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Chapter 03

Mingyu ran through the hallway - he was sure that they went this way. The second floor. His heart was pounding hard as he tried to open the doors one by one, but found nothing so far. His feet brought him to the corner room, and he tried to open the door to no avail.

"Mina!!" he shouted out her name desperately. He pressed his ear to the door, and he could hear a string of curses faintly. He knew this was the right one. He rammed his shoulder into the door, trying to break in. He didn't have time to think, he just wanted to open the damn door first.

He kicked the doorknob forcefully, and eventually the door started to creak in. He slammed his shoulder several times to bust it open. He stumbled inside the room and found her lying on the ground, looking disheveled and distraught. Her widened eyes flashing with terror and disgust.

Jongin, on the other hand, was rolling on the floor while screaming in pain.

"Are you alright?!" was the first thing that came out of his mouth. But to his surprise, she got up and bolted out of the room before he could comprehend anything.

**

She was a great runner, for real. He kept calling her, but she wouldn't stop running.

He took a deep breath and pushed himself to gain distance, he ran as fast as he could. When he finally caught up with her, he took a risk by stopping a few feet in front of her.

She almost bumped into his chest, and he stumbled a bit on the near-collision, but he relieved he could stop her at last.

He carefully patted her head. "Mina, don't run anymore, I won't hurt you. I'll help you, okay?" he crouched down to take a good look at her face.

He tried to calm her down, while barely catching his own breath.

She must have been very angry right now. She probably hated all men in this world.

She was crying, tears running down her flushed cheeks. There were visible red marks on her cheeks and neck. Her dark hair entangled messily on her damp face.

She was sobbing and hiccupping. She covered her mouth with her trembling hands, tried hard to stop crying.

He really wanted to hug and comfort her, but after all the shit she'd been through, a man's touch would be the last thing she wanted right now.

"It's okay, you can cry Mina. Don't hold yourself back. I'll wait for you, I promise," he told her gently. His dark irises dilated with concern.

Her legs gave in as she fell to her knees, crying into her hands. He kneeled in front of her, took off his jacket, and put in on her shoulders.

It broke his heart seeing her crumble like this.

She finally looked up, and he could see the desolation splattered across her soft features. Deep brown eyes that had twinkled beautifully this morning had now turned grim in a short span of time.

"Can I- go- home? I- hate- this- place," she was stammering, her breath hitching.

"We'll go home tomorrow morning, don't worry. I'll tell the other senior about this. They will sort it out for you," he said tenderly, almost whispering.

***

Mingyu watched her sitting alone in the back seat of the bus, staring blankly at the window. She looked pale, and her eyes were swollen.

Because of last night's incident, the organizers decided to send them back earlier than the original plan. That was the least they could do for her.