Tuesday.5 PM. Ansan city.
Seong-ah entered the cafe, sat on the same table where Hangyul was sitting the previous day.
"He will come, right?" she wondered if Hangyul was just playing with her mind
The door opened slowly, and a man dressed in black leather jacket zipped up till the neck, black snap back cap blocking his eyesight and a black mask covering his face entered the cafe. His head was down and walked slowly as if he was trying to process the direction in which he has to walk further, he looked around for someone...
Seong-ah was observing his antics from the left most corner of the cafe... sitting calmly while stirring her latte with a tiny spoon in her hand. She dropped the spoon under the table to catch his attention.
He looked at her... No... He stared at her... into her eyes walking towards her slowly.... pulled out a chair and sat down facing her straight...
"You came", Seong-ah was trying to not show the nervousness on her face
"You called, I had to come..." Hangyul said coldly.
"So, why do you want to know about your past?"
"...."
"Don't you remember what you have done?"
"...."
"Why did you go undercover for past 10 years?"
"...."
"Hey, will you answer my questions first rather than just staring at me?? What do you want? kill me??"
"You seem familiar"
"Oh, you remember something then... does my face resemble to someone?"
He nodded at her. But kept jiggling his fingers trying to avoid her eye contact
"Will you remove your mask? It's difficult to hold a conversation like this"
"No, I can't"
"Why?"
"Can't"
"Can you just complete your sentences? How am I supposed to talk with you?"
Hangyul suddenly looked at her , the tint in his eyes was turning red. Seong-ah freaked out for a moment but tried to keep her cool.
"I'm leaving"
Hangyul stood up from the chair and walked out of the cafè quickly.
Seong-ah followed him back and walked behind him slowly
He paused for a moment, Seong-ah paused too. He walked and Seong-ah walked too.
They continued walking in the same manner until the end of that alley and all of a Hangyul turned back catching Seong-ah off guard.
"How long you wanna do this?"
Seong-ah was baffled by his constant neutral cold tone ever since they've met.
"Until you talk to me. I want to talk." Seong-ah said fixing her eyes directly at his red eyes.
"Acting all fearless... you are so scared right now."
"Yes I am scared of you. Any sane person would be scared of you. But I'm not letting my fear overpower me from communicating with you"
"Is it so necessary to talk to me? I don't even remember my own past... what am I supposed to tell you?"
He can't remember his past? Seong-ah was confused...
"Wait... you don't remember... what happened ten years ago?"
Hangyul stared at her for few seconds, turned around and walked ahead.
Seong-ah was lost in a thought for a moment, but seeing Hangyul walking away again brought her back to senses.
"Hangyul!! Lee Hangyul!! Wait! You can't walk away like this from me!!", Seong-ah ran behind him and held his left shoulder tightly.
Hangyul screamed loudly in pain, Seong-ah was startled with his sudden action and took a few steps back away from him.
He continued screaming like an animal and sat down, tightly holding his head... Seong-ah observed him in a shock...
People walking nearby gathered around them worrying about his condition.
Hangyul stopped screaming after a few minutes, looked down, adjusted his cap and walked away as of nothing happened.
Seong-ah followed him again, everything was so confusing for her. She couldn't understand what had gone down all these years that made him like this... or was he like this all along those ten years?
After walking a few kilometres, Seong-ah tapped on his arm, "Hey, let's stop now... I'm tired... you think I'll be scared with that little act of yours? Let's sit there on the bench and talk"
Now, Seong-ah walked in front of him and unknowingly Hangyul followed her back.
Seong-ah sat on the bench under the huge tree and dusted the area beside her for him to sit. Hangyul sat down and looked up at the tree.
"Wanna hang yourself?" Seong-ah asked him
He nodded.
"Well.... you can't, I won't allow you..."
"Why?"
"I hate you so much that I won't let you take your own life... it should be me to ruin your life... it should be me to watch you burn... it should be me to cause your death... and kill you with my own hands"
Hangyul looked at her coldly. Nothing changed on his face... nothing changed in his eyes... as if he was intoxicated...
"If you don't remember killing nine innocent people ten years ago, that's a shame...when their families have lived in a remorse and guilt of not being able to save their loved ones... all these years in agony... it's a shame..."
Seong-ah saw his face changing finally, something kicked inside him and he smirked at her. That was the evilest smile she had ever witnessed.
"You think it's easy to bring me down?" He said while going closer to Seong-ah and his hands reached her neck. She backed off and counter attacked by holding his hand instead. His strength was no joke, she was struggling taking his hands away from her neck. Both had their eyes fixated on to each other's.
"I don't remember any damn thing you've told me... I'm mentally ill..."
" You think mentally unstable people can't get behind the bars? How foolish of you", Seong-ah laughed at him.
"This sad story of yours... don't you think there's a plot hole? I don't remember... killing anyone... I was hospitalized in a mental asylum for the past 12 years... and you are saying that I've murdered innocent people 10 years ago... I've got nothing to do with those murders."
"Stop lying now Lee Hangyul!"
"Whatever you like.... You can keep investigating... look into my medical receipts, and you can easily find out that I was cut off from the world for past twelve years"
Seong-ah stared at him and he did the same. Hangyul got away from her and pulled out a cigarette from his pocket. Lighted it up, "You want to know the truth?" He asked while placing it between his teeth.
Seong-ah kept staring at him with wide eyes and pressed her lips in anger.
"You want to know the truth, right? well... you'll have to pay for it"
Seong-ah stood up, "There's no point in arguing with a psychopath like you"
"You have entered my territory now, Yoon Seong-ah... there's no going back..." Hangyul said as he released the smoke in air
Seong-ah ignored him and walked away, she knew there's no way to prove that he was the serial killer without any solid proofs as he was toying with the past facts.
She waited at the bus stop. It was past 7 pm and darkness covered up the entire blue skies. Seong-ah was always afraid to ride taxi, she needed people around her. Her mind was messed up with Hangyul, all she could think was that he was not normal, twelve years in the mental asylum? for what? and he is back to live in this world as if nothing happened? It is so hard for the terminally unstable patients to get back to their real selves and he is just roaming around like that?
The vibration of the mobile startled her, it was from the Professor.
"Yeah professor... I'll reach there in 30 minutes..."
"Seong-ah, where are you?"
"At the bus stop"
"He is approaching you"
"What? Why?? Are you able to track him?"
"Yes. I can see his location going near the bus stop"
"So? What you want me to do? Run for my life or what?", Seong-ah chuckled.
"Seong-ah it's not a joke"
"I know Professor... but I've had enough... I've ran enough... If he wants to kill me... I will gladly kill him back...", Seong-ah sat down on the cold steel seat and lied back, "I will leave only when my bus arrives here, see you in a while"
Seong-ah saw the bus coming from a distance, she stood up while hanging up the call and walked to the front. She got inside the bus and punched her card. She sat down on the seat near the left sided window. Seong-ah leaned her head on the window pane and looked outside at the passing by glimmering streetlights in market... But soon... her eyes focused on the reflection of a strange dark figure on her right side... staring at her with his reddish eyes... she could feel his gaze... All she could do was to sit still and try not to disturb other passengers in the bus.
The bus reached Namyangju, and Seong-ah pressed the button above her to stop the bus. She got down and started walking slowly towards her apartment. She didn't want the person who was following her know about her connection with Professor, thus she changed her route towards her house.
He continued to walk behind her until she reached her apartment.
"Room no. 507, Gyeongchun Apartment, 312 Namyangju. Yoon Seong-ah. I know your house."
"So? I know your face!"
Seong-ah turned back and faced him. Her eyes were filled with the rage she had compressed in her heart for ten long years.
"Lee Hangyul... Everyone knows my house, I'm not any celebrity to keep it a secret. I don't fucking care if you keep stalking me everyday like a loser you are. But not one person.. not even the police know your face... there are no records of you being a criminal... except me... I know your face... I've seen this face countless times in my nightmares... and I'm going to make sure you remember my face too..."
Seong-ah smirked at him and walked inside her apartment building. Hangyul stood there until she disappeared into the dark hallway. He knew his past was messed up, but the thing that was more messed up was his memory. He couldn't remember any of the incidents which Seong-ah told him throughout their conversation. A psychopath serial killer? murdering innocent people? He was clueless. But the only person who could lead him to the truth was Yoon Seong-ah. He felt a magnetic pull towards her as if his heart was telling him to follow her, as if his heart was telling him that she was someone important in his past, as if she was the only one who could pull him out of this darkness. He felt dizzy, wanted to faint down. He took out a syringe and shot himself in the veins of the left wrist. He slowly walked out of the alley.
Seong-ah was silently watching him from her window. Her cell phone lying on the bed started beeping. It was from the tracker chip she had inserted on his wrist earlier during their fight. She needed to know every small detail about him... She had to dig up in his past...
.
.
.
Same day. 9 AM. National Intelligence Center.
"I'm meeting him today"
Professor looked at Seong-ah with a blank face.
"Ohh, when?"
"Evening"
"You need any help?"
"I don't know", Seong-ah said while lying back on the bench.
They were sitting in a park behind National Intelligence Center. Professor was sipping on his usual ice-americano while Seong-ah grabbed her a sandwich from the nearby food truck.
"Let me trace the location", Professor handed her a tiny electronic chip.
"Why? I mean… I know you're worrying about me-"
"No, I know you can handle him… This chip is for him… "
"It will be difficult to insert it on his body part"
"And that is why I'm giving this to you, Seong-ah"
Seong-ah took the chip and placed it inside the pocket of her trousers. She stood up and started walking out of the park. A message popped up on her Kakaotalk.
Don't reach out to me for a few weeks, Kim Haneul is suspicious of us.
It was from Professor.
"Ahh, this guy is getting on my nerves…", Seong-ah cussed over Haneul and walked away from the park.