Wick | 민윤기

Twenty-nine

2 March 2017

Victoria walked quickly and briskly through the airport. Her thumbs moved furiously against the screen of her phone as she texted Hoseok that she was off the plane. Her head was down so she could focus on it, eyes looking in front of her every few seconds to make sure she didn't run into anyone or anything.

With a pang in her heart, she realized that she hadn't texted him in ten years. With a tiny smile, she wondered if he had changed at all. But then nausea overtook any of her nostalgia. She had to get to Yoongi as quickly as possible, but she couldn't do it without help.

Outside the large panes of glass that gave insight to the city of Incheon around her, she could see that the sun was setting. Seoul was roughly a forty-five-minute commute and she had to run to catch the train. She shoved her phone into her purse and began to jog.

Victoria had left her and Yoongi's things in Canada. She figured they were just items and she had to get to him before anything happened. His life was more important than anything else. These thoughts whirled in her mind as she rushed onto the train, pushing past people to get there. Once inside, she sat in her seat, closing her eyes. She felt like everyone on the train was staring at her. Like they were all part of it.

She tried to shake away her bad feelings as the vehicle closed its doors and sped off toward Seoul. Sleeping was almost positively the dumbest thing she could have done, but she was tired as anxiety kept her awake on the plane. During the short slumber, she was plagued by terrifying visions of Yoongi being tortured.

The scene woke her with a start, but she only went back to sleep. This time, she could only see Seokjin's face with that twisted smirk. The rain was almost pouring over his head, making his hair stick to his forehead. But he didn't seem bothered. He only tilted his head slightly and nodded forward, signaling for her to look behind her.

She turned, but the announcer's voice blasted over the speakers, jolting her awake. "We have arrived at Seoul Station..." She blocked out the rest of what he was saying as she gathered her purse and sat up straight in her seat, ready to run off the train. It seemed like forever before the doors opened. She pushed past people and bolted off, running down the platform and up the stairs to the main station.

Her shoes slapped the ground as she passed a Starbucks and other cafes along with clothing stores. She finally reached the doors and pushed through them, ignoring the stares from strangers around her.

It was finally dark outside and she practically sprinted across the street, running until her side cramped and she had to slow to a walk. She was close, only walking through an alley beside the actual building. She knew Hoseok might have already been there, but she couldn't think about it too much because there was the sound of heavy breathing and it wasn't hers.

Apprehensively, Victoria turned around to face the person behind her. It was a large man, seemingly the same one that broke into her shop that night. The one that hit her with the butt of his gun. Fear seized her and she couldn't move. He was already so close to her. If she moved, he could easily reach out and grab her.

"What—what do you want?" she stuttered, moving one foot back.

In the eerie gray light of the moon that reflected off of his blade, he removed his ski mask and smiled. It wasn't a nice smile. "Take a guess."

She inhaled sharply and turned to run away, but he grabbed her by the neck with one hand and shoved the knife into her abdomen. It happened so quickly that Victoria couldn't scream. Even with the searing pain that spread through her entire body like a wildfire—she could only gawk wide-eyed at the sinister man smiling down at her. She grabbed the hilt of the knife where he wasn't holding, afraid that she would bleed out if he pulled it.

He was much stronger, though. She knew he could pull it out if he wanted. His hand was closing around her neck so harshly that breathing was becoming difficult.

I'm going to die right now, aren't I?

Tears streamed down her cheeks. She just wished she could have seen Yoongi one last time. She wished they hadn't had a fight as their last goodbye.

I'm going to die.

She gasped for air, feeling the blade begin to slowly slide out. She panicked, using all of her strength to combat him and bringing her other hand to keep it inside. The pain was so great she didn't think she could take it, but staying alive was more important. She couldn't die. Not when Yoongi was still alive.

Suddenly, she felt a hand on hers, supporting her grip. "Victoria!" The man's hand around her neck was gone and in the blink of an eye, he was on the ground being wailed on by a tall man that she didn't know. A second tall man followed slowly and pulled a baton from something around his waist. His physique was familiar, but she couldn't think about that as he brought the baton down, followed by a loud crunching noise.

Victoria was gasping for air, falling to her knees with the weapon still inside her stomach. "Noona!" She looked over to see that Hoseok had fallen to the ground with her, his eyes wide and scared. "Dammit...Jimin!"

There was the sound of rushed footsteps and then Jimin was kneeling before her, panicked tears escaping his eyes and running down his handsome face. "Noona! Oh my god..." He pulled out his phone and dialed a number, but Hoseok smacked the phone out of his hand.

Blood was spilling over her hands and she felt herself becoming light-headed. "Hoseok," she whimpered, blinking her tears away as she looked at him. He wasn't much different—just more mature-looking. He was the same old Hoseok. "I'm scared."

"I know." He swallowed hard and placed both hands on her face. "We're gonna get you to the hospital, okay?" Hoseok turned to the two who were still beating the man. "Hey! Are you guys done?"

The one with the baton dropped the weapon and ran over, crouching before Victoria. "Vic..."

Victoria furrowed her eyebrows, confusion setting in as she felt herself begin to fade. Her eyelids felt heavier with each passing moment. He was still so handsome. She wasn't even sure that what she was seeing was correct, but the last thing that left her lips before she lost consciousness was, "Seok—Seokjin-oppa?"