ch-5 "I Will Never Leave You"

As she watched, time seemed to slow down. She saw him, weakened and battered, making a desperate crawl towards her. It was as if he was defying the pain and the odds just to be by her side. However, in that critical moment, another one of the gangsters seized a heavy rod and delivered a brutal strike directly to Shin-Se-Gi's head. The blow was merciless, and Shin-Se-Gi's body went limp. He couldn't muster another attempt to reach her. The life within him was extinguished by the sheer force of that devastating blow.

She saw him slowly fading before her eyes, his body bearing the brutal marks of their tormentors. Each gasping breath seemed like a final whisper, and his eyes, though open, were losing their light. In that heart-wrenching moment, something within her snapped, and she let out a primal scream, an anguished roar that echoed her torment and anger. It was the first time she had allowed herself to be so vulnerable.

Desperation overcame her, and with blood loss draining her strength, she defied the kidnappers' cruel laughter and crawled to his side. Carefully, she cradled his head, his open eyes capturing the reflection of her anguished face.

As she cradled his battered and bloodied head against her chest, her heart ached with the belief that he might still be alive. Though her hope was diminishing by the second, she refused to accept that he would leave her alone in this dark and brutal moment. She lightly tapped his cheek, then began to command him, pleading for him to answer her. Tears streamed down her face as she begged him to talk to her, desperately wishing for someone to help, for a single soul to come to their aid.

But, slowly, the realization began to sink in. He wasn't responding. The life within him had slipped away. Her heart shattered as she confirmed his lifeless state. The weight of her loss bore down on her, leaving her in utter despair. She didn't want to continue living without him. In that moment, her gaze fixed on the table where the cigarettes and lighter lay. She crawled over, took the lighter, then returned to his side, hugging him close, placing a gentle kiss on his forehead, and whispered, "I'm sorry, so sorry," as she lit herself on fire.

Amidst the searing flames that consumed her, she whispered words of remorse, her voice quivering with sincerity. "I'm sorry," she murmured, her words carrying the weight of deep regret. "I'm truly sorry, for not giving you a chance, for shattering your heart, for subjecting you to this inferno of suffering, for every single thing." Her apology, uttered in the midst of excruciating pain and sacrifice, hung heavily in the air, a poignant expression of her repentance for all she had done.

As the flames enveloped her, her resolve remained unshaken. She was determined to make them pay for the suffering they had inflicted upon him. The pain she endured, the searing heat, and her burning skin all became a testament to her unyielding determination. With every passing moment, she was consumed by the relentless fire, her agony almost unbearable.

Her cries were a piercing shriek, echoing through the room, like a wounded lion's roar. She continued to shout, screaming in agony as the flames consumed her. It felt like an eternity, although, in reality, it was only five excruciating minutes. Every inch of her skin felt the scorching torment, and the pain was beyond words.

But even as the torment engulfed her, she didn't waver. She cried out, her voice a mixture of unbearable pain and unwavering determination. She made a solemn vow never to forget the horrors they had endured. The gangsters, in their stunned disbelief, decided to leave her to her own fate, thinking her actions were senseless. Yet, within her sacrifice, a profound resolve was born, a burning desire for revenge that would fuel her journey to avenge those she had lost.

In the throes of agony, she let out a harrowing scream, her voice echoing through the torment and rage that engulfed her. "I will never leave you," she cried, her words quivering with determination. "Even if I become a ghost, I would never leave you guys. I will be back, and I will ensure you feel the same excruciating pain that I have endured." Her vow reverberated through the air, an ominous promise that transcended the realms of life and death, a testament to her unyielding spirit and her burning desire for revenge.

The next morning, when the gangsters returned to the gruesome scene, they were met with the sight of two charred heads and the skeletal remains of their victims. One of the gang members callously placed his foot on one of the skeletons, crushing it to pieces. He then began to mercilessly stomp on the remaining bones, shattering them further.

The heartless gang members summoned a woman to clean up the grisly aftermath, and she meticulously cleared away the remnants of the two lives that had been extinguished. Their broken bones and ashes were carelessly disposed of in the garbage, a final indignity for the fallen couple, a testament to the cruelty they had suffered at the hands of their tormentors.