WARNING: Contains violence.

⟨Juŋkøøkˈs pøʋ⟩

Sobs. That was all that filled the small basement. That was all I had been doing all day. My whole body aches terribly. The burns are starting to get prominent, I don't know how I can hide them if I have to run any errands. They have started to hurt. A lot.

Suddenly, the door to the basement flew open, making me flinch. I couldn't help, but whimper a bit. It was Jihun, a long, silver key jingling in her hand. I immediately looked down, not willing to look at her face.

She had the keys to the chain with which she had tied me up.

I didn't dare to move. She walked towards me and kneeled, unlocking the lock.

"We're out of groceries."

Said she in a cold tone of voice. I knew what it meant. I would have to get her the groceries. Again. I still had a small tint of hope that she would let me have some food if I got her the groceries.

"I-I'll get the g-groceries."

My voice trembled. My throat felt like sandpaper. I had been deprived of water for a long amount of time. But Jihun didn't seem to notice. She only cared about herself.

"Of course why else do you think I'm setting you free?"

I bit my lips. I could not help but feel a sting in my heart. I couldn't help but stop the tears that blurred my vision. Of course, what else did I think? As soon as I was freed, I tried to stand up but failed. My legs were frozen from staying still for so long.

Jihun snorted when she saw me struggling to balance myself.

"Pathetic."

She cursed under her breath, thinking I wouldn't hear that and left the basement. I heard that. The tears finally fell. I bit my lips to stop myself from whimpering over how much my whole body hurt and with the help of a wall, I limped out of the basement.

The staircase led to the living room and I was instantly met by the smell of brandy and tobacco. It made me want to throw up. I have never been a fan of alcohol or tobacco. I made my way to the bathroom and locked the door. The only thing I was grateful to Jihun was that she let me use the geyser.

I twisted the knob to the cold water side, wanting to get rid of the burning sensation as soon as possible. While I waited for the cold water to fill the tub, I got a chance to have a proper look at myself in the mirror.

Pathetic.

That was the first word that came to my mind, in my mother's voice. My burns weren't too bad, but they were too large to hide. There was a cut right beneath my eyes. I realized I must have gotten it when my mother threw me and I fell face-first into the basement. The burn of the hair curler was pretty bad. I didn't quite know what to do with it. I know it could get infected, but I didn't have enough money to afford to see a doctor. So I did what I thought was right.

I partially submerge myself, hissing as my when it touched my wounds. I closed my eyes, sighed and hugged myself.

When I opened my eyes again, I have tears in them. I sniffled, biting my lips to stop myself from crying. My mother was right. I'm pathetic. I am a loud crier and it was not the time to cry. If my mother hears me, I couldn't imagine what could happen.

But I can't help it. Soon, sobs wracked my throat. I press one of my hands over my mouth tight to stop the sound from reaching outside.

I couldn't count the days for how long I had suffered. My earliest memories consisted of the abuse. I don't remember a single happy moment.

I don't know why, out of all the people in the world, I am one of the worst sufferers. I can't imagine how many more people suffer like me. I sometimes feel bad about them too. But most of the time, I'm too busy feeling sympathy for myself.

After a few minutes of sobbing my emotions out, I decided to get dressed and do what my mother told me to before I get beaten to death. I know I possibly couldn't scrub myself clean with those burns, but a little shower feels nice. The burns will eventually fade away, I hope.

I quickly dressed myself up, covering as much skin as I could and sprinted out before Jihun catches me 'slagging'. I don't find her while being at it. She was probably outside buying herself more alcohol.

I ran with the bag as fast as I could. I need to get home before Jihun does. I couldn't let that happen. I need to make sure I brought everything to satisfy her if anything did ever satisfy her.

I know whatever I do for her never satisfies her, but at least it lessens the abuse.

Baam!!

A groan escaped my throat as I bumped into someone, which in turn sent me tumbling onto the ground. I hissed as I felt the wounds getting scrapped. I closed my eyes tight at the excruciating pain.

"Oh, my-I'm so sorry. Are you okay?"

A soft voice echoed. I opened my eyes and found a boy in a black hoodie, staring right into my eyes as he had his hand extended to help me. The boy's eyes suddenly went down to my chest and widened.

"Dude-are those burns?!"

My eyes also travelled down to follow the boy's gaze. And then I saw it. My breath hitched. I cursed myself in my mind. How could I be so careless?

My collar button had been torn away because of the impact I had when I fell, revealing the most severe burns on my chest. I quickly regained my posture, limping, stumbling and hissing. I fixed my shirt enough to hide the burns again.

"N-No. It's okay. They're just birthmarks-"

"I'm not that dumb."

Said the latter rolling his eyes.

"Let me take you to the hospital."

"No, Please. It's-"

"Just let me."

I stared at him for a bit. Why would a stranger care? His eyes showed tenderness, in contrast to the ones I've grown up seeing. He really wanted to help. I couldn't reject that. I need help.

I found myself nodding as I picked up the grocery bag that got yeeted away. The boy smiled and asked me to follow him. And I did. I walked while looking down, just following the steps of him. I thought about it earlier. The boy's face. He looked like he was born to be giving and kind. Sweet and humble.

I wondered if I should seek help from him. I don't know. I am scared. I am still underage. I thought of the police. But soon, I realized that I didn't have any proof of myself being abused by Jihun.

It would be a long time before I turn eighteen and finally move out and be free. Anything could happen within that time. I could get severely hurt, or even killed. And Jihun definitely did not and would not care.

I grew up my entire life like that. Why does it hurt then? Why couldn't I make the hurt stop? I want it to stop. I can't take it anymore. It feels like an arrow piercing through every layer of my skin and stops only when it is a few millimetres away from stabbing my heart, and therefore, not killing me.

"Hey, is it really hurting that bad?"

The voice snapped me out of my thoughts. I tore my gaze away from the street and looked up, only to find the boy giving me the most concerned look I had ever seen. That's when I became aware of the wetness on my cheeks. I sucked in a breath and wiped the tears away, smiling at him.

"No. It's okay. It's okay. I-I'm fine."

I wiped my face with the sleeve of my shirt. The boy stared at me in suspicion. When I looked up, I saw we were in front of a clinic. I assumed that maybe the place the boy wanted to take me.

"We're here?"

I asked in a soft voice. The boy nodded.

"Yeah."

He said and pushed the door open. We were immediately met by the strong smell of chemicals. But no one was to complain. We made our way to the reception.

"Hi. I'm here for a check-up of my friend. He has some burns."

I looked at him with wide eyes, shocked that he had just called me a friend. A friend? I'm his friend? I didn't have much time to comprehend that before the lady turned to me.

"What's your name?"

It was the first time I have ever been to the clinic by myself. I wasn't used to this. Every time I was ever brought to the clinic, it would be because I fainted from how hurt I would get and when I'd open my eyes, I'd be lying on the bed, weak and feeling empty. I wasn't used to these customs. The boy raised an eyebrow at me.

"She's asking your name."

"Jungkook. J-Jeon Jungkook."

I quickly blurted out, afraid to make anyone angry or annoyed at me. The lady quickly note it down on the paper attached to the clipboard in her hands. And then turned to the boy.

"And who are you to the patient?"

I saw him frown at the question. I don't know why, but he looked annoyed.

"I'm a friend."

She nodded.

"And your name?"

She asked again. He looked at me. He might have noticed how anxious I was feeling because when I looked him in the eyes, he gave me a reassuring smile before turning to the lady again.

"Park Jimin."

1685 words!

It's been a long time since I posted here. Well, I'm sorry for being so inactive. I'm really busy nowadays and I'll only get busier now that I'm going into higher classes.

But I'd still keep writing because I love writing!

I hope this update was okay enough!

Love you!

Bye!