• TRAPPED •

"I'll help you."

-Park Jiah

 Jiah laid her body on her bed. Dinner with Kyungsoo’s family was great and they had a decent conversation. His dad came home just in time for dinner and he joined in as well. Jiah smiled as she remembered how lively Kyungsoo’s family is. Jiah then went into the bathroom to get a shower before heading to bed.

After showering and changed her clothes to bed, Jiah let herself fall onto the bed. She crawled towards her pillow and grabbed her phone which is on the table beside her bed. She switched on her phone and she received a text message from,

Kyungsoo.

Her heart thumped as she recognises the name of the person who sent the message. Jiah smiled a bit before pressing ‘Open’ to the text message.

Kyungsoo: Did you reached safely?

Jiah was touched to read that he was actually being concerned for the first time, after being treated like nobody the entire time. Jiah pressed the Korean letters on her phone screen.

Jiah: Yes, I did. Thank you for asking Secretary Cha to send me back home.

A few minutes later, a new text reached her phone.

Kyungsoo: You’re not asleep?

Jiah: I’m about to.

Kyungsoo: Goodnight then, see you tomorrow and … have sweet dreams.

Her heart twitched a bit when he sends this kind of text message. Wow, this is so unlike him for the first time. Her mind was confused. Is this Kyungsoo, the one she has been talking to?

She decided to send him the last text.

Jiah: Thank you for teaching me today. I learnt well.

No reply from him after a few minutes. She guessed that he might be sleeping.

Jiah: I guess you’re asleep. Goodnight.

Jiah put her phone away and grab her pillows that can help her drift her to sleep.

Meanwhile, he was not sleeping, yet. He stared at the text messages that she sent to him and the messages he said to her. He felt so cheesy after sending the text message. But at the same time, he felt relieved to hear that she’s safe.

What is wrong with me?! He screamed internally. He put his phone away decided to sleep the cheesiness away.

--

Jiah stared at the note that was lying on top of her desk. It says,

“Hm?” Jiah thought.

She looked around the room, whether anyone has been looking at her. But, none. Everyone was doing their own work, chatting, playing cards or their phone since our teacher did not arrive yet. My partner, well, she’s sleeping.

I looked behind me and looked at Kyungsoo’s seat. It was empty because he was absent. Jiah pouted and looked to the front again. Then, who was the one who wrote this? Jiah thought hard, but it just makes her annoyed.

She took out her phone and texted Kyungsoo but he did not reply her even after a few minutes. She sighed. Is he angry at her or something?

The class quieten down after Mr Shin stepped into the class. Everyone tumbled into their seats and acted as if they were being quiet and obedient the whole time.

“No need to act as if you were ever been studying!” Mr Shin said when he stepped into the class.

Jiah rolled her eyes. She knew that the teacher won’t be fooled by our class. Every teacher knows.

Lunch time arrived and to be very honest, Jiah felt, lonely during lunch. Kyungsoo who was also with her, wasn’t there with her today.

Most of the students in the cafeteria kept looking at her and murmur stuffs that she mostly ignore, it seems like everyone knows she was a friend of Do Kyungsoo, who was infamous for his imperfection. Does everyone have a problem with him? He just can’t walk, why do people look down on him so much?

Jiah slumped her on her chair. She decided to ignore everyone today.

Jiah quickly pack her bag since it was 4.35pm and she had to meet Kyungsoo at 4.30pm. She stuffed everything into her bag and quickly went out of class. As she walked to the school garden, she felt as if someone was following her. Her instincts were telling her ‘danger’ but she didn’t seemed to care.

Jiah stopped her tracks and decided to call Kyungsoo again. She dialled his number but to no avail. He didn’t pick up his phone. Then, she’d thought that she should call his home phone number. She was expecting Kyungsoo to pick up the phone but, his mum pick up the phone instead.

“Yoboseyo?”

“Uh, is this Kyungsoo’s mum?”

“Yes, who are you? Wait, are you Park Jiah?”

“Ne, Kyungsoo ommonim. By chance --,”

“Omo! Jiah, are you finding our Kyungsoo? He’s not home from school yet though?”

“N-not yet back from school?” Jiah stuttered.

“Ne, I could tell Kyungsoo to call you back when he’s home.”

“Uh, ne, ommonim.”

Jiah hang up the phone and scratched her head. Where the hell did Kyungsoo gone? Maybe he skipped school without wanting his mum to know? If not, why? There are so many questions that are needed to be answered now.

Jiah shooked her head and thought that Kyungsoo might be at the school garden by now. She glanced at her watch and it’s 4.55pm. She’s late!

Jiah ran into the school garden where no one else is there. She turned around to look for Kyungsoo. She went deeper into the garden and looked at the seats around there.

“Kyungsoo! Kyungsoo-yah! Do Kyungsoo!” Jiah shouted to give a signal to him.

“Yah! Do Kyungsoo!” she shouted again.

Mhm! Mhm!

She heard a voice.

“Kyungsoo?” she said.

MHM!!

“Kyungsoo is that you? Kyungsoo? Where are you ?!”

Mhm!!!!

It was already 5.15pm and she heard someone ran behind her. It was so fast, she could even see the person who ran.

“Kyungsoo?” she muttered.

No, it can’t be Kyungsoo, he can’t walk.

Then, she felt it. She felt that Kyungsoo is in danger.  Her heart started to beat fast, cold sweat started to form, suddenly hear tears started to fall. She couldn’t find Kyungsoo anywhere. Or is it someone else? She rapidly shouted for Kyungsoo.

The sky’s getting darker and she has never felt so scared as the sun goes down. She prayed she could find Kyungsoo soon. It was her first time feeling so scared when the moon started to appear slowly.

She was going to give up when suddenly from the left, she heard something dropped. She turned around and followed where the sound comes from while calling out Kyungsoo’s name.

“K-Kyungsoo-yah, i-is that you?” Jiah approached to where the sound came from.

She arrived to a part of the garden where it was only bright with three lamppost, and there on one of the lamppost, Kyungsoo and his wheelchair is tied to it. His mouth is covered over a handkerchief, and he looked like he’s unconscious.

The note that she received, she was holding on, dropped when she saw the sight of Kyungsoo being aimlessly there. She ran to Kyungsoo and kneeled down in front of him and shook his shoulders furiously.

“Kyungsoo yah! Wake up! Talk to me!” Her tears started to flow down more making her eyes red.

“Talk to me!” Jiah said.

Slowly, Kyungsoo’s eyes began to open up, and Jiah wiped her tears off.

“Kyungsoo yah?” she said.

“Ji—ah?” he mumbled as he looks dizzy and his eyes were still half closed.

“It’s me!” Jiah let out a small cry as soon as she sees his bad condition.

Jiah looks at his uniform that is already dirtied with black marks and red scars on his arms and face. His head droop downwards, as if he didn’t have any energy.

“Who—who did this to you?!” Jiah asked, concerned.

“Jiah, you need to be careful…” he said, weakly, he tried to open his eyes to see Jiah.

“Of who?!” Jiah said.

“Me.” a voice from behind spoke.

Jiah turned around and see Kris and his gang right in front of her. Jiah stood up and stood at the direction of Kris, frowning her eyebrows.

“So you got my message?” Kris smirks.

Jiah’s eyes turned round as Kris confess. Jiah looked at Kris’s hand picking up the note she left it on the floor. So it was him, she thought.

“What did you do to him?” Jiah asked as she pointed her index finger to Kyungsoo.

“To have fun.” Kris simply answered and lifted his shoulders.

“Fun? Is this how to have fun? By abusing, incapable people?!” Jiah’s tone was up on another level.

She had enough of this .

“No, it was really fun, right, Kyungsoo?” Kris walked towards Kyungsoo and Jiah moved back from Kris, being aware. Kyungsoo didn’t answer him and kept silent.

“We even discovered answers.” Kris said.

“What answers?” Jiah frown.

“He likes you.” Kris spat.

Jiah looked at him and looked at Kris back again. “What’s wrong with that?!”

“Nothing wrong with that,“ Kris shrugged. “It’s just that I HATE YOU BEING PROTECTIVE AROUND HIM!”Kris growled making Jiah stepped back.

“I heard what you said about us last time in this garden. Remember when you eat with this bum and you talked back to me, saying that I can’t look on others? I felt humiliated. My pride just went down to zero. And I knew you took him to the school garden, I followed you and I heard your conversation.”

Jiah kept quiet, but alarmed.

“But you deserve it anyway.” Jiah spoke.

He continued, “Shut up! Now, you said you wanted to protect him from us right? Now it’s the time, it’s time for you to protect him. I want to see how you would protect him.”

Harlo, my beautiful readers! dugun dugun dugun

Kris, please. No.

Stay tuned for the next chapter. *winks*

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