The handcuffs are too tight. My wrists start to burn as I struggle to find some possible way to get out of my restraints. I have two guards on me leading me through a dimly lit hallway. This building is one of the dirtiest I’ve ever seen. I think I see three rats scamper across the grimy floor after only walking about twenty feet. I sigh to myself as I get roughly stopped. One of the guards pushes me into an old rickety elevator taking me to who-knows-where.

Once the guard closes the door, I realize that Key guy isn’t with me. The other people must have taken him somewhere else. I wonder how he acted so brave in front of Mr. Kang. It was like had no fears, like he had nothing to lose. Maybe he didn’t see the outline of the gun in Mr. Kang’s pocket. I was so frigging scared though. I didn’t want him to shoot me; I want to live. I don’t remember my life before today, but I just want to live what I have now. Maybe he doesn’t see it that way. Maybe he feels like he actually has nothing to lose. We both have nothing to go back to, no people to live for, and no memories of promises that we made. I guess that’s why he acted that way.

After what seems like the longest elevator ride ever, a guard pushes me out into a hallway almost identical to the previous one. They walk me down the hall and stop at a door marked “21”. For some strange reason, the number sounds familiar. A guard takes out a key and unlocks the door. I’m driven into a smelly dirty room as the guards quickly uncuff my hands. Then they just leave and lock the door from the outside without saying a word.

Great, so now I’m stuck in here alone. I plop down on the scratchy sheets of the double bed and look around. There’s a small window on a wall to the left of me, but it’s barred like a jail. Beside the bed there’s a nightstand with a lamp on it. Across from the bed sits a TV with its screen broken in. Someone must have been in a fit of rage when that happened. There is also a closed door to the by the front door which must lead to the most disgusting bathroom ever seen. This place is a little piece of hell.

I sigh as I lay down on the mattress. It’s really all starting to sink in. The mob has kidnapped me for the stupidest reason I’ve ever heard, and they’re not going to let me go easily. They’ve even swiped my goddamn memory. All of my knowledge about myself was supplied by the mob. What if they lied to me? I wouldn’t even know. I get up and walk around the room as I think through everything. What can I do now?

“Okay, now all I know is I need to escape. How am I supposed to do that?”

At that very moment, there was a knock on my door disrupting my thought process. I go to answer it when I realize I can’t open the door. The guards locked it.

“I CAN’T OPEN THE DOOR! IT’S LOCKED!” I scream through the metal door.

I can hear the door unlocking and I step away. The door opens to reveal a frail looking girl. Unlike Key, this girl was masculine. If she wasn’t so skinny she could’ve passed of as a guy. She was holding a bottle of water and a styrofoam plate of badly burnt toast. There was a tracker around her ankle like she was under house arrest. A nametag on her shirt has “Amber” scrawled on it with black sharpie. Her eyes are downcast as if she can’t look at me.

“Amber?” I say, looking at her while taking the plate.

“I can’t talk to you.” She whispers, still looking down.

“Why not? There’s no one here. I’m not dangerous either. I barely even know my name.”

She looks up at me in shock, then pushes me into the room and closes the door.

“CL, you are in a BAD situation. You have to behave. Do whatever Mr. Kang tells you to do. Maybe then you’ll have a chance to get out of this hell hole.” Amber suddenly starts instructing me. It’s like she knows exactly what’s going to happen.

“How do you know who I am? Why do you know all this?” Her knowledge of me is confusing. She used my stage name too!

“I was in the same situation you were, except I had my memory. You better be careful. I gotta go or I’ll be in trouble.” She shoves the water bottle in my hand and ran out the door locking it behind her. I stand there in shock for a few seconds.

“What a strange girl. Maybe she could help me get out of here.” I shrug and go to sit on the bed and eat my toast. It’s entirely black on one side of both pieces and very brittle. Whatever. Food’s food. Suddenly music starts coming from something on the nightstand. I look over to see that a cell phone on the got a text, but the song sounds vaguely familiar.

Nae geokjung malgo go away…

I open the cell phone and see a text.

From: Key
We have phones lol

To: Key
I wonder why

From: Key
I dunno. I wonder if they can see our txts

From: Mr. Kang
yup we can see them

I throw my phone across the room as I see Mr. Kang’s text. What a creep. Suddenly I feel like I’m being watched from everywhere. The mob is onto me! They have eyes and cameras and… and… they’ll kill me! THE MOB IS GOING TO KILL ME! I hide under the sheets of my bed and stay there. They can’t see me under here. Sheets are a foolproof protector. They can’t spy on me now. HA! Somewhere along the line I drift off to sleep.
 

I awake with a start as the guards from before march into the room. They rip me from my bed and take me out of my room. Then they blindfold me and handcuff me. Another fun day in the life of Lee Chaerin.