Chapter 2 - Is This a Dream? (1/2)

Chapter 2 – Is This a Dream?

She wasn’t sure if she could go through the proceedings of a divorce.

‘No. I have thought about it ten thousand times now, but from an outsider’s point of view, I would appear ungrateful. We work as a family after all. I have food on the table and life is not that hard. That is probably the cause of such devious thoughts. If things were really hard, I wouldn’t even have the time to consider a divorce.’

Though I do feel suffocated all the time.

The only problem seemed to be her mindset really.

‘If I can’t get divorced then for this moment at the very least, I wish I could disappear. How I would love to turn back time. If I could do that, I would never marry!’

The thought of being in charge of the trajectory of her life brought a smile to Heeyeon’s lips.

‘I should go home. They must be waiting.’

Heeyeon quickly stood up from her seat, dusted herself, and started to walk back. She called the elevator which started to descend from the 10th floor.

Level three

Level two

Level one

Ding! The elevator ringed and opened up to a dark space inside. It was a common occurrence for one or two of the lights to go out from time to time. Since it was an old apartment complex, she did not think of it much and stepped inside. The moment the door closed, Heeyeon knew she had made a mistake. The elevator lurched and suddenly dropped. She collapsed with fear and a sinking feeling in her heart.

“Help! Did the elevator drop? Is anybody there? Help!!”

She yelled herself hoarse, believing her life was in danger. Nobody answered her calls, and her surroundings only became quieter. She couldn’t even hear the echo of her voice now.

‘I was definitely on level one. Is there a basement I never knew about? Even so, I’m sure it can’t be this deep!’

She mustered up the courage to look around, but it was so dark that she couldn’t even see her body. Horror pulsated throughout her body like a current of electricity. She was covered in goosebumps and hot tears made their way down her cheeks. It was not just the darkness. Something was off, but she couldn’t place her finger on it. She called for help again as the elevator continued to fall.

After an indeterminable amount of time, she thought she could make out some faint light coming in from behind the doors. The light seemed to grow brighter and Heeyeon covered her eyes when it became painfully bright inside. A moment that had felt like forever had finally passed, and when Heeyeon opened her eyes again, she was not alone. It felt warm and almost cozy now.

*

A friendly voice almost sang to her.

“Wake up, my lady. It’s morning. Did you sleep well. The master and mistress await your presence downstairs for breakfast. We need to get you ready.”

‘My lady? Who is this? Where am I?’