So Min

I screamed, to release all my bottled up fear, though I knew I could not be heard. I resorted to brute force, though I reasoned helplessly that physical attack could not deter the paranormal. I balled my hands into tight fists and started hitting whatever that was confronting me now. Throwing punches as though it was my last burst of energy, I became lost in the battle for my life.

I had no idea how long had I been hitting, but I was utterly exhausted when I finally collapsed on the floor, panting with sore hands covering my face. Was the battle over? Had the ghost vanished?

“YOU….ARE…..SO…..DONE….” came a rough voice.

She speaks?

I willed my eyes to look up, unprepared for whatever that would appear before me.

“Oh no! What have I done?” I covered my mouth with my palm.

Standing right before me was Jerk sunbae with a beaten look and foaming from his mouth!

He rolled his eyes till only the whites were visible. Then, he collapsed.

I watched helplessly as he fell backwards onto the floor and remained unconscious.

Hyun Joong

“Are you dead?” That was the last thing I heard before I passed out.

I awoke to the sunlight attempting to pry my eyes open. I stared up to find an unfamiliar ceiling. This was not my home..

Where was I? I wondered.

The room I was in was clean and small, with white tables and chairs. The bed that now accommodated my 1.85m frame was covered with white cotton sheets.

I sat up to have a better view of my surroundings and was attacked by a stinging pain in my chest. I held onto my chest as the clockworks in my brain tried to conjure up recollections of where I was and how I ended up here.

I realized then where I was now. The events that led me to my current state slowly came back to me. I recalled instructing Jinx Girl to return the old files to the storage room nearing the end of the day. It was not a mistake that I passed the instruction that day and that time. It was deliberately planned that way to heighten the drama ahead After she left for the basement, I quickly packed up to leave the office so that she would have nobody, not even me, to plead for rescue. As I stood up to leave, suddenly I heard the ringing of a handphone.

It was Jinx Girl’s phone.

‘Ah! Great! She left her phone here. She wouldn’t even have a phone to call for help later.’ I thought gleefully. Out of curiousity, I peeked at her phone to check on the caller.

HYORI???

How did Jinx Girl know Hyori? So, they were friends?

I instinctively picked up the call and talked into it in with what I thought to be my deepest, manly voice.

“Hi. This is Hyun Joong, So Min’s sunbae.”

“Hi. Is it inconvenient for So Min to come to the phone now?”

“No…I..I mean yes. She just went off for something and left her phone on my desk.’’ I lied.

“Oh I see.  Well, could you please pass the message that I am already in the queue to buy our movie tickets. I’ll meet at outside the cinema at 8.30pm later. Pllease ask her not not be late,” she chimed in her saccharine voice. My heart beat faster imagining her wonderfully curved lips mouthing those words.

“Hello..are you still there?” It must had been a long silence while my mind ran wild.

“Yes..Yes, I’m here”

“Could you kindly let her know, please?”

“Yes.”

“You are such a dear. Thank you, er…..”

She said I was a dear! I suddenly felt my whole body being lifted up into the air, like a feather floating effortlessly with the wind.

“Hyun Joong. Call me Hyun Joong.”

“Ok.  Thanks, Hyun Joong. Bye.”

Long after she was out of earshot, I continued to hold the phone to my ears in disbelief. This was the first time I actually had a conversation with Hyori!

Wait! She is Jinx Girl’s friend… Which means that if I became her friend, there is a high chance that I could get close to Hyori. AISH! So the bait had been so close all this while and I did not realize it.

Which meant that I should treat Jinx Girl better so that she would let me into her friendship with Hyori. What a PLAN! I’m such a genius!

But first, I need to find So Min to pass Hyori’s message. Maybe Jinx Girl would be so touched that I went down to look for her that she would even invite me to the movie with Hyori. My grin grew wider at this thought.

I practically ran to the basement, oblivious to the dead calm and smell that was repulsive when I came here a week ago. When I reached the door, I pushed the heavy door open and let myself in. I was glad that she had left it unlocked so that I did not have to call her from outside. She would not possibly hear me too since the door and the walls enclosing the room were so thick that it was almost soundproof inside out. As I was entering the room, I heard a howling from somewhere…My body froze. I swallowed my apprehension in a gulp in hope that the rumours about the office girl who committed suicide in this very room was untrue.

I quickened my search for Jinx Girl so that there would be at least a human presence to calm my nerves. I peeped at every lane in between the shelves with dread as I feared in place of finding Jinx Girl, I would find something paranormal instead. My whole body was already drowned with cold perspiration with the escalating suspense. I was about to dare myself to expose my presence to the ghost by calling out to Jinx Girl loudly. Before I made my call, I heard a commotion. That should be Jinx Girl!

I followed the footsteps and alas, the relief that overwhelmed me when I saw her rushing frantically to the door. I dashed towards her and reached for her shoulder. She started to scream so loud that her voice could bring the room down in a matter of minutes. I put my hands to my ears to block her irritating bellow and kept shouting for her to shut up.  And then, it happened….

I felt a throbbing pain in my stomach. And another..and another….The pain was so acute that I could not even made a sound.

It took me a while to realize that the pain originated from Jinx Girl’s punches. Despite her petite frame, she delivered fatal blows that could kill an elephant. I watched the whole scene in slow motion; gasping for breath like a muay thai boxer; her eyes closed tightly as she exerted immense force. Punch by punch, blow by blow, I marveled at each graceful as though attuned to ‘Chariots of Fire’ that imaginarily played at the background.

Why was I conjuring such images when I was incessantly being pulverized like a ragged doll?!

She finally stopped. However, the pain in me just started to fully set in. My feet turned wobbly and the room started to spin.

“YOU..ARE..SO..DONE…” I managed to mumble.

Then, my whole world went dark.

Now, I was lying in the hospital because of the repeated blows received from Jinx Girl. I winced in pain again recalling the punches she mercilessly rained on me.

I clenched my hands into tight fists. How dare she beat me up? No one dared to lay a finger on Kim Hyun Joong! And more so not a woman! This time she had exceeded my tolerance level way too much. I, Kim Hyun Joong, would not let her go scot free.  I swore she was going to pay for the damage done!