Dahye wasn’t listening. As Hyukjoon began to slip through the crowd, she set the glass down on the table, a little harder than intended. The liquid sloshed over the edge and onto her hand. “I have to go,” she said, wiping it on her pants. “It was nice to meet you. Thanks for the drink.”
“Go where?” Bobby shouted. He tried to grab her but missed.
Dahye hurried in the direction Hyukjoon had gone and spotted him just as he disappeared into the men’s restroom. She stood for a moment, contemplating, and pushed open the door to the women’s restroom. If she timed it right, she could pretend to run into Hyukjoon. Pure coincidence, or serendipity, as Bora liked to say.
The first two stalls in the restroom were occupied, but other than that, it was empty. The last stall, the biggest one, was open.Dahye made a beeline for it. Somehow the music was even louder here than it was on the dance floor. She winced. Besides the deafening music, the place was filthy. There wasn’t a single trash can that wasn’t overflowing. Puddles of water glimmered on the floor.
She had barely closed the stall door when it flew open, narrowly missing her face.
“Hey!” she shouted. She took a step back when she saw it was the man from the table. Bobby. His face was beet red.
“What the hell are you doing?” she asked.
He locked the stall, then turned to her, his nostrils flaring. “You’re fucking rude, you know that? Didn’t your parents teach you any manners?”
She tried to push past him, but he blocked her. “I can’t believe you followed me in here,” she said angrily. “Move.”
“When someone gives you something, you should be grateful,” Bobby said.
“I said, move!”
He smiled, and in the dimness, his features were warped and terrifying. “Make me.”
Dahye began to shout. “Somebody help me—” But just as she managed to get the words out, Bobby lunged toward her, clapping his hand hard over her nose and mouth. She dug her fingernails into his forearms, tried to bite him. This only made him tighten his hold on her. “I hate ungrateful bitches like you,” he muttered, breath hot against her earlobe. She could feel the terror then, that icy hand slipping down her esophagus. The wordrapewas flashing in her mind like an alarm bell. “You think you’re better than me because of what—because I’m a waegukin? I’ve lived in Seoul for ten years!”
Outside of the stall, she thought she could hear women’s laughter. If only the music wasn’t so loud. If only she hadn’t followed Hyukjoon here. If only. She tried feebly to push Bobby’shand away, and he moved it down to her throat, squeezing hard. Bright spots danced across her vision.
Sensing that she was about to pass out, Bobby loosened his grip. Dahye gulped in a lungful of air, swallowing greedily. “I’ll let you go on one condition,” he said, his eyes boring into hers. He was still blocking the door.
“What is it?” she asked faintly, her fingers jumping to her bruised and tender throat. She hated herself for even entertaining him.
“I want you to suck me off.”
“No.” She shook her head forcefully. “No. I won’t do it.”
He reached out and grabbed the back of her head. Screaming, Dahye beat her fists against his chest. But the music was too loud; she knew nobody would hear her. In a moment of madness, she imagined that she could overpower him, throwing a clumsy punch at his face. He grabbed her fist easily. His right hand returned to her throat, and he forced her down. There was a stab of pain in each knee as they smacked the hard tile.
Dahye’s thoughts returned to Hyukjoon. She remembered being in a similar pose, kneeling on the soft carpet in the luxurious department store. She knew what was coming next. She could taste bile in the back of her throat.
Her vision blurred as she looked up at Bobby. A large ceiling vent loomed over his shoulder. She fixated on it.Eunhye, she thought desperately, half expecting that familiar gleam of red to appear.Eunhye. I need you.
Nothing. No light in the vent. No sound. No sign of her sister.
With his free hand, Bobby tried clumsily to loosen his belt. He had a raging erection. She closed her eyes. Funny—she could hear everything so clearly now, in spite of the music: The leather sliding against metal as he unbuckled his belt. Hishitching, excited breaths. The sound of water refilling in the toilet tank.
“Open your eyes. I want you to look at me while you’re doing it.” He shook her hard. “Did you hear what I said? Open them!”
She did as he demanded, and a flicker of movement caught her eye. Eunhye. Her sister slowly emerged from the metal grille, as if coming out of a pool of water. Droplets began falling beneath her, at first slowly, and then in a torrent.
“What the fuck?” Bobby looked up just as Eunhye came crashing down on him from above. At the same time, Dahye gave him a hard shove.
His feet slipped on the wet floor. There was a loud crack as his face hit the front edge of the toilet bowl. Horrified, Dahye pressed herself against the wall. He twitched violently once before growing still.
Hello?” Dahye said tentatively.
She touched him gingerly, trying to feel for a pulse. His neck was twisted at an unnatural angle, and both sides of his neck were already showing deep purple bruises. His eyes were blank and unseeing.
“Oh god.” Dahye backed away until she was touching the door of the stall, her heart hammering in her chest. “Oh god. Oh fuck. Fuck, fuck, fuck!”