Unfiltered Chaos 🔞

3. I Want to Get Away

A month had already gone by and besides that first day, Lyra hadn't had any interactions with Jimin alone. Jae was almost always by her side after that day. He apologized to her for leaving her alone with him on that first day, not realizing that she had left the room when he was dealing with another prisoner who had somehow snuck in some drug paraphernalia. Part of her was disappointed but another part of her was relieved. She didn't need that much of a distraction. Being a prison guard in the men's wing was distracting enough. She could feel some of their eyes on her as she moved through the prison and she knew if they could get away with it many of their intentions would be far from innocent. She had been grabbed and groped by two of the men when they were having lunch in the shared cafeteria. Not all of the prisoners had that privilege but those who had come in for nonviolent crimes and those who had exhibited good behavior were permitted. That had never included Jimin.

The days that she had seen Jimin he continued his staring but wouldn't have a real conversation with her if anyone else was around. And someone was always around. He seemed to like Jae alright but he made sure to intimidate some of the other guards when they set eyes upon him. Especially if they made eye contact. Lyra was surprised to see the primal beast that was Jimin when he felt threatened. It made her shrink back every time at his cruelty, wondering how such an ethereal being could have a monster inside. What scared her was that most of all it just excited her. Her toxic past had her wondering just how long it would take her to tame that beast.

The most memorable interaction was when one of the larger male guards, Namgil, who had always made her a little uneasy came into the area with her and Jae to switch duties.

He stalked toward the two of them. "You ready to go back to America after looking after this beast?" he looked at Lyra while gesturing toward Jimin. "But I'm sure you're used to it since there's so much violent crime there." He somehow managed to insult her, her country, and Jimin all in one go. The three of them were standing a few feet away from the cell.

Lyra just stared at him, mouth agape while Jae answered, "Leave her alone. She's doing excellent work here. And Jimin hasn't done anything to her either, which is more than I can say for some of the other prisoners. Have you ever even been to America?" Looking over at Jimin, she thought she could see a look of appreciation on Jimin's face but it passed quickly, replaced with a cold, hard stare in their direction.

"Why would I want to do that?" He made a disgusted face. "I can't tell that they don't have much to offer." He looked Lyra up and down while laughing. Her blood had started to boil but she didn't want to cause any problems so she shrunk back a little towards Jae, finding more comfort in being near the man who defended her.

"Watch your mouth," Jae said as Namgil backed closer to Jimin's cell without realizing it.

"I'm only messing with you." He rolled his eyes just as he felt a strong arm wrap around his neck, the point of something sharp sticking into his side. The guard was much bigger than Jimin but it was obvious that Jimin was much stronger when the guard was unable to pry his hands from his throat, struggling to breathe. Lyra and Jae were frozen still as they stared at the two men.

Jimin growled in his ears, "You'd be wise to listen to him. You don't want to get yourself in trouble or you might find yourself in a difficult situation." The look in his eyes was absolutely murderous. The feral thing inside Jimin had come out. Namgil was starting to turn a bluish shade but Lyra didn't feel sorry for him. He may not have deserved to die but he needed to be taught a lesson. Unfortunately, misogyny was common in South Korea but some would defend her, like Jae. And apparently Jimin, even if he didn't go about it the right way.

Jimin pressed the knife a little harder into the officer's side when he didn't answer, drawing a tiny amount of blood as Jae finally came out of his trance.