Shuhua woke up with a pounding head. On the back of it she could feel something liquid and warm, which smelled a lot like blood.
Then she remembered what happened: somebody has knocked her out and apparently dragged to this place.
Her vision became clearer and she saw that she was in an old storehouse.
Dust and dirt were everywhere and a single neon lamp hung on the ceiling, slightly lightening the hall up.
Shuhua wanted to get up, but she couldn't. She was tightly tied against a chair and couldn't move at all.
"Finally you are awake. I don't have all night" a low male voice said and Shuhua tried to figure out from where it came.
"Who are you? What do you want from me?" she asked shakily and a figure approached her.
Because of the sparse lighting Shuhua couldn't see him properly, only his eyes full of hate. It was the kind of dangerous glow, where you just wanted to run away.
"Isn't it obvious what I want?" the man asked and chuckled in a creepy way. He came nearer steadily until Shuhua could identify him.
It was that guy who was following her in the convenience store. He was still wearing his cap and mask.
"What do you want?" Shuhua repeated, her voice filled with anxiety.
The man bent down staring right in her eyes and Shuhua gulped. He was literally scaring the shit out of her.
"So you were finally able to fuck Soojin? How was it?" the man asked anger rolling off his tongue.
"What are you talking about?" Shuhua responded trying to control herself.
Suddenly the guy pulled a knife out of his pocket and wiped with its blade the girls dark hair away.
"I'm not dumb you know? It's obvious that you like her and the then latest news, tss. And now that I see your neck in person-" he said and pressed the cold metal on Shuhuas hickies.
"Let me clarify one thing. Soojin is mine and if you ever lay one finger on her again, I'll kill you" the man spat and pointed the knife towards Shuhuas heart.
"You're a psycho!" she shouted angrily.
The fact that he mentioned Soojin and thought that she was him made her furious. How could he dare to think something like that?
"She'd never love you, not even accept you!" she continued and tried to free herself from the bonds.
The man suddenly shot forward and punched Shuhua in the stomach.
"Do you really think that she ever liked you?" he hissed threateningly.
Shuhua didn't response anything, she just sat in the chair breathing unsteadily. The man had hit an organ and the pain was overwhelming her.
"She doesn't like you. You are disgusting! You are worthless!" he spat and continued beating her.
Shuhua was screaming in pain, begging him to stop which made him even more angry.
"She never liked you. She'll be mine" the man shouted and punched Shuhua a last time before she passed out. The pain was too much to bear.
Suddenly the phone rang and Soojin jumped up.
The number of the police office appeared on the screen. With trembling fingers she pressed on "take the call".
"Good evening. Do I speak with Seo Soojin?" a female voice asked.
"Yes", the girl answered shakily, "Did you find Shuhua?"
"Yes" the woman said and Soojin breathed a sigh of relief.
The police found Shuhua, she'll come home and everything will be fine. At least that's what she thought.
"She's currently in the hospital under medical treatment" the woman continued.
"Which hospital?" Soojin almost yelled at the woman.
As soon as she got the answer she ended the call and ran out of the dorm.
"Where are you going?" Soyeon shouted as she heard a person hectically dressing.
"They found Shuhua" Soojin answered breathlessly.
"Thank god! Where is she?" Soyeon asked relived.
"In the hospital"
Soyeons face dropped.
"I'll come with you" she said and quickly wrote a note for the other members telling where they are going.
They had been going to sleep very early today, too much had been happening and they first had to process everything.
The two girls went out of the dorm and took a cab to the hospital. The drive was quiet and the tension on the back seats was high.
The taxi hadn't even really stopped as Soojin got out and ran in the hospital. Soyeon quickly paid and followed her.
"Where is Yeh Shuhua?!" Soojin shouted at the woman at the reception.
"Room 412, but the doctors-" she answered, but Soojin didn't listen. She was on her way to the room.
She quickly found it and entered without hesitation almost tearing the door out of the frame.
Soojin was not afraid of how bad Shuhua might look, she just wanted to see her.
In her sickroom three doctors were standing around a bed and blocked the view on the younger girl.
"Excuse me Miss, but at the moment nobody is allowed to enter this room", one of them said and gently pushed Soojin out of the room, "We'll inform you when you can visit the patient"
"No, let me in! LET ME IN!" the girl shouted, but the doctor just shut the door.
"Such an asshole" she thought furiously and considered just going back in and kick his ass.
She just wanted to see her girlfriend or at least get a statement about her condition, but the doctors just left her in the dark.
Soyeon came around the corner quite out of breath.
"Just wait...she'll be fine" she ground out and gasped for air. Running up here was worse than a marathon.
Soojin had to accept that she couldn't do anything now.
Already the second time today she couldn't be there for Shuhua, again she had to fight alone.
The two girls sat down in the waiting room waiting impatiently, especially Soojin. She couldn't sit still and started pacing up and down after a few minutes.
Not knowing about Shuhuas condition made her crazy. What if she was seriously injured?
After half an hour the doctor who pushed her out of the sickroom came.
"You're now allowed to see Yeh Shuhua" he said and Soojin didn't needed to be told twice.
Soyeon stayed behind, she assumed that her friend needed some personal time with Shuhua now.
Of course she was worried as well, but Soojin had been a mess since she was told that Shuhua was in the hospital.
This time Soojin opened the door more gently and peeked inside the room.
Shuhua laid on the bed, covered in bruises, a bandage was wrapped around her head and she was attached to a drip. She looked like she got hit by a truck.
The girl was sleeping, her chest hardly, yet steady moved up and down.
Soojin rushed to the bed and sat down taking the hand without the infusion in her own.
"Shu, my baby, how did that happen?", she whispered more to herself, "How could I let that happen?"
Seeing her girlfriend hurt like this made her angry.
It was obvious that Shuhua could impossibly have hurt herself, nobody would be able to get so many bruises just from falling down or something like that.
That wasn't an accident, somebody must have injured her, on purpose.
Whoever did this to her would pay and Soojin swore she'd make the life of this person a living hell.
Nobody laid hand on her girlfriend like this and escape unscathed.
"S-Soojin?" a weak voice asked suddenly and tore the girl out of her thoughts. Soojin looked down at Shuhua whose eyes slowly fluttered open.
"Yes I am here" she answered softly and forced herself to a small smile.
"Where am I?" the younger girl asked and carefully turned her head.
"At the hospital"
"Oh, that would explain the headache" Shuhua said and smiled a bit.
"What happened?" Soojin asked, but before the younger girl could answer somebody knocked on the door and the bothersome doctor came in again.
"Sorry for interrupting again, but I need to talk to you" he said to Soojin who sighed.
She didn't want to leave Shuhua, she wanted to stay by her side and be there for her at least once in her life.
Nevertheless she followed the doctor in the adjoining room.
"I'm really sorry that we met like this. I am Kim Heechul" he said as he had closed the door and sheepishly rubbed his neck.
As Soojin found out, he was actually really nice, she just caught him on the wrong foot, which she had to admit, wasn't only his fault.
"Well, I wanted to inform you about Yeh Shuhuas condition. Are you her person of trust?" Heechul asked to which Soojin nodded.
"Okay, as you've probably noticed she has multiple bruises and a laceration at the back of her head. But that's nothing to worry about, everything will heal up in a few weeks, maybe months"
Soojin could have jumped out of relief. Indeed Shuhua looked like a truck had hit her, but she will be alright. Everything will be fine, she wasn't in acute danger.
"She'll stay in the hospital for about two weeks, but after her release she shouldn't work full-time and don't exercise excessively, but I think you know that. You'll get a detailed instruction when she is released" Heechul continued.
After he had finished with his explanations Soojin thanked him and went back in Shuhuas sickroom.
When she entered Soyeon was sitting next to Shuhua, talking quietly with her.
Soojin couldn't help smiling. Shuhua was going to be alright, she still couldn't really believe how lucky she was.
"Oh, there you are. What did the doctor say?" Soyeons voice brought her back the reality.
"It's nothing too serious and everything will be healed in a few weeks" she answered and happily bounced towards the bed.
"Nothing too serious? That's easy for him to say. I feel like my head is going to explode and if the headache doesn't kill me, my stomach will" Shuhua said indignantly and pouted.
"If you are able to joke again, it really can't be that serious" Soyeon said and smiled.
"I want to smack you now for saying that, but I'd probably hurt myself if I do so", Shuhua responded, "Soojinnie would you hit Soyeon for me?"
"But I have to agree with her" Soojin deadpanned and sat down next to the younger girl.
"Betrayal!" she shouted and the other two girls broke out in laughter.
Suddenly somebody knocked on the door again and Soojin groaned getting up to open the door.
"I swear, if this is this Heechul doctor again, I'll become violent" she said quietly and ripped the door open. It wasn't Heechul.
Two men in police uniform stood in the door frame. One of them had black hair and looked quite friendly, while the other one with purple hair had a stressed expression.
"Good evening" they greeted her shortly and went in the room.
"We're here to question Yeh Shuhua" the purple haired said quite straightforward.
"Excuse me, but who are you?" Soyeon asked coldly. These two men couldn't just walk in here and make demands.
"Sorry, we should introduce us first. I'm Choi San and that's my partner Jung Wooyoung. We were responsible for the search of Yeh Shuhua" the black haired guy said and showed a small smile.
"I'm here" Shuhua said and wanted to sit up. But her arms hurt so much, she hadn't enough strength.
Soojin rushed to her and help her sitting up. Even when Shuhua was seated she still supported her back, so the girl had to carry as few weight as possible.
"So, would you please explain exactly what happened today?" San asked softening his voice. He felt sorry for the girl, who obviously was in pain by just sitting up.
"Well, I went down to the convenience store to buy noodles as I noticed a man following me. I rushed out of the shop, because his behavior scared me and walked home. He knocked me out and somehow dragged me in the storehouse. When I woke up I was tied against a chair. And then he beat me and abused me" Shuhua explained calmly.
Soojins eyes widened of several reasons. First because of what this psychopath did, he would definitely pay for his actions.
Second because it sounded a lot like one of Shuhuas nightmares. And what made Soojin dumbfounded the most was, that the younger girl was so calm about it.
She clearly remembered the night where she had woken her up from one of these nightmares.
Shuhua had been a mess and almost had a mental breakdown, but now one of her dreams became reality and she seemed almost indifferent.
"Were you able to recognize him? Did you see his face?" San asked while he was taking notes. Shuhua shook her head.
"He wore a cap and a mask, I couldn't identify him"
"Do you have an idea why he could have done that?" Wooyoung asked and Shuhuas gaze wandered to Soojin.
"Can I tell them about...you know?" she asked unsure. The older girl nodded surprised by the sudden ask for permission.
"Don't worry, we are sworn to secrecy" Wooyoung assured.
And Shuhua explained everything. How she had been going to the amusement park with Soojin, how they kissed and the rumors appeared.
She told them how the man said that Soojin was going to be his and that Shuhua should stay away from her, because he had seen the photos and obviously developed some kind of sick jealousy.
Soojin gasped as she heard Shuhuas story. The poor girl had to go through so much.
But she was surprised how calm she was while telling the police men about her experience.
She expected Shuhua having a breakdown again by now, and precautionary grabbed her hand, but nothing like that happened.
She didn't show the slightest indication of breaking out in tears.
San and Wooyoung asked some other questions before they left.
"We're trying to track this psychopath down, don't worry if everything works well, we'll find him soon" San said encouraging and closed the door.
"Soyeon would you please leave Shu and me alone for a few minutes" Soojin asked as soon as the officers disappeared.
"Sure, I have to call Yuqi anyways. My phone is going to explode if she keeps on spamming me", she shrugged and stood up, "Just tell me if you need me"
Soojin and Shuhua were all alone.
"Can I please lay back down?" the younger girl asked and her face adopted a painful expression.
She had been sitting for quite long now to be polite towards San and Wooyoung, but even with Soojins support it had been exhausting.
The older girl helped her to carefully lie down again.
"Oh man that shirt hurt, I thought my stomach will kill me" Shuhua said and smiled a bit.
"Shu?", Soojin asked and the younger girl turned her head, "Are you sure you couldn't identify him?"
A certain person who could possibly be the culprit had been coming to her mind as Shuhua had been explaining what had happened.
"No I couldn't. Why are you asking?" Shuhua answered furrowing her eyebrows.
"Well, I've thought that maybe Hui could have done this to you. Because if it was him, I'm going to kill him" Soojin said rising her voice at the last part.
Hui had always been way too jealous which sometimes even ended up in a kind of possessiveness and maybe he didn't take the rumors too well. Soojin knew that he wasn't fully over her.
"It wasn't him. The man was taller than Hui and had a lower voice", Shuhua responded quick like a shot and with a certain tone, "Actually I think it was just a ordinary sasaeng"
Soojin looked at her unintelligibly and Shuhua grinned.
"Well maybe he had run riot a bit. Nothing that can't be cured with a bit of psychiatric treatment"
"Are you afraid of that man?" Soojin asked.
Shuhua was thinking hard at that question. He had been abusing and beating her, yet she actually wasn't really afraid. This guy was a psycho, that's everything.
"No, I think he's crazy, mentally disordered and an asshole" she answered therefore.
"But he did these terrible things to you. Wasn't that the same as in your nightmares?" Soojin asked carefully and Shuhua laughed.
"No, I'm not afraid of what other people I don't even know might think of me. I'm gay and I stand by it. I just feared that you or my friends will think I'm strange and disgusting for liking girls" she said confidently.
Soojin admired her, she really did. The latest events seemed to have flipped something inside Shuhua.
She wasn't the shy, anxious girl anymore, but a confident woman. She didn't care what others think, as long as she knew that there is always somebody by her side who loves her the way she is.
"Dr. Kims therapy seems to work" Soojin said and smiled.
"Huh, what makes you think that way?"
"You are so mature and confident now. I expected you to have a mental breakdown, but no my ShuShu doesn't give a fuck" she answered which made Shuhua smile as well.
"Maybe you're right"