2013, Damyang Bamboo Forest
The dark blue sky was illuminated by the full moon, casting an ethereal glow. Autumn leaves danced in the cold wind, creating a mesmerizing whirlwind on the forest floor. The bamboo trees, resembling tall, imposing figures, stood sentinel in the mysterious woods. Amidst this eerie ambiance, a small straw hut flickered with the light of a dim red bulb.
A resounding 'CHOP!!' shattered the nocturnal silence, sending ripples of disturbance through the night. The interior of the hut was bathed in an ominous red hue, with blood splattered across the floor, transforming the room into an otherworldly realm. Hong Yushik sat amidst a grotesque heap of human organs, predominantly hearts, his cold gaze fixed on the heart in his hands, carefully chopped into pieces.
Stepping outside the hut, Yushik approached a woodfire he had kindled. Placing a clay vessel on the flames, he began boiling the macabre meat. An evil smirk played on his lips, his eyes, once blank, now turned obsidian, relishing the sight of the boiling soup.
Meanwhile, Kim Hana and Yoon Siwoo wandered through the bamboo forest after dinner, discussing Seong-ah's future studies. Siwoo pondered sending her to Seoul National University, but Hana was reluctant to leave their daughter alone in Seoul. Their evening stroll led them to their neighbor's warehouse.
"Hong Yushik?! What are you cooking so late at night?" Siwoo inquired, noticing Yushik sitting in his front yard beside a woodfire.
"Meat. Fresh meat," Yushik replied, his gaze fixed on the boiling human heart pieces.
Cornering her husband with an elbow, Hana signaled him to leave. They bowed to Yushik, leaving for their home.
"How many times have I told you not to interact with that weird man!" Hana scolded Siwoo.
"He's just a bit antisocial; he seems fine to me. It's only been six months since he moved to Damyang; some people struggle to socialize," Siwoo tried to pacify his wife.
"Whatever! Don't invite him to our house or engage with him anymore!" Hana warned, gripping her husband's arm tightly.
Seong-ah stepped outside their house, finding her parents arguing at the entrance. As soon as they noticed Seong-ah, they stopped talking and entered the house, leaving her in confusion.
2023, 10 PM, Yongsan, BlueChip Investment Office.
Hong Siwoo leaned back in his chair, rolling away from the desk to gaze at the Yongsan cityscape through the glass window of his 20th-floor office. Displayed on his desk was the Chief Executive Officer's steel name plate, a recent acquisition. His grip tightened on the whiskey glass as he sipped the bitter alcohol, closing his eyes in pain.
The wound on his back burned, neglected since morning after his return from Damyang. His secretary entered with a file, interrupting his contemplation.
"Sir, you need to sign these documents to acquire 80% of BlueChip shares."
Sliding the file over the table, Siwoo placed the glass aside, picked up a pen, and signed the documents, a smirk playing on his face.
"Congratulations, you're the largest shareholder in the company," the secretary smiled.
"Why did you smile at me?" Siwoo asked with a blank stare.
"To... to congratulate you, sir," the secretary stuttered.
Unable to finish his sentence, the secretary was hit by a glass of whiskey hurled at his forehead, breaking on the ground and leaving him bleeding.
Siwoo leaned back, took a deep breath, and banged the table with his fist.
"I despise people who smile to my face. Engrave it on your brain if you want to work for me," Siwoo turned his chair back to the window, resuming his contemplation. The secretary limped away with the file.
Hong Siwoo groaned in pain as the old wound on his back throbbed relentlessly.
...
11 AM, Damyang Bamboo forest.
Lee Hangyul traversed the canopy of tall bamboo trees toward Yoon Seong-ah's house, blurry memories resurfacing with each step. He sensed he had walked this path a decade ago but couldn't recall the purpose. The idea that Seong-ah was his most painful memory loomed deep, an unsettling recollection his mind hesitated to unveil. Heavy steps brought him to her doorstep.
"Yoon Seong-ah!" he called out loudly.
Alone in her house, Seong-ah was startled by Hangyul's sudden voice. Opening the door, she found him standing nearby, prompting her to step outside and open the gate. Hangyul entered the front yard.
"You're still in Damyang?" Seong-ah asked, avoiding eye contact.
"Hmm. Staying at Kim Haneul's house," Hangyul replied awkwardly.
An uneasy silence settled between them, their thoughts unspoken, tension mounting with each passing minute.
"Where is Haneul?" Seong-ah asked.
"Summoned to the intelligence office... Kang Jurin's heart was found wrapped in a polythene bag... thrown inside Kang Minseok's bedroom," Hangyul informed her.
"What in the hell is happening with Kang Jurin's case? Such an important incident took place and Professor Sungtae didn't even call me once???", Seong-ah was shocked at series of strange incidents.
"You trust your informant a bit too much," Hangyul remarked, entering the living room and sitting on the couch.
"Yes, I trust him. I trust him more than anyone else in this world," Seong-ah exclaimed with anger as Professor Sungtae was the one who gave a homeless girl like her a first break in journalism.
"No, you don't trust anyone, Seong-ah. Stop lying to yourself. You just want to utilize people around you for your own benefits," Lee Hangyul expressed his heartbreak, realizing Seong-ah's true intentions behind helping him all these days.
"And what about that? You should stop wearing that mask of innocence too, Hangyul! You and I both know what kind of evil you are, what kind of sociopath you are. You think I don't know that you killed your own father? I don't know how many patients you've injured during your stay at the hospital. Yes, I'm utilizing people for my benefits, but at least I'm not killing the people close to me!" Seong-ah shouted out the facts she had kept pressed in her heart all these days.
Hangyul stood up in anger as Seong-ah reminded him of his father's murder, the triggering point for his aggression. His eyes turned red due to the striking pain in his head. Seong-ah realized she should've avoided speaking on that incident, as Lee Hangyul turned into a real evil once his aggressive behavior was triggered.
"Lee Hangyul, calm down, okay? I'm sorry. I shouldn't have brought that up. You know my mouth is so loose, right? Relax, Hangyul. Do you have the antidotes with you?" Seong-ah searched his pockets, even though he tried to push her away. Nothing was found. There was no antidote.
Hangyul's hands shivered as he screamed in pain and sat down on the floor, grabbing his head tightly. Seong-ah went down on the floor. She hesitated for a moment but couldn't think of a way to calm him down, other than to hug him tightly in her warm embrace.
She pulled him into a tight hug and patted his back. Hangyul, still shivering, screamed and forced himself out of her embrace. "It's okay! I'm here! I'm here beside you, Hangyul! You're not alone. I'm here with you," Seong-ah said loudly to awaken Hangyul from his violent trance.
Jung Bomin ran inside the house as he heard the screaming noise while entering the gate. "Bomin!! Go fetch the tranquilizers from my bag!" Seong-ah ordered, with Hangyul still in her tight embrace.
Bomin hurriedly brought the tranquilizer capsules with a glass of water and handed them to Seong-ah. She pushed a capsule inside Hangyul's mouth as he resisted eating it by himself and forced him to drink the water, lifting up his head so that the capsule could enter inside.
Within a few minutes of screaming and grabbing Seong-ah's hair, Hangyul fell unconscious onto the floor. Bomin stood in the corner, observing the scene unfolding in front of him.
"This Damyang trip is showing me so many hidden sides of you, noona? You have a soft spot for Lee Hangyul, the suspect?" Bomin was shocked.
"Zip your cursed mouth, Bomin! Or else I'll push this capsule down your throat too!" Seong-ah shouted at him.
She and Bomin pulled Hangyul over their shoulders, dragged him inside the bedroom, and laid him down on the bed. Seong-ah locked the door as she came out of the bedroom.
"Are you sure you want to lock him in here?" Bomin worried.
"Yeah. We can't leave him out when he's under attack. Anyway, he has no one who could take his responsibility," Seong-ah sighed.
"So? Are you taking his responsibility? As a guardian... or... as his..." Bomin smiled mischievously.
Seong-ah gave Bomin a light tap on the head and pointed him toward the door. "Go find out about Kang Chaewon's charity work for Myeongdo Orphanage and Hong Siwoo, who just showed up with a big donation. There has to be a link between them. Why are they so connected to my mom's orphanage?"
"Roger that, Ma'am!" Bomin saluted Seong-ah playfully and dashed outside with his blue bag.
Back on her couch, Seong-ah sat with her laptop, checking articles about Hong Siwoo. His qualifications surprised her; he was the top finance student from Australia, returning to invest in the growing Korean entertainment market. Strangely, he easily ascended to the position of Chief Executive Officer at BlueChip Investment within a mere six months. None of his personal background information was available on Naver sites.
"Who are you? Why did you suddenly show up? And with the same name as my father's... huh... hearing that name again was so shocking," Seong-ah pushed her hair back as she leaned on the couch. Closing her eyes for a moment, she dozed off, tired from lack of sleep.
The setting sun's rays streamed through the west-facing windows, casting a warm glow. Pale yellow lace curtains swayed in the cool breeze. Seong-ah shivered on the couch, sleeping uncovered without any blanket. Her rest was abruptly interrupted by the loud knocking on the bedroom door.
"Seong-ah! Open the door!" Lee Hangyul's urgent voice echoed from inside.
Rubbing her eyes, Seong-ah got up and walked to the bedroom. "Stop shouting! Are you a dog? Why are you barking?", she opened the door with an irritated expression.
Hangyul burst out of the room, forcefully pulled Seong-ah inside the bedroom and locking the door behind him. He pushed Seong-ah against the wall, pinning her between his hands. Their faces were inches apart, eyes locked in an angry stare.
"What was that capsule? What did you feed me? That was not my antidote!" he demanded in his deep voice.
"That was a regular tranquilizer, you idiot! You slept almost immediately, as if you've never slept in your entire life!" Seong-ah retorted, trying to push him away.
"Yoon Seong-ah... I know... I've committed sins in my past life... and I've already repented enough... I- I don't even know if I've really killed my father... I don't know why you saw me running out of your house on the day your parents were killed... I don't know who I stabbed with that bloody knife in my hand... Until now... I've hidden my fears under the rug of sociopathy... But now... I'm trying to live a normal life... I want to start working again... so please... please... stop dragging me into your revenge..." Hangyul said with a heavy voice as his throat blocked with the emotions he was feeling at that moment... emotions he had never experienced...
"What did you say... You've repented enough? Who told you that? Who will decide your repentance? You are still the first suspect in my parents' murder! And until the revelation of the real killer, you have to face me every day! You have to find the murderer with me because this is not just for the sake of my revenge but your only chance to clear your tarnished name and live your wishful normal life! Get that fixed in your unstable brain!" Seong-ah said ruthlessly as she pulled the collar of Hangyul's black-colored shirt.
Unable to contain his growing emotions for Seong-ah any longer, Hangyul grabbed her waist and pulled her harshly towards him. Unprepared for his actions, Seong-ah was almost strangled as his arms tightened over her back, leaving no space between them. She quickly placed her fingers over his lips as he tried approaching her, but Hangyul, still under the trance of sedatives, threw her hand away, sealing their lips forcefully. Seong-ah resisted and tried to push him away, but her small hands proved to be weak against his muscular arms. Her body was melting with Hangyul's touch, which she had always been attracted to since their first meeting, but her mind was telling her to stop as he might be the potential killer of her parents.
Hangyul was unstoppable, venting all his resentment, anger, and desires on Seong-ah. Her resistance diminished as they both dived deep, pulling their bodies closer. She held his neck, her nails scratching his skin, making it bleed. Hangyul sucked her lips passionately, pulling her hair with one hand and pressing her waist with the other. They continued exploring each other's mouths for the next few minutes until they had to separate to catch their breath. The fire between them burned with no signs of extinguishing soon. Seong-ah pulled Hangyul's face into the crook of her neck, where he bit her skin, turning it red. Her legs weakened with the stimulation of Hangyul's mouth all over her neckline, his hands reaching her bra under the T-shirt. He began lifting her T-shirt, still landing soft kisses on her face. Seong-ah's brain switched off in that moment, letting Hangyul do whatever he wanted with her body.
Her mobile, lying in the corner of the room, rang loudly, bringing her out of arousal. She saw Professor Sungtae's name flash on the screen, and her mind returned to its senses, grasping the situation. Hangyul had almost lifted her clothes when she pushed him away with extreme force, and he fell to the ground, still trying to figure out what happened in the series of a few seconds.
Seong-ah quickly answered her mobile, "Hello? Professor?? What's in the world is happening in Seoul? Why haven't you called me?" She unlocked the door and distanced herself from the room as she spoke over the phone. Hangyul sank to the floor, his expression blank, struggling to comprehend his emotions. He stood up and left Seong-ah's house in a state of frenzy. Seong-ah tried to restrain him, "Lee Hangyul!! Hangyul!! Stop!" while ending her call. By the time she reached outside, Hangyul had disappeared down the bamboo forest road. Seong-ah stood at her gate, breathing heavily, watching him vanish from her sight.
...
6 PM, Dongjak-dong, Seoul
Kang Chaewon sat in front of the clay ash vessel containing her older sister, Park Heejin's remains, inside the memorial house. Wearing a simple dress with no makeup, she bowed her head in remembrance. "Unni... are you still upset with me?" she whispered softly. It was Park Heejin's death anniversary. Chaewon shed a few tears while offering flowers, promptly taking out her mobile to capture tearful selfies for social media. "Chchchch," laughter echoed in the memorial hall, interrupting her solemn moment.
Annoyed, Chaewon addressed the source, "Do not disturb my conversation with my sister! And will you stop following me? Aren't you the CEO now? Don't you have any work to do?" she snapped
Hong Siwoo, stood against a metal pole, smiling with his crescent eyes. "I liked that annoying sound of yours, Mrs. Kang... would you please shed a few more tears to satisfy your sister's and my soul," he chuckled, relishing the melancholy atmosphere, looking at how miserable Chaewon became in front of him.
After all, he was the sinister... inheriting all the psychopathic tendencies from his father... Hong Yushik.