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"Come, they're waiting for you." the man said. His large hand was resting on her shoulder in a reassuring way. " Waiting for me? Do you mean Ma, Pa and Jihyun?" she asked innocently. Her stormy grey eyes shone with hope that made the man narrow his eyes. "Not quite."
Before she could say anything else, he had opened the boring silver doors with a single strong push. Hyun-a shivered as a chilling wind rushed passed her like a herd of horses. The smell of sterile cleaning chemicals overwhelmed her senses as she stared into the room.
Inside it was so shiny! A metal chair glistened under a large round luminescent lamp, giving the whole room a sort of dim look where the light didn't touch. For some reason, Hyun-a started shaking. Was she going to the dentist? Had her family hired someone to trick her into going? She wouldn't put it past them.
"Am I going to the dentist? I don't like the dentist." She complained, tugging on the man's sleeve. He didn't say anything, just nodded to the men dressed in scrubs. After he was finished, he knelt down so that he was eye level with Hyun-a. "I'm sorry I tricked you, but it had to be done. Your mother and father told me just how much you dislike the dentist." he apologized. At the time, she couldn't see the insincerity his voice held.
Hyun-a frowned slightly, biting the inside of her cheek. "I guess I'll go this time...since you took me out of that dark room. But don't think I'll fall for the same trick twice!" When Jihyun used to prank her, he always did it again just to see the same reaction, but Hyun-a wasn't dumb. She learned how to expect the same trick not even an hour later.
"I believe you," he began with a chuckle, " now go on. There's no time to waste." The blue haired girl sent him a doubtful look before moving to observe the people in the room. They were dressed like doctors, the scary ones. She had seen them once when she watched a show with Jihyun once. Maybe all doctors dressed the same.
The man ushered her in with his hand resting on the space between her shoulder blades, sending another uneasy shiver down her spine. To the small girl, everything seemed gigantic and twice as scary as it should be. "H-hello." she stuttered with a bow to all the doctors. They all simply nodded in acknowledgement before turning to get the materials prepared for the operation. They were afraid of the man, but Hyun-a couldn't see that.
"We're ready to begin, sir."
He nodded once, turning his attention to the girl he had "saved." Hyun-a, as if suddenly remembering, turned to face him with a small smile. "What's your name sir? You know mine but I don't know yours, I don't think that's fair. I wanna remember your name even though we probably won't meet again!" she chirped with the tilt of her head. The man smiled with closed eyes before answering, "Tanaka. Tsubaku Tanaka. Don't worry Hyun-a...we'll be seeing each other often from now on."
Hyun-a's mouth parted in surprise when she felt the sharp sting of a needle being strategically placed in her neck. She didn't quite understand what was going on, just that her vision was fading...that it was getting dark again. Panic started to race through her body, her heart beating faster and her breathing unstable. What was going on? Why was she going to sleep, even though she didn't feel like it at all?
Fear once again consumed the blue haired girl as her body became slack. She felt the faint sensation of being caught, but she couldn't be sure. She wasn't sure about anything anymore. Was Tanaka lying? Was her family behind this? She just wanted to go home...
Her eyes drooped once, then twice, unfocused on the world around her as she was set down on the cool metal table. Her head lolled to the side lazily, her eyes hooded as she stared ahead.
The last thing she saw before she fell unconscious was Tanaka's twisted grin as he turned away.
