Lost

“Sorry.”At least he answers quickly. I sighed, and Jung Woojin grabbed my hand. He held it tightly as I followed him inside. The studio was in the basement, and as we descended the stairs, I could already hear the noise. It seemed like there were quite a few people. When we reached the door, Jung Woojin turned to look at me.“What if someone talks to you?”“What?”“If someone talks to you.”What is he talking about? When I didn’t answer and just gave him a confused look, Jung Woojin sighed.“Just ignore them.”“Ignore them?”What if someone greets me? Am I supposed to ignore them too? While I found this absurd, Jung Woojin was firm.“We agreed to this.”Jung Woojin’s serious expression made it clear he wasn’t joking. I couldn’t help but feel flustered.“You weren’t joking?”“Why would I joke about this?”“But how am I supposed to ignore them?”“I’ll take care of everything, so don’t say anything. And don’t eat anything either.”When I laughed in disbelief, Jung Woojin pulled out a white mask from his pocket. It was the one I had brought before leaving the house.“…Do I have to wear this too?”“There’s a lot of dust.”“…”I didn’t think he was telling me to wear it because of the dust… As I looked at him skeptically, Jung Woojin personally placed the mask on my face. With my nose and mouth completely covered, only my eyes were visible, making me look like some kind of thief.Not allowed to talk, eat, greet anyone, and now wearing a mask—why is he going this far? I didn’t understand, but I didn’t want to argue any further, so I just did as Jung Woojin wanted. Even after making me go along with his plans, he still looked uneasy, frowning as he stared at me. Then, he squeezed my hand tightly, interlocking our fingers, and opened the door.The staircase had been narrow, and since it was a basement, I expected the space to be small, but the interior was actually quite spacious. As I expected, there were a lot of people. I was looking at various unfamiliar equipment and the busy people moving around when a strange voice called out from nearby.“Oh, Jung Woojin. You’re here?”“Hello.”Someone had noticed Jung Woojin and was approaching us. The man looked about my age, but he appeared disheveled, as if he hadn’t slept for days. His hair was greasy, probably unwashed for several days, and his dark circles were visible behind his glasses. He scratched his head as if about to say something to Jung Woojin, but then he looked at me. Reflexively, I started to bow in greeting, but Jung Woojin squeezed my hand so tightly that I nearly screamed.“What are we shooting today?”“A spread for V magazine. But who’s this?”The man glanced at me curiously. He seemed about to offer a handshake, and I almost extended my hand too, but Jung Woojin pulled me behind him, hiding me as he smiled.“He’s a Sunbae from my school. Oh, and he can’t talk, so please don’t ask him any questions.”“What?”“…”Both the man and I stared at Jung Woojin, dumbfounded. But Jung Woojin just kept smiling, acting as if nothing was out of the ordinary.“He’s got aphasia. So, he’s staying with me right now to recuperate.”“Oh… okay. But why is he recuperating at your place…?”“Why can’t he recuperate at my place?”“It’s not that… Anyway, I’m Jang Hoseop.”The man, who introduced himself as Jang Hoseop, spoke to me with an awkward expression. He looked at me up and down with pity in his eyes, and I had no idea how to react. So, this was what Jung Woojin meant by “taking care of everything”—making me out to be mute? Even after making me into an aphasia patient, Jung Woojin kept smiling.“We still have some time left, right?”“Time left? You’re three hours late!”“Isn’t that why you started shooting with the other models first?”“Well, yeah, but you were still…”“So, there’s time left. Let me know when it’s my turn.”With a pleasant smile, Jung Woojin passed by Jang Hoseop. I could hear Jang Hoseop ranting in the background. Stiff and tense, I was being led somewhere quickly when a woman called out to us.“Woojin!”“Oh, Dajeong. Hello.”“Why are you so late?”“Sorry, we got into a minor car accident on the way…”“What? A car accident? Are you serious? Are you okay? You’re not hurt, are you?”A car accident… When did we have a car accident? Jung Woojin lied without batting an eye.“I’m fine. Dajeong, I have something to take care of right now…”“Who’s this next to you? A friend? Why are you two holding hands? Oh, nice to meet you.”Despite her short hair tied up high and heavy makeup, she looked incredibly young, as if she had just turned twenty. Before Jung Woojin could hide me behind him like earlier, she grabbed my hand and shook it up and down. I was about to greet her, forgetting that I was supposed to be playing the role of a mute, but Jung Woojin placed his hand over mine, still being shaken up and down.“I’m the one photographing Woojin today. I’m Kang Dajeong. But why are you wearing a mask? Are you sick or something?”She seemed to think I was some sort of staff member. Was she a photographer? I nodded slightly, avoiding eye contact, and noticed Jung Woojin staring intently at her.“So, what are we doing here, holding hands with the three of us?”Kang Dajeong laughed loudly, finding the situation amusing, and let go of my hand. She then squinted her eyes and looked at Jung Woojin with a smirk.“Is there something on my face? Why are you staring at me like that?”“Dajeong.”“Oh my, why are you calling me like that so affectionately…?”“Please take care of today’s shoot.”Jung Woojin bowed slightly with a smile and walked past her. Without waiting for a reply, he turned his back, leaving her looking slightly embarrassed as she stared at his retreating figure. I, being dragged along by him, managed to give her an awkward, apologetic smile. Kang Dajeong sighed helplessly and turned away.“Woojin, about today’s shoot concept… Woojin! Hey, Jung Woojin!”Someone called out to Jung Woojin, but he ignored it and continued walking through the crowd. Even as I was being pulled along, I couldn’t make sense of what was happening. Jung Woojin walked back to the door we had entered through, opened it without hesitation, and stepped outside. As the door slammed shut, I heard someone inside shouting after him. I half-expected the door to burst open at any moment, with someone chasing after us.Standing at the top of the stairs, Jung Woojin suddenly turned my head and kissed me out of nowhere. It was a rough kiss, as if he wanted to bite my lips off. His tongue pushed between my parted lips and jabbed at the back of my throat. Shocked, I tried to push him away but ended up punching him in the face out of sheer panic. With a thud, his head snapped back just as the door behind us swung open.“Jung Woojin, you bastard…!”It was the man who had introduced himself earlier as Jang Hoseop. As I glared at Jung Woojin and then turned to look at Jang Hoseop, his expression shifted from anger to confusion as he realized something was off. Jung Woojin licked his bleeding lip and looked back at him.“I just need to grab something from the car. I’ll be right back.”“…What’s with your face?”Jang Hoseop glanced between us, asking the question. Thanks to Jung Woojin introducing me as a mute, I couldn’t even respond. Jung Woojin smiled warmly and grabbed my hand again.“I’ll be right back.”“Oh, uh, sure…”Jang Hoseop watched us with an uneasy look and then glared at me, as if I were the bad guy.After that, it felt like I was being dragged to the slaughterhouse as we made our way to the parking lot. By the time I was forcibly shoved into the car, I couldn’t even think about the mute act anymore.“Dammit, let go of—ugh!”Even as I screamed in anger, Jung Woojin shoved me into the car and slammed the door shut. My shoulder hit the seat, making me grit my teeth in pain as Jung Woojin hurriedly started the engine and sped off. The car roared as it raced out of the parking lot like a maniac. I pressed my back against the seat, watching in terror as Jung Woojin recklessly overtook the car in front of us.“Hey, slow… slow down! Aaaah!”Jung Woojin overtook another car, and the speedometer had already passed 110. My vision blurred as my stomach churned, and it felt like my heart was dropping out of my chest only to start pounding wildly again, like being on a rollercoaster. All I could do was cling to the seat and tremble until we finally reached his house. The tires screeched to a halt, and Jung Woojin violently opened the door, pulling me out even as I was still in a daze. My legs gave out, and I couldn’t even stand.“Ugh!”Before I could collapse to my knees, Jung Woojin caught me and lifted me onto his shoulder like a sack of rice. I already felt like throwing up, but now, with my stomach pressed against his shoulder, I was sure I was about to vomit.“You bastard… ugh!”My mind was in a complete fog. It felt like I was drunk or like the first time I woke up in a hospital. Either way, I was so out of it that I didn’t even know what I was saying. All I could do was groan and gasp as Jung Woojin carried me into the house, not even bothering to take off his shoes, and threw me onto the bed.As I was left groaning, Jung Woojin entered the house without even taking off his shoes and threw me onto the bed.“Ugh!”Still wearing his black shoes, Jung Woojin climbed onto the bed and pinned me down. I opened my eyes, trapped in his arms, and instinctively tried to push him away.“Damn it, let go, stop, ugh, let go! Just…!”Jung Woojin easily overpowered me as I thrashed and shouted, grabbing my jaw so tightly it felt like it would break. My head was forced to stay still, and I found myself locked in eye contact with him. As he stared at me, he began to tighten his grip on my jaw, forcing my mouth open and making strange sounds come out. Without warning, he crushed my lips with his in a forceful kiss.“Mmph!”I used all my strength to push him away, but he was like a rock. Jung Woojin sucked on my tongue so hard that it felt like it would be ripped out, and as he did, he tore at my clothes. The sheer force of it made my body jolt, and the buttons of my shirt flew off, scattering through the air, exposing my chest in an instant.“Jung Woo… mmmph!”I tried to calm him down as soon as his lips parted for a brief moment, but it was futile. He bit my lips before shoving his tongue back into my mouth. As I went limp, drained of all energy, Jung Woojin finally pulled away and buried his face in my neck. He alternated between sucking, biting, and licking the skin there while his hands roamed over my body incessantly.“Damn… Huff, huff…”Unable to even get angry, I could only pant for breath as Jung Woojin bit down hard on my shoulder blade.“Aaah!”I screamed in pain, and Jung Woojin gently licked the spot he had bitten.“Kang Dajeong, that damn bitch…”Jung Woojin gritted his teeth and cursed, something completely out of character for him. I was so scared that I thought I might actually die, so I weakly tried to push him away, tears welling up in my eyes.“Damn it, just stop… Seriously, I….”“I told you not to talk to anyone.”“I didn’t say anything, you bastard!”I yelled at him in a voice close to a scream, and Jung Woojin lifted his head slightly to look at me. Today, I wasn’t going to let this slide. That bastard, I’m going to kill him. He not only made me pretend to be mute but now he’s treating me like this…! I was so furious that I took a deep breath to start cursing him out, but then I choked on the words as I looked at his face.“Gah!”I started coughing violently, and Jung Woojin lowered his head, rubbing his face against my neck. Even as I was coughing, I reached out and lifted his face. His eyes were red as if he was about to cry. Seeing that face, the rage that had risen to the top of my head evaporated like smoke.“Cough!”I was so stunned by the absurdity of it all that I felt like I was going crazy. After a few more coughs, I finally stopped, and Jung Woojin began sucking on my lips again. I was still in shock, just staring at him dumbfounded, until I suddenly turned my head away and shoved his shoulder.“Hey, damn it, what the hell are you….”“I knew this would happen.”“What?”“Damn it, I knew it. That bitch Kang Dajeong, I….”“Hey!”Jung Woojin’s eyes were filled with a murderous intent that made it seem like he was ready to kill someone. Why does he keep calling her a bitch and acting like this? Startled, I shouted at him, and he looked at me with those same deadly eyes.“What’s wrong with you?”“Don’t even think about coming to where I work again.”“I won’t, you bastard!”I never wanted to pretend to be mute again either. His fierce expression softened a bit, perhaps because he was satisfied with my answer.“I’ll be back in an hour.”“What? Hey, wait…!”“Sunbae.”Jung Woojin got off me and straightened his clothes. The sudden address caught me off guard, and I tried to sit up, but he pushed me back down onto the bed.“I’ll be back in an hour, so wait here quietly.”“What the hell is wrong with you today?!”I growled through gritted teeth, but Jung Woojin didn’t even blink. He just stared at me for a moment before leaning in to give me a quick kiss on the lips. Then, with that same intense look in his eyes, he grabbed my wrist and bit down on the back of my hand. He pressed his tongue against it before biting down again, this time harder, and then smiled as he pulled the corners of his mouth up.“I’ll be back in an hour.”An hour? Damn it, what’s with this hour thing from earlier… I was about to say something, but Jung Woojin bit my hand again. This time, it was hard enough to hurt. I shuddered, and Jung Woojin, seeing the teeth marks on my hand, absentmindedly looked at it before carefully covering me with the blanket.“Don’t come down.”“What?”I stared blankly at Jung Woojin and pulled back my hand, which he had just bitten. The hand had a clear set of teeth marks, the same hand that Kang Dajeong had held earlier.“I’m telling you, don’t get off the bed.”“…”“I’ll be back.”Jung Woojin leaned down and kissed my forehead. I couldn’t move at all until he left the room. I was too stunned and confused by the situation to understand what had just happened. What the hell is wrong with him? I sighed, rubbing the back of my hand where Jung Woojin had bitten earlier with my other hand.Why did I even think it was a good idea to follow Jung Woojin? I should’ve just stayed quietly at home like usual.Thinking back on the chaotic events that happened in the studio earlier, I could only sigh. I still didn’t understand why Jung Woojin hated it so much when I talked to other people, but I never imagined he would go as far as making me pretend to be mute. Sure, some people might try to take advantage of my memory loss with bad intentions, but did he really need to make me mute? By now, it didn’t even seem like that was the only reason.And then there was that incident with Kang Dajeong, or whatever her name was. I still couldn’t figure out what had made him so angry. I did exactly what Jung Woojin wanted—I didn’t say a word, just bowed and shook hands. So why was he so mad?I remembered how Jung Woojin had muttered “that damn bitch, Kang Dajeong” before he left. Even thinking about it again made me shudder. It was hard to believe that the usually kind and gentle face he wore had been replaced by the snarling expression of a wild animal. I didn’t know which was the real Jung Woojin. Of course, everyone has their own duality, but with Jung Woojin, the contrast was too extreme.Everything about how he had kissed me as soon as we left the studio, dragged me out and shoved me into the car, seemed like a lie when I thought about the usual Jung Woojin. At home, he was so kind it was hard to believe someone like him existed, so why does he act like that whenever we go outside? Even if I was a trashy womanizer before I lost my memory, isn’t this too much?“…”Following Jung Woojin’s orders, I lay quietly on the bed, staring up at the ceiling, but suddenly felt like my chest was tightening. Even after taking a deep breath and tapping my chest, the feeling didn’t go away. Finally, after tossing and turning for a while, I got out of bed. I thought a glass of cold water might help, so I stumbled over to the door, but the doorknob wouldn’t turn.Click, click, there was only a dull sound.“What the hell?”I tried turning the doorknob again, but it was the same. I couldn’t help but feel a bit panicked.The door was locked.Cold sweat ran down my back. I didn’t know what was going on, but an alarm started ringing in my head.Ring, ring—“Oh, damn it!”I jumped in surprise at the sudden sound of the phone ringing. The cordless phone on the nightstand next to the bed was blaring noisily. The only person who ever called the house was Jung Woojin. After checking the door again to see if it would open, I answered the phone.“Sunbae.”“…”I heard Jung Woojin’s voice on the other end. I swallowed hard before opening my mouth.“Uh, what is it?”“Are you lying down on the bed?”“…No, I just got up for a moment.”I glared at the doorknob and moved back to the door. I tried turning the doorknob a few more times, but the door still wouldn’t open. Jung Woojin kept saying something to me, but I couldn’t hear any of it. Like a broken machine, I just kept fiddling with the doorknob, trying to open it, before finally speaking.“The door’s locked.”“What?”“The door to the room is locked.”There was a brief silence on the other end of the line after I said that. Did Jung Woojin lock the door when he left? Or was it just accidentally locked somehow? As I wondered about this, the things Jung Woojin had done to me flashed through my mind—making me pretend to be mute, getting angry when I shook hands with Kang Dajeong, dragging me out and kissing me violently, and saying he hated it when I talked to other people.“Did you lock the door?”“Yes.”“…”His reply was so straightforward that I was at a loss for words. I should have been the one who was shocked, but Jung Woojin seemed completely unfazed.“I’ll be back in an hour. Are you feeling very suffocated?”“Do I feel suffocated?”“I’m sorry. I’ll be back soon. Just wait a little longer.”