I woke from my sleep because the night felt so stifling, and the atmosphere was terrifying. I peeked out through my bedroom window. The houses around me were dark, and I couldn't see a single vehicle passing by, even though they usually filled the streets. I didn't know why, but I felt so restless that night. My eyes had been heavy with sleep, yet now I couldn't close them.
I sat back down on my bed and watched the clock hands continue to turn. The breeze coming through the window seemed to stab into every hollow of my body. My sister, who usually slept beside me, was gone. That night, it felt as though there wasn't a sign of life anywhere—except for me, all alone.
Suddenly, I heard a commotion outside. Anxiety and fear began to take hold of me. I cautiously opened the door and stepped out of my room to see what was happening.
I was instantly shocked by what I saw before me. My eyes widened, and my heart seemed to stop beating for a long time. My legs felt stiff and trembled, while my mouth seemed unable to form a sound. I could only stand there, not knowing what to do. I remained frozen, wondering what had really happened to them.
“Dad!! Mom!!” I screamed when I saw both my parents sprawled on the floor, several spots of blood staining their clothes.
I saw Mom slumped in the corner by the door, blood flowing from her right temple. Poor Mom had been shot in the head. She gave no response at all, making me even more terrified.
I ran to Mom and hugged her, sobbing brokenly. She had left me forever.
I heard Dad groan in pain from somewhere else and hurried toward him. He was already collapsed and helpless. I screamed hysterically again when I saw a knife embedded in his stomach. I panicked, not knowing what to do.
“Dad, Dad!! Don't leave me. You have to hold on.” I gripped his hand, which was covered in blood.
“Go—go away from here.” Dad seemed to be trying to warn me about something.
“No!! I'm not leaving either of you.” I rested Dad's head in my lap and looked toward Mom.
“Go!! Arghhhh, listen to A—” Dad shouted and stroked my cheek, which was wet with tears. His blood smeared across my face as well.
“Daaaaad!!”
My sobs grew louder. No matter how much I screamed for help, it was all useless. Dad breathed his last and joined Mom.
I struggled to get up and searched through the entire house, but I still couldn't find my sister. When I ran outside and tried to ask someone nearby for help, I suddenly remembered that we didn't have any close neighbors.
Just as I reached for the landline phone on the table to call the police, someone grabbed my hand roughly and shoved me onto the sofa.
I tried to run and push him away, but he quickly seized my arm and knocked me down. When I raised my head toward him, a gun was aimed directly at my head. My heart pounded as my fear grew.
“Wh—who are you? And where's my sister?”
I backed away, trying to put some distance between us, but he kept following my movements. The person remained silent and didn't say a word. He wore a mask and a hood, and his eyes glared at me with terrifying intensity.
Now I was standing right between Dad and Mom's bodies. The gun was ready to fire at my head. With just one squeeze of the trigger, it would all be over. I was cornered and had nowhere left to go.
“Die!! You have to die!!” he said threateningly, laughing with satisfaction. The gun was right in front of my eyes, and I quickly squeezed mine shut.
‘Bang!!!’—but the sound seemed to come from somewhere else.
I could vaguely see a man coming to save me and carrying me out in his arms. That was when I woke up and realized it had all been a dream—a dream that felt frighteningly real and haunted me every night. Whenever night came, I would feel anxious and restless.
Hae-Li finished telling her story while looking at all her friends. She couldn't tell whether they had really been listening, because the party was incredibly noisy. They had been so enthusiastic earlier.
Her gaze shifted when she heard the name of the couple the emcee had just announced. She stared at the man currently standing onstage beside her best friend. Her body broke out in a sweat. The two of them stared deeply at each other, as though they knew one another.
Gulp. Gulp.
Hae-Li grabbed the two drinks belonging to two men who had just arrived at the table. Her face flushed, and her eyes grew glassy.
“Hae-Li, what's wrong?” a woman who approached her asked worriedly.
“Hey! Get those away from her!” another woman said, moving the drinks away from the table.
They were shocked and startled because it was the first time they had ever seen Hae-Li drink alcohol—and she had downed two glasses at once.
“Is she going to be okay?” Jinjin asked.
“Do we need to stop her?” MJ asked in return.
“Ugh, you should've stopped her earlier!” the woman scolded, hitting MJ on the shoulder.
Hae-Li immediately stood up and left the building, ignoring her friends as they argued.
“Aaaaaah...” she screamed, hurling her heels into the street.
Hae-Li walked unsteadily, the alcohol still controlling her senses. She walked alone through the silent night.
Every house was quiet and still, as if no one lived there. One by one, the lights began to dim. Only a few lamps along the roadside lit her way home.
“Damn it, why did I have to run into him again?” the girl muttered, remembering what had happened at the earlier party.
Suddenly, a terrifying shadow appeared behind her. Hae-Li tried to quicken her pace, but her legs felt weak. Before she realized what was happening, a rough hand clamped over her mouth and pinned her arms against her chest, rendering her helpless.
She struggled, trying to break free, but the criminal's grip was too strong. His face was covered by a mask, and his eyes glimmered in the darkness, filled with malicious intent. Hae-Li was shocked and paralyzed by deep fear as he dragged her off the street and into a dark alley.
As the darkness began to close in around her, a man suddenly appeared behind the criminal. Without hesitation, he sprang into action. With astonishing speed and precision, he managed to take the criminal down.
“Are you okay?” the mysterious man asked, his voice full of concern.
He immediately picked Hae-Li up and carried her to his car. Though unconscious, Hae-Li felt safe in the man's arms. He then gently placed her in the back seat and quickly drove her somewhere safe, away from the threat of the criminal lurking in the shadows of the night.