After Hours

His footsteps could be heard, "she told me it was okay", but they were getting closer, and they didn't seem too light. "Please don't be too harsh, your problems aren't her fault." She could hear her mother plead from behind the door, only to be struck. Could she hide? Should she hide? The door would be opened any second, and she was certainly not ready. She pleaded to nobody that she'd be knocked unconscious before any real damage could be done. She stared at her knees, pressing herself against the wall. The knife was in her hands, all she had to do was gain enough courage and aim. "Go talk to her." She heard her father say. 

The door was opened by her mother, to find her daughter frantically hide something under her pillow. "Sweetie..." She began, covering her bruised cheek from the view of the young girl. "It's going to be okay, you know he doesn't mean it, he just gets mad sometimes, maybe someday you'll learn to appreciate it. He only hurts you because he cares." Hyejoo scowled at her mother, feeling stupid for previously believing this kind of stuff. "W-we both know that's not true." She said, nearly inaudible, "W-we both know it's a matter of time before he beats us to death, mom." She informed pitifully. "I'm sorry you feel that way, my dear." 

The doorknob was turned. A foot stepped inside the room. He looked serious, an expression unable to be read, the bottle was in his hand, as usual, and now was the time to see if she was truly ready to be free. "Stand up." He commanded angrily, dropping the bottle to the floor with a lazy hand, to which Hyejoo stood automatically while sliding the knife from under the pillow and hiding it under her sleeve. "You and your mother never cease to disappoint me, this time especially, I came in here, you both were up here, neither of you did anything for me, ANYTHING, and I work all day to support you two, just so you can just sit around and be lazy..." "D-don't blame her, sh-she was late getting home, she got detention." Her mother tried to defend.

"You what?" He asked, getting angrier and angrier by the second, the scent of alcohol on his breath as he got closer. "Why did you get detention?" He inquired sternly. "I-I... I threatened to stab someone..." She answered shyly. "You fucking freak, this is why I'm ashamed of you, you act like a fucking serial killer." That thought threatened to bring a smile to her lips, little did she know that's exactly what her future told. "I will be." She said quietly. "You what?" "I will be a killer, and you want to know why?" "Watch the tone, bitch." "I asked you something." She pressed, getting braver and braver by the second. 

He looked like he'd snapped at this point, grabbing her by the throat and pushing her against the wall. "WHAT GAVE YOU THE IDEA YOU COULD TALK TO ME LIKE THAT?" "Joohyun calm down..." Her mother said in an obviously false request to maintain her daughter's trust. "What gave you the idea you could treat me like this? Hmm?" She clenched the knife in her hand like it'd dematerialize if she let go, not letting the continuous punches to her ribcage deter her grip. "Y-you will never hurt me again..." "And what gives you that impression?" She exhaled, bringing the knife up, and driving it into his stomach.

It all happened in a moment, his scream, her mother's scream, Hyejoo continuously driving the knife upwards and upwards, seemingly hollowing him out. "THIS IS YOUR FAULT!" She screamed, "YOU DID THIS? TELL ME, FUCKER, HOW DOES IT FEEL?" He was unable to respond and only collapsed on the floor, blood spewing from his mouth like a red fountain. He looked as good as dead. She smirked at the corpse, spitting down on him to prove her point. "What the fuck do you think you're doing?" She yelled at her mother fiddling for the phone, smacking it from her mother's hand, and grabbing her by the shirt collar. 

"Hyejoo! Sweetie! What are you doing? Y-you..." It was like she could feed off the fear. "You know exactly what I'm doing. Did you seriously think after all you two did I wouldn't snap one day? You let him do about just everything under the sun to me and you didn't even care, what kind of mother are you?" "Hyejoo, he's your father! We need to get him help!" "You don't love him! He doesn't love you! He doesn't love either of us! How could you not see that? You should have protected me!" "I-I couldn't... Hyejoo baby, I'm sorry!" Now they were both crying, "Sorry? You're sorry? How the fuck am I supposed to forgive you?" "J-just please, Hye-Hyejoo, I-I won't call the police... We can just hide here." Hyejoo's gaze fell, the rage that boiled deep within simmered down to a painful desolate feeling.