Here I Lie // ATEEZ ✔

- 5 -

Blood and dirt in his mouth give off an unpleasant taste as he comes back to his senses, and in the moment of sudden disorientation he thought that he had died. If not for the throbbing headache and the soreness running from the back of his head to his neck, he would be 100% sure that he is on the way to meet his grandparents. He sees stars, but his vision has partially returned for him to see his own being in the limited light. He is still clad in his pyjamas, in which the dark blue attire is caked with mud and blood. His hands are bound with, what he soon realizes in horror, Seonghwa's dark blue jacket he wore as they arrived here yesterday, and tied to the grille of the window. The room in question is void of any furniture, except for the wooden chair facing the window. The rest of the room, as he squints his eyes to see better, is completely bare. No sunlight peeks in through the windows, and his ears catch the sound of the raging thunderstorm outside. How much time has passed since he lost consciousness? Has the thunderstorm be going on for long?

The first raindrops hit his face as soon as he received the blow to his neck, and although he tries as he might, he cannot remember the voice he last heard as he drifted into the dark. Was it someone familiar, or was it someone new? How are the rest of them doing - Mingi, Jongho, Yunho and Hongjoong? What about the owners of the villa? Did the person catch up to them too?

But who is this person? Is it one of them?

His whole body is shaking violently from the cold and fear, but he is determined to stay alive until he can uncover Seonghwa's murderer. He's in a helpless state right now, but he's going to make sure that he can escape to get to the bottom of this. His mind is a mess to try and figure out what happened and what is going to happen. His blood barely reaches his arms tied above his head, and they are starting to feel numb.

He recalls whatever he could remember happening after he left Seonghwa in his room, who was too drunk that he probably did not realize someone had entered his room. Yeosang had went back to his own room, which was a few doors down from Seonghwa's, and he completely blacked out after, too full from the dinner and he was just in need of a good sleep. But wait, he might have heard a door being opened and closed, but whose door it was, he does not know. His eyes shoot up when he starts to realize something, and he silently berates himself because he didn't think of anything about it earlier.

No one actually heard or saw Wooyoung dialling the police. They were all too busy worrying about themselves that they didn't question it - so what if he didn't?

He takes a look around to try and grasp a sense of time, but fails to do so. He needs to know whether 20 minutes have passed to confirm his suspicions. If Wooyoung and San are indeed behind all of this, he still cannot fathom the reason on why they would do it, since the former seemed to care so much about the image of his villa. Nothing makes sense to him right now, and all he wishes now is to be back home. He should have just pushed away the invitation, and instead spend time in his mundane apartment. Anything is better than this, but his regret came too late as he was the first person to agree going on this trip.

As if the thought of the owners of the villa presents itself as an invitation, the door swings open before the light is switched on, and it takes a few blinks for him to adjust to the bright room. He expects the two owners to come charging at him from behind the door with the intention of ending his life. But then again, they had the opportunity to kill him anytime when he was unconscious. They are trying to keep him alive, that's for sure, but he doesn't feel that it's something to be happy about.

Choi San is standing at the door frame, his hands holding a tray of some food in a bowl and a cup of plain water, standing rigidly like he's a robot. His face is unsmiling, but there is a distinct sadness swimming around in his eyes, although Yeosang knows no better on what caused it. Why does he look sad when he's the crazy one behind this? he thinks to himself, genuinely annoyed that he soon overcomes his fear. The thought of them killing Seonghwa made him furious, that he forgets that he is currently in no state to win against the two of them if they were to be engaged in a fight. Not to mention that he cannot even use his hands right now.