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"Hey. Wake up."

I open my eyes and find myself in a hotel. The modern design looks sleek and intimidating. The aura is stifling. I turn to my right and see Rain and Song Joong Ki playing a game of chess.

The room is a hue of black, gray, and white. A widescreen television is placed strategically overhead. A window with white, flimsy curtain is on my left. I catch a scent of bacon and eggs and my stomach answers in a growl.

The slanting ray of the sun passing through the open window tells me that it's nearly dusk.

"Checkmate," I hear Song Joong Ki mutter.

Rain makes a dismayed sound. Song Joong Ki smirks then turns to my direction.

"You're awake. About time," he says. He stands up and walks toward the door. Rain follows.

"Get up and eat. You can take a bath later."

Without much of a debate with my conscience, I follow suit. The moment I reach the door, I realize that this isn't a hotel room. It's a house. I roam my eyes. An elegant house. A modern, well-furnished, gorgeous house. It looks like it has been shipped from the future.

Black, white, and gray colors fill my eyes. Stairs that look like glass lead to the second floor. Crystal chandeliers hang in the very center of the spacious living room. Ornamental plants are in every corner. The kitchen doesn't look like one at all. All the appliances look like they are part of the white wall. Only a single green plant breaks the monochromatic vibe in the dining room.

I look at my dirty clothes and faded jeans and feel utterly out of place. I feel like a taint in a white canvass.

"Hey, food's getting cold," Rain says. He moves toward me and ushers me to a seat beside him, facing Song Joong Ki.

I cannot look at my kidnapper in the eyes. I feel self conscious.

"This is your favorite, isn't it?" Rain says.

I nod. Exactly how they know about it, I don't care anymore. It seems like they know me personally without even asking information about me. Perhaps they're agents?

I eat three helpings of my food in silence. I am extremely hungry I can eat a cow. When I finally feel full, I excuse myself and head to the room I was in earlier. I need to take a bath. I feel sticky and filthy and disgusting!

I enter the bathroom and try not to look too impressed. But I can't help it. The bathroom alone is the size of my entire apartment. There's a bathtub in the corner. Shower heads are in the middle. A stack of towels are neatly piled in a cabinet near the door. Bottles of perfumes and soaps are neatly arranged in the sink, where a huge circular mirror is placed above it.

I strip, intending to take a long, warm shower. I'm not ready to use the bathtub just yet. I need to wash myself clean first.

I gasp. There's something red and swollen in my right foot. I never noticed it until now. I guess the broken door in the hotel room did this to me. I squat down and rub the wound clean.

Same time yesterday, I was walking to the gasoline station with Hyun Bin for our usual shift. It feels like a lifetime ago. Now, I don't even know where Hyun Bin is.

I let the warm water relax my tensed muscles. I need to think. I cannot think properly. I need an escape plan.

After what seems like an hour in the shower, I feel so much better already. I walk toward the stack of towels and start to wipe myself dry. And then it hit me. I have no spare clothes! My eyes widen in horror as I look at my filthy clothes. It will take some time for them to dry. I can't walk around this house in a towel. I'm alone with two guys for goodness' sake! I need to lock the door!

I reach for the door handle when it swings open. What the hell?

"Oh my God you pervert! What are you doing here? Get the hell out!" I shout at the intruder. Song Joong Ki stares at me. My right hand automatically swings forward, ready to slap him but he catches it and twists it in my back. I cry out in pain. He lets go of my hand and wraps his arms around my waist, pressing me close to him.

"Three things, brat. First, I'm not a pervert. Second, you didn't lock the door. Third, you're not my type so stop assuming," he whispers in my ear. I shiver.

He lets go of me. He pushes the clothes to my chest and says, "When you're done, go to the living room. We need to talk."

He strides out of the bathroom, not even bothering to close the door.

Fuming, I close the door with a bang and change into my new clothes as fast as I can. That pervert! I swear he gave me a light kiss in my neck before he let me go. Oh I really want to knock all of his perfect front teeth. Let's see if he can still flash his annoying smirk at me.

I walk to the living room wearing the knee-length dress that Song Joong Ki has given me. I find him and Rain sitting in front of each other. I choose to sit in a separate couch. Crossing my arms in front of me, I shoot them an annoyed, inquiring look.

"Go ahead," Song Joong Ki tells Rain. He leans back in his chair and drinks from a cup of what appears like coffee.

Rain raises his eyebrows at him and then turns to me, "Sorry about him. He doesn't know how to act properly around pretty girls."

I narrow my eyes at him. This one's a charmer. I have had enough encounters with a mirror to know that I'm nowhere near pretty.

"We are in a safe house. He owns several safe houses throughout the country," Rain says, gesturing his thumb toward a bored-looking Song Joong Ki. Now that I look at them, they don't look like they're related at all. They do have the same muscly body but one has fairer looks that the other.

Now, I don't want to drift that far. Shut up, brain!

"Joong Ki and I are cousins," he says. "These all started with our great, great grandfather. He wrote books that became real people. Our parents discovered about it when he died. It wasn't a big deal, until after we read about you." He takes a deep breath. He glimpses at Song Joong Ki before continuing.

"The thing is, our family decided to burn the books. Either burn the books or kill the living counterpart. Of all the stories he wrote, you are his only attempt at something supernatural. You have an ability to... to see. To see future events," Rain says.

Fine, let's say this is true and let's say that these two are not insane.

"What happened when they burned the books?" I ask.

"When they burned the entire book, the living counterpart dies."

"Why do they do that? Why can't they just let them live?"

So they are a family of killers. I must run for my life!

"Well, Hye Kyo, let's just say that it's to prevent another Hitler from rising to power.

"How many books did he write? And where are they now?"

"He wrote five books. Four of them were burned to ashes. Yours, is the only one left."

"They let me live?" I mutter. I dunno what to feel about that. Should I be thankful?

Rain hesitates, then looks at Song Joong Ki.

"They didn't." Song Joong Ki says.

I look at him.

"When I was a kid, I saw them burning the books. I didn't understand it then. I got curious and grabbed one. They didn't know that you survived."

"But why do they want to kill me? I'm not going to turn into a Hitler or something, right?" I ask them. That's ridiculous! Me? A dictator. That's mad!

Song Joong Ki leans toward me.

"The ones hunting you this morning are not my family. They want to capture you alive. They also found out about you and decided that they can use you for their own interests."

"And your family?"

"You were a threat to them. I'm here to help you survive," he says.

He smiles at me, his eyes twinkling, "Like what I said, I'm your savior."



I look around wildly. The stench of burning rubber is heavy in the air. I cannot make out anything because of the thick, black smoke coming from the burning car. Rain is driving even faster than before.

"Stop! Stop the car!" I shout at him frantically. "We have to go back. Song Joong Ki. He's..."

But before I can finish my sentence, a familiar black car appears from behind the thick smoke, speeding towards us.

"That answers your question," Rain says, chuckling. "You two seem to have gotten close. You worry about him."

I make a face at him, "Whatever."

I'm such a fool. The burning car isn't Song Joong Ki's. It's of the enemy's. And why am I even worried about him? Shouldn't I be happy if my kidnapper dies?

I feel so stupid. How can I be so sure that the guys who were after us are the bad ones? What if it's the other way around?

Rain slows down and lets the black car go ahead of us.

"Why did you let him get ahead?" I ask.

"He decides where we go next," Rain says.

Is Song Joong Ki his boss or something?

"Can I make a suggestion?" I ask.

"No."

I groan. I'm positively starving! I think they're gonna let me die of starvation.

Something soft hits my head. Rain gave me a burger. Well, more like chucked me a burger. With my state, he could shove one in my mouth and I would still be thankful. I grab the burger immediately, tear the wrapper, and start to eat. I swear burger never tasted this heavenly before.

"There's a bottle of water in the cooler."

I just notice the cooler now. I get the bottle from it. It's not sealed.

"You drank from this before?" I ask.

"I sure did," Rain replies.

I roll my eyes at him but drinks from the bottle nonetheless. This isn't the time to be picky. Not when it's a life and death situation.

I finish eating in about a minute. I'm still starving but at least my stomach tenants are not going to eat my stomach lining anymore. I burp.

Rain chuckles again, "You're hardly lady-like. Very bookish."

I scowl at him. I cannot make the connection.

"I know I'm not prim and proper but despite having good grades, I'm not bookish."

He smirks, "I'm not talking about your intellect. I'm talking about you being exactly what the book says about you."

What the hell is he talking about? I don't recall writing an autobiography since grade school.

I look outside the car window and realize that we are going away from the City. The trees are starting to thicken. I can make out an outline of mountains overhead.

Sometimes, it's better not to get involved in things you don't understand. I remember Hyun Bin telling me this once. I wonder where he is now. Did he report what happened last night to the cops? I hope he's okay.

"Who are those people? The ones chasing after us?" I ask Rain, changing the topic.

He looks at me through the mirror, looking amused but didn't object with the change of subject.

"They are enemies."

"Would you care to elaborate?" I say, putting emphasis on the last word. It's exasperating, being dragged into this mess and not being told anything!

He chuckles again. I grit my teeth. I don't find anything amusing in this entire situation.

"They want you. Not dead but alive. They will use you to get what they want," he explains.

I still don't get it.

"And what exactly do they want?"

"They want what you can offer."

"I don't have a single buck in me, if that's what you mean. I can go to them and negotiate."

Rain laughs this time. He shakes his head, clearly having a good time.

"They don't want your money, not that you have any. They want something more than that."

"Like what?"

"Your ability."

"If they want a piece of my cursed life, they can have it all, if that's even considered an ability. I'm willing to give them all the broken strings of luck that come with my name. That's the only ability I have," I say.

What a life.

"Now don't go all drama queen on me. I don't have a hanky to offer you," he jokes out.

I keep my mouth shut. The black car is still ahead of us. The sun is scorching hot. I wipe my forehead with the back of my hand. My shirt is also drenched. I am positive that the unpleasant smell is coming from me. I tug my shirt closer to my nose to make sure.

"Look, just rest okay?" Rain says after that gloomy pause. "I'll wake you up when we arrive."

Fine. I'm too tired and too hungry anyway.

I remove my seatbelt and close my eyes. Lying down on the seats, I say, "Shoot me in my sleep if you want. Just make it painless."

My eyelids feel heavy. I can feel sleep consuming me fast. In my half-conscious state, I hear Rain talking over his phone.

"She's okay. She's eaten but I know she's still hungry... Don't worry bro. I won't lay a finger on her."

Rain drops the phone. Sweet darkness envelopes me.

In an undertone, he adds, "Well, unless you do."




A loud bang and the door is blasted off its hinges. I gasp. Dust erupts in the air. My hands automatically fly to my face, shielding my eyes. No sound escapes from me. Heart beating frantically, I duck on the side of the bed.

Suddenly, I realize this might be my one and only chance to escape.

No. I'm not gonna die on my birthday. I'm not going to allow it!

With a renewed sense of determination, I make a mad dash for the door but before I can reach it, I stumble at the sharp edge of broken woods. I'm going to fall on my face! My stomach is hit by something hard, knocking air out of my lungs.

"Easy love. You're heading straight towards them," a man I have never seen before whispers in my ear. He eases me to my feet before removing his arms from around my waist.

Coughing, I force myself to ask, "Who are you?!"

"No time," he says and he shoves me toward the window that Song Joong Ki has opened.

Before I know it, I am hanging from my kidnapper's firm hold. His right arm is around me while his other hand is holding the rope they anchored on the balcony of our hotel room.

I look at my right and I see the new guy rappelling down silently next to us.

I am pressed against Joong Ki's chest, holding his waist for dear life. We are still five floors up!

"Take a deep breath and close your eyes," my kidnapper instructs.

"And then what? You'll drop me? Hell no. I'm not going to die without a fight," I say, gritting my teeth. I tighten my hold around his middle.

"No. We will drop. But if you want to fight me now, be my guest. You will end up fighting for your death and not for your life," he says, his voice strangled. I must be holding unto him way too tight.

"Close your eyes. I will not repeat anymore," he seethes.

For the love of my life, I do what he asks. After a second, I can feel the wind sweeping my hair from my face. I feel like I am in a rollercoaster ride! We are falling. Fast! I cannot scream. My stomach feels queasy. If I open my mouth, I'm going to throw up!

Dammit. Did someone cut the rope?!

And then it's all over. We land smoothly on the ground. Well, the two guys did. As soon as my feet reach the ground, I drop on all fours, trying to puke my guts out. No vomit comes out. It occurs to me that we still haven't eaten anything since last night. I'm not so sure with the two guys, though. I'm the one who was tied up in bed after all.

And it's like noon time already!

"Get up. They will catch us," Song Joong Ki tells me. I wipe the tears from my eyes and try to get up but my knees feel weak.

"Hurry up!" the other guy says.

I look up and see several men in black suits following our trail using the same rope we used. I groan. I cannot run, let alone stand straight.

"I... I can't," I gasp. My stomach heaves again but no vomit comes out. I wipe my mouth with the back of my hand.

"I'll carry you," the other guy offers.

I am only too glad to agree but Song Joong Ki shoves his backpack to the other guy and without another word, grabs my middle and flips me over so that I'm dangling from his right shoulder, my face facing his lower back. He runs toward a small alley leading to the opposite Street.

If anything, I feel even more sick of the sudden move but with the current situation, I am in no place to argue. I close my eyes tightly, trying to shut off the dizziness in my head.

"Rain! Get the car, quick," I hear Song Joong Ki say.

What rain? I wonder vaguely.

After a few more dizzy seconds, he shoves me inside a car. It isn't the same black car he used last night. It was a sedan. This is a modified pick-up.

The driver is the new guy. I look for my kidnapper but he isn't inside the car.

"Where's Song Joong Ki?" I ask. My voice sounds so soft like it isn't my own.

"Right behind us. Seatbelt," he says. I look behind me and sure enough, the black sedan is on our trail. I put the seatbelt on.

"What's your name?" I ask.

"Rain," he says, looking grimly at the rear-view mirror.

What kind of name is that?

Several gunshots echo in the air but misses us. I gasp.

"Drop. Crouch down" Rain says. I do as he says. He takes a great swerve, narrowly missing a six wheeler. The queasy feeling in my stomach comes back.

He opens his window and fires his own gun. Thrice. He has a gun! What the hell did I get myself into?!

I chance a look behind me. I can't see Song Joong Ki's car. Is he dead? But I didn't hear a crash. Another bang makes me crouch down again.

Why the freak am I being hunted? I honestly want to go back to my poor and boring life. Please, please someone tell me that this is just another weird dream. I'm going to wake up soon.

I hear several gunshots behind me. Tires screech against the pavement. A crash. An explosion. Stench.

I look behind me, eyes wide in horror. The black car is turned upside down. It's burning.

Oh my God! My kidnapper is dead?



"You're a character in his story. You're the main character."

I blink again and unable to stop myself, I snort in laughter at his absurdity.

"Dude, you okay? You must be really high. Don't play that trick on me. What is he, God?"

I can't help it. I explode in a fit of giggles. That's basically the best joke I've heard in a while. My sides hurt from laughing so hard.

"Are you done?" He asks when I tune down a bit.

I glare at him although he appears blurry through my glazed eyes.

"Yes! I am so done! I don't have time for this, you jackass! It's my birthday today and look what I have for a celebration? I'm stuck in this room with a psycho! Cut me some slack, will you? Go play a trick on someone else!"

He sighs, stands up, and gets something from a black backpack.

"I know this isn't easy to understand or to believe," he says as he settles down the chair again.

He looks down at a very old book in his hands. The cover is peeling on the sides and the binding looks like it's about to come off.

"This," he begins, gesturing at the book. "This was my great, great grandfather's. He wrote a story in this book. Your story. You want me to read it?"

I roll my eyes at him. "You're gonna read me a bedtime story now?"

He ignores my insults and sets the book down.

"Fine. You can read it yourself later."

He stands up, sets the book on his empty chair and walks towards me. I watch him apprehensively, wondering what he's planning to do.

Dammit. I should've just let him get on with that stupid book. Is he gonna rape me now?!

My brain starts to think wild stuffs. I close my eyes as he comes nearer.

"You're an orphan. Your parents died on your first birthday. You grew up in an orphanage and escaped from there at the age of 12. You entered high school, taking three jobs to stay alive."

I open my eyes and look deep into his black ones, wondering where he got the information. I am aware that there's barely a foot between us but his words has gotten all my attention.

"Have you been stalking me?" I ask him, determined not to be the first to break eye contact.

He smirks, revealing a perfect set of white teeth. I struggle to bring my eyes back to his.

He has beautiful eyes. I think absentmindedly.

"I also know that you have a necklace. Your parents gave them to you before they died. And, yes, they didn't commit suicide. They were murdered."

I stare at him in disbelief. "Where did you get that from?"

He smiles a cold smile. He looks like he is enjoying himself.

I want to punch him so bad!

"I also know that you have been having weird dreams lately, of people dying and being murdered. You have been having headaches at the most unexpected moments and they are starting to scare you."

My eyes narrow at him. Is this some sort of a prank? How come he knows about my dreams? I never breathed a word about it to anyone!

"You want answers," he says.

I want answers, yes, but I'm not getting them from you.

A doctor would be a whole lot nicer. You could use one too!

I decide to keep silent.

"I can give them to you. But only if you cooperate with me."

I glare at him, "What makes you think I will do that?"

To my surprise, he unties the rope tying me to the bed post. I massage my wrists and pull myself in a sitting position.

"Because, brat..." he says, throwing the book inside his backpack before zipping it.

He calls me a brat?!

"You don't have much of a choice," he says, with relish. And to my disgust.

There is a knock on the door.

"...You are being... hunted."

A loud bang and the door is blasted off its hinges.





"I can't let you out. I'm your savior. I want you."

A chill run down my spine.

"Are you a maniac or a killer or both?" I ask. I might as well know something about who I'm dealing with.

He smirks, pressing his foot hard on the gas pedal before turning a sharp curve, throwing me off balance. My arms scramble for anything to support my weight.

He's a maniac! A psychopath! He doesn't look like a rapist. Maybe he will harvest my organs and sell them to the black market?

I search my pockets for my phone.

Who am I going to call? What will I tell them? This psycho might catch me if I talk over the phone. I'll just send a message to Hyun Bin.

I open my phone but my kidnapper snatch it from me and throws it out of the window. I blink about a hundred times before exploding.

"You're crazy! What the hell do you think you're doing? Let me out!" I scream at the top of my voice, pummeling him with my fist.

He steps on the break so suddenly that I find my face flattened against the back of his chair. My cheek and neck hurt so bad. I think I broke my neck.

He faces me and snaps, "I'm not a killer but if you don't stop you will get us killed by accident. So just shut up and sleep. You will get knocked out anyway when the headache returns."

Before I can process what he said, a sharp pain strikes my head, making me feel dizzy and blind. My breathing comes in gasps of pain. My hands clutch my head and I can hear my own scream amidst the buzzing in my ears. Before I can utter another word, everything fades away.




A LIGHT PRESSURE is against my eyes. I can hear Hyun Bin​'s voice whispering to me, "Careful. We're getting there." His voice soothes the anxiety I am feeling in an instant.

 Hyun Bin is with me. It's going to be okay.

 "I am not used to surprises," I say to him. "Just tell me what it is already," I demand.

 Hyun Bin chuckles, "It's your birthday. I don't want to spoil it for you."

 Oh yes. It's my birthday. My 18th birthday.

 "Is this my present?"

 He doesn't answer.

 "Here we are," he says as he removes his hands from my eyes.

 "Happy birthday Hye Kyo. Open your eyes," he coaxes.

 I open my eyes.

 I am in a house. A house unlike my own. It's neat, sleek, and spells money in every corner. A crystal chandelier is hanging over the elaborate living room. No one is around.

 A painting of a cheerful family gives the otherwise plain living room a colorful touch.

 "Hello?" I call out. I don't know what urged me to do so.

 I walk towards the door on the right. It is slightly ajar.

 "Hello?" I call out again. My voice echoes faintly in the background.

 My feet suddenly becomes heavy. I push myself to get to the door. Something is pushing me to get to the door.

 I struggle to drag my feet towards it. Pushing the wooden door slightly with my right hand, a scene is revealed before me.

 I try to scream but I can't find my voice.

 The floral chair is tainted with a swirl of red and black. Blood is splattered everywhere. Five people are on the floor with their eyes wide open, bathing in their own blood.

 Not knowing what to do, I grasp the door handle with my hand, intending to close it, only to realize that my hands aren't empty.

 I let the gun fall to the ground.

 Horrified, I scream.




I can't understand what is happening. Am I a murderer? How can I murder those people? I don't even know them! I try to move, to flee, but a pair of strong arms grab my shoulders, pinning me to a bed. My body aches.

"Wake up!" I heard a man's voice say.

I gasp for air, fighting the hands that are keeping me hostage.

"I said wake up!" I hear the voice again, more clearly now. Someone is shaking me.

I open my eyes to find myself face to face with a man. He's vaguely familiar. I'm panting heavily like I have been running for my life. I try to swat his arms away and that's when I realize that my wrists are tied to the bedposts.

When he finally lets go of me, scenes from last night flashes on my memory. Last night's ordeal and my recent dream mix in an unpleasant twist inside my head.

"How did I get here?" I ask, my voice hoarse. I swallow the lump in my throat. "And who are you?" I ask, roaming my eyes around the place. We are in what looks like a hotel room. I look at the window and all I can see is gray clouds. We must be several floors up. My eyes travel to the bedside table, where a phone is sitting in its cradle.

Before I can even begin to form a plan inside my head, my kidnapper says, "Don't bother. Line's broken."

My hope at an escape deflates.

He sits on a chair beside me and looks at me. His expression unreadable.

"I'm Song Joong Ki. You don't know me but I know you," he says.

If anything, what he said only opened the flood gates to more questions.

"What do you mean? And will you please remove these ropes? They're cutting my wrists."

I try to move my hands. I hiss when the rope burns my skin.

"After I'm done explaining and when I'm sure you're not going to run away."

"Depends on what you're going to tell me," I narrow my eyes at him.

He takes a deep breath and squares his shoulders.

"I'm the great great grandson of Song Joong Young."

So?

I look at him blankly, waiting for him to continue.

"He's the one who created you."

I blink. Either I'm a time traveler for having a really old dude for a father or he's on drugs.

"What I mean is, you're a character in his story. The main character."