The Call Girl

Diary 2: Entry 5

The next week passed as normal. I tutored Jiu. Jiu fucked me out of my mind. I continued my studies, and made silly jokes with Siyeon and Sua. There was only one thing out of place: I couldn't get last Saturday out of my mind.

Every time I closed my eyes, all I saw was her and him through the window of that bedroom. His hands pinning her wrists. His...thing pushing inside her. Every time I saw it, it made me sick. My pulse spun out of control. My focus shattered. It even took explicit reminders from my friends to ground me in reality sometimes.

But I was fine, really. Perfectly fine. Until that phone call on Friday night. From Jiu. From the emergency department. My heart dropped to my feet, and I dropped everything else to rush to the hospital.

When I arrived, I found her lying propped up in one of the beds. She had an IV line in and was snuggled into some blankets. The standout feature, however, was her face, but not in the usual way. Her eyes were blotched with black and blue. There was a bandage around her head.

I ran to her side. "Jiu!" I cried. "Jiu, are you okay? What happened?"

She didn't smile when she saw me. "I'll be fine," she said. "The doctors said I'll recover."

I knelt and wrapped her hand in mine. I placed a soft, tender kiss on her knuckles. "I'm sorry, but...you don't look okay."

Jiu eyed me for a few moments, then answered. "No, I'm not." Her voice was tight. Was it because of pain or something else? "I...had a minor concussion. Some bruising around my eyes - I'm sure you guessed that one. I did bleed a fair amount from the head wound so I'm still a bit woozy."

I stroked her hair behind her ear and gently caressed her cheek. "Oh, Jiu. My Jiu," I whispered, my eyes shining.

For the life of me I couldn't think of why her gaze was so cold.

"Please, say something. I'm worried," I said.

"You're worried, are you?" she said.

I nodded. "Mhm."

"Is that why you followed me last Saturday?" she asked, an innocent lilt in her voice.

My mouth went dry. "I-I did what? I didn't follow you."

That's when her expression turned rock hard. "You're going to sit there and deny it when this," she pointed at her blackened eyes, "happened to me?"

I gulped. "I...I don't know."

Jiu scoffed. "You don't know? You're such a coward!"

I flinched at her harsh tone. "P-please, just tell me what happened," I asked, my voice trembling.

Jiu sighed. "That client you saw me with? He told me that he caught you outside. He told me that you said you were my girlfriend. And the worst bit? You, my supposed girlfriend who apparently has it out for him, knows where he lives." By the end of her sentence, her voice dripped with venom.

"I- wh- what's the problem with that?" I asked.

"You violated his privacy!" she hissed. "I'm a professional! I keep my clients' secrets! It's what everyone deserves. It's what you," she jabbed her finger at me, "deserve! Weren't you the one worried about what her friends would think about hiring a call girl? Would you like it if I blabbed about that?"

I shook my head. "N-n- "

"Shut it," Jiu snapped. "You stay out of my business. You and I are done. Your idea of friendship is...wrong." Jiu was shaking her head. "So wrong."

"Can- can I still hire you?"

Jiu scoffed. "No. You idiot."

Everything was all wrong. But there was one thing I had to confirm. "How...did your injuries happen?"

"That client punched me and I smacked my head on the wall. I'm done with him too."

Despite the situation, a part of me was elated. "Shouldn't we call the police? He hit you! That's not okay."

Jiu gave me a withering look. "I'm a sex worker, Yoohyeon, and he knows it. If I talk to the police, so would he."

I didn't know what to do nor what to say. I simply remained kneeling by her bedside. My head was bowed in penance.

After several beats of silence, Jiu looked back at me. "Why are you still here?"

"I care about you," I said.

Jiu's face softened a bit then. "If you care about me, then please leave. I need space."

I nodded. "Alright." With a heavy heart, I stood. "If you ever need anything at all, my phone is always on."

I left her bedside. Despite the desperate urge, I did not look back. But I couldn't stop the tears from falling.