②①

Off With her Arm!________________________________________

The door's hinges groaned as Mei's hand froze mid-push. I raised a casual hand beside my ear, offering a lazy, "Yo."

Mei didn't answer, just stared, her emerald eyes wide, her mind likely running through the checklist of everything she hated about men. No soft curves, no warm features, no womanly grace—just a man standing in her doorway. Ting, congratulations, you've found a male.

Her jaw clenched like she was trying to swallow a scream. It felt like I'd jumped out of a closet at her surprise party—but not the good kind, where everyone laughs and hugs you. No, this was the kind where the party's a nightmare and the surprise is her worst fear. Unfortunately for Mei, I existed, and that alone was a problem.

To her, 'male' meant danger. Hurt. Abandonment. The ones who break, who ruin, who leave pregnant women crying at doorsteps. I get it. She probably imagines I'm here to do something unspeakable, like ravage her in front of Sohee. Hell, that's an erotic scene for sure, but reality tends to kill the mood for that kind of stuff.

The tension hung between us, heavy and choking. Her eyes quivered, fear gripping her. Mei backed away, retreating, spitting Sohee out from her cocoon-like blanket. Her lips twitched, as if her tongue forgot how to form words. She glanced at Sohee, her voice cracking like thin ice, "Why… why are you doing this?"

That wasn't what I expected. It wasn't a question about me or why I was standing there, invading her world. No, her question hit somewhere deeper, darker. It was directed at Sohee. 

"Mei," Sohee stepped forward, desperate. "Just listen—"

But Mei wasn't having it. Her face was flushed, her breath coming in sharp bursts, and her blanket whipped as she spun on her heel. The gust of anger brushed past me, and the door slammed with a gut-punching finality. I couldn't see her anymore, but her broken voice echoed through the crack. "Please… don't see me again."

And the door began to close.

"Wait—Mei!"

In a flash, a pale hand darted forward, wedging itself between the closing door and the frame. The sound of a heavy thud echoed, followed by the sickening crunch of flesh meeting unforgiving wood.

Sohee's arm.

I'd mentioned it before—these doors, thick and heavy as they were, felt like they were carved from the trunk of an ancient tree. I bet Hercules would struggle with them, and that's saying something. When that monster of a door bit down on Sohee's white, fragile arm, I swear I felt it in my bones. Her muffled whimper sliced through the air, but she didn't cry out.

She didn't scream. Didn't let the hallway echo with her pain. Even now, with her arm trapped like a bug under glass, she kept her voice low. For the sake of the neighbors, I suppose. 

Still, it was the wrong decision.

Sohee trembled, a cold kitten caught in the rain, but I couldn't feel anything for her. I didn't call her a friend, never saw her as more than a girl to pass the time with. And yet… it felt wrong. Not the pain she was enduring, not her desperation—no, it was me. It felt wrong to just watch, to not do anything. But it also felt wrong to interfere.

The hallway filled with the sound of her groaning, panting, and sobbing. Maybe I should've stepped in, grabbed the door and spared her from the torture. Maybe I could've played the hero and earned a few more points with Sohee. But Sohee shook her head, just enough for me to catch the message. I guess I wasn't meant to be the one to save her this time.

Still, I stood there, wondering if I should let it play out. But before I could decide, Sohee's broken voice cut through the tension. "P-please, Mei. Li-listen…"

Mei's voice, however, was venom. "You brought a man." Her words dripped with hate, like a curse.

Sohee pressed her hand harder against the door, her strength barely holding on. "We… we talked about this," she stammered, struggling against both the weight of the door and Mei's seething anger.

Mei's face peeked through the crack, her emerald eyes clouded, distant. She looked like someone torn from a memory too painful to forget, one that was engraved in her very soul. 

And there I was, standing idly by, knowing full well I could stop this. Help Sohee. But that same voice inside whispered again: *Stay away. Let it happen.*

Just when I thought it couldn't get worse, a new voice broke through, sharp and commanding.

"Holy shit, Mei!"

The hallway clapped with the sound of fast footsteps. A woman came barreling down toward us, sweat glistening on her forehead, a blue towel slung around her neck over her purple sportswear. Whoever she was, she had green eyes too—and a chest flat as a board.

Our savior had arrived.