A Bite of the Apple

2 - Lee Siyeon

I was panting like a dog by the time I reached my apartment door. My clothes were drenched with moisture – by the rain from the outside, and by my sweat from the inside. I had also tracked mud and blood into the elevator and down the hallway. My landlord would not be happy.

Still, my mind was spinning, and not just from the alcohol. I had a girl, who was admittedly very pretty, slung around my shoulder and she was covered it blood and dirt. My mind was already racing as I opened my apartment door, but I took a few deeps breaths and forced myself to think of one thing at a time.

The first thing – where would I put her? My apartment was a studio. There was a tiny kitchen near the doorway, which lead to a space where my bed and desk was, and around the corner was a tiny bathroom. Just enough space for one person. There wasn't room for two. It was going to be a cosy fit, to say the least. And for the first time, I was glad she was unconscious. Everything was a mess. The dishes were piled up in the sink. My clothes were strewn all over the bed and floor. My desk was piled with papers, drawing equipment, and my laptop on the side.

So, what was the first thing? I had to get her to the bathroom and clean her up. My apartment was messy enough as was. No need to add blood to the mix. I grunted as I lugged the unconscious girl to the bathroom and sat her down under the shower. What should I do? She needed to be clean but I doubt she would be too happy about me undressing her. What should I do? I bit my lip as my mind whirred.

Meanwhile, the girl began to stir. Without my noticing, her eyes fluttered open, then went wide. She gasped and shoved me back with enough force to slam me against the wall of the shower. My breath was knocked out of me. I struggled to gasp in air.

The girl used the wall to get to her feet. She was trembling. With pain or fear? Despite the fierce expression on her face I wanted to hug her and tell her everything would be alright. I had the feeling she was very, very afraid.

"Who are you? Where am I?" she demanded.

I held my hands up in surrender and slowly got to my feet too. "My name is Kim Bora. You're in my apartment. Don't worry, I want to help you," I said as gently as I could.

"I'm sure you do," the girl hissed.

I nodded at the blood dripping down her arms and pooling on the floor of my shower. "Clearly you need help, and for some strange reason, the hospital won't do."

The girl shook her head frantically. "No, no, no. No, they won't."

"So it seems like you don't have a lot of choices. I'm offering to help you. Are you going to accept, or not?"

There was a solid beat of silence where all I could hear was the girl's rapid, shallow breathing. Neither of us looked away from each other. I wasn't breathing at all.

Not until she said, "I accept."

I let out a silent sigh. "Okay. The first thing I need to do is clean your wounds. To do that, you need to take some of your clothes off."

The girl eyed me warily. "...Okay," she said.

"Are you hurt anywhere other than your arms?"

"No."

"Then you only need to take off your shirt."

The girl began to unbutton her shirt, her eyes locked on me the whole time. As if she expected me to do something.

And I did. I left the bathroom to grab my first-aid bag and returned promptly. The girl's shirt was off by then, leaving her in her jeans, trainers, and bra. The wounds on her arms were vicious, jagged lacerations that went from her upper forearms almost to her shoulders. And she also had some more wounds on her right flank. She lied to me about having other wounds. I didn't understand why.

I took a step towards her. She shuffled back into the corner.

"I won't hurt you, I promise," I said softly. "What's your name?"

The girl glanced down before looking back at me and replying, "Siyeon. Lee Siyeon."

I gave her what I hoped was a reassuring smile. "Nice to meet you, Siyeon. I'm going to clean all your wounds and stop them from getting infected. This may sting, but I promise it is the opposite of doing you harm. The opposite, okay?"

A moment of silence. Then Siyeon nodded.

I unzipped the first-aid bag and took out a bottle of saline and some antiseptic. "This is the stingy bit. Please try to stay calm."

Siyeon nodded again.

I began flushing all her wounds with the saline. As I worked, I asked her, "Is there anyone I can call? Any family or friends?"

Siyeon shook her head. "No." Her voice was hoarse, as if she had been yelling. Or screaming. "There is no-one."

"Oh." I didn't know what to say to that, so I continued flushing her wounds. When I was done, I began applying the antiseptic.

Siyeon hissed through her teeth and snarled.

"I know, I'm sorry. This is the worst of it. Just hang in there."

She had so many wounds that my antiseptic was empty by the time I was done. "Now to wrap you up like a mummy!" I said, grinning.

Siyeon didn't smile back, but at least she wasn't looking at me like I was a threat anymore. I took what I could get. I wrapped both of her arms and her midriff in gauze and bandage, using up most of my supply in the process.

"I'm going to get you some water to drink, and you're going to drink all of it, okay?"

Siyeon sniffed. "I'm not thirsty."

"You're the palest person I've ever seen, and you've lost a lot of blood. You're dehydrated, so you need to drink." I got her a glass of water and handed it to her.

She sipped on it gingerly.

"It's not poisoned, I promise. I only have one bed, but you're welcome to sleep here tonight if you don't have anywhere else to stay." I smiled again.

This time she smiled back. It was a small and hesitant one, but it was a smile. A warm feeling filled me.

I went around the corner, changed into my nightclothes, turned the lights off, and snuggled into my sheets. After a few moments I heard Siyeon place the glass on the bathroom floor. Her soft footsteps patted across the bathroom tiles onto the carpet of my apartment. Then she lifted the sheets and snuggled in next to me.

Don't get me wrong, she wasn't snuggling me, but she was awfully close. My bed, like my apartment, was designed for one person. There wasn't much wiggle room. Her front was almost pressed to my back. I could feel her breath tickle my neck. It was a long while before either of us fell asleep. I wasn't used to sharing my bed, and Siyeon was obviously winding down from a tense night, but she eventually fell asleep, her deep breaths filling my dark room.

After a while longer, so did I.