Made to Ruin

1

It’s incredible to think that being a college professor isn’t easy, but Sooyeon loves it. Whether it may teach her students another set of material or the times that they’d have a fun free talk during class hours. The students loved her without a doubt. Her way of teaching wasn’t draining nor was it boring, she made it interesting for the students and to adjust to their attention spans. It also didn’t hurt that the students loved her more than as a teacher, there were numerous times that she had received love letters from them.

Chuckling as another love letter was put into her table, she sighed and placed it in a drawer where the other unopened letters were. Sooyeon finished late at work from checking all the paperwork of the students, not wanting to bring home any work as it was the weekend.

Her weekends only consisted of ramen and soju waiting for her when she came home. There were times that her beloved students invited her out for drinks, to which she gladly accepted a few times since they were all of legal age. Her closest students could feel comfortable around her and call her ‘Eonnie’ outside but since they knew their boundaries, they’d call her by her profession during their class hours.

But other than her students, her fellow professors weren't to her liking enough to befriend them outside the university. The others were, for the lack of a better word, boring. They’ve been a professor for a longer time and that also included the between her and them. For them, she’s considered as the ‘maknae’, at the age of 37, which the school allowed due to her extensive resume.

Standing up from her desk, stretching and hearing the cracks that her body made from sitting too long in one position. Staying too late in the university would spark the rumors of seeing some supernatural stories into life and hurriedly gathered her stuff and left the building.

Another day had come, her class being on the afternoon schedule, which was good since she had to go to the bank. The same as usual - long lines full of people carrying briefcases and complaining about the long line.

All was well until a group of men wearing red masks barged in through the doors yelling loudly for everyone to get down and raising their guns up. Cries around the place resonated from people that brought their children with them, whimpering and begging to spare them.

One of the men that was controlling their side looked at her curiously, defiantly looking up and lifting her chin to show that she wasn’t scared of what’s going to happen to her, the man’s reaction surprised her greatly. “Witch!” He yelled out, stumbling behind and colliding with his other men.

People that were cowering with her turned to look at her in confusion as the man wreaked havoc just to get their leader. She looked around in both wonder and amazement as the men that were guarding their side seemed to take a few steps back away from her.

His colleague’s eyes widened at the sight of her. “The witch is here!” He yelled as well, calling the attention of their other comrades. The leader of the group went to check the chaos that they were having and went slack when he found out.

“Everyone, move out!” The leader growled into his walkie-talkie. “The witch is here.” He said before his group moved out as fast as they came in. The police came in just in time they left, checking on whoever’s hurt and the money that they were trying to steal.

The bank situation might have ended right there and then but the apparent target on her back felt too real when she saw the same men following her around for the rest of the following weeks.

At first, she thought it was a coincidence but it became a confirmation when she was walking out with her close students, they asked her who were the men that kept following her. She disregarded their concerns and reasoned it to be a lookalike.

Despite being scared out of her wits, she remained cool and calm and tried to forget the men following her. Did it have any connection to the bank? She was certain that the men in red masks were referring to her as the ‘witch’ and retreated back. Sooyeon tried her best to forget and it successfully slipped from her mind when an extremely exhausting day came on to her.

Being sleep-deprived and stress fatigue all over her, she forgot her surroundings and just wanted to feel the softness of her bed under her fingertips.

After a while of driving all the way to her apartment, she parked her car in the basement parking lot. The basement was eerie at this time, there was a light on the corner that kept flickering and she made a couple steps away from her car before she sensed a heavy presence behind her before feeling her eyes droop and her body limping against the figure’s body.

Sooyeon wakes up in an unfamiliar bed and place, fear runs through her body, standing up as fast as she can to assess her surroundings. There was a window but it couldn't be opened, the glass was thick and if she ever threw something to break it, her plan might just backfire on her.

The door was sealed shut. There was no doorknob, hitting it with her hand and making loud noises didn’t make any changes. There wasn’t even a bathroom, just a shower head on the other side of the room. Stuck in a room with no way out, her only relief was her clothes that remained intact. If it wasn’t, then her mind would have gone haywire on thinking of what happened.

Getting kidnapped and being in a place where she doesn’t know wasn’t on her list for the weekend and her phone and bag were nowhere to be seen. Outside her window, the view of the ocean made her wonder, where the hell is she?

With not even a speck of entertainment to keep her company, Sooyeon lays on the bed begrudgingly. She doesn’t know what time or day it is, all that she knows is that she is somewhere in the world with no contact with anyone. Sooyeon curses herself for not befriending her co-workers and her close students are busy with their upcoming final exams, now that she remembers her schedule, there was really no one to help her.

Just as the sun went down, the waves of the ocean got stronger. Staring out of the window for too long, waiting for something to happen, and it did. A helicopter from the air slowly descended onto the sand and a line of men came out to meet the person that came out from the helicopter and bowed to him.

As the man walked, the men flocked to his back and followed him in. A surge of shiver went up to her spin and prepared herself for the worse. If she got here unscathed, she sure as hell won’t come out the same.

Sooyeon waited patiently despite feeling her heart about to burst at the sudden turn of events - earlier, she thought she was just alone but as it turned out, there were numerous strangers dressed in black with her. The smallest part in her chest hopes she won’t be knocked out again but at the same time, she thinks that would be just the best.

The sound of rattling came from the door and braced herself for the impact. An unknown man held the door open for her, there was no doorknob on the inside but there was one on the outside. He stood there silently and waited for her