Minji's Voice - Bbangsaz

Chapter 5

Hanni's POV

I didn't work in the restaurant the next day. When I woke up and looked at the clock, it was eight seventeen, I was a little startled. I hadn't slept this late in months and months, but I figured that was to be expected since I'd barely slept the night before. I sat up slowly, the room coming into focus. I felt heavy and groggy as I swung my legs over the side of the bed, my sleep-filled head had barely begun to clear when a sound came from outside, just a branch falling, or a boat motor backfiring in the distance, but my brain grabbed it and catapulted me straight into my waking nightmare. I froze, terror taking over me, my muscles tensing, my brain screaming.

I looked through the small window in the door separating me from my dad. He saw me in his peripheral vision and started making hide-and-seek signs, over and over, while the man yelled at him to put his hands down. My dad couldn't hear him, and his hands kept moving just for me. My body shook as the gun exploded. I screamed and my hand flew to my mouth to muffle the sound as I staggered back, instantly filled with shock and horror, I tripped on the edge of a box and fell backwards, throwing my legs up under me, trying to make myself as small as possible. I didn't have a phone back here, my eyes flew around the room looking for something I could hide behind, somewhere I could crawl, and that's when the doors opened...

Reality rushed back as the world around me became clear and I felt the quilt clutched in my fists. I let out a shaky breath and stood up shakily, rushing to the bathroom just in time. God, I couldn't do this forever, this had to stop. Don't cry, don't cry. Milly sat on the floor at my feet, moaning softly.

After several minutes, I recovered. "It's okay, girl," I said, stroking Milly's head to reassure her, for her, but also for me.

I staggered into the shower and twenty minutes later, as I changed into my bathing suit, shorts, and a blue tank top, I felt a little better. I took a deep breath, closed my eyes and grounded myself, I was okay.

After finishing a quick breakfast, I put on my sandals, grabbed my book and towel, called Milly and stepped out into the warm, slightly muggy air, mosquitoes already buzzing around me and a frog croaking somewhere nearby.

I inhaled deeply of the fresh air, the smell of pine and fresh lake water filling my lungs. As I climbed onto my bike, Milly in the basket in front, I was able to exhale.

I walked back to Briar Road and sat on the small beach I had sat on a couple of days before. I dove into my novel and before I knew it, I was done and two hours had passed. I stood up and stretched, looking at the calm lake, squinting to see the other side where boats and jet skis moved through the water.

As I folded my towel, I thought it was a stroke of luck that I had ended up on this side of the lake. The peace and quiet was just what I needed.

I put Milly back in the basket and pushed my bike back up the slight slope towards the road, and pedaled slowly towards Kim Minji's fence.

I pulled to the side as a mail truck passed me, the driver waving. The tires kicked up dust and I coughed, pushing away the sandy air in front of me as I returned to the road.

I rode another hundred feet and then stopped and stared at the fence again. Today, because of the way the sun was leaning in the sky, I could see several rectangles in the wood that were a little lighter, as if the signs had once been hanging there, but had been removed.

Just as I started moving again, I noticed the door was slightly ajar. I stopped and looked at it for a few seconds, the postman must have been delivering something here and left it open.

I pushed my bike forward and leaned it against the fence as I opened the gate a little wider and stuck my head inside.

I took a deep breath as I looked down at the beautiful stone path that led to the small white house about a hundred feet from where I was now standing. I didn't know what exactly I had been expecting, but it wasn't this. Everything was clean, tidy and well-kept, a small stretch of freshly cut emerald green grass between some trees, to one side of the driveway, and a small pallet garden directly to the left.