panic room + a.c.e

#2 - six legs

       Junhee had never experienced such an intense fear of insects before. It wasn't merely a case of finding them disgusting; it went much deeper than that. And all of it changed when he found himself trapped in a dimly lit room, enclosed by glass boxes on elevated podiums, each holding an assortment of creepy crawlers.

       As his gaze fixated on the boxes, a voice whispered in his mind, "Choose wisely." The voice had promised that opening the correct box would have no consequences, but making the wrong choice would unleash a catastrophe upon him. The mere thought of insects slithering across his skin, buzzing above his head, and skittering on his shoes sent shivers down his spine.

       With trembling hands, Junhee made his decision and reached for the third box. But regret washed over him immediately as the room plunged into darkness. The sound of boxes being pried open and the unsettling scuttling of insects filled the air, amplifying his terror. Panic gripped him, and he sprinted aimlessly, terrorized by the sight of the six-legged creatures. In his frantic escape, he crashed into a wall, collapsing onto the floor. Helpless and defenseless, he found himself engulfed by a swarm of bugs that seemed to materialize from every corner. The room spun, and he gasped for breath, feeling his body go numb. It had been ages since he last endured such a tormenting panic attack.

       "Everything is okay, calm down," Junhee desperately whispered to himself, his voice cracking. He repeated the mantra aloud, struggling to convince himself. "These insects aren't real. They can't hurt you." A trance-like state embraced his mind as adrenaline coursed through his veins. The panic surged, leaving him increasingly unresponsive. His eyes fluttered, closing slowly, and his limbs grew heavy with numbness. Reality slipped away, becoming an elusive concept.

       Suddenly, in a jolt of fragmented memories, Junhee found himself transported back to his eight-year-old self. "Mom, Dad!" he cried out, his voice carrying the innocent excitement of youth. "Look what I found!" With unwavering pride, he displayed a beetle in his tiny palm—a memory long forgotten. "Is this a forgotten memory?" he pondered, his voice laced with confusion. "Or is my mind playing cruel tricks on me?" A blinding flash engulfed him, and the scene shifted once again, revealing him at twelve years old, jubilantly showing his parents the dragonfly he had captured. "I remember this," he whispered, nostalgia tinged with melancholy. "It was my birthday." As a child, he had never harbored fear for these creatures, so why was he now plagued by it? "What is happening to me? Why am I so consumed by terror?"

       Returning to his twenty-nine-year-old self, Junhee found himself trapped anew within the suffocating darkness of the room. He curled up on the floor, pressing his knees against his chest, burying his face in his trembling hands. Tears streamed down his cheeks, staining his jeans as he sobbed uncontrollably. His shoulders convulsed with each heavy breath, his hiccups punctuating the desolation that engulfed him. "Why me?" he choked out between sobs, his voice breaking. "Why is this happening? What have I done to deserve this?" The questions echoed, unanswered, as despair threatened to consume him whole. "I just want it to be over," he whispered, his voice a fragile plea.

       Mockingly, a low voice resonated through the room, freezing Junhee's body in terror. "Already? But we're just getting started, and I'm having so much fun." The voice, the same haunting voice from the beginning, sent a chill down his spine.

       "Is this all a sick joke to you?" Junhee shouted, his voice laced with defiance, though tremors of fear persisted. No response came, leaving him alone with his torment. Taking a deep breath to steady himself, he addressed the enigmatic voice once more, his voice a mix of resignation and determination. "Fine, let's get it over with." And as if in response to his words, a door materialized before him, beckoning him to the next stage of this harrowing ordeal.