Hush [Hold]

Ch. 40

So Hee woke up on the floor. The time read 10:45 AM. Her strength was nowhere near enough to push herself up off the floor. She was weak and hungry. The food Jung Kook left her wasn't enough. All he had left her was 10 bowl noodles, three packages of dried seaweed, four shrimp chips and one medium sized bag of rice that she's been rationing the most. Her cooking utensils consisted of a rice cooker, a small sauce pan, one pair of chopsticks and a spoon with a small electric stove. So Hee's water would come from the bathroom sink. Though she wished she can get it from the kitchen or a bottle. Washing her utensils would happen using the bathtub and as annoyed as she was, she'd use a bar of soap to clean. Speaking of clean, she had no clean clothes of her own so she would use Jung Kook's clothes.

   Hoping that she wouldn't get in trouble for it but she had good reason to wear them. Earlier in the day, she washed and dried her clothes though her bras were already wearing out and she didn't like to wear the same old clothes and underwear. Her stomach grumbles, groaning as she places her hand over it; So Hee shifts to her right side and took a deep breathe before slowly exhaling.

"I should just starve myself to the point of death."

   So Hee continues to lay there, exhausted both physically and emotionally. As she closes her eyes, images of her friends and family appeared and she felt a twinge of pain and sadness. Her chest tightening as the pain grew more and more. Tears cascade down her face and soaked into the carpeted floor. So Hee cries as she couldn't bear the constant state of hunger, pain and sadness. Taking another deep breath, she exhales as she pushes herself up and looked over at her untouched rice she poured into the rice cooker over night. Deciding to only eat that for breakfast, lunch and dinner since she had only one package of seaweed and half a bag of shrimp chips. Gathering all what was left of her strength, she crawls over to the rice and grabs the bowl. Struggling to stand herself up, she uses the bed to aid her.

"Come on So Hee," she tells herself. "You're not giving up just yet."

   Self encouragement was all she had right now and she did not want Jung Kook to win. She's spent a whole week alone in his room with all he provided for her, she can keep going a little longer. But the thought of ending her life was so easy. Turning her head to look out the window, she imagined herself opening the window. Standing there, the cool brisk breeze blowing against her face. So Hee brings her foot up on the sill of the window then climbs out, looking down at the concrete floor. All she had to do was close her eyes and fall forward; ending her pain and suffering.

So Hee looks away from the window, shaking the thought out of her head and proceeds to the bathroom to wash her rice. As the tap ran, her thoughts stopped and all was silent. Her eyes gazing down at the running water. Her eyes never leaving. It was as though she was entranced by the flow of water. So Hee stood there for a moment, silent and dazed. Soon her grip on the bowl of rice softened and she nearly dropped her rice until she snapped out of it and caught the bowl in time.

"Shit." She says as she begins washing her rice. Rinsing her rice four times before she finally filled the bowl with water and sauntered out of the bathroom and back to her small corner. Slowly kneeling down, she places the rice bowl into the heater and places the cover on top then turns it on. Grabbing the pillow from under the window, she lays on the floor and places the pillow beneath her head for support. Closing her eyes to get more of her strength back.

Within seconds, So Hee instantaneously falls asleep. Waking up in a vast green ocean of grass with flurries slowly cascading down their earth from the heavens. So Hee stared at the blue sky with crystal white flakes of snow slowly cascading down to earth from the heavens. Blinking a couple times before slowly sitting herself up, she notices that she's wearing a white silk dress with her hair in light waves. So Hee looks around and sees cherry blossom trees with their petals falling in a slow motion just like the flurries.

"I'm dreaming, yes?" She pinches herself but she felt the slight stinging pain. "Lucid dreaming perhaps." So Hee dusts her dress off as she stands and slowly moves her feet, heading over to a peculiar tree that looked very old and dead. No leaves fell from it nor sprouted. The bark was decayed and a single touch made them fall off. It wasn't unusual for her to know she was dreaming. She was an avid lucid dreamer and she found it quite intriguing yet very amusing that a being can experience such things. As So Hee peeled a small bark off, she suddenly felt a burning pain in her stomach that causes her to hurl over and groan in pain.

Suddenly the sky turned a dark red with ash colored clouds and the trees swayed heavily with the raging wind that appeared out of nowhere. So Hee's heart begins to race as the pain grows more and more, causing her to lurch forward and cough up blood. Confusion coloring her eyes as she sees her hands coated in a warm crimson red. Looking down she sees her dress stained with blood.

"Blood?" She suddenly feels a blade cut through the skin of her neck, causing her to choke and gargle on her own blood. As she falls to the ground, she sees a bloody knife and Jung Kook looking down at her with an evil glint in his eyes. Smirking at her as she slowly dies. She can feel the burning pain with every attempt to breathe in. The heavy taste of copper in his mouth and the warmth from her blood all over her chest. Struggling to stay alive. As she dies in her dream, So Hee jolts upwards; gasping while she has a hand to her neck. Looking over to the digital clock that read 11:20 AM. That dream felt so short. But everything was so vivid and I felt every little thing. Her heart thumping loudly while she shivered in cold sweat.

"He's going to kill me isn't he." So Hee unplugs the rice cooker and sat there. Despondent and depressed. Her dreams sometimes showed a message about what may happen in the future. And her dreams never made any sense to her until now. Just weeks before she bumped into Jung Kook, she dreamt that she was being chased down by some dark figure then hands began holding her down. They appeared from a vast darkness that formed behind her and then she was taken. It hadn't dawned on her until three days ago that she was kidnapped after being chased down by Jung Kook. He was the dark figure chasing after her in her dream. A fool she was to let her guard down around him that night. She wouldn't have been held captive in his apartment and starving.

"I have to figure out a way to get out of here." She looks around. Come on So Hee. Think. Come up with a plan. Trick him! So Hee continues to look around before an idea came to mind.

Meanwhile Jung Kook enters the apartment building with Ji Eun trailing behind him. Her head down. Jung Kook greets a new face standing behind the desk then proceeds to the elevators with Ji Eun standing beside him. Ji Eun hides her left wrist by pulling down the sleeve. Every little movement hurt her but she couldn't make a scene.

"You're not going to your apartment. You'll be staying in mine."

"Like fucking hell I will."

Jung Kook looks down at her, his expression serious and cold with a hint of murder coloring his eyes. Ji Eun fell silent and afraid. Avoiding his gaze.

"Like I said. You're going to stay with me. You're not allowed anywhere without me. Got that?" His voice was low, authoritative and stern. Ji Eun remains silent and fought back tears. He punches the elevator wall just left of her and she jumps in fright. A single tear drop makes it's way down her cheek.

"Did you hear what I said?"

"Y-yes-yes." She stammered and bit her tongue. The fear he gave her was too much for her and she tried her best not to cry. Jung Kook hears the elevator doors open and without hesitating, he lifts Ji Eun's chin up and places a kiss on her lips. Ji Eun froze and as she did, she sees a familiar face over Jung Kook's shoulder and widened her eyes. As the elevator doors begin to close she pushes Jung Kook away from her and reach out her hand at the person.

"Jimin! Wait no!"

The elevator doors close shut. She bangs on the door with her right hand, demanding to be let out and explain to him what happened. Jung Kook smirks in response.

"Lucky me." He says while licking his lips and savoring Ji Eun's vanilla chapstick. Ji Eun heaves out a sigh and kicks the door.

"He won't believe me after that." Ji Eun begins to cry.