Mouse - Rewind

Chapter 27

Ji Eun had spent Christmas on her own, her son was refusing to pick up her phone calls and when she tried to visit him at the hospital he had even went as far to call security to take her away. The lonely holidays had eventually made her try to visit her son once again, hoping that it would make him feel more forgiving.

She had been sitting in the car, contemplating the right moment to get out when she saw someone arriving. She sighed and thought that it was possibly not the best moment to do this, when there were people over.

She didn't want to create a scene, that would only make Yo Han more angry with her. She was about to leave when she saw the next few people arrive and her blood ran cold when she recognized the man.

Her Yo Han was inviting that monster into his own house. Her breath caught in her throat. How could she protect her son now? He wouldn't even listen to her when she told him about the danger. Worse, he let the monster come close to him, making himself vulnerable.

She sat frozen in the car for another half an hour, before she drove off, angry and despairing.

The hour was getting late and the party was running to its end. Everyone was about to leave, saying their goodbyes and saying some last holiday greetings.

"Chi Kook, are you here with the car?" Bong Yi asked when they were standing outside.

"Yeah," he answered.

"Oh, it's getting cold. Me and Ba Reum walked here, would you mind driving us back." She could see the small smile on Ba Reum's face when she asked Chi kook and knew that she made the right decision. He wouldn't have dared to himself.

Chi Kook of course, easily agreed.

"Ba Reum, you shouldn't walk in the cold like that. If you don't watch out, you'll have a cold to go with your broken arm." Ba Reum just smiled sheepishly at the scolding, but Bong Yi saw that he was secretly glad at the concern the man was showing for him.

Bong Yi got safely home, her house being the first on the route, and both men said their goodbyes and then drove off further to Ba Reum's home.

"Say, what do you think of Bong Yi?" Ba Reum asked Chi Kook, wondering if the man had already formed an opinion.

"Bong Yi? She seems nice. It's good of her to play Mary in the play." He said, then grinned at Ba Reum, "so, what do you think of Bong Yi." He asked, wiggling his eyebrows. Ba Reum laughed but shook his head.

"She's just a good friend, who had a difficult time." He said and then they arrived at his place and they were suddenly quit.

His outer gate was wrung open and even from where they were they could see the broken glass of his windows. Silently they got out of the car and approached the dark house. Ba Reum slowly opens the door, but it seems that whoever did it was long gone. He turned on the light and could see everything from his shelves lying smashed in the floor.

His sofa pillows were slashed, his TV was broken, as if someone hit it with a baseball bat, and there were scratch marks in the coffee table. Across the wall, written in red paint was the word "Monster", dripping down slowly to soak in his carpet.

"Who the fuck would do this?" Chi Kook asked while Ba Reum could just stare at the word, a nauseating feeling in his stomach. He had tried so hard to escape that word, but it seemed like he wasn't free of it yet. He could feel the meaning ringing in his ear and realised how much he pretended he was good, he was just a monster.

"Ba Reum, are you okay?" Chi Kook asked when the man didn't seem to be responding. Ba Reum looked at Chi Kook and Chi kook could see the wetness in his eyes, "it's going to be okay buddy. I'll call the police." Chi Kook patted Ba Reum's shoulder, and called the police.