Untouched [minsung]

Chapter 95

I wish they'd shot me. I was about to die of boredom.

It had been days. It may have even been a week, and I was locked in this stupid room with a stupid bench and stupid concrete floors, and a stupid bathroom receiving three meals a day through a stupid hole in the door.

I spent what I assumed was a couple of days contemplating whether they told me the truth about Mrs. Seo and my parents and the rest of the time deciding that it didn't matter. It didn't matter who killed my parents because ultimately it came down to the same solution. If I died, Lee Know would be safe.

If I had a chain on my wrists right now like I had the last time, I'd be trying to hang myself with it. Not only to save Lee Know but also to save myself from an eternity of boredom and concrete walls. Nobody had come to taunt or torture me, which I guess was a good thing, but I was so frustrated at my situation that a little taunting sounded fun right about now. I wasn't a masochist by any means, but I'd even take a burn or two. I wanted to feel something.

I'd just been left here as though I had been forgotten. I had been treated like a discarded stuffed animal shoved into the corner of a basement only to be remembered decades later. I was sort of pissed about it. Why hadn't they moved me somewhere that Lee Know wouldn't know to look? Why were they keeping me alive but giving me no insight into what they wanted me alive for? I was going to go insane in here.

I walked over to where the door was and sat beside it while I waited for my next meal to be brought. I had no idea what time it was because they served me the same thing at regular intervals and there were no windows. I was losing all concept of time.

I hugged the honey-scented flannel I had on around me like a blanket and breathed in deeply. It still smelled like Lee Know. I was grateful I'd had the foresight to bring a piece of Lee Know with me. I imagined how different it would be in here if I had him to keep me company.

He'd likely complain about Chan taking care of his cats the wrong way or about the temperature of the floor. He'd certainly try to pass the time with a bit of flirting.

The little metal flap opened, and a tray slid through. I used my hand to keep the flap wedged open.

"What day is it?" I asked the food deliverer, but they didn't answer.

I put my face against the cold concrete and looked out of the metal flap. I could see his boots by the door, and he turned and walked away.

"Hey! What day is it? Can you help me? How long have I been here?"

He said nothing as he walked away, but he paused as he got to the stairway door. He held up a number 4 and then made a fist but held up a number 5 as well. He went up the stairs before I could ask anything else.

I had already been here nine days. I wondered if Lee Know was okay. I hoped he hadn't tried to come to save me and gotten captured or hurt. I wanted to keep him safe, not put him in more danger.