ONESHOTS || MEANIE ● WONMIN

|maestro|

"Ugghh..." My head felt like it was about to split open.

I took a deep, shaky breath before cautiously opening my eyes, a wave of unease settling in as I wondered what awaited me after experiencing such dreadful, relentless pain.

My eyes fluttered open, and an unfamiliar, room greeted me. The air was heavy with a faint, sterile scent, the kind that suggested I was somewhere far removed from anything familiar.

I slowly turned my head side to side, desperately searching for any sign of life in the small, quiet room, my eyes skimming over the simple furnishings, but I found nothing.

I was alone. Oddly enough, I didn't feel like I was in danger, though I should have. Any person in this situation would be shaken, perhaps even terrified, waking up in an unknown place. But I felt none of that. Instead, a strange calmness settled over me, as if the world outside had ceased to matter.

My body was nestled in a modestly sized, soft bed, cocooned in layers of thin, worn-out blankets.

My clothes, now fresh and clean, replaced the ones I had been wearing before. They were soft, yet unfamiliar, as if someone had carefully dressed me while I was unconscious.

The pain in my head never let up, an insistent, throbbing ache that clung to my temples. A low groan escaped my lips as I tried to sit up from the bed. But my body was weak and uncooperative, and I collapsed back onto the edge of the mattress, my head spinning as I tried to piece together the events that led me here.

Right...

That's what happened...

I had taken the vial with me. It's cold glass reminding me of the choice I made that night.

I walked deep into the dense, shadowy woods, the trees whispering secrets in the wind.

I reached the cliff's edge, gazing at the vast, endless drop below.

I drank the poison, its bitter taste burning my throat.

And then... I fell to my death... Or so I thought.

My arm was bandaged, wrapped carefully in clean, soft cloth. A basin of water and a damp, comforting blanket rested by my bedside, ready for use.

I took another glance around the room, stretching my neck to peek out the window next to my bed.

It was beautiful outside. The landscape was serene and untouched, with rolling hills bathed in soft golden sunlight. It felt so out of place—so far removed from the wicked world I knew—that it almost seemed like a dream, like a world that could never truly exist.

Was I really dead?

And is this, in fact, heaven already?

A quiet creak pulls me from my thoughts. A middle-aged woman emerges from the door, her face etched with worry as her eyes lock with mine.

"Oh dear. You're finally awake. How are you feeling? Is your head and arm okay?"

She approaches me slowly, carefully, as though unsure of how close she can get, mindful of not overwhelming someone as disoriented and confused as I must appear.

I meekly nod at her, absorbing the familiar, comforting gaze she's giving me, though I can't quite place where I've seen those eyes before. There's something about them that feels both reassuring and haunting, as if they've been a part of my life already, but I can't remember when or how.

"I see. That's good to know," she says softly. "Do you want anything to eat? Drink?"

I open my mouth to respond, but words scratch painfully at my throat, as if my body is still recovering from whatever torment I've endured.