When he awoke, he was not as he expected to find himself. Perhaps, everything had been just a dream and he hadn't been ridden with bullet holes. Perhaps he had seen a vision in which someone with the same face as him had defied a thug. Somehow he knew that wasn't the case but if it wasn't, why was he alive? Sehun sat up in what appeared to be a comfortable bed yet instead of being thrilled that he was safe and sound and possibly being looked after he could not understand why. Did someone out there have greater plans for him? His blood chilled. No, he wasn't going to allow that. Like a stealthy cat, he crawled out of this bed. He threw a quick glance around the meager room of dull colour and sparse furniture.

His eyes rested on the humidifier, the only other item in the room. Goosebumps crawled over his skin. Instinctively he reached into his back pocket. Nothing. His gun was missing. He dared to gulp. His gaze fixated on the door. What lied beyond that? Did he really want to know? A cryptic smirk surfaced. Whoever had placed him here meant for him to try the door. There was no other way out. No windows. Could it be that he was locked in a cellar? The ambiguity confounded him. Who would do this? He was a dying man... a dying thing. He was of no use to anyone. There was no meaning in keeping him.

Baffled, he allowed himself to fall into the plan he had initially focused not to charge into. He crept for the door, reached the handle and twisted it, half expecting it to be locked. Contrary, it swung open. A staircase stood before him, daunting. He grimaced. Preparing for absolutely anything, he resolved to climb it, taking light steps in order to keep whoever was around from detecting him. The doorway above him was almost in sight. He held his breath, lest it cause a stir. Perspiration clutched at his brow. He told himself to be brave. He had been through so much worse than lying in the basement.

He opened the second door carefully. The sudden stream of light paralyzed him. He wasn't expecting it. Hurriedly, he moved through the narrow opening and could not help staring. The hunched posture. The pouring of endless tears. The quiet weeping. It was all very strange. The scene mesmerized him. He had an urge to comfort this person. She seemed so pitiful. Grasping his wits, he snorted. Was it empathy he'd just felt? How human! How unlike him.

She must've spotted him from the corner of her eye because she bent her head lower, further masking her face as she rapidly wiped her face. When the evidence of her frailty was erased, she looked up at him with a smile. A twinkle of melancholy glimmered behind her eyes.

"You're awake!" She beamed as if she were delighted by it. She moved from her nest of cushions on the sofa and made her way towards the wary Sehun. "I'm so glad you're up, you've no idea. Are you hungry? I'd ask you what you'd like to eat, but I'm afraid I can't offer much. Still, something is better than nothing right?"

Skeptically he watched her advance to the kitchen and rattle the cupboards to gather equipment which she laid out neatly. He was still observing the chopping board, knife and pot, when she came back from the fridge and laid out fresh ingredients. "I didn't know if you were vegetarian or vegan or not so I wasn't sure what to buy. Then I thought to myself, 'he needs something healthy,' and decided I'd cook soup."

Sehun scrunched his nose. Did she really think he would eat her cooking while she was keeping him captive? She must've thought him dense. He was quicker than that. She continued to spout nonsense as she cooked, talking about the various ingredients she was using and their nutritional value as if he had asked to be educated about them. He could not care less about these things. It didn't matter what he put into him. He was going to die in the end. There was no point.

While the soup was cooking, she began to prepare a salad. He couldn't help shuddering. Who could be expected to eat all that grass? There were far too many leaves and tomatoes and just not enough carrots. The portion was small almost miser. Nothing about it was appealing. He hoped she didn't plan to feed him that, not like he was going to have what she gave him anyway, but he'd take personal offense if that salad was presented to him. That was simply not human food. Sehun smirked at his own ironic evaluation. She moved onto making rice. Then darted to the fridge to grab a box of kimchi which she placed in a side plate. She continued with the commentary of what she was doing and the advantages of 'good' food. He watched her fret and talk nonsense as she laid out the side dishes. The soup was done. He could tell from the brothy aroma that invaded his senses and tempted his stomach to rumble.

"Not long left now," she replied to an unasked question. Sehun watched the bowl of soup appear onto the table. The shoddy bit of furniture could hardly hold two side dishes and a bowl of soup. The diminutive size of the table created an illusion of richness. It looked appetizing. Well, it did until that salad appeared to make the situation revolting once again. She offered him the chair and scurried off to drag a stool, emphasizing the squalor she festered in.

"Eat, please," she offered, once back. It was only till she sat opposed to the salad that the situation shed light. Only Sehun couldn't understand why she would have such a miserly meal.

"Who are you?" He finally asked her.

Her eyes widened. She seemed almost pleased to be diverted from her food. "Oh! I'm so sorry. I should have done that first. Introduced myself, I mean. I'm Chang Eunhwa, 20 years old." Eunhwa looked at him expectantly.

"You look older," he remarked nonchalantly.

Her face fell for a moment, the melancholy foamed over her eyes but then she smiled. "I guess so. I must look older. That's why I'm on a diet."

He nodded. So the cow feed was hers. He couldn't help pity her. How could anyone eat cold salad without dressing? She seemed so happy while she had cooked. It seemed wasteful to watch the soup grow cold. He had his reasons though. Until she didn't explain things to him he would not budge.

"Aren't you hungry?" Eunhwa questioned. His stomach grumbled in response, betraying him. She smiled once again. "Please do sit," she got off the little stool to enforce him into his seat. "It's not at all an inconvenience. You don't need to feel embarrassed about it. Please, have some soup. Actually, I know it sounds a little creepy, but I'd really like to watch you eat. I've been on a diet for months now. Normally I flick on the cooking channel but I think watching someone eat would make me feel fuller. So really, you don't need to be embarrassed, you're doing it for me."

Under normal circumstances, Sehun might have challenged anyone who tried to mak