UNRAVEL

LOST

Christmas is just around the corner. Sooyoung's eyes lit up upon seeing chrismas' decoration everywhere. She was holding her mother's hand as they stroll around the market.

"Eomma, will father be home with us on christmas?" She innocently ask, still eyes fixed on the twinkling christmas lights on the road. "Of course sweetie." Sooyoung felt even more excited after hearing her mother's response.

As they walk further in the market place the more people pile in. "Sooyoung-ah, don't let go of eomma's hand nae?" Sooyoung nodded in response but kept her eyes wandering around. She'd never been in this kind of place since her father is a bit of paranoid and wouldn't let her come with her eomma whenever she will buy something.

Being the kid that she was, when she saw something that had sparked her interest, Sooyoung didn't hesitated on letting her mother's hand go and running towards a person who seems to be wearing a costume of Santa Claus outside a shop ignoring her mother's cry of her name.

With all the people surrounding them, Sooyoung's eomma didn't had a chance to go after her as she was being dragged by the walking people away. "Sooyoung!" All she could do was call her out but it only fell on deaf ears as Sooyoung run further away.

"Wow!" A giggle escaped her lips as she stare at the human size santa claus outside a shop. "Are you real?" She asked poking the thigh part of the mannequin. The mannequin didn't budge making Sooyoung a bit upset. "Aish! Jinjja! I thought it was really Santa." She pouted stomping her feet in disappointment.

After realizing that it was just a mannequin, Sooyoung then lost her interest on it and started looking around for her mother. Her eyes widened upon realizing the sea of people surrounding her. "Eomma?!" She called out in fear.

"Sooyoung!" A tiny spark of hope ignited inside her as she hears her mother's calls. Although her voice were being drowned by the noise, she can clearly recognize that it was her mother that is calling her. She hastened up her pace as she looks around looking for her, following her mother's voice. "Eomma!" She called out again with her eyes brimming with tears.

Sooyoung lost track of where she was. Bumping into a couple of people a lot of times. She finally felt herself tremble in fear with her tears finally flowing out of her eyes. Being in a big crowd without her mother, Sooyoung couldn't help but cry out loud. "Eomma!" People are now looking at her but Sooyoung couldn't care anymore as she frantically look for her mother everywhere.

"Eomma!" Bawling her eyes out, Sooyoung sat crying outside a coffee shop attracting a lot of attention. Many people have asked her what is her problem but Sooyoung was well thought and advised by her parents not to talk to strangers.

An hour had passed and Sooyoung can't still find her mother. She also got herself far from the market place now and is walking on a deserted road. She tried looking for a police officer to ask for help but she couldn't find any. She was shaking because of cold and fear when she heard a boy cried in pain. Curious of what happened, Sooyoung found herself waking over a dark alley.

"This boy will do." She heard a guy gushed. She kept quiet watching those guy hold on a kid who's crying and trying to escape. "Yes, it's a pity we didn't catch a girl but a boy will do." The other man answered. Realization hit Sooyoung, those guys are the well known kidnappers on their town and the boy is being held captive by them.

She didn't know what to do. After hearing that these people are after a girl, she quickly develop a fear that if they saw her, she will be a target. She initially planned to run, escape and save herself but when she saw how brutally they treat the boy, she couldn't help but pity him and the urge to save him grew higher.

"Let me go!" The boy cried out trying to break free. "Shut up." The guy slapped the boy's cheek resulting for Sooyoung to react out loud gaining the attention of the goons. "Oh, how lucky can we be? Heavens may have answered our prayers tonight, Jack." The guy wearing a leather jacket and has a tattoo of a bird on his neck said.

Sooyoung wanted to scream out of fear but no sound came out of her mouth. "L-let him g-go." She muttered in a frightened manner instead. The guys laughed at her. "Run!" The boy shouted, but Sooyoung stayed rooted on the spot as fear consumed her. She couldn't even lift her finger nor move her eyes.

"Shut up little kid." The guy called Jack said. He has a scary eyes that made Sooyoung's tears flow. He also has a mole under his left eyebrow. He glared at Sooyoung when she took a step back. "Stay where you are and don't even try running away." He warned her. "Marcus, go get the girl." Marcus, who is the guy with a tattoo of bird quickly made his move.

As an intelligent kid and a daughter of a chief police officer, Sooyoung knows a bit of martial arts and self defense so she striked forward kicking the guy on his guts running over to Jack giving him a bite on his hands that is holding the boy in place.

Out of shock and pain, the two guys were unable to react and move. Sooyoung on the other hand, grabbed the boy's hand pulling him into a run.