Mr. Bitter's Sweetness | So Junghwan ✓

Chapter fifteen ⚠︎

The grocery store aisles felt strangely empty without Mom. It had been three months since I'd lost her, and I was starting to get used to this new life. Junghwan had been a rock, a constant presence since everyone else seemed to disappear. He'd even taught me how to cook, his patience helped me to heal.

Our exams were done, moving up day just a week away.  Junghwan was different now, less reserved, smiling more. He even loved playing with Shobi, our cat. Maybe it was just me, but I felt a growing warmth toward him. He'd been there for me when I needed him the most.

I paid for my groceries – veggies, meat, soap, a lotion – not much, just enough for me and Shobi.  Then, it was off to the pet shop for more cat food.

The bus ride home was uneventful.  But as I walked the familiar ten minutes to my house, a prickling unease settled over me. I felt watched.  Turning, I saw nothing, but the feeling persisted.  Then, a figure appeared behind me, a man, and my heart hammered in my chest. What if this was the man who…

A tap on my shoulder.  Relief flooded me.  Just a guy asking for directions.  We parted ways, and as dusk settled, I quickened my pace.

A hand clamped over my mouth, a handkerchief pressed against my nose.  My groceries scattered.  I fought to breathe, but the chemical was too strong.  The world spun.  Darkness swallowed me whole.

I woke in a cold, red room, my vision blurry.  A strange craving gnawed at me. I stumbled toward the door, but a hand pulled me back.

“You’re not going anywhere, babe.”

His voice was a whisper in my ear, followed by a kiss on my neck.  I didn’t know who he was, but I felt a strange pull toward him, a desire I couldn’t explain.

He pinned my hands with a pillow, his touch sending shivers down my spine.  He started to undress me, and a forbidden heat bloomed within me.  Was it the drug?  I didn’t want this.

“S-stop that,” I choked out, pushing against him with all my strength.

He forced something into my mouth, a foul-tasting liquid that burned my throat.  A wave of dizziness washed over me.  He poured beer over my body.

“I won’t,” he laughed, a cruel sound that echoed in the red room.

My body was wracked with pain, but I felt powerless to stop it.