The Aftermath

With one final thrust, the man finally let her go.

Her abdomen was now stained with his sinful and abominable mark. At least he had the decency to not do it inside, she comforted herself. However, such small comforts did nothing against her now terrible mood.

She felt dirty.

The moment he finished, he collapsed on top of her, unconscious, and seemingly satisfied. She pushed him off with a little bit of strength, not wanting to linger in the disgusting place any longer.

She had to clean herself up as soon as possible.

Her crotch stung with pain. Looking back at the bed, she noticed the bright red stain that was the proof of her purity.

Almost robotically, she pushed down her skirt, wiping the excess blood that was on her thighs. She carefully avoided using the parts that was stained by the disgusting white liquid. Her school's sex ed lesson taught her that this thing could cause pregnancy, after all. And even the sight of the liquid made her want to vomit.

"I need to take a bath," she told herself. "I need a bath, quickly."

She quickly returned to her room, not wasting any time to take off the soiled dress. She threw it to the ground in her hurry, and immediately searched for her wash bucket. She piled up her soaps inside it and brought along a towel and a change of clothes, darting to the bathroom as fast as she could.

She ignored the pain her actions caused.

As soon as she arrived at the bathroom, she splashed a bucket of cold water from the basin on her head. They didn't have a shower so she was stuck with bathing with a bucket instead of a shower head. She trembled from its coldness, but it made her feel more awake. With each pour, she felt as if she was slightly more clean than before.

Yeo Ri lathered herself with soap. Before, she would always use them cautiously, only using a little bit so that she could use them for a long time. She squeezed out a generous amount all over her body, scrubbing as if her life depended on it.

Until she drew blood.

Feeling the stinging pain, she stiffened.

She brought her trembling hands forward and stared at them for a moment. Then, she faltered.

"Aaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhh!"

She collapsed to the ground, shaking. She clawed at her chest, unable to stop the scream that was stifled inside her.

"Why?! Why?!"

She bowed down, her head almost touching the ground. She curled herself up tightly and broke down. "Why?!"

"Why?!"

She sobbed loudly, letting all of her emotions out. Frustration, anger, hurt, betrayal, unfairness, and sorrow were all mixed up inside her voice.

No one seemed to have noticed her scream. It seemed like her neighbours were away, as nobody came to check up on her.

After crying for a while, her tears finally dried and she continued bathing.

Now that she had cried her heart out, Yeo Ri felt so empty and lifeless. She got dressed and returned to her room, almost like a zombie.

Her lower half was hurting, and all she wanted to do now was curl up in her bed and forget all that had happened with sleep. She hoped that she could just sleep forever.

Passing by the kitchen, she finally remembered that she had yet to make dinner. But, there was no strength left in her body, so she simply settled with some instant noodles. For the sake of not letting it get soggy, she simply took out the packets and left it beside the stove, with the pot already filled with water, ready to be cooked for whoever that wanted dinner.

Then, when she entered the bedroom, her eyes immediately sighted the dress that she had worn earlier. It laid on the floor, exactly at the same place where she had discarded it. Afraid of letting Gun or Hyuk see it, she immediately searched for a safe place to hide it. She opened one of the drawer of her study desk, emptied out its content, then dumped the dress inside.

She locked the drawer and hid the key inside a book. Later, she'll throw the dress away. Maybe even burn it.

Finally, she slipped into bed and raised the blankets until it covered her face. She was positive that she did not look good, and did not want Gun or Hyuk to worry, so she hid herself.

Unfortunately, she found it difficult to fall asleep.

Every time she closed her eyes, she could see the dreadful incident. It was still fresh in her mind and it caused her to feel scared and pained all over again. Her body shook, and a fresh batch of tears started to flow once again.

"Hic—" Yeo Ri buried her head into the pillow, her hands gripping the blankets tightly.