PSYCHO???

CHAPTER TWENTY FOUR

KYUNG EUNSOO

      Taemin dropped the tray gently on the bed and sat beside it. He picked up the chopsticks and handed them to me.

         " Why are you so quiet? Aren't you going to try to convince me to stay here?"

         " Well.... you're stubborn and besides, I understand you "

         " But? "

         " But it's too dangerous ". He said and handed me the bowl of hot noodles.

         " I'm not really in the mood to eat right now "
         
          " Okay...I guest we're both not eating then. I didn't have anything to eat last night either. I guess I'll just have to manage "

He sighed heavily and picked up the tray. He turned around to leave but I held the hem of his shirt.
          " Fine...I'll have a few bites "
We sat there quietly, just eating. My mind kept wandering and I could barely taste the food. I kept wondering how the sentencing was going and how my dad was doing.
           " If you're so worried, why don't you just watch it? I heard it's going to be broadcasted live "

     Taemin walked over to the television and turned it on. My eyes were glued to the screen immediately he turned it on and my jaw almost dropped when I saw dad. He looked so scrawny and lifeless as he sat with his hands in a cuff.
   " Fourty seven year old Kyung Dongjae who murdered his coworker, Lee Kwangsoo in their place of work over an accumulated debt, is hereby sentenced to death by firing squad. His sentence is set to take place today "
        My heart suddenly dropped as I stared at the screen. Dad seemed really calm but he kept on looking around the room, like he was waiting for someone. His head drooped as the cops took him away.  I thought it was all over until I saw the cops lead him to a wooden pillar in an open field and tied him to it. Five men stood before him and aimed their guns.
           " Eunsoo.....
I sat still as the men fired at him repeatedly. Taemin ran towards the television and turned it off. I could still hear the sound and I could still see him...tied up and defenseless. My feet and hands turned cold and I could feel my heart racing.

LEE TAEMIN
      I kept calling his name but he wasn't responding. It was almost like he couldn't hear me. He was motionless and wouldn't stop staring at the screen.
         " Eunsoo...Eunsoo listen to me okay....Ya.... "
I held his shoulders and shook him repeatedly.
        " Huh? "
       " Are you okay? "
He gently took my hands off his shoulders and laid on the bed. He turned towards the window, with his back to me and bulled the blanket over his body.

       " Do you want to talk? "
      " Can you leave me alone for a while? "
................
      It's been two months since the sentencing and things have been really quiet. It made me wonder if Tiger Corp had really given up or they were waiting to catch us off guard. Eunsoo and his had gotten into a university in Anyang so we moved into a dorm together. We try really hard to stay under the radar and so far it's been working. Yoonho, Deokhwa and Minho came by occasionally. We had become really close in the course of two months. Mum was doing fine and everything was great. Everything except Eunsoo.
             Eunsoo changed drastically in the past two months. On some days, he would be unresponsive to whatever was going on around him. Sometimes, he would sit at the window and stare out of it for hours. On the good days, we would watch movies at home, dance to some music, talk and laugh over everything. The good days were slowly getting harder and harder to come by. He has nightmares often and sometimes he just locks himself up in the bathroom. Whenever this happens, I just sit outside the bathroom, talking and trying to keep him engaged.
          Yoonho and the guys were coming over to see a movie today so I prepared the snacks and went to get Eunsoo. I walked quietly into the room and saw him sitting at the dressing table. He held a picture frame close to his chest as tears rolled down his face.
          " The guys are close by. Come on let's go "
I held his hand and trying to pull him up but he yanked his hand out of mine and clutched the picture tighter.
       " I can't leave them again. They died because I left them "
He said with a shaky voice. I ran my hand through my hair and sighed. I felt really exhausted and weak.
       " Eunsoo....please "
      " You should just leave me. What if something happens to you too? Those people are still out there and they are going to take everything away from us "
He yelled and pushed everything on the table down to the floor.
       " Please...just stop "
I turned around when I heard the door open. Yoonho and Deokhwa ran towards Eunsoo while Minho walked over to me. They took Eunsoo to the living room while Minho and I cleaned up the mess.
       " He's just going through a very rough time now but if it's too hard for you to handle, you can always count on us okay? "
      " Sure "