Legend [YEONBIN] ✓

fifty-nine ; soobin

I walked through the apartment. My body so cold I couldn’t stop shivering.

I heard water flowing somewhere. Nausea churned through me.

At the end of the hallway, my mother laid in a heap. I ran to her. Mom’s face was twisted in frozen pain, but I could see she was still breathing.

“Mother?” I shook mom’s shoulder. No response.

Drops of water fell on my mother’s face. I wiped them away, but they were quickly replaced.

I realized the water came from her. She was soaked, head to toe, my hair dripping water onto the floor in an off-beat tempo.

And behind her, the rush of water intensified, like a waterfall booming against rock.

I turned toward the sound.

A bright slash of light emanated from the crack under the bathroom door.

I stood, drawn forward.

With every step, my body trembled until my very bones vibrated with trepidation.

I gripped the knob to the bathroom door but couldn’t bring myself to turn it.

A hand covered mine, warming my frozen fingers until my shaking subsided. A red thread connected our wrists.

I looked up into Yeonjun’s eyes.

“Don’t open it,” he said.

“I have to.” I didn’t know how I knew, but I had to go inside and see what was behind the door.

“We’ll open it together, then.”

I nodded.

Yeonjun’s hand tightened around mine. The door swung smoothly inward.

At first, I only saw the bright white tiles and gleaming chrome fixtures. The bathtub spigot was on, flooding the room. The water raced toward the drain in the middle of the floor, but it wasn’t enough to stop the water from pooling into an artificial lake.

Yeonjun walked to the tub, his legs creating ripples in the water.

“Soobin-ah.” My name echoed in the room.

“What?” I stared at the drain as it created a tiny whirlpool. I broke out in a sweat at the sight of it, afraid the churning water could somehow pull me down as well.

“Soobin-ah,” Yeonjun said more urgently.

I tried to reply but something filled my throat. I coughed and water flowed from my lips like a fountain.

Yeonjun called for me as the water devoured him.

I tried to swim, but my fear overtook me. I didn’t like the water. The current pulled at my limbs, drowning me.

Kicking desperately, I pulled at the red thread connecting me to Yeonjun, but it snapped in my hands. I searched and searched, but found nothing. My muscles gave in to the heavy weight of the water pulling me down.