Eyes On You | Hwang Hyunjin

10

I close my eyes as my body absorbs blow after blow, the pain becoming unbearable.

Everything turns numb as my mind is unable to comprehend what is actually happening. The only thing that consumes me is the shame that I feel for being so defenseless. After some time, I begin to hear sounds of painful grunts and despair; and that's when I realize that the two men are no longer above me. They seem to be moving quickly. One of them is thrown onto the ground, and the other's arm bends, causing him to release a loud scream. Through my blurry vision, I notice something is off.

There's three of them.

A deafening silence follows as I struggle to keep my eyes open. I hear fast footsteps approaching me, a blurry face suddenly blocking my view of the night sky.

"Yuna! Can you hear me? You're gonna be fine, just stay with me, okay? Yuna--"

I try to fight the tiredness, but I give in to a dark sleep.

•••

My eyes slowly open and readjust to a quiet, dark atmosphere. The soft and familiar living room couch makes me assume it was a dream. I slowly sit up, a sudden pang of pain jolting in my head. I let out a muffled groan as I notice parts of a first aid kit sprawled across the coffee table. That's when I see different parts of my body bandaged up, and I'm dressed in a fresh pair of clothes.

What happened to me...

I hear a door open from the laundry room as a silhouette makes its way out from the dark hallway.

"Hyunjin?"

"Oh, you're awake." He sits down next to me with a damp cloth, eyebrows furrowed. "I kept all the lights off because you might have a concussion, so I just wanted to be safe."

Trying to put the pieces together, I only trigger a larger migraine.

"What's going on? How did I get here, why am I covered in gauze," I wince as the pain rushes through my head again. "Ow."

"Here," Hyunjin puts a damp cloth on my forehead. He takes a deep breath, a hint of distress on his face.

"You were walking outside late at night, and just ran into the wrong people. They... hurt you. Bad."

Slowly, the memories flow back. Olivia and I at the bar, going on a walk, and the sudden agonizing attack.

"You don't have to worry about them ever again. I called the police and they took care of it. You're safe now." He speaks calmly.

I slowly run my fingers over a bruise, tears starting to form in my eyes. My breathing starts to shake. I feel a hand start to rub my back, pushing the piled up tears into a rushing waterfall. Hyunjin pulls me into a tight hug and I nuzzle my head  into his shoulder.

"I was so terrified," I cry.

Hyunjin slowly rubs my hair, creating a comforting silence to soothe my distraught state. After a long time, his voice breaks the stillness.

"I should probably head out soon. Your boyfriend is probably worried about you."

I pull back to see if he's being sarcastic, but I don't sense any comedic intentions.

"What?"

"Your boyfriend... you know, that guy you always hang out with? He spends the night here sometimes?"

I try to sort through all the guys I hang out with, which isn't difficult. "Are you talking about Jisung?"

"Yeah, that's his name."