Hidden: Strings of Fate

CHAPTER 14

I woke up to find the ice packs removed and found myself covered in a blanket. I sat up, yawned and stretched. When did I have time to cover myself with a blanket?

"Good morning," said Min. I looked at her with sleep still in my eyes. "You mind telling how you got injured? Did something happen last night? Did you... do that thing again?" I adjusted myself so that I was sitting up right.

I held my head in my hands. "Ugh..." I moaned. I felt like I was hung over. "What do you mean on injured? What... what are you talking about? Where...?" I said not noticing the swollen tissues of my neck and wrist. 'Why does my throat hurt so much...?' I thought. I massaged my palm against my neck to help soothe the pain. That's when I noticed what Min was talking about. I remembered what happened yesterday. The confrontation. The overpowering. The weakness I felt. That I showed. I promised myself I would never be that weak again... I shuddered at the memory. It was a dream... right? It...  it must have been... but then the evidence on my body says otherwise.

I was trapped in a daze. That dream felt so real. It wasn't until Min clapped her hands in front of my face that I realised she was talking to me.

"Honey!!!" Min shouted.

"You don't have to shout you know. I'm right here(!)" I said, trying to protect my eardrums by covering them with my palms.

"So... I heard what happened..." Min started to say.

"What do you mean you heard what happened?" I asked, trying to extract some information out of her.

"I heard you got promoted! What did you think I was talking about?" Min shrieked.

"Oh... yeah... last night. He did it last night." I mumbled.

"Chukahae" she congratulated.

"Ah. De. Kamsamnida..." I thanked her. "Jamkkanman! How did you...?" She cut me off. "I'm not going to tell you how I found out but what I am telling you is that I'm going to be throwing a party in your honour soon. I'll let you know when," Min said as she danced.

"I don't know when I'll be free at work. I just got a whole lot more hours, you know..." I said, trying to get out of it. "But whenever I have a free week or something, you'll be the first to know, ok?"

"Erm, yeah sure. That sounds good." Min brought it. Thank goodness(!)

"I'll be right back. I'm going to have a shower then get ready for work." I informed her.

Min nodded and smiled as though she agreed with what I was saying. "OK and in the meantime, I'll make you breakfast. What do you want?"

"Just a coffee will do," I said while hugging her.

"Oh!" Min said while being startled. You see, I'm not the type of person who usually hugs which is why it took her a few minutes to adjust to the sudden shock. She hugged me back.

"Thank you," I whispered as I departed from her arms.

I went into the bathroom and ran the shower. I brushed my teeth first and then got in.

After my shower, I went towards the cabinet to look for some ointment or something to help get rid of the pain. My mind kept reverting back to the scenario to last night. No matter how much I tried to block it, Leo's sinister look overpowered my will to block it from memory. It reminded me too much of the incident two years ago... I shuddered. That was a memory I wanted to forget. I wanted to erase it from my mind but unfortunately, it can't be erased that easily.

I used the mirror to check out the injuries I had sustained from yesterday. The swelling on my neck had gone down and the situation was the same for the one on the wrist. I had almost finished moisturising my body, when I got to my back. I couldn't touch it. Every time I put my hands towards my back, I could feel a pulsating pain that made me feel as though I had been thrashed repeatedly with a whip. 'Maybe I slept funny, that's why it's hurting like hell.'

I went into my room and got a bra and a pair of underwear out. Yanking the underwear on, I started to clasp the back of my bra on. My eyes fell on the mirror in my room. What I saw next caused my eyes to bulge out of my eyes and caused me choke on my own saliva.