Revenge [Ryujin x Hyunjin]

(55). Painful memory

"Huu…"

Ryujin trembled on the cold cement floor as if she was freezing. The drug’s effect was definitely taking hold of her body as it spread through her veins. Hyunjin grasped both of her arms as he softly whispered.

"Get ahold of yourself, Shin Ryujin."

They were currently locked up in a room one floor below the room where Ryujin had been given the drug. The room looked like a dreary prison cell with no light. Beyond the steel bars, they could see two of Huang Renjun's men playing chess at a table as they smoked their cigarettes.

"Haa… Huu…"

He had already managed to untie the restraints around his hands and feet. It wasn’t that Hyunjin couldn’t take down the men outside and escape this place. The problem lied with Ryujin, who hadn’t been able to wake up from the effects of the drug.

"S… Save… me."

Her teeth chattered as she muttered. Ryujin's eyes were unfocused as she gazed at him. Hyunjin couldn’t endure the pang of regret and a curse burst out of his lips.

"Damn it…"

"S…Save me, please… Please… D…Don’t kill me!!"

Ryujin rubbed her trembling hands together as she begged. Not even aware that her thighs were rubbing against the floor, she backed away from him, her eyes full of terror.

"M…Mom… Mom, save me. Dad… Dad… Ugh… Uuugh…"

Her pale cheeks were covered in dirt as fat tears dripped down. Hyunjin recalled what Huang Renjun had told him earlier. There was no doubt that Ryujin was currently reliving one of the most difficult memories in her life. Hyunjin clenched his teeth and approached her.

"You’re hallucinating, Ryujin. Shin Ryujin!"

He whispered through his clenched teeth, but Ryujin's eyes didn’t see him. Her gleaming eyes were only filled with fear. It was as if she had returned to her trembling fourteen-year-old self who had just escaped her house.

"I’m sorry!!!"

Just as Hyunjin was about to embrace her, Ryujin began to struggle frantically against him.

"Let me go! Let go!!"

"It’s all a dream. A hallucination. It’s not real. Ryujin…!"

Hyunjin spit out bitterly as she raised her hands and began to scratch him like a wild animal, causing him to pull her away from him. She was panting for breath. She could go into cardiac arrest at any moment. Hyunjin clenched his teeth until he felt pain as he fiercely shook her shoulders.

"Get ahold of yourself, Shin Ryujin… Shin Ryujin!!"

He slapped her cheeks as he tried to meet her eyes. Just as Ryujin seemed to take in a deep breath, her eyes seemed to grow even more helpless. A thin voice flowed out of her trembling lips.

"You can hit me. If you want to hit me, you can hit me, so… Ahjussi…"

Hyunjin froze. Ryujin licked her dry lips. Her body trembled like a leaf.

"Please give me some water, Ahjussi. I think I’m going to die. Please, I’m begging you."

Hyunjin's frown twisted even deeper. Her face was drenched in tears as a fourteen-year-old Shin Ryujin began to plead.

"I can’t even pee anymore, so there’s nothing left to drink… So please…"

Hyunjin almost couldn’t believe what he was hearing. His breaths became rougher. Ryujin continued to speak in a pitiful voice.