“Goodnight, oppa. Please stay safe.” Sojin bid her brother, Jin Young, farewell after their brief, yet satisfactory conversation over the phone. “Don’t forget to call me tomorrow.”

“Sojin-ah, stop worrying about me. I’m only in training right now,” He took a short breath before continuing his statement. “which means I won’t be anywhere near the battlefield for a while.”

“I know oppa, but I can’t help it. You never know what could go wrong.” She let out a sigh and slid her legs under the blankets, preparing to go to sleep as soon as the phone call ended.

“Don’t think like that.” He hissed irritably. “I--Yes sir?” His statement was cut short by a deep, husky voice that called for him in the background, spitting out orders left and right. This left Jin Young with no other choice but to bid farewell quickly for the second time that night, then hang up.

She placed her phone on the charger and afterwards slid the rest of her body under her warm, thick blankets. After she found a comfortable sleeping position, she closed her eyes and slowly fell into unconsciousness.

--

Crash.

Sojin awoke with a start at the sound of glass shattering. It came from the kitchen, located directly below her bedroom. At first, she thought, or rather hoped, she’d dreamt it, but she soon heard the silverware drawer open and then slam shut, followed by rustling noises that trailed into the dining room, and she knew from that point on that it was not a dream.

She sat up sharply, heart racing, and instinctively clutched at her blankets. The noises continued and she remained in her bed; she did not dare go down there yet, fearful of whom she might find and what their intentions might be. She thought about calling the police, but something about the situation made her decide against it. She was scared, most definitely, yet she strangely didn't feel very threatened. In fact, she actually began to feel curious about the situation, along with feeling utterly terrified.

Before long, her curiosity won over her other emotions and she forced her body to move, sliding very hesitantly out of her bed, and tip-toeing to the door. Sojin hesitated for a moment as she contemplated whether she really wanted to go investigate. She could simply huddle in her room until the perpetrator left and avoid any altercations; however, due to her nefarious curiosity, she decided against that and turned the knob carefully, so that it didn’t make much noise.

After exiting her room, Sojin slipped quietly into her brother's room directly across the hall. She knew that he hid a baseball bat somewhere in there, and she planned to use it for protection.

She searched for what seemed to be forever--though in reality, it couldn't have been more than five minutes--and finally found the bat. She held it firmly in my hands, and then slowly, quietly, maneuvered her way out of Jin Young's room, through the hall, and down the short flight of stairs that led into the living room. From there, she crept into the kitchen to inspect the damages.

She gasped at the sight of the mess; silverware laid strewn about the floor, the faucet ran on full-blast, drawers were wide open, and on the fridge was a single hand print made from what looked like mud. She’d began to kneel down, but stopped mid-squat as the rustling grew louder. Slowly, she slid back up to a standing position, gripped the bat tighter, and forced her legs to continue moving forward. She then made her way through the kitchen, bat at the ready, and turned into the dining room.

Sojin knew the perpetrator was in the room; the rustling grew louder as she progressed further into the room. Then, as she the light, it stopped, and in its place, she heard rapid scooting across the floor, most likely into the corner. She continued to move, rounding the table in the center of the room, until she reached the corner in between the window and the wall.

In the corner sat a man, knees to his chest, with his arms wrapped around his legs. He covered his face, but she could tell he was young - at least her age, give or take a few years. He wore tattered, loose-fitting clothes that, from the look, and smell, of it, most likely hadn’t been washed in months. His dark, disheveled hair stuck out every which way, and she assumed that it, too, could use a good thorough cleansing. Lastly, she noticed he wasn’t wearing any shoes, and she could tell from the calluses he hadn’t worn them in a long time.

Upon further inspection, she noticed blood stains on his clothes, most of which were old and brown, but a small few looked a fresh, deep red. On the portion of his arms exposed by tears in his shirt, she saw shards of glass embedded in his flesh. They looked old as well, as if they'd been left there, untreated, for several weeks.

Sojin no longer feared the man, but rather pitied him, as he was injured and needed her help. As a licensed nurse, she had the inclination to help the man, rather than question why he'd broken into her house. Therefore, she knelt before him, set the bat down beside her--as it no longer served much of a purpose--and then reached out to tap his shoulder.

"Excuse me, but--"

She'd obviously startled the man, because he quickly snapped his head up and glared at her with such ferocity that she was taken aback, stumbling backwards and landing on her rear. From the man's throat, she heard a deep, threatening growl. He dropped his arms to his sides and extended his legs in front of him, which revealed more tears in his shirt, as well as more shards of glass in his skin, only causing her pity to grow. Thus, she ignored fierce stare and scooted closer to the man, reaching out to grasp his arm.

Bad idea.