife and he realised that her hands were untied by now. He didn’t know how she did it but thank god. She immediately grabbed for the bloody knife without hesitation and started cutting his rope.

Jaehyun prayed he might survive this whole ordeal and for Irene to hurry because he didn’t think he can last longer with the amount of blood he had loss and his vision getting darkened by the minute. His breathing became even more laboured and he was getting dizzy.

He felt the rope getting loosened and then he saw Junhong getting up with anger in his eyes. He pushed Jaehyun who was still on the chair on the side causing him to yell painfully.

Irene who still had the knife clutched it tightly in her hand as she tried to defend herself from Junhong who was matching her steps as she moved backward. The guy terrified her with his haunted eyes and the way he looked at her with hatred.

She glanced worriedly at Jaehyun who lay still on the ground but was bleeding profusely judging by the blood seeping from his clothes. She really needed to get him to the hospital quickly but the way the situation was right now, she came up a blank. There’s no way for her to avoid or getting out of the place safely not when Junhong was around and was in control of the situation.

She only had one chance left and gulped nervously as it was the only option she could think of. She aggressively charged towards him. Fortunately he avoided it because she was actually going to cut Jaehyun’s rope. He was groaning from the pain and his blood was still flowing from his body. She had to do this fast.

Suddenly she heard the door behind her slammed shut loudly and cursed knowing they have no smelt something strong. She didn’t know what it was. Finally Jaehyun was freed and she draped one of his arms to her shoulder. Irene saw he was getting pale by the minute.

She took in her surrounding searching for her exit route. She knew the door won’t do any good since Junhong would lock it. She bit her lips as she contemplated going through the broken glass windows. There were several of them but she worried about the glass shards plus with Jaehyun in her arms.

“Noona?” he whispered. Even saying her name was difficult to him.

“It’s okay Jaehyun. We are going to get out of here.” She comforted him but then gasp.

Irene watched horrified as flames and smoke surrounded them and sweeped the house by the minute. She started to cough when the smoke entered her lungs. A foreboding sense warned her that both of them probably won’t make it out of there alive. She couldn’t breathe and went to her knees.

She couldn’t think of anything and tried to get up but it was too much. She didn’t want both her and Jaehyun to die especially him but with his current condition, she didn’t know if he would make it at all. Irene was feeling a little dizzy and her vision started to blurr in front of her.

“Irene noona” Jaehyun painful voice called to her but she was already passed out.

Jaehyun coughed hard which another pain to him because already he was having difficulty breathing to start with. Now with the smoke inhalation, it only made it worse.

His vision started to get hazy and predicted he was going to pass out as well. He prayed both he and Irene both made it out here but didn’t get his hope high. With everything that’s going on, it would be short of a miracle.

The last thing he saw before his body gave in was a vision of Chaeyeon smiling at him.

The one thing he regretted out of all was not being truthful to her about his feelings from the beginning. He smiled sadly to himself because he probably won’t have the chance to tell her that.

***

Frustration, panicking, and anxiety all rolled into one as Chaeyeon tried so hard to keep together but her effort was fruitless. Her emotions were in a bundle of mess right now worrying about Jaehyun. A sense of dread came to her but she ignored it. Now was not the time to add more to her misery feeling.

She gazed at her friends and Jaehyun’s friends who were cramped inside Johnny’s car as he trailed the police cars heading to Junhong’s whereabouts. She still couldn’t believe how he got himself roped in this. When the police officer told all of them to just remain and waited, Chaeyeon already knew she’s not going to obey that. The minute the police cars left the scene, she saw Nayoung dialled someone on her phone and in just a couple of minute, Johnny came with a car. That surprised her as well as everyone else. She had no ideas her friend was really that close with him.

A brief introduction was made before Nayoung seated herself on the front passenger seat while she, Taeil and Chungha sat on the back passenger seat while Ten at the back of them. Bogum, meanwhile, decided to follow them in his own car.

“Follow the police cars” Nayoung instructed Johnny.

“Yes ma’am” he replied giving a laidback smile.

That raised both eyebrows from Chaeyeon and Chungha who looked at each other. Ten watched their interaction, fascinated and amused asked Chungha “What are you guys doing?”

“Talking with my friend” she answered simply.

“Make sure as well not to let them see us and hurry. We don’t have time to lose.” Nayoung said sternly.

The drive was a long ride and on occasion she asked Ten to check on her cousin who was following behind them. Johnny slowed down and stopped the car not far from an abandon housing area site. All of them watched as the police officers got out of their car and scampered around the area looking for the house.

“What’s that?” Taeil pointed as all of their gazes followed on what he was pointing at in the distance and saw smoke rise in the air.

“Looks like a fire” Ten said and Chaeyeon didn’t hesitate. Without anyone realising, she got out of the car and ran as fast as she could.

“Chaeyeon” she heard Nayoung shouted at her from the back but she didn’t stop. Every minute counts and by the time she arrived all of the officers were already there with one calling the Ambulance and another called the Fire Department.

The fire had already engulfed the whole house with the flame blaze stronger and stronger that she could feel the intense heat from it.

“No” Chaeyeon shook her head as she stared and stood there helplessly at the sight in front of her.

“Chaeyeon” she heard Chungha called out to her but Chaeyeon didn’t hear or turned to her friend. She……

 

Two different loud sirens can be heard behind. The Ambulance and the Fire Trucks both had arrived at the same time. The firemen scrambled down from their respective trucks and hurriedly took out their hoses.

“Everyone I’m sorry but you have to move back or go home. This is not the place for you to be here” a policewoman stood in front of her and tried to get her to leave. She didn’t respond as her gaze was fixed on the fire and the fleeting images of him that went through her mind.

She didn’t want to believe that the time they spend together was short live and just when she was about to get to know him.

“Sorry but both of our friends are in there and we’re not going leave” Bogum calmly replied which snapped Chaeyeon out of her reverie. That tone, she recognised it when her cousin was about to do something stupid or dangerous.

Before she voiced it out, he took off his suit jacket and handed it to her. “Hold this for me.” He then sprinted to the hose where the firemen were busily dousing water against the fire and drenched himself with it. That momentarily stopped them and they angrily shouted at him but he didn’t herd to their anger. Several policemen were steadily fast approaching knowing by now what his action was.

Bogum inspected the area and only saw one broken glass window which was not that affected much. Decision made, he ran to the raging fire.