day 19
7.33 am
lee haru

a hint

that's it
the worst day of my entire life
or at least that's what it felt like

in the morning, when the door
finally opens again
it was like seeing the
light for the first time

one of yesterday's boys step in
passes us a bottle of water
loosens the ropes around our wrists
and turns his around to walk out again
but not before jeongguk questions
"when are you letting us go?"

the boy's lips press flat into a straight line
and he reluctantly replies
"when we're ready"

"for what?" i ask nonchalently
and the boy shakes his head

"we're planning to see how much
we can get out of you two"

"are you selling us?!"

"calm down" jeongguk eases
but it isn't calming my nerves in any way
being stuck in an unfamiliar room in darkness
for a whole night has already been
terrfying enough for me
and i'm half scared to death

the boy is silent
and he eventually walks out without a reply

i lean back on the wall
there are bright red marks on my wrists
a result of tightness of the rope
and to make matters worse
my arms are starting to ache from the
extremely uncomfortable position
i've been put in all night

"i think i'm really going to die" i groan
"i don't want to be in a human trafficking please"

surprisingly, jeongguk laughs
and it echoes throughout the room
"we won't"

"what makes you think that?
we've been kept in here since yesterday with only
one bottle of... water"
i point at the object in disbelief
"and they expect us to share"

"they're good enough to be giving us water"
jeongguk breathes and takes the bottle
offering it to me with a smile
"drink, you're gonna pass out from dehydration"

"they're going to sell us anyway
i might as well thirst to death before that happens"

"they're homeless teenagers"

i freeze in my spot
throwing him a confused stare
"wh-what?"

"it's the only explanation
they're doing this to us to get compensation
i know a look when i see one
and that boy that just came in...
he looked needy
desperate, i suppose"

i huff out a heavy breath
opening the bottle cap
"then what are we supposed to do now?"

"i'm going to try to get us out"

"and just how are you going to do that?"

he snickers
"when can't jeon jeongguk do"

i roll my eyes
"back at it again with the self praise, huh?"

"a real man never backs down"