Chapter 14
His fingers curled into hooks, digging into my scalp. The thick digits twisted into my hair, making my entire body recoil with a sick, crawling chill.
“Aaaaugh!”
Jin Eun-sol yanked my head back.
My skull was jerked away from the window only to be shoved back again, harder this time.
My cheekbone screamed in protest, but his strength made it feel like the glass might cave in—or my face would.
“When I let you off-leash,” he said coldly, voice razor-sharp and mocking, “did you really think you weren’t my dog anymore?”
His tone was like ice—bitter and precise, perfect for a midwinter storm.
“Why are you so stupid?”
“Ugh…”
I choked, my throat tightening like I was being strangled. My scarf was being yanked, twisted with force, and it felt like he might kill me with it.
I thrashed, but it was useless. Jin Eun-sol climbed over me, pinning me down with his overwhelming weight.
My breath whooshed out in a dry sob. The weight on my stomach was suffocating.
Tears blurred my vision.
It hurt so much.
One hand still shoved me against the window, while the other wrapped something cold and metallic around my neck—something that clinked as it tightened.
His body bore down on mine, keeping me completely immobilized.
Someone, please. Help me. Please.
And then, suddenly, he stepped off me. The weight was gone—but not entirely.
My neck… my shoulders… still felt unbearably heavy.
No, it wasn’t just pressure.
There was something on me. Something cold. A foreign sensation in the place where my scarf had been moments ago.
I was shaking uncontrollably.
“Don’t cry,” Jin Eun-sol said quietly, as if what he said made sense. “You’re the one who did something wrong.”
His hand finally let go of my head.
I gasped and peeled myself off the window. My face throbbed. My eye socket burned.
For a split second, I truly believed I’d die.
That I’d crack open right there, like glass under pressure.
And yet—despite everything—I reached up.
My hand touched the base of my neck.
I flinched.
A collar.
A dog’s collar.
What… what is this?
I turned toward Jin Eun-sol, confusion and horror twisting my features.
He was smiling—calmly, even lazily.
Then, without warning, he grabbed the leash that dangled from the collar.
“Ugh!”
My body pitched forward.
I fell, knees and palms crashing to the floor of the bus.
I was on all fours.
And above me, Jin Eun-sol let out a low, mad laugh. A sound that echoed in my skull and made my stomach turn.
My head spun.
This can’t be real. This can’t be…
“I told you, sister,” he whispered, still grinning, “you’re my dog.”
No.
No, I’m not.
I’m not a dog.
I’m not.
“Then why did you run away?”
Jin Eun-sol’s voice was soft, almost amused.
“Where could you even go, sister?”
“I… I…”
He bent his knees, lowering himself until his eyes met mine.
I couldn’t stop shaking. My arms felt weak, barely able to hold me up.
Then—scrrrrrk.
A sharp sound tore through the bus as my nails scraped against the floor. Pain sliced through my fingers. Dizzying. Almost unreal.
“Alright,” Jin Eun-sol said with a gentle smile. “Let’s go home now.”
His smile was warm. Beautiful.
Like someone inviting you into an embrace.
No.
No.
I don’t want that.
I won’t go back.
I collapsed fully onto my knees and scratched frantically at my neck, where the collar clung to my skin. I clawed at it, nails broken and raw. Something thick and hot ran between my fingers—was that blood?
“Don’t do anything stupid,” Jin Eun-sol said coldly.
Still, I didn’t stop.
I can’t go back. I came to see my mother. I don’t want this leash. I’m not his dog.
Suddenly, the collar pulled tight.
My throat seized up.
“Urk—!”
I gasped for air.
Was he trying to kill me?
Then—
A jolt.
A hand.
Someone shaking me.
“Hey!”
A stranger’s voice.
My blurry eyes struggled to focus on the face in front of me.
“Hey, look at me,” the man said again.
What’s happening?
Why is he touching me?
“Get up.”
“Huh!”
I sucked in a lungful of air and jolted upright, both hands flying to my neck.
Gasping. Coughing. My whole body shuddered.
Before me stood a stranger—a woman this time. She looked young, pretty, concerned.
“You were having a nightmare,” she said gently.
Nightmare.
Right.
I blinked rapidly. My throat still felt raw, like someone had scraped it from the inside. A scratchy noise came out when I tried to speak.
“Ah… sorry…”
The bus was still parked.
It was fuller than before.
Some passengers were sleeping. Others looked towards me with curiosity.
“This is…” I muttered, disoriented.
“We just arrived at a rest stop,” the woman said. “They said we’ll leave in ten minutes. Do you want to go to the bathroom?”
She tilted her head and stepped aside to let me out.
I reached up and touched my cheeks.
Wet.
Tears.
Quickly, I wiped them with the back of my hand and stood up.
“Th-thank you,” I said, bowing my head.
She gave a reassuring smile as I stepped off the bus.
The cold air outside hit me like a wave.
It tightened my skin, tracing the tear lines still drying on my face.
I didn’t need the bathroom, but I had to wash my face.
I needed to.
I looked around the unfamiliar rest stop.
The clock above the main building read 10 a.m.
It was still early.
Jin Eun-sol wouldn’t be awake yet.
And yet… the sun still hadn’t risen.
The sky looked heavy. Snowy clouds. Definitely.
I pulled off my scarf.
The cold bit down on the back of my neck, snaking through my coat collar. I flinched and scratched at the skin, but there was nothing there to catch—just the ghost of something that had once been too real.
The rest stop bathroom was quiet. Sterile.
I headed straight for the sink and twisted the cold tap on full. Despite the option for hot water, I splashed icy cold water onto my face.
