POISONED YOUTH: TWISTED

CHAPTER 5

The continuous wails of sirens filled her ears as Yeoreum sat on the back of the ambulance, clutching the soft blanket closer to her frail body. Her head hung low, her short black hair falling over her face as several nurses checked on her. They asked her questions every now and then, but the girl only responded with a nod or a small shrug. She barely seemed aware of anything around her.

"Yeoreum!"

Even the familiar voice of her cousin failed to make her move.

"What happened?" Yoonoh immediately asked when he reached her, both hands resting on his knees as he tried to catch his breath.

"A gang barged in during the performance. Apparently, Jin Finance Corporation has connections to a gang as well, which was the reason for the sudden fight. The officials are still investigating what happened," the nurse attending to Yeoreum explained.

"And Yeoreum?"

"She was held at gunpoint by one of Jin's men. She's probably traumatized, sir."

Yoonoh's shoulders dropped as he let out a heavy breath, guilt and disbelief settling over his face.

He quickly crouched in front of her, placing his hands gently on her shoulders and giving her a small shake.

"Reum? Yeoreum, at least look at me."

But the girl still didn't move.

The memories kept flashing through her mind, each one making her face grow paler. Her fingers tightened around the blanket as her breathing became shallow.

"If it's okay to ask," the nurse said carefully, "has she ever been in a situation like this before? It looks like her trauma may have been triggered."

Yoonoh sighed and slowly nodded. "Her parents."

The nurse fell silent, her expression softening with understanding as she glanced at the trembling girl.

"We can take her to the hospital if—"

"No." Yeoreum's weakened voice cut her off. "I don't like it there."

Yoonoh gave the nurse a small apologetic smile. The woman simply nodded in understanding before checking Yeoreum's vitals one last time.

"Everything looks okay for now. Just keep her somewhere comfortable and make sure she gets some rest."

Once the nurse left, Yoonoh turned his attention back to his cousin.

"Reum?" His voice softened. "Do you want me to take you away from here?"

The girl slowly nodded.

Yoonoh stood and helped her up, taking the blanket from her shoulders and replacing it with his hoodie. She was still wearing her ballet clothes beneath it, the delicate outfit looking strangely out of place after everything that had happened.

Before leaving, Yoonoh quickly said goodbye to Yeoreum's head mentor and then led her toward his car.