Hostage Handbook

Chapter Eighteen | Three White Leopards

YEOREUM

The next day, Jungkook takes me to the library, possibly to cheer me up from the party incident.

The sight of the university students tugs a nostalgic sigh out of me. I should be one of them, nervously going through practice materials. But instead of having the company of pens and paper, I am stuck in my companionship with condoms and birth control pills.

I am only twenty. I should be enjoying my youth or stressing over the unknown future. But for me, my excitement is murdered, and I don't have the right to feel that stress. The bleakness of my future is already set in steel.

Jungkook peeks at the bitterness in my eyes. He tilts his body forward as he walks through the scanners, tripping to press his lips against mine. Unlike his slickness with other things, his stunt is surprisingly awkward.

I break into laughter. "What are you doing?"

Jungkook sheepishly wraps his arms around me. "Sorry, the ground was sticky," he mutters.

I catch my breath from laughing and roll my eyes at him.

"How old are you, Jeon Jungkook?"

"Old enough to watch K-Dramas that show sex."

I nudge Jungkook as I lapse into another laughing fit, almost forgetting to feel embarrassed by his tight embrace.

Jungkook sits near the entrance with a manga book. He squeezes my hand and smiles.

"Take your time."

I nod and venture into the aisles. Of course, undercover security guards are surveilling the area with Ms Kim as I wander around.

I reach for a hardcover copy of Jane Eyre, stopping to study the Korean version of the blurb. A man saunters to me with the English copy of the book in hand.

"Isn't the story of Jane Eyre invigorating when you view it through the feminist critical theory lenses?" the man says with a smile.

I put the book back on the shelf as I examine the man. He is in a white shirt that brings out his impeccable proportions and height; he looks like a model. A badge sits below his collar that says Seoul University, Kim Seokjin.

"I don't agree." I shake my head with a faint smile. "As a self-identified feminist, I find Jane Eyre's ending anti-feminist."

Seokjin frowns. "But Jane decided to go back to Mr Rochester as equals. It is evident through the renowned line: Reader, I married him."

"Jane only saw herself as an equal to Rochester after he became a disabled, blind man whose house got burnt down. The book should have ended after Jane ran away. That would've created an open ending where Jane gets freedom that is not limited by the covenants of a typical Victorian novel."

"But Rochester loves Jane," Seokjin says.

"Rochester's schemes outweigh his so-called love for Jane. Love is not keeping someone around you at all costs but selfless consideration of the other person. Rochester failed to demonstrate that with his dubious attempts to hide the fact that he was already married."

"This is such an interesting point of view," Seokjin gushes. "You look quite familiar. Are you a celebrity?"

I step away from him. "No, of course not. I have quite a common face, so I get that a lot," I falter.

"Really? You're very pretty, so I did not expect your face to be common," Seokjin says, tugging a bright smile. "My name is Kim Seokjin. I am an English Literature teacher at Seoul University. My class is currently looking at Victorian classics for their upcoming book report assignment, and I think your insightful opinions could help my students. May I interview you to document your thoughts?"