I woke up with a head-splitting headache. It was as if someone punched me on the face. I tried to raise my hand to massage my temples but my wrists were tied together on the back of the chair I was seated on. My ankles were all tied up as well. I was a bit confused of why I was in such state but it didn’t take long for me to recall what just happened. I heard rustling sounds, and without even much thought, I screamed out loud.

“Who’s there? Mom? Dad? Please, help me!”

“Yah! Shut up before I tape that pretty mouth of yours!” A man’s voice said. I tried to find where the voice was coming from. It was dark and I couldn’t even figure out where I was. Despite of his warning, I still spoke.

“Who are you? Are you one of Junhoe’s lackeys? Show yourself!” I said, feeling brave despite being tied up.

All of a sudden, a single bulb lit up and it almost blinded me. A man with a big scar on the left side of his face emerged from the shadows. He was wearing an expensive-looking suit and on his neck were several gold chains. I didn’t know who he was but with how he stood and how he dressed, he exuded power. He looked totally out of place in this, what I knew by now, old warehouse.

“Junhoe’s lacky?” he asked, “I’m insulted! I’m more of a boss than a lacky. And I can never be this stupid pretty boy’s lacky.” He added as he looked over the other side of the warehouse. There, on the darker end of the warehouse, was Junhoe. It took a while for my eyes to adjust to the darkness but I saw how blood dripped from his forehead and his right eye was swollen. He was tied up on the chair he was sitting on and a large tape was placed over his mouth. I stared straight into his eyes and I saw that it was filled with fear and heartbreak. I had never been this confused.

The man walked towards me. He raised his hand to touch my face and I tried to move my neck to avoid further contact.

“Aren’t you a pretty little thing? Can I play with you before I dispose you?” He said as he grabbed me by my chin. He stared at me without blinking and what he said felt like a promise rather than an empty threat. My throat suddenly felt dry as I imagine all the possible things he could do to me.

Junhoe went berserk on his seat making the man walk towards him and slap him using the back of his hand. I saw how the multiple rings on his hand made contact with Junhoe’s face.

“Stop! Please don’t hurt him! Please!” I begged as I attempted to stand up to stop him. My wrist and ankle burned because of the friction against the tight rope I was tied with. Tears started to fall from my eyes, not because of the pain on my wrist and ankle, but because as much as I hated Junhoe for lying, seeing him in pain broke my heart even more.

All of a sudden, the warehouse door opened and a man entered. The light outside was so bright I could only see the man’s silhouette. Was he going to save us?

“Yang! This isn’t part of our deal! She had amnesia! She doesn’t remember everything!” said the man who entered. His voice was oddly familiar.

Yang, scarface’s name, picked up the gun from his back as an impulse. He lowered it immediately upon recognizing who it was.

“I didn’t invite you here, Park! You should have stayed in Australia. Your still walking in thin ice when you failed to tell me that your daughter knew about our little deal.” Yang said.

Daughter?

To confirm my suspicions, my dad emerged from the shadows and I didn’t know who to believe anymore. In that moment, the truth became too much that I prayed all my memories would be erased again.

“Dad? How could you?” I asked, begging for answers. My voice shook as more tears fell from eyes.

“Sweetie! I’m sorry. Daddy made bad decisions to save the company. I don’t want to tell you more because if I do, he’s going to kill you. Don’t worry, sweetie! We’ll start afresh when we go back to Australia!” Dad said as he walked towards me, “Yang! Is it really necessa