As we drove through the night, I let my thoughts run rampant. Everyone in the car, besides Ju-In, had fallen sound asleep. The typical Seoul traffic that was present in the afternoon was gone and we were one of the only cars on the road.
Why had I just gone along with their plans? It wasn't like they forced me and it wasn't like I had to. At first, I followed along because they had saved me from the outlier who broke into my house. And then after that, when they explained what they did, I felt as if my abilities had made me a part of something greater than myself. Souls being reused? Dead people influencing living people? The world that the four of them lived in appeared, attractive, in the sense of things that I had never dreamed of and thought impossible existing. Existing as a part of that world made it feel like I held the exclusive membership to a sought after VIP club.
But I knew this mindset would wear off. After all the glitter and sparkle disappear, where would I be? Constantly fighting these outliers and putting others before me. Although it was a noble cause, obsessing yourself with being a good person was dangerous. The world is more horrendous than good and making it your life's goal to change that would just burn you out. I knew from personal experience. Yet it also wasn't like I had other places to be; the other four looked like they had lives of their own before they became extractors, whereas I really don't have a life much different from any other student. .
Outside the window, we drove past the Han river. During the summer, I would walk by sometimes if I was in the area nearby shopping or hanging out with friends, but at night, the atmosphere seemed different. During the day, it's bright and attractive atmosphere lightened my mood; whatever heavy thoughts that were floating around my mind that day were dissipated.
Slowly, as the car kept driving on the silent roads, I began to feel drowsy and before I knew it, I had fallen asleep.
__________________________
In what appeared to be an old yoga studio, the all five of us were seated onto a very old but extremely soft couch. It took a bit for my eyes to adjust, I mean a sofa is the last thing you'd expect in a yoga studio. Apparently, Min-Joon put it in here because the chairs they used to sit on hurt their butts too much.
All around us on the mirrors that made up the walls, were pictures and clippings of different people. Glancing at them, I recognized some of the faces I had seen on the news in the past—either as victims or arrested murderers.
Tucked away in the corner of the room was a desk, filled from end to end with various pieces of technology. The person who sat at it was Ji-Hyun's nephew, who was extremely skilled with using the technology to track down whoever it was they were trying to find. He was still young and a student, but since his grades were agreable, Ji-hyun's sister let him take a part time job here.
By the time I had woken up in the car, we had already arrived at this place. On a street popular for its various cafes was a yoga and meditation studio called Soul Energy Management. During the day, it was a yoga studio frequented by the housewives who lived in the area. Surprisingly, business was really good here. But the real purpose of this location was to give the extractors a quiet and hidden place to work. In the back, there was an unused studio that was labeled storage. However, once you opened it, it looked like one of those rooms a killer used to plan their crimes—at least from my crime show knowledge.
Standing right infront of the couch we sat on was an older woman, maybe in her forties. Ju-In introduced her as the manager of the yoga studio, as well as their boss, Jang Soo-In. To my surprise, and shock, she was already 60 years old. After spending 2 decades as an extractor, she became the head of their team. From her appearance alone and how she stood, you could sense the confidence within her.
"I have been alerted that we have found another potential outlier, is that correct?" She asked no one in particular.
"Yes, Dae-Mi has told us that she saw the death of someone at the hands of what appears to be an outlier," Jae-Hyun replied.
Soo-In turned to face me. "Yes, we did get a phone call that claimed someone in your area had the ability to foresee murders if it was an outlier killing," she paused. Although we have no idea who or how they found out your ability when you didn't even know, I've decided to focus on extracting the outlier you saw in your vision for now."
I nodded and knew exactly what to do next. "I was walking towards the convenience store in my neighborhood when I got the vision. At first, I thought I was really at the convenience store since it was also night time in my vision. After browsing the aisles for a bit, someone entered the store and, out of the corner of my eye, I saw the cashier wave to the stranger. But then immediately after, I heard the cashier scream. I turned towards him and saw that the person who had just come in was stabbing him behind the counter. The blood splattered everywhere and when I tried to stop him, the killer turned to face me and I felt I had just seen someone that looked human but didn't feel like one."
After I had finished with my retelling of what I saw, the reality of it hit me. What I had seen was truly what was going to happen to the cashier if I hadn't met these people in time. It wasn't a dream or some delusion; it was the future.
"Dae-Mi, did you happen to see the date in your vision? Right now, we know it happened at night, but it could be any day," Ji-Hyun pointed out.
"I don't think I saw what day it was," I said as I thought back to what I had seen. I entered the convenience store and there were no calendars at the front desk. The TV in there was always turned off at night, so I couldn't see the news. I went to the noodle aisle, but there was nothing there that could have indicated what day it was… except that.
"Actually, I did see the date," I quickly blurted out. "Well not the exact date, but I know it's happening tonight. While I was in my vision, I was looking around in the noodle aisle. My favourite brand was out last week but it was there in my vision. When I asked the cashier last week, they said they only restock on Sunday nights. That's tonight. That means the murder is going to happen by tonight."