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. . . When you smile it's shining, but for some reason you're lying inside. . .
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CHAPTER 55
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The river flowed by fading in the horizon of the city. No defined start, no defined end in sight. Its sound filling the girls mind as she sat by it under the bridge. Her little hand full of stones as she threw with the other the furthest she could in the river. It's loud, but soft gurgle calming her most sensitive nerves.
It's been months since she first found the place. Four months since she was left alone between so many kids. Alone with him. Exactly four months had passed since she sent her best and only friend away.
The backpack she was supposed to fill with expensive jewellery once again rested empty next to her. She no longer felt the need to steal to keep herself safe. She knew whether she came back empty handed or rich, the same fate awaited her. She would have to spend the night with him, to celebrate or to be punished and it didn't make much of a difference to her.
She took a deep breath before grabbing another handful of stones and throwing another one in the water.
"Two hundred..."
She stopped breathing for a second. She wasn't sure if she was hearing things or someone was there with her. For a second she thought one of the other kids was there, about to threaten her for not doing her job, though she didn't recognize the voice.
The kid approached her slowly. Their steps on the stones made it easily predictable how far they were from her. "That was the two hundredth stone you threw in the river today."
The girl turned her head to face the kid. A boy around her height and probably her age. His hands in the pockets of his dirty reaped jeans as he slowly stepped closer to her.
Her lightless green eyes stuck on his. Her face- expressionless, and the dark circles under her eyes and her paled skin making her look like a real life zombie which wasn't far from how she felt.
The kid stopped for a moment when he saw her. His face saying how much she accidentally scared him. "Is life that hard on you?"
The girl didn't answer, just returned back to throwing more stones in the river. Not paying attention to the boy that had stopped walking right behind her.
He didn't seem to have much of a different lifestyle from hers. His clothes seemed to be worn out and his black leather jacket was reaped and chapped on a few places. It looked like he had taken it from a trash can. His black hair was messy and looked like he hasn't washed it in weeks.
Besides, the first thing he did was grab the empty backpack and try to get away. Except, feeling no weight in the backpack, he stopped midway and brought it back after checking inside just to find nothing.
The girl chuckled listening to his long sigh as he sat down next to her. "You picked the wrong girl. I don't live much differently than you."
"Your clothes say the opposite." He mumbled eyeing her obviously new grey jacket and the black scarf around her neck. Her clothes were indeed new. She didn't have a problem with that. But she would rather not have them than live the way she did.
"Nah... I'm just my master's favourite, unfortunately..." She rolled her eyes, making him scoff.
"You're kidding me? How is that unfortunate?" The boy shot her a look of disbelief, making her return an unreadable fake smile.
She let go of the stones, clapping her hands to get rid of the dust, then started removing her scarf. The boy watched her carefully, not knowing what exactly to expect. Definitely not anticipating the bruises and scratches around her neck and the bruised line obviously caused by choking.
He stiffened. "Oh... I-I didn't- I don't-"
"It's fine. You don't have to say anything." She sighed and put the scarf back on, hiding what's behind her tired looks.
The boy stayed silent for a while, ruffling his hair to make it less oily and dirty. It was no use hiding how uncomfortable her bruised skin made him feel. "Why did you show me that?" He questioned finally after a short break while only the sounds of the stones colliding with the water were present between them.
Not even the ruffling of the wind could be heard. The weather was calm. For the first time in a while the sun was out warming the face of the earth.
"No particular reason. I'm done hiding what I'm going through while everyone envies me for being his favourite." She sighed, finally throwing the last stone and leaning back on her arms while facing the boy. "What are you doing here though? You've been following me for days." She smirked.
The boy's eyes grew in two wide honey brown circles. "You noticed that?!" The girl nodded in response and he sighed looking at his lap in disappointment. "And here I thought you were completely clueless about it. I noticed you and your friends stealing around here, so I hoped I could take a few of your backpacks while you do all the work for me. Seems you haven't been stealing at all."
The girl chuckled, shrugging her shoulders. "Told you, you picked the wrong girl."
"Well that's unfortunate.." The boy smiled and he had unexpectedly bright and cute smile for a homeless kid. He looked like he didn't really have a care in the world, even though his mind had been preoccupied with how to get food ever since he started to understand how the world works. After all he needed to survive, no matter how difficult it would become.
"What about you?" He asked, leaving the girl confused.
"What about me?"
He scoffed at the dumbfounded girl. "What are you doing here, stupid?"
"Oh..." She smiled. "Waiting."
The boy looked at her, waiting for her to continue talking. Instead she just stared ahead at the river and passing boats without finishing the sentence. For the first time since he met her, her eyes seemed to sparkle. Though her expression didn't change, she didn't look as grim. As if he asked her about her favourite toy, she suddenly seemed to enjoy the conversation without even saying much.
And not getting a full answer, beside just having picked his interest, the boy scoffed. "Can you be more precise? What are you waiting for?"
"It's not a what, it's a who, stupid." She imitated him, making him raise an eyebrow. "I'm waiting for my best friend. When she comes, I'll run away with her and I won't have to wear this scarf anymore. There won't be any bruises to hide."
The girl turned towards the unknown boy, flashing him the brightest smile thus far, before standing up and fixing her clothes, having the boy still observe her every move in pure curiosity.
Watching her, all of those kids with her, or at least the way they dressed seemed like their gang was in a good place. The boy wanted to dress like them and be clean like them. Despite what he saw around the girl's neck, he wanted to join them.
"Anyways, I must leave now." She chuckled before adding "Next time, be more careful when picking your prey." Then she turned around and started walking away. The empty backpack on her shoulders, the scarf covering half her face, her black hair covering the rest of it and her hands buried in the warm pockets of the jacket.
"Hey! What's your name?!" The boy shouted from under the bridge as she stepped outside under the winter sun.
She spun around again uncovering her mouth from under the thick black scarf. Her warm breath creating a small cloud in the freezing air as she yelled back. "I'm Soji! What's yours?!"
The boy smiled. "I'm Donghyuck!"
"Nice to meet you then, Donghyuck!" She smiled back and finally took her leave, slowly walking away from the river.
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I sat down on the ground, my eyes solely focused on the horizon of the sea outside the glass door of my room. No TV, no phone, not a single sound except for the strong wind outside that made the sea especially wavy today.
I felt deaf from the lack of sounds and movements around me, but even so I didn't plan on leaving the room and interacting with anyone. Not until Haechan leaves.
I looked up at the wall clock that I noticed yesterday was a few minutes late compared to my phone. 11 a.m. My stomach rumbled. I was becoming hungry now that I've skipped breakfast after skipping dinner and lunch yesterday too. Still I wasn't going to get out of the four walls I surprisingly felt less trapped in than out of it. As I mentioned- not until he was in the house.
Or so I thought. That was my plan until my door swang opened. No knock, no asking, Minhyuk just burst inside my room like it was his, which wasn't wrong at all. Bold of me to have thought I had any privacy in this house.
"Soji?"
I sighed and stood up from the ground behind the bed, acting completely natural. A small smile on my face which I've been trying to master for days in front of him and I felt like I finally got the hang of it. Then I started walking towards him too without saying anything other than a "morning" before he pecked my lips like we were a happily married couple.
"What were you doing sitting on the floor like that, kitten?"
I shrugged. "Sitting..." Obviously...
He raised an eyebrow 'Oh, Really?' painted on his face before shaking it off and continuing with the reason he came. "You're getting out of this room today. You haven't been eating since yesterday. And after I finally got you back, I don't plan on letting you kill yourself. Ever." He smiled, his usual sweet smile that for someone like me who knew him better looked a lot more mischievous than sweet.
He pulled on my hand, but I stopped after the first step I made making him turn around with a questioning look on his face. More like threatening if I focused better on his eyes.
I took a sharp breath, ignoring his eyes because of the same reason. "Is Donghyuck still here?"
He nodded, but pulled me after him nevertheless. "Yap. You should at least say goodbye."
"It's not necessary, really." I rolled my eyes, obeying since I was more than aware that there was no point in trying to get away from his grip.
He pulled me to the table in the dining room with quite some people, but not all of those I had met. I realized they were never home at the same time.
Ofcourse, Haechan stood there too, rejecting Minhyuk's offer to join for breakfast too. He faked a smile, hiding intensive murdurous intentions behind it, probably only I noticed. Then he looked at me, his eyes softening completely. He seemed like he had so much to say, but he couldn't. Even if he tried I wouldn't want to listen. What he did to me was my last straw. Not Minhyuk, not Sunwoo, Haechan was the last thing I needed to face before I completely lost my sanity.
I dead glared him every time I looked his way, catching his apologetic eyes. I couldn't really blame him. But then again I couldn't not blame him either. I knew how bad and deadly a threat from Minhyuk could look like. After all he wasn't the only one that fell right into his trap. I did too...
"So Donghyuck-" Minhyuk started walking his way. He rested his hands on the younger's shoulders. A wide smile plastered on his face. Again- looking sweet, yet deadly threatening. "You know what to do. I hope you'll do your job wisely."
Haechan nodded. "You can count on me... boss..."
He locked eyes with me again. Despite my glares, he walked to me and wrapped his arms around me. Despite me not hugging him back, he tightened the hug. So I just whispered coldly under my breath. "What can he count on you with, Haechan?"
"To erase every track leading to you..." He whispered even lowly, so no one would hear and I tried to push him away from me, ignoring the flush of disappointment that hit me in the face once again and filling my mind with only hate towards him again.
But he wouldn't let me pull away. Instead, he held me tighter not alowing me to move my arms at all. He kept my arms trapped between myself and his chest and they were no longer able to do me any good. The same method Mark used to use anytime I had a panic attack or I tried to push him away...
Haechan buried his face in my neck, now whispering even lower making sure no one even noticed that he was talking. It was hard even for me to comprehend his words. "I'll save you from him, Ji... I promise."
After that he finally pulled away, grabbing my face in his hands softly and leaning his forehead against my own despite my eyes burying holes into his. "I just need to make him trust me. Wait for me..."
I gulped, watching as he backed away, looked back at Minhyuk with no specific expression, then at everyone else. He looked at me one last time and walked past me towards the main door, leaving me on my own between the bad guys again. Hating him and losing every bit of trust I had left in him.
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To be continued. . .