A super thick chapter up ahead my loves ♡

The sun stretched across the island; its beautiful reflection swimming in the ocean water. Boats bobbed on the dock and the breeze slipped through the leaves of the palm trees. The island was solemn and at peace. During this time laborers took their lunch break, mothers took naps with their babies, children were playing with their mates. She opened up the window to let the cool breeze blow into the home. She tied her hair up and rolled her sleeves. Pim tapped her phone and the soft music vibrated out of her speakers. She had spent all morning cleaning the different huts and houses. Now, she got to do what she loved doing: cooking. From the fridge, she took all the things she needed. Green onion, cilantro, and minced pork. As she let the water boil with rice, she began to prepare the porridge for her unfortunate guest. The music stop and her phone begin to ring. Pim quickly washed her hands and wiped it on her apron. “Hello?”

“Pim,” Yongguk began, “It’s me.”

“Oh! Good afternoon, Boss. How is your trip?”

“Good afternoon, Pim. My trip is okay, I will be coming home soon.” There was a short pause. “Did she wake up yet?”

Pim walked to the stove and stirred the bubbling porridge. “No, but I’m making her porridge right now so maybe she will be awake then.”

“It’s been two days,” he mumbled to himself. “Okay, it’s fine. I should be home in a few hours. Please make sure to check up on her.”

“Of course.”

“Alright then, I’ll see you in a bit. Bye, Pim. Thank you.” Yongguk hung up then slipped his phone in his pocket. He got out of his car and rang the doorbell to the Jung residence. On his last day, he needed to at least come and make his face seen to his soon-to-be in-laws. Surprised to not be greeted by a worker, Yongguk scoffed. “Wow, you must have really dropped in residential status to be opening doors now.”

Daehyun closed the door behind him and stepped up to Yongguk. “Where is she, huh?”

Yongguk scoffed, “Have you taken your pills? It’s only the afternoon and you’re already sounding crazy.”

“If I didn’t know any better, I would agree with you. Unfortunately for you, I know everything.” Daehyun scowled at him, “Where did you hide Mani.”

“I don’t know how many times I have to tell you,” Yongguk smugly laughed, “what happens between you and Mani is none of my business. It’s not my fault you’re so awful at handling your woman. This sounds like a personal problem instead.”

Daehyun pushed him, “ you! I know you took her away. I know she’s with you! Give her back, she’ll never want to be with a person like you.”

“You don’t know .”

“No, you,” Daehyun emphasized, “don’t know ! You punish her for things that are not her fault. Stop this craziness and leave her alone!”

Yongguk pushed him away. “What are you talking about? Huh!” He pushed Daehyun away. “Don’t act like you know me or Mani. Don’t act like you know what we’ve been through. off!” He threw a punch at Daehyun, making the other stumble on his feet.

Daehyun laughed. Slowly at first then extremely hard. “You,” he struggled to talk in his chortles, “are so ing clueless.” Daehyun rubbed his lip and pointed at him, “I must really know more than you.”

“What the are you talking about, you psychopath.”

“You can call me crazy all you want but at least I’m not the one imprisoning the innocent. If only you knew who really hurt you.” Daehyun stood up straight then looked at him, “Bring Mani home and I’ll explain to your childish mind everything that Mani probably won’t tell you.”

Yongguk knew what he was doing. He knew Daehyun was bluffing. He was good at poker, he could spot a liar when he saw one. “Good luck finding her, because I don’t have her.” He pushed past Daehyun, “Really consider this: maybe Mani ran away from you because she’s had enough of your obsessive and psychotic behavior. It’s universally a turn-off.” Yongguk unlocked his car and got in. Immediately, he drove to the airport.

After letting the porridge cool down, she put it on a serving bowl and platter. Pim walked to the room Mani was in and knocked on the door, “Excuse me,” she said with very little knowledge of English. “I bring food.” She opened the door and set it down on the table.

Mani sharply inhaled a breath and coughed. Pim quickly helped her up then offered her water. Mani took in the water and slowly opened her eyes.

“Where am I?” she asked in Korean. Mani looked at the woman next to her. “Pim?”

Surprised that Mani knew her name, Pim nodded. “I make food,” she replied in broken English as she pointed to the porridge. She figured that English was the best bet. She didn’t know Korean and she figured Mani wasn’t knowledgeable in Thai either. Mani instantly understood that there would be a language barrier between the two. She followed Pim’s lead of speaking to each other in English.

“Where is Yongguk?”

Recognizing her boss’s name, Pim shook her head with her hands, “Not here. Korea.”

“Korea?”

“Yes, now eat.”

Pim reached for the bowl but was stopped by Mani. “No,” she refused.

“You need to eat,” Pim gently argued. She wanted to tell her that she had been asleep for so long. That it wasn’t good for her health. That food was a vital nutrient that she needed right now.

“No, I am not hungry.”

Pim was a patient person. She was not one to argue nor raise her voice but seeing Mani’s treatment that she received was an unsettling sight she could not erase from her mind. She couldn’t understand why Mani would reject food when her body desperately needed it to recover. It’s not poisonous, she wanted to tell her, I wouldn’t ever want to hurt you; I am here to help. “Eat, please,” she nearly begged.

Mani laid back in bed and turned away from her. Pim knew she couldn’t change the woman’s mind. She understood Mani’s hostility. She was in a foreign place with foreign people with a man who showed nothing but cruelty to her. Pim couldn’t tell what her and Yongguk’s relationship was, but she knew it wasn’t lovingly. Defeated, Pim stood up. “Please eat medicine,” she gestured to the two pills in a small shot glass, “Eat to feel better and get well. Please, please, thank you.” Pim walked to the door and shut it.

Mani shut her eyes, desperately hoping she was in a terrible nightmare. “Wake up,” she chanted to herself, “wake up now, wake up and go to work, just wake up, dammit!” Mani coughed in her hands and slowly opened her eyes. She was quickly reminded of the medication Pim set out for her. She turned her head and looked at it. “Pim seems harmless,” she remarked to herself, “I can trust her can’t I?” She sat up and got a hold of the glass that contained the pills. She twirled the medicine in a circular motion in the cup. You can’t trust anyone here, Im Mani. She put the pills back then glanced outside the sliding door. Her eyes caught the dock from far away. The boats seemed brighter and with a purpose more meaningful than before.

The sun was at the end of its phase. At the center of the horizon was the deep, molten lava of vivid orange in its darkest due. The deep blue sky continued to develop around the core of the sun as the evening was arriving. As the motorboat was reaching the shore, Yongguk was still puzzled. Even upon arrival, Daehyun’s words still got to him.

“You punish her for things that are not her fault. Stop this craziness and leave her alone!”

He shook his head and hopped off the boat. “Lek,” he called, “how’s Mani?” Almost eagerly, he strolled to the house at a fast pace.

“She’s been resting the entire day,” Lek reported.

Yongguk paced past the workers greeting him. He reached to her room then his heart dropped.

“Pim!”

The worker jumped from her boss’s thunderous voice.

“Where is Mani?”

The room was empty and the bed was done. It looked untouched as if she was never there. Yongguk inspected the room. There was a small pile of clothes neatly folded on the ottoman by the sliding door, the open sliding door.

“She’s not going to get far. Not on this island.”

The loose, white, woven dress kept catching the wind, making it hard for her to walk properly. Her long hair scattered across her back and face in the direction of the wind. Mani stopped and twisted her hair into a tight bun. She picked up the linen again and continued walking in the sand that was growing colder by the minute.

“Why is this island so big?”

From her view, the island was a beautiful, vast sandland. Walking on it like an impossible journey to the dock. It had been about a half hour when she plotted her escape. It took a lot of contemplating but she was finally on her way to freedom. She still declined the food, wa