Chapter twelve: Burn Out

      I was panting and breaking into a sweat. I moved my arms up and down let my legs take me anywhere. The loan sharks were at it again. This time, they were chasing me for the money. I have been saving up money by working at Tagoon's coffee shop but I still don't have enough to free myself out of these chains. They will be following and chasing me until the end of time.

       I huffed and I puffed; trying to catch my breath. “There she is!” one man screamed. I can hear footsteps following close. I boosted up my speed but I didn't know if I could take it anymore. My legs were getting sore and I started to trip over things. Damn, I thought, as I bit my bottom lip in frustration. I looked left and right and had no idea where to go.

      A hand grabbed my shoulder and pulled me away. I gulped and thought, it can't be the end of me. Not now. The person dragged me into a dark alleyway and stopped. My eyes wandered around as I felt faint. He then gently placed his hand on my head and pulled it to his chest. I can feel his heartbeat pounding. His breath was quite shallow as he relaxed a bit when the loan sharks ran in the wrong direction.

      Difficult struggles, pieced up memory, cracked fingertips stop at that spot
      Veiled lies and embellished hypocrisy will irrevocably grow larger on its own
 

     I pushed myself away from him and looked at him. His face is quite familiar. I squinted at him as I tried to figure out where he came from. He looked away as he saw me stare at him too long.

       “Lee Minhyuk-shi?” I pondered aloud. He shoved his hands and didn't look at me. “What?” he coldly said. He is my saviour but why? I tilted my head to get a closer look at his structure. He seemed very strong. Cold but warm. “I saw you running away as if your life depended on it. I wouldn't want P.O's girl to get hurt,” he gritted.

      “Ah, I'm not his girlfriend,” I replied as I pushed my hair back. He shrugged and walked away. “Wait!” I cried as I stuck out my hand, “I don't understand you. Didn't you want to hurt me? Why would you save me from being hurt?” He looked back and his eyes were empty.

       “Because I understand what you're going through.”

       Walk on my two legs alone, stand up even if I fall down
        My heart beats faster and my pupils becomes smaller