103 || Bbangsaz

8. Friends?

Minji's POV:

I was awoken to the sound of glass shattering and screams coming from downstairs. I tried to move and get out of bed, but I couldn't. I was stuck, frozen, every single inch of my body in pain and covered in bandages. I could hear Father yelling at Mother for stupid reasons. They promised me that they wouldn't fight again, they promised.

"How many times have I told you not to let Minji play with other kids?!" Father yelled at my mother. I could hear it all too well, the sounds of my mother crying and the sounds of thunder coming from outside.

"I only wanted my little girl to be like the other kids, she deserves it!" Mother tried to fight back with words, but she didn't get a reply. I only heard loud footsteps growing louder and louder. The door of my room snapped open, and I could see him, standing there in pure fury. I don't remember what I did and why I can't move.

Mom came rushing from behind him and stood in the space between him and my bed, where I was stuck. No matter how hard I tried, words wouldn't escape my mouth.

"Kim Minji, how many times have I told you not to talk with other kids?" He yelled at me. I kept trying to move and get out of this nightmare of a place.

"Answer me right now! You're the daughter of Kim Taehyung, and you are not allowed to live as carelessly as other kids," he had pushed away my mother to the side, and she hit her head on the glass table, leaving a huge scar. Blood didn't stop pouring out; it was absolute horror.

He came over to my bed, put his hands around my throat, and started choking me. I couldn't move, I couldn't speak, and I couldn't feel anything. All I could hear was my mother's faint sobs coming from the corner of the room and my father's dark black eyes filled with anger and hate staring into mine as he tightened his grip around my neck. I could feel warm tears fall out of my eyes; it was too sudden, everything was too blurry.

"Minji!"

"Minji, please wake up. You're okay, it's fine, it's just a dream." I shot up from my side of the mattress, sweating, and tears streaming down my face. The nightmares again. I could barely breathe. I turned to my side to see a worried Hanni. She cupped my cheeks in her hands and patted my shoulders in an attempt to calm me down, but all I could do was cry from that terrible nightmare.

Hanni pulled me into a hug, and I didn't care about anyone or anything else right now. I pulled her closer and cried even more. Hanni gently ran her hand up and down my back and did that until my sobs started to quiet down. I pulled away from the hug to look at her face. She looked worried, too worried.

"Minji, it's okay," she said in the softest voice; it was comforting. "I'm sorry for waking you up, Hanni," I said to her, noticing her sleepy eyes. It was still dark outside.

"No, no, don't apologize; it's not your fault. Go back to sleep. I promise I'm right here, and you'll be just fine," Hanni said again in a soft voice. She gave me an assuring nod, and even though I didn't want to, I lay back down in an attempt to fall asleep again, but I couldn't.

"Hanni?"

"Yes, Minji?"

"Can I hug you until I fall asleep?"

Hanni went silent for a few moments, and I thought I said something wrong.

"I'm—you don't have to, really. It's stupid—"

I was cut off by Hanni pulling me closer, wrapping her arms around my waist while resting her head on my chest. But I lay still, afraid to move, afraid to ruin this moment.