Coffee and Letters Ep. 26 - (A MiChaeng FF Story)

**Mina pulled the sticky note in her pocket. The one that Ryujin gave to her where she scribbled Tzuyu’s number. She stared at the name and the number written on it, and Sana did the same.**

Sana: Who is Tzuyu?

**Mina didn’t break her gaze at the paper in her hand. Should I call her now and ask for Chaeng’s number? But if she will, this girl might have an impression that something is going on at the hotel. Well, this isn’t the right time to think about that, Mina. Better eat your ego than waste time about less important things.**

Mina: Her… her best friend. I don’t have Chaeyoung’s number, and since her best friend was the one who booked her stay here, the only number that we have is hers.

Sana: So… what exactly is your plan? Are you going to call her to tell her that Chaeng’s missing?

**Mina sighed and dropped her hand on her side, looked up, and stared at the ceiling. Her temple’s now throbbing with so much pain that she wanted to close her eyes for a while to clear her thoughts. But that’s the most impossible thing to do right now, calm her mind. How will she tame the noises in her head if Chaeyoung is out there crying for help and waiting for someone to rescue her?**

Mina: I don’t know. All I know right now is I need to call her. I need to talk to her.

Ryujin: Eonnie!

**Ryujin shouted from the reception area. She was holding the handset of their landline in her right. Did someone call? That was the first thing that Mina thought when she saw Ryujin standing behind the reception desk with the phone in her hand.**

Ryujin: It’s ringing already.

**She already dialed Tzuyu’s number while Mina was still thinking of the most logical action to do for this situation. There’s no point in thinking about dialing her number or not, so Ryujin didn’t allow any delay anymore. She just did what she feels the best for what’s going on.**

**Mina bolted towards her, while Sana followed her from behind.**

Ryujin: Sorry, I could no longer wait anymore. We need to find her sooner, right?

**She held out the handset to Mina, and Mina nodded in response. She’s right. Fuck overthinking! Better take action now or else she’ll regret everything later.**

**No one’s picking up the phone. It just keeps and keeps on ringing. And she wonders if they’ve dialed the right number.**

Mina: Can you redial it? No one’s answering.

** Ryujin did what her sister asked her to do.**

**No one’s still answering. Maybe the person on the other line is still busy with something until this hour. Or maybe because it isn’t registered in her phonebook that’s why she’s not picking it.**

**Come on! Answer it. You need to give me Chaeyoung’s number. We need to contact her first before we’ll call the cops and investigate as to why she hasn’t returned yet.**

**Then before she could even ask Ryujin to redial the number, she finally heard something on the other line. But no one’s speaking. All she could hear was noises from the traffic. Maybe this Tzuyu was driving that’s why she can’t answer the call immediately.**

Mina: Hello? Ms. Chou?

**Silence. Tzuyu still hasn’t spoken yet. The traffic noise continues. Someone’s shouting in the background and she could even hear horns honking from here and there. But then after a few seconds of waiting patiently, Tzuyu answered.**

Tzuyu: Hello? Sorry, I couldn’t find my headset. Who’s this?

**Mina cleared her throat before she spoke again.**

Mina: Uhm… is this Ms. Chou?

Tzuyu: Ye—yeah? Who’s this?

Mina: This is Mina from…

Tzuyu: Mina?

**Tzuyu cut her introduction and it seems like the person on the other line is rather delighted to hear her name than thinking that there’s something wrong.**

Tzuyu: The owner of the hotel, right?

Mina: Uhm… yeah. It’s me. How’d you know?

Tzuyu: Well, Chaeng mentioned you the last time we talked. So… what’s up? Where is she? Did she ask you to call me to introduce yourself?

**Mina heard her giggle and that makes it so difficult for her to break the news about her best friend. But even though she doesn’t want to interrupt the cheerful mood that she’s giving her, she has to.**

Mina: No…

**She said softly.**

Mina: I’m… I’m actually going to ask for her number. She… she hasn’t returned yet.

**Then she heard a screeching sound. She might have kicked the brake pedal for a halt. Then it was followed by a long silence or not really a silence but heavy breathing from the person on the other side of the handset.**

**Tzuyu isn’t sure what Mina was talking about, but analyzing the sound of her voice creeps her out. There’s something going on. This isn’t just about Chaeng not returning to the hotel yet.**

Tzuyu: What… what do you mean she hasn’t returned yet? Where did she go?

**Her voice was trembling and she couldn’t hide the tension she instantly felt when Mina told her about Chaeng not returning yet.**

Mina: She went out earlier with my sister, after breakfast. But my sister said she drove back to the hotel after she bought the book she’s looking for. But as you can see it’s already dinner and she isn’t back yet. I couldn’t call her phone since we have no records of it.

Tzuyu: Have you reported this to the police? That one of your guests is missing?

Mina: Not yet. That’s why we called you, maybe you could provide us her number and we’ll try to contact her first. Maybe… maybe she just went somewhere and stayed there for a while and just forget the time.

Tzuyu: She’s not like that. If she says she’ll come back, she will. So, if she told your sister that she’ll drive back to the hotel it means she has no plan of going somewhere else.

**She said dryly.**

**Mina didn’t answer. She’s right, and if ever Chaeng has somewhere to go, it won’t take her that long.**

Tzuyu: Send me your number and I’ll forward you hers. I’ll also try to trace where she is. Will you please call the cops? It will take me at least five hours before I’ll reach your hotel.

**Her voice was firm and Mina doesn’t mind though. She couldn’t think straight right now and she needs someone to lead her with all this uncertainty.**

Mina: All right. I’ll… call the police now.

*****

**Chaeng is losing her strength. She hasn’t eaten anything yet since lunch. And the last meal she took was the custard and strawberry shake that Bam gave to her from that old pastry shop. It was indeed one of the best custards she’d ever had. But she doesn’t think she’ll stop by again there even after she’ll survive in this situation.**

Bam: Come on! Tell me what you want. I’ll run to the convenience store or order something for us so you could eat. Look at you! You’re a mess. What will Mina think about me if she’ll see you like that? That I didn’t take care of you?

**There’s mockery in his tone. And Chaeng doubts if he really cared about her. He’s a lunatic. She thought. One moment he’s calm and thoughtful, and the next seconds he’s raging as if he’s going to strangle her or stab her with the knife in his pocket.**

Chaeng: I… I need water.

**Indeed, she needs to hydrate her body. Her lips are now cracking because of the lack of liquid inside her.**

Bam: Oh… right, right. I’m thirsty, too. Hmm… I guess I have bottles of water in my car. Let me just get it. And maybe I’ll get us something to eat, too.

**Please don’t come back. Chaeng prayed with her chin almost resting on her chest. She has no strength anymore. She’s scared and tired at the same time.**

**Her eyes were closed, but her other senses are still functional. Well, that’s what she wants to believe. That everything in her is still working—her mind, sight, feeling, smell, and even her taste.**

**Does she even need to be well if the possibility of having a lifeless body before the next sunrise is higher than anything else? She’s starting to lose hope, that’s what her other senses are whispering in her ears. But there’s also a part in her that wants to believe that she will escape this horrific scene.**

**The door creaked open or maybe close? She doesn’t know which one it is since her head is still on her chest and her eyes were still shut. All she knows is Bam’s presence is no longer there. He might have exited the room now and going back to his car retrieving his water bottles as he just mentioned earlier.**

**She took a deep breath, and then out. She did it several times to help herself clear her thoughts. Of course, she knows it isn’t the right time for her to meditate or something. But having a clear mind would at least lessen the fear and exhaustion she’s feeling at this moment.**

**Chaeng tuned in her energy into something else. Something that does not involve her situation right now. Her thoughts were flying to Mina. Is she worried? Has she even figured out that something’s going on? If she’s worried because of her, she hates it. She hates it because this lady already had enough trouble with the past year of her life. Losing her former lover in an accident is already too much, and now her. She might think that she’s bad luck for everyone. And she doesn’t want Mina to think about that. Whatever’s happening to her life and the people’s life around her isn’t her fault.**

**Now she tried to push herself in thinking about Dana, the main character in her story. She remembered that something is missing in the last scene. Something lacking, and she finally gets it now. The last paragraph she had written was, Dana woke up again in the middle of the night. But she’s not as fully awake as some other nights that she dreamed about this girl. She’s half awake and half asleep, and hoping that she’ll fall asleep once more so she could continue her dream. It wasn’t clear though, she’s dreaming about another girl, but the aura of this girl is similar to the girl she always dreamed of. Why is that? Why does her facade suddenly change, yet the feel is still the same?**

**Then the door swung open again. Bam is back. She thought. And since she’s now almost in the state of dehydration, she gathered all her strength above her to lift her head. Indeed, Bam was standing at the door holding several bottles of water and walking towards the seat in front of her. He laid everything he has on his arms on the seat, and Chaeng could also see from his profile that he’s starting to get exhausted. Of course, who wouldn’t? They’d been on that cabin for she doesn’t know how long. All she knows is, the sun was still up when she gained her consciousness and now everything is dark around them, except the lights illuminating from the lamp posts outside.**

**He opened one of the bottles and drank it until it’s half-empty. Then he opened another one and walked towards her. He kneeled and put the mouth of the bottle to her lips. It’s so unusual that he isn’t saying anything. But then, she chose to quench her thirst first before thinking about another odd behavior of her captor.**

**Bam only removed the bottle from Chaeng’s mouth when she backed away from it. And she almost emptied that five hundred ml bottled water. Well, even though Bam was scaring her to death, she still appreciates this small gesture.**

Chaeng: Thank you.

**She whispered while Bam was sauntering back at his chair. He didn’t answer her instantly. He secured himself first at his seat before he went back to her.**

Bam: How could you thank me as if I did something heroic to you?

Chaeng: ‘Cause I know you’re only doing this because…

**Bam’s eyes narrowed and his jaws clenched, which Chaeng guesses that he’s gritting his teeth. Is he mad again? What’s going on with him? Did I say something that made him… angry?**

Bam: Go on. Finish what you had started.

**He said sternly, and that suddenly scared Chaeng again. She wishes she didn’t say a thing anymore. There’s no point in it anyway. Stupid! She screamed inside.**

Bam: I said go on. Finish your sentence.

**Chaeng swallowed first before she continued what she was saying.**

Chaeng: Because you want to get rid of me so Mina will only see you in the end.

**Bam answered her with silence. He didn’t even move from his seat. He just stayed there for over a minute or so, and Chaeng wondered how on earth he could stay still that long.**

**Then Bam stood up, eyes blank, and wearing no emotion again. And that emotionless face always creeps her out.**

**Bam’s eyes never left Chaeng, and no matter how much Chaeng wanted to avoid his gaze, she just can’t. There’s something in his stare that’s obliging her to stare back at him. And then the next scene she’d seen was, Bam was already in front of her, only a foot away. Without a warning, Bam stretched his arm and hit her on her left jaw, which sent her to the ground. Yes, she bounced on the floor together with her seat. She felt the side of her skull hit the wooden floor and it hurts so bad. She wished her arms weren’t tied up so she could get back to her feet.**

Bam: Am I that pathetic Ms. Son?

**Bam said as he hunched down to pull her by her left arm and sit her up again. The part of her head that hit the floor was in terrible pain. Then she felt something dropping on her denim. She turned her attention down to her legs and ignored how dizzy she is because of what happened a minute ago. The gushing of liquid on her pants didn’t stop. Is it… is it blood? She asked. She couldn’t confirm though since they were in a room with no lights. Maybe it is. She said again.**

***TO BE CONTINUED***

Episode 25       Episode 27