East Korean

Chapter 10 ~ The Embrace

He had been asleep as it was dawn the time I woke up. When I screamed, I woke him. A few nurses came rushing in.

“Cha Sal-shi,” they said, “would you please lower your voice?” I wouldn’t stop. Screaming is the best way to vent one’s frustration, and I was more than frustrated at that time.

There were two beds in that room. I was in one, and he was in one. The nurses rolled my bed next to his. I felt him eye me, but I didn’t look at him. I had my eyes closed and tears were pouring out.

“Yae Jun-shi, would you please calm her down,” the nurses asked.

“Cha Sal,” he called calmly to me, holding my hand. “Cha Sal,” he said again, in a more annoyed tone. “Can’t you get her a drug or something,” Yae Jun asked tiredly.

“I’m afraid not, sir,” said the nurses. “Her body cannot take in another drug until the old drug she took passes out of her system.”

Yae Jun sighed. “Bring her here,” he said to them. To my surprise, they carried me and placed me on his bed. It frightened me a little, but I persisted screaming. He put his hand on my mouth. “Shut up!” he yelled.

I couldn’t feel my body and so I couldn’t move my hand to pull myself away from him or to remove his hand from my mouth. I was completely paralyzed. When I realized this, I screamed louder.

Then, he pulled me against his body and I could not do anything physically to stop it. His hands were now over my mouth without him having to reach out. I wanted to talk to tell him to stop, but I decided not to once I remembered I was in South Korea.

My voice finally got tired. I finally stopped screaming. Yae Jun did not remove his hands nonetheless. The nurses exited one by one, but before the last one left, she stood over us awkwardly.

“Sir,” she said to Yae Jun.

“Yes?”

“Please forgive my rude abruptness, but I would like to suggest that until the poison is out of her system, no intercourse is performed,” she then bowed embarrassedly and walked out without taking a look at Yae Jun’s reaction.

Even I couldn’t see it. My back was turned. I know he didn’t laugh. He didn’t say anything, and I don’t think he did anything either. As for me, I was angry. Stupid South Korean nurse. Stupid Yae Jun for making it look like we had that kind of ugly relationship.

“Cha Sal,” he whispered to me, “are you ok?”

No, I wasn’t, I replied in my head. I hadn’t realized I was crying until I felt the tear roll down my cheekbone just then, and I felt Yae Jun’s hand wipe it off.

“Idiot,” he whispered, “if you want to die so badly, you shouldn’t drink random bottles in a nurse’s cart.” There was an awkward silence. “Did they rape you, the group of guys you saw in the commercial center? … Are you still not talking? … What’s your real name? I’m tired of calling you Cha Sal. So you’re not going to say anything? Fine then, let me tell you what happened, just in case you’re curious… I’m sorry about what happened with the guys. They are blackmailing me with something. Selling you off would have gotten rid of all my problems. I was too caught up in the moment, and I’m sorry. But I redeemed myself haven’t I? I told the police to retrieve you, because I knew they’d rape you. I was so afraid that I had been too late, but believe me, as soon as I was conscious, I reported it.”

A few moment’s later, Yae Jun’s hands slipped from my mouth and I felt them on my hips. I think he was asleep.

It felt like he was embracing me. Pretty soon, I got used to my position against his body. It was warm and cozy and comfortable. I could feel his warm breath on my neck, and I felt secure with his arms around me.

I was in a bed. With a South Korean guy. In South Korea. And I was enjoying it. What is wrong with my world?