(Fifty-sixth chapter)
What could possibly go wrong now?
Sweat trickled down her forehead despite the chill in the air. Sowon would not lie that she was extremely terrified to be among the people who were probably going to attack her for revenge. She tried to search for her phone in her pockets but almost passed out because they were empty.
She forgot to bring her phone.
“Isn’t this a pleasant surprise? We get to see our girl after a long time.”
Sowon internally cringed when Ryan laughed creepily, blaring all the red flags inside her head. The group of men with taunting expressions began to walk towards her direction, growing closer and the panic sort of blew up in her head.
She took a step back and another, followed by another until her footing slipped on a pebble and Sowon stumbled back, falling.
“Dude, she is so shaken up.”
One of them joked and the others laughed along.
But all this time Ryan’s gaze was fixed on her, something intimidating hidden in his eyes that she couldn’t find her voice to scream out for help. His eyes raked from her feet up to her face while Sowon struggled to get up from the ground and she realised that the bastard was checking her out.
“Here, get up.”
Ryan let out a hand, offering to help Sowon while she suspiciously stared at his outstretched palm. The other thugs began to whistle and goof around, none of the situation making any sense to her. The leader let out a sigh then he crouched to her level.
Sowon automatically crept backwards.
“You are still the stubborn girl, aren’t you?”
She glared at him, finally snapping out of her trance when the male started to lean in closer.
“Don’t come near me!” she shrieked.
“Look she can finally speak.”
Another one of the guys retorted and they started laughing in the background while the leader stare at her in silence like a hunter keeping their eyes fixed on the prey.
Then he stands up, brushing his pants and snaps his finger. Suddenly a pair of arms wrap around Sowon’s arms on each side and start to lift her to make her stand. Panic starts to set and she kicks at the air, flailing around to escape.
“Don’t touch me! Let me go.”
But the grip on her arms grew harsher and the two men holding her grinned wickedly.
“I said let me go!”
Sowon glared at them both, using all her strength but still could not make any difference except make herself tired.
Ryan chuckles.
“Do you remember what I told you last time?”
“I don’t care. Just let me go.”
“And why should I?” He steps closer, trailing a finger down her cheek, “you are too pretty to be left alone.”
With malice written all over his face, Ryan laughed with his friends while Sowon struggled again, trying to desperately release herself from the strong hold.
“And where is that boyfriend of yours? Did you break up? Such a coward.”
“Shut up. You are the ones who are coward enough to hold me like this.”
A hand flew across her face, slapping Sowon hard and she winced, feeling her left cheek throb in pain. Ryan growled, all signs of fun and playfulness long gone and this serious side of him made Sowon rethink her choices to escape.
“You think you can make fun of me girl? When we have you surrounded, like this?”
Ryan snapped his fingers and finally, those hands left her arm, making her realise how sore they were already growing to be. The group of men surrounded her from all sides like hyenas and she backed up against the street post.
“Why, are you scared now?”
Her eyes darted around, desperately trying to find a narrow way to make her escape. She was not going to merely cry and wait around when there was no one around to help her, she had to trust herself now.
Her eyes landed on the ground where there was a wet pile of sand, damp and semi-sticky and an idea hit her. She could try to kick the sand into their faces though it was risky because the sand was not dry so there were fewer chances that the situation could help her.
What if they noticed her escape plan and tried to capture her? She could not risk it but standing here and waiting for her doom was the exact same thing. So she decided to pray from the inside that her plan would work out as she taunts the men.
Here we go.
“You are a bunch of stupid cowards who don't have any better way to waste your time.”
“What did you say?”
They stopped laughing altogether and she gulped, knowing that regretting was no option because she had already decided her fate. All of them glare at her angrily while she stands there, frozen like the lamp post behind her.
Ryan stepped forward, holding a cigarette stick which he was just about to light, removing it from his mouth as his eyes raked over her body posture.
“Do you have something to say, girl?”
No.
“Yes.”
“Let's hear it.”
She swallowed again, her throat parching dry from the constant action.
“Let me go.”
“And,” Ryan stomps his foot as he starts walking closer with his gang behind, “what makes you think we'll let you go? We still have to avenge the way your boyfriend insulted us.”
“Like this.”
When the men came close enough, Sowon kicked with all her might at the pile of sand, even bending down to grab and throw the dirt at the confused men. Surprisingly, the sand did the work but entered their eyes as they cried in anger.
She stood there, taken aback before a voice startled her.
“Get the girl before she runs away.”
Right.
She still had to run for her life. So she did. Sowon ran faster than she could achieve during her lifetime. Surely she was not athletic enough because her breathing was slowing down. But she knew a few more minutes was her capability because she practised dancing quite heavily.
Sowon had no idea where she was going. She was only trying to run from the men who were probably following her by now. She could hear their groans and curses from behind, close enough to make her heart race at a quicker pace.
“Stop there!”
She didn't.
Who would like to voluntarily sacrifice themselves to the wolves when there was much space for freedom when she could run further? But the footsteps running behind her started to grow louder and Sowon knew she either had to hide or try running faster.
The latter was a hard one because her stamina was over. But another problem was that there was no possible place to hide among this empty and dark street.
“You are so dead, girl!”
Sowon felt the goosebumps on her skin and almost froze in position but continued running, knowing that was going to get caught soon. She looked ahead, noticing that there was a figure in the distance.
She squinted her eyes, wondering if the figure was of a man or another post on the street. But as she ran towards it nevertheless, the figure kept growing bigger and bigger until she realised it was indeed a man but she had no clue who it was.
Maybe he can help me.
But her luck seem to have run out because before she could reach the man in the distance, a hand forcefully grabbed her hair and pulled her back, making her hiss in pain.
“Got you.”
Ryan whispered in her ears while Sowon struggled to escape from his grip. She was moments away from freedom before getting caught, what could be worse than this? What was this man going to do with her? She did not want to imagine anything.
She continued to fight against his hold but when Ryan pushed her hard, she stumbled to the ground with a groan. A shooting pain coursed through her whole body and when she glanced up, Ryan was there, looking down at her with so much craziness that left her paralyzed.
“Sowon!”
A familiar voice rang in the air and both of them turned around to see the figure from earlier, running at full speed towards their direction.
Namjoon?
Before anyone can react, the said man crashed into Ryan, making them fall to the ground together. Was it really him? Or was Sowon dreaming and imagining Namjoon everywhere she went?
“Ugh. . .”
But as Sowon looked at the men, she was indeed shocked to see a raged Namjoon hovering over the gangster, holding his collar with one hand while punching Ryan's face with his other hand.
“How dare you lay a hand on her?!”
Namjoon punched Ryan twice but it was so hard that the man began to bleed from his nose but he only laughed, turning to give her a dirty look.
“Looks like your boyfriend is here-”
Namjoon grabbed a fistful of Ryan's collar and shook him, “don't you dare to even look at her.”
Another punch.
“Quite protective, hmm.”
Namjoon did not reply because he was busy punching the living daylights out of the man who was laughing like a maniac, bleeding profusely from every part of his face.
Sowon stayed frozen on the ground, staring at the scene unfold with utmost disbelief. She was honestly scared at how angry Namjoon looked, continuously punching Ryan like a madman. She heard some footsteps around and finally tore her eyes from the scene, noticing that the other men were rushing towards her.
“N-Namjoon.”
But he did not hear her broken voice because he was still clouded with anger. Sowon now awoke from her trance, rushing towards his direction and gasped when she noticed that Ryan's face was splashed with blood.
What if he dies?
“Namjoon! Come on, we need to r-run.”
She tried to pull him and it seemed to work because he stopped his actions, giving her a blank look.
“Sowon?” Then he blinked, snapping out of it. “Sowon, are you okay? Did he try to touch you?”
“I-I m okay b-but we n-need to run n-now.”
She glanced at the men getting closer, this time, Namjoon noticing her fear for their presence. He grabbed her hand and nodded before pulling her up and they started to run in the opposite direction.
She was already tired because of the previous marathon but running with Namjoon was something else. His presence gave her hope and she did her best to run with him as fast as they could. That was her will. However, her legs were weakening down like jellies and she was not sure if that was going to help in this dire situation.
Out of the blue, Namjoon stops running and Sowon follows, huffing out air as sweat trickled down her face.
“Why d-did we. . .s-stop?”
Namjoon turned to her and her eyes darted behind, horrified as she noticed the men getting closer. She pulled on his arm, ready to run again but he pulled back.
“W-we have t-to go-”
“Sowon,” he firmly grabs her hands and when they make eye contact, Namjoon's gaze becomes softer as he cups her cheeks. “You'll be safe, I promise you.”
“Namjoon w-what are you saying?”
But he closes his eyes, shakes his head and retracts his hand from her face. Then he opened his eyes, a fiery rage hidden within those orbs and she gulped, unsure if it was a good sign.
“Take this, call the police and hide somewhere.”
He hands her his phone and she remains confused but he squeezes her hand.
“B-but how can I-I leave you-”
“Sowon, go.”
Before she could answer, Namjoon turned around and kicked the guy who was sneaking up to them. He grabbed the man's arm and locked it behind his back, looking at her with more urgency.
“Go!”
His loud voice snapped her back to reality and she stepped back, another step until Sowon was running away from the scene, trying to hide somewhere.
A dustbin caught her eye and she hid behind it, quickly unlocking Namjoon's phone with her shaky hands. The phone lit up and what she sees next leaves her stunned. His wallpaper was not of something random but something she never imagined.
It was Sowon's family photo.
She remembered the day clearly when Namjoon took Sowon and her family outing and they took a picture together. He kept that picture as his wallpaper till today and the thought itself shook Sowon.
Why does he have to be so soft-hearted?
She pushed away from the mixed feelings and dialled the police helpline, offering a possible description of the place and asking them to come soon.
“Please calm down, we will dispatch some officers in the area you described now.”
How was she supposed to not freak out right now?
“O-okay.”
She looks at the wallpaper, for a moment, getting lost in the situation. She did not think the picture was important but Namjoon being a stranger, kept it as his wallpaper. How much more was he going to surprise her?
Hiding away the phone, Sowon tried to look over the bin and almost screamed in horror because the scene was nothing she expected. The group of men had Namjoon captured and Ryan was standing there where she could hear his voice.
“So you hid her?”
Namjoon spat, “what if I did?”
“Your wish to play hero will end tonight.”
Ryan starts punching Namjoon and he groans, catching Sowon off guard. He told her to hide and he was getting hit because of her. What could she do to help?
And where is the police?
They start attacking Namjoon together and she could not watch anymore. She steps out.
“Stop it!”
Every eye snaps in her direction and she notices how shocked Namjoon is.
“Sowon what are you doing? Hide quickly!”
Ryan laughs when he hears his desperate voice. Two of the men start walking towards Sowon as she stands there in shock, while Namjoon starts to get more relentless.
He escapes their hold, punching and kicking them away before running towards the men, tackling one down while the other grabbed Sowon's arm.
“Let her go before I break your arm and dispose of it.”
The man, terrified, leaves Sowon and at that moment, Namjoon delivers a powerful throw in his face before jabbing in his chest. The five men lay on the ground, some groaning while some unconscious.
Namjoon's fiery gaze becomes soft when he looks at her, checking for any injury.
“Are you okay? Did he hurt you Sowon?”
She doesn't reply, carefully looking at the few marks he got on his handsome face as a result of the fierce fighting he did for her protection. The noise of sirens starts to get closer.
Sowon hugs him and he returns the hug desperately. It felt like the world melted away because his warm embrace made her feel safe and loved. She wanted the moment to freeze so that they could relish this peace.
But luck never works that way.
While they were hugging Ryan grabbed a knife and was running in their direction with a manic expression. Sowon opened her eyes and saw him, her eyes widening when she noticed the knife.
“Namjoon move!”
She turned him around so that the knife would hurt her, not him. But Namjoon stubbornly turned around late on purpose, allowing the knife to graze his chest before the knife could touch Sowon.
“Namjoon!”
He let out a low growl but quickly grabbed the knife and threw it away, meanwhile punching Ryan who was still laughing hysterically. The action seemed to cause more pain to Namjoon because he grabbed his wound and knelt. Sowon rushed to his aid, putting her hand over his injury to stop the bleeding.
Tears started to flow down her cheeks as she did her best to stay calm.
“Ugh, I am f-fine.”
“No, you are not. This is all my fault, all my fault-”
She held in the sobs but they broke out louder than she expected. She could not believe that Namjoon had taken a knife for her, bleeding in her arms all because of her stubborn nature.
Her hands were now stained with his blood, his sweet yellow sweater now stained with dark red blood and she could not seem to get herself out of the despair.
“please s-stop c-crying. . .”
Namjoon groaned and Sowon held him tighter.
“Stop moving Namjoon, y-you are losing b-blood.”
She could hear the police cars screech to a halt but it felt like everything was going on in slow motion. He closes his eyes and she screams in fear.
“Namjoon! Stay awake! You have to get through this, I am still here. Namjoon!”
Namjoon chuckled and winced, “I am not dying Sowon, j-just need rest.”
She sobbed when some officers rushed to her side, taking Namjoon to aid him. Helplessly she watches as the police tie an emergency bandage on his wound before turning to her.
“We have to rush to the hospital.”
What?
Before she could process it, Namjoon gives Sowon a small smile before he is taken away.
A/N: Thoughts? :)