Be Mine

Chapter 1

It was around midnight when I stepped into the kitchen for a glass of water. I put my hands on my hips and bent backwards, stretching my spine to ease the pain in my back. It was then that I realised the meaning of the phrase 'back-breaking work'.

I work as an attendant at a gift shop named 'Shop and Gift', in downtown Seosan. Madame Rose, the owner of the shop, came bursting with news early in the morning -- a large number of gifts had arrived in Seosan for some rich heiress' 16th birthday celebrations. She had convinced the shippers to let her shop have the privilege of packing the gifts. All our jaws dropped when we saw the size of the shipment. Rose, however, was determined to get it done by the end of the day; courtesy of the handsome payment. I finally reached home 10 minutes ago, my body sore, sleepy, and thirsty. It was a miracle I was still awake.

My hands slowly wrapped around my glass when the doorbell rang. Jerked into alertness, I gingerly approached the door. I didn't know a lot of people in Seosan, and the ones living nearby were probably snoring by now. A visitor at this hour? It certainly was suspicious.

My hand flew to my mouth the moment I opened the door. Outside was a man clutching his abdomen, sweaty and dirty all over. Blood dripped from his hands. I quickly pulled him inside and made him sit on the sofa. "Sir, are you okay? Wait here, let me bring first aid," I made a dash for the medicine cabinet and hurried back with clean cloth and bandages. "Please remove your hand, I'll tend to the wound," I said. He uncovered the wound a little, revealing a bullet stuck in his abdomen.

I gasped, almost dropping the bandages I held. Just then, there came the sound of police sirens, and before I knew it the man's bloodied hands covered my mouth and pushed me down on the sofa. I struggled as he held me down with surprising strength. "Quiet..." he whispered. I didn't move anymore. He let go once the sirens died out and I sat up coughing. "Can you...remove...the bullet?" he managed to say. "I'll try," I said and brought out my eyebrow plucker. That was the best tool I could think of.

I tugged at the bullet carefully until it came out, trying my best to not hurt him in any way. Once it was out, he stretched out his palm, and I placed the bullet on it.

He started to get up. "Wait! You are in no condition to move!" I protested, attempting to pull him back down on the sofa.

The man raised his hand as a sign to stop. There was something about his manner that was so authoritative that the other person had to comply. "No police," he had a finger up in warning as he stepped out the door. "Wait! Who are you?" I called out, but he had already disappeared into the darkness.

~ x ~

I groaned as the alarm blared in my ears.

Every inch of my body grunted in protest as I tried to blink my eyes open and get up from the bed. I could've taken a leave, but I was already running low on funds and I couldn't risk another deduction in my measly salary. Forcing myself out from under the covers, I dragged myself to the bathroom and reached for my brush.

The minty flavour of the toothpaste and the rough bristles of the brush started to awaken my senses. As I looked at myself in the mirror, cursing the extremely spoiled 16-year-old girl for depriving me of my sleep, my mind wandered to the events of the previous night.

If it had been any other day, I would've gone out after that stranger. But like I said, I was tired as hell, and the little sleep I did manage to get did not seem enough at all. "Could he really be a criminal?" I wondered as I stepped into the shower. The man was not dressed like an officer, but who knew? He could be an undercover agent. But he warned me against contacting the police. I shook my head, pushing the thoughts out. Whoever he was, it was highly unlikely that I would ever see him again. If he really was a criminal on the run, the police would find me on their own and then I would let them know what happened.