Chewy awakes from her slumber as an intoxicating aroma invades her nostrils, scrunching up her nose as she shifts herself to lie on her back. She struggles to open her eyelids that suddenly felt like they weighed a ton, finding herself staring at the white ceiling above. Chewy tried her hardest to recall the events of the previous night, wondering why her body felt like it had just gone through war and back, but the aroma of frying canola oil kept her mind from thinking any coherent thoughts. To make matters worse, her stomach gnawed at her insides, threatening to devour her entire body if she did not feed it.

The sound of footsteps coming from the hallway outside her room alarmed her just in time to stop her eyelids from closing on her again. Knowing very well who was approaching, albeit not in the mood for interaction, she grabbed her second pillow and draped it over her head. Chewy threatened her body not to move as she heard her door opening.

“I know you’re awake” a very familiar voice greeted her, but rather than irritation, she found the way it rang in her ears mildly soothing.

Not wanting to move from her place, Chewy remained in a fetal-like position, clutching her pillow like a tarsier. It wasn’t long before she felt a hot hand rest on her shoulder, mildly startling her at first but soon adjusting. She wouldn’t admit to herself that she was getting used to these sensations.

“I could hear your stomach from the outside I was afraid it would eat me if I didn’t cook you some breakfast.” Chewy wanted to whine at his statement, but instead, her hoarse throat produced a sound resembling a cross between a goat and a dying cow.

“Suit yourself, better come down before I finish everything up. I haven’t eaten anything since yesterday morning after all” Jun stated before returning to the kitchen, knowing very well how stubborn Chewy can be in the morning.

Chewy’s eyelids suddenly lost their heavy properties as they were now as wide as an owl’s. She knew very well what Jun meant, despite him never explicitly mentioning it. She knew more than he did but she promised herself that she wouldn’t tell him.

She felt her heart begin to race as she suddenly remembered what kept her up the previous night. She started to regret ever waking up from the sleep that provided her an escape from her haunting memories. But before she knew it, Chewy had let her mind carelessly flow back into the events that happened at the hospital:

Chewy found herself wondering hallways that were unfamiliar to her, forcing herself to go out and look for something to tame her grumbling stomach. She wondered what took Jun so long to return as he promised but she was not willing to sit around and possibly starve in an unknown employee’s office.

She carelessly darted past sharply dressed workers who, unbeknownst to Chewy, stared at her for wearing a plain black and shirt and shorts that were a little too short for comfort. She felt a tiny shred of discomfort as she all she saw were people dressed in white, scattered across the hallways and resembling ghosts rather than people. However, that discomfort was accompanied by a dash of awe as Chewy greatly admired the interior of the building, being so different to the ragged streets that she was so used to.

A few meters away from her location, an elderly doctor was busy orienting a young nurse on her duties. He held a half-eaten burger on his right hand which he gently set aside on a reception desk behind him as he examined the nurse’s report. Chewy eyed the snack and inched behind the elderly man, grabbing the burger just outside of his notice.

She wasted no time in digging into the soft, brown surface, stuffing as much of the piece as can take as she walked in the opposite direction. The taste delighted her, feeling the flavors spread inside of her like a carnival, sending waves of relief across her entire body. She took more and more, paying no attention to the people around her who looked at her as if she was from another planet.

She was, unfortunately, snapped out of her flavorful bliss when she felt a strong force colliding with her, causing the burger to fall out of her hands. Thinking than Jun has caught her again, she didn’t do anything to pick it back up. Instead she just stood in her place, head anchored to the ground as she waited for a scolding.

Instead, an eerily familiar voice greeted her in response.

“Well hello, my dear, I didn’t think we’d ever meet again” a baritone voice spoke, sending waves of tension down Chewy’s spine and paralyzing her in her place.

She suddenly recalled the days where she was confined within a hospital bed, fighting for her life after nearly dying of starvation. She remembered a voice constantly ringing in her head in those momentary bursts of consciousness that she would have. A voice that would pepper her mind with thoughts of fear and anxiety, making her feel trapped rather than safe.

Chewy hesitantly lifted her head to see Minjun’s erringly familiar face smiling at her in a suggestive manner. It made her freeze in her spot, her entire body turning into stone in his gaze.

“And what would you be doing here so late? I thought you would be medically cleared to return home. Unless, a certain someone draws you to this place” Minjun said as he scanned her from head to toe, making her discomfort grow tenfold. She was too scared to speak, for she knew who the man was referring to by his words.

“You do know that this is a hospital, right?” Minjun continued, his eyes never leaving her innocent figure.

“A young lady such as yourself should not be dressing so… lacking in a reputable management such as this” he began to inch closer towards her. Chewy backed away as he got closer. She felt her heart stop as her back collided with the cold wall behind her.

“Don’t be afraid my dear, I won’t hurt you” Minjun spoke in a deep, husky tone. Chewy could feel that he was right in front of her, she didn’t want to look at his intimidating structure for he was too close for comfort. She suddenly felt his hand caress her left thigh, causing her to flinch in her place. His touch felt cold and dry, unlike the warm hands that Jun possessed.

Chewy mildly wondered why Jun suddenly came to mind before she realized that she was completely helpless. She couldn’t move for Minjun had his body pressed against her. They were standing in a secluded hallway, with no visible soul passing by, no eyes that could see the horrible things that Minjun was imposing on her.

She shook in her spot as she felt his hand move upwards, coming dangerously close to her sensitive areas. Her heart raced faster and faster as she began to feel his breath on her forehead. She couldn’t believe the things that this man was capable of doing, everything he did felt so foreign to her. Every touch, every move, Chewy wanted to scream for help but her voice failed her.

As the tip of Minjun’s finger made contact with her buttocks, Chewy felt something snap inside of her, waking her from the helpless trance that she was in.

She mustered all her strength to shove Minjun towards the opposite direction, barely moving his large frame but leaving just enough space for her to squeeze free She ran on adrenaline as she sped across the hallways, tears beginning to form in her eyelids.

Chewy prayed with all her heart that she could just vanish at that very moment, she wished that it was all just a horrible nightmare. Her life was hellish enough, being forced to fight for her own survival has caused her to purposely isolate herself from the rest of society.

She grew up not knowing what it’s like to have a meaningful interaction with any living individual for every person that would approach her on the streets would only look at her with disgust. Years and years of being ostracized has caused her to develop the belief that every person is a monster out to get her. Despite this, there were times where she was forced to swallow her pride and beg from these monsters, only to receive cold shoulders and grim stares in return.

She had lost all her faith that there could still be a single living soul on earth that possessed a good heart.

Until one day…

Chewy always found herself returning to that one day in her life when a living human being showed her kindness. A kindness that she could not forget up until the present day.

She fondly remembered a young man from her youth who sold popsicles in the middle of the streets. He possessed a lukewarm demeanor to him which caused her to unconsciously become drawn to the young man.

It was a blazing summer afternoon and Chewy could not find it within herself to fight through the day without searching for basic necessities. She wandered across the scorching streets that fried underneath the sun like toast in an oven, parched beyond belief, her dry mouth no longer able to produce its own saliva.

It wasn’t until she spotted an unlikely ice cream vendor walking around the streets that she began to feel a sliver of hope. The young man was tall and well built. He wore a plaid, red polo shirt along with some dress pants making it obvious that he was from the upper class. He was sweating profusely and was visibly dehydrated, ending up crouching down on the pavement from exhaustion.

Chewy couldn’t help but look on as the man desperately tried to wipe the sweat of his fair skinned face, making her notice his facial features. He had a tall nose bridge, a jawline that could seemingly cut through stone and small lips that were now dried from thirst. She wondered why a man of his league was doing suffering out in the sun others of his kind would usually be found riding in expensive, air condition cars and indulging in high end restaurants.

Chewy began to feel the hope inside of her wane when she spotted the man grabbing what appeared to be his last supply of popsicle. She looked down at what she had salvaged within the day, only seeing three spheres of silver on the palm of her hand.

She tried luck anyway as she approached the man on the street, trying her best to convince him to sell her his last popsicle. To her dismay, he refused, demanding five more won in exchange for the cold treat.

Not knowing what to do and desperate to quench her dying throat, she swallowed up all her pride and began to beg from the people around her.

After what seemed like ages, she finally earned just enough to convince the man, who then seemed flustered, to sell her the popsicle. A non-existent smile formed inside of her, satisfied at her victory.

But just when she felt like she could finally put an end to the drought that plagued her body, she was dragged down to the ground by an unexpected force.

She felt two pairs of hands attack her poor body, dragging her by the hair and attempting to pry the popsicle from her hands. She screamed her lungs out and held onto the cold treat like it was her entire life.

Chewy felt like she was going to die right there, her life of hell on earth coming to an end with a violent altercation.

To her complete shock, the ice cream vendor came to her rescue, beating her two assailants like they were mere twigs. She could not bring herself to believe that a person who cared for another individual, other than himself, stood before her very eyes, shining underneath the sun like a brave knight to her rescue.

He offered her another peace of popsicle, withdrawing the charge that time around. Chewy was speechless and flustered by his actions, her hand reaching out for the popsicle, but her eyes never leaving his.

Ever since that day, she continuously held on to the hope that she would find another person who was capable of selflessness. She didn’t know exactly why she hoped for such, but she felt to herself that finding another person who could show her kindness would make the hell that she lived in a little less painful.

It could be the reason as to why she felt an overwhelming feeling of absence when she returned to the office she had come from but found that Jun was nowhere to be found. It was already dark out and Chewy had expected to find Jun back in room, ready to give her a lecture that would last the entire night. Truthfully, she would rather be stuck in one of his endless scolding’s than suffer the touch of another ‘Jun’ as he liked to be called.

She was suddenly startled by a loud thud that came from behind her causing her to turn around and gasp at the site that her eyes played out for her. The wardrobe doors swung back and forth as its contents sprawled across the floor. Among them was Lee Sangjun’s lifeless body, his white shirt turned grey as it soaked it his swear, his face pale like the moonlight in the sky.

No longer comfortable with her thoughts, Chewy sighed and dragged herself out of her bed. She groggily made her way down the dining area where the table was now filled with hash browns and scrambled eggs. She took in the welcoming aroma before spotting the cook walking in with an unusual breakfast in his hand.

“If you finish all your food, I might just give you dessert” he said as he on a pink colored popsicle.

Its midnight and I'm here strugglin to keep this story afloat >~<

So... I'll be making a few changes here and there. First of all I'll be removing the day system from now on because I find that it limits the story's progression.

Second, I'll be writing a few chapters in 3rd person pov as I've pretty much lost all my ability to write in 1st person.

I really cannot guarantee when the next update will be as my life is now occupied with college and work. However, the next chapter is already halfway done :))

Thanks for ya'll who stick around despite the long update gaps. Warms my frosty heart ^^

Do you guys prefer 1st or 3rd person pov?

Do leave a comment, or a vote, or a sub if you want ^^