The Princess and The Ghost [COMPLETED]

Chapter 18

                The man who was wearing black looked down to Sohyun who was now seated on the cold floor in the dim lighted store room. Heejun removed the mask that covered his lower face. He glanced to his back. A container of kerosene was behind him. "I'll burn this place down before she wakes up"

He walked to another side to put the mask on a nearby table. Daehyun appeared in front of him.

"Yah, this jerk!" he swung his hand towards Heejun only to find his hand went through him. "Man! This is frustrating!"

Daehyun looked around to find Sohyun leaned against the wall on the floor. "Sohyun!" he rushed and knelt before her. Both her hands were tied together to her back and so did her legs. "Hey, wake up! Sohyun!" But she was unresponsive. He stared at her only to find she was still breathing. He sighed in relieve. "She's alive. That's good for now"

"Just where did I put the lighter?" Heejun scratched his head. His eyes wandered around the area, still looking for the object. He moved further from Sohyun's location. Daehyun noticed a can of kerosene near him.

A moan can be heard. Daehyun looked down to Sohyun. Sohyun blinked her eyes a few times, trying to adjust her view to the surrounding light. "Where am I?"

"Sohyun-ah!" Daehyun knelt down before her. "Daehyun" she burst into tears as she saw him. "Hey" he gave her a small smile. "I'm here, okay? Don't worry. Everything is going to be fine"

Sohyun tried to compose herself. The two met eyes.

"Where are we?" she asked. "Where is that man?"

"I'm sorry. I can't really tell our exact location. That man name is Heejun. Listen, before I left house, Doojoon hyung and omma are home. I sent message to hyung about Heejun's license plate. He had cops come and track the car. By now, they supposed to figure out this place"

"Wait how do you communicate with oppa again?" "Well, I used your lipstick to write on your mirror" "Which shade?" "Nae?" "My lipstick" "The one you put near the perfume?" "Yah, Jung Daehyun! I saved up my allowance to get that limited colour" she pouted. "How can you use it to merely smear on MY precious mirror"

Daehyun smiled sheepishly. "Sorry. I was too panic. So I just grab anything I can see. I promise I'll buy you a new one" "Okay deal!" "Woah that's fast!" "You were saying?" she gave him a glare to shut him up.

"Anyway" his eyes trailed off to the kerosene. "I think you need to get out from here fast. I think I figure out Heejun's motive to kidnap you. He wants to burn you since you saw his face at the hospital the other day"

"Burn?" she gulped. "Yah, how do I escape from here?" her eyes went to her tied hands.

"I wish I can help you" Daehyun sighed.

"Yah, you try again. Like the other day at the restaurant with Yongguk. Try untie this" "But it's impossible" "Just do how you do the other day" "But I don't know how" "Yah, just try it!" "But" he finally took out his hand from his pocket.

Sohyun gasped with tears started to form in her eyes. He smiled a melancholic smile as he too stared down to his hands. It was unusually pale and more translucent than usual. "Just now too when I was holding your lipstick. It suddenly fell of my hand. Can you believe my hand suddenly went missing a few second back there?" he chuckled.

"No" she whispered. Daehyun turned to her. Tears started to flow down her face. "You can't disappear now. You can't leave me!"

"Sohyun-ah" he called. "How do you think I'll survive without you every day? I want to keep blabbering to you and listen to your annoying voice every day" she choked. "And get into fight with you. You can't leave me"

"I guess it's time" he voiced. "I just want to thank you for letting me stay by your side and listen to me all the time" he smiled. Sohyun shook her head. "I don't want to hear you. Not until we get out from here together"

"No. You'll get out from here alone. I can't-" "You must come out with me, Daehyun! I don't want to lose you forever" She looked deep into his eyes. Daehyun gulped and looked down to her tied hand. He struggled to hold the rope. Sohyun just watched him. He stopped and took a deep breath. *Please let me help this one person I cherish the most*

Sohyun's eyes agape. They met eyes. Daehyun was holding onto her hand. And she could feel it. "Give me a second" he quickly tried to untie the rope. "I'll help you"

His hands had scars as the rope was strong and hard.

"Daehyun, stop" Sohyun voiced. "Your hand. You're hurting yourself"

"No. I'm not letting you stay here any longer" he grinded his teeth. *Please let me untie this! I don't want her to get hurt anymore!*

He stopped as he managed to untie the rope. Sohyun massaged her sore wrist. "Here" Daehyun took her hand. She met his eyes, still not believing he was holding her hand. He massaged her hands but suddenly her hands fell off his grip. His eyes widened.

"No" Daehyun tried to hold her hand again but his hand just went through her. He grinded his teeth in anger and he tried to hold her again.

"Daehyun, stop" she chocked as she swallowed the lump. He looked down to his hand. His fingers were nowhere to be seen. "No!" he shouted. He couldn't lift his head anymore.

"Daehyun-ah" Sohyun called. "You can untie the rope at your leg yourself, right?" he asked. "But-" "You can do it yourself right?" "Of course I can" "Now untie your leg quickly and run out from here!" "If I can't see you once we're out here, I don't want to" "I can't see someone precious to me hurt anymore!"

Sohyun was silent at his words.

"Please. Save yourself. This useless friend of yours can't help you" he smiled weakly. "I'm sorry"

She wiped her tears. The rope tied to her legs were harshly pulled to let herself free. "Yah slowly" he voiced but she ignored him. She kicked the rope away. "Now let's get out from here together"

Daehyun looked down to his arms. His hands up to his elbow were gone. She covered her mouth. He mustered a smile. "I'm fine. Now let's get out from here" he looked around. "Here" he led her between pile of junk of the storeroom.

"What the-"

Both Sohyun and Daehyun turned to each other. "Hide!" Daehyun bent down to a corner. She followed him. Heejun saw the rope Sohyun had untied from her. His hand formed into a fist. "Sohyun-ssi" he looked around. "You better come here yourself if you want to live. I don't want to hurt my employer's family; you know"