Stopped by the mangled exit to the tram, Hajoon was struck with a question, a question that the billowing winds and snow failed to answer. As he stared down at the crumpled face of a woman whose skin had faded to the blues of frostbite, his eyes drifted to the butterfly shaped accessory that kept her black and grey hair out of her face.
Its gold finish was dyed in red.
What could have killed Mrs. Baek so gruesomely?
That was the question he remembered no answer to, but he could infer. From the ache of his jaw and the scratches left on his cheek from a similar experience, he made the educated guess that the culprit was the so-called dokkaebi.
I was moments away from ending up like that…huh?
He was suddenly glad for the glasses on his face and the blur that it cast over the carnage around him. There was only so much a man could stomach, even if he was from the Riotbanks.
Taking a shuddering breath to calm himself, Hajoon gripped his briefcase to his side before allowing the biting winds to greet him. His first step into the familiar unknown sent a stab of cold through his feet, the snow crunching under his shoes as he continued the journey step after step. He stopped only to look back at the frost kissed tram and the red that dyed its exit.
If someone had died at its doors, the bodies were long gone. All that Hajoon saw now was the fresh footprints that lead away from it and the death it held within.
Should I try…to catch up with them?
"No, wherever trust we had, I ruined it. Who would trust a murderer?" He huffed out a breath, half a laugh, half self deprecation.
Hah…not that I remember who I apparently killed…but the evidence is against me. Maybe I can claim insanity in court?
He looked up over his glasses at the night sky, blotted out by the clusters of buildings and wires that made up Hongno. From what he could grasp, there wasn't a single lit room in the usually bright and uncomfortably busy entertainment district. The wall of buildings, connected by walkways from roof to roof; were a cluster of barely legal hubs all competing against each other for relevancy.
The entertainment they specialized in was illegalized within the city walls–if only to mask Jeokjo as the civilized utopia it claims to be. But it was unreasonable to expect men to work without a place to ease their mind and body.
A disgusting thought, sure, but allowing Hongno to continue business was how the court settled the outcry against their decision. But even then, soldiers and city men refused to walk the streets amongst the locals; hence the tacked on bridges that ruined the view of the sky.
Hajoon's eyes traced the shadows of the structurally flimsy bridge between two of the taller establishments, watching it sway gently against wind that was anything but. He could have sworn he saw someone up there, staring back at him.
"Hey–" Hajoon paused as that figure vanished into a flurry of snow, which swirled, then darted to the right. His eyes followed it, blinking against the flecks of cold that gathered on his eyelashes.
He couldn't see past the snow, and trying to was a fool's errand; so instead, he followed it. Not because he trusted the hallucination of a person to guide him, but because he didn't have anything better to do.
From the intersection the tram had come to a stop at, he could see that the street to his right led further up the hilly terrain; so he began the trek upwards in pursuit.
There were many trails of blood along the piling snow, some being actively erased as he walked. He felt no inclination to follow them, as they would only lead to death or the recently dead. He wouldn't look, he wouldn't play hero, that was what he told himself as he heard muffled screams and groans of pain from an alley only a yard from the tram.
The snow that led that way was disturbed, a path of blood and struggle that deviated from the path his coworkers and company had craved through the snow. From the skid marks he saw, he could tell that from that point on, they had run.
Walk. Keep walking.
His foot froze before it hit the snow of the cracked pavement, his head turning to the snarl he heard from behind him, the snarl that was followed by a pained scream.
If you stop, you die. He screamed at himself to keep going, to turn his back and walk away, but his feet didn't listen. Before he could think rationally, he was stumbling his way against the onslaught of snow as he backtracked towards the sound.
"AAARGH..!! S-stop…h..help.." A weakening voice became audible as Hajoon turned into the alley where the trail of blood remained despite the snow. It was because the source was there, hidden and bleeding under the assault of a girl who snarled and gnashed, her movements jerking like a broken puppet.
Hajoon stiffened, his hand gripping onto the rusted wall as he saw the damage done, the blurred sight of the girl ripping the man's intestines out like noodles from a bowl.
He had to close his eyes as the man screamed, unable to witness a familiar face contort in pain.
"S-Someone..! You…!! Help me A-AHHG!!" The salaryman from the tram yelled out as he noticed Hajoon, seeming to not recognize him in the darkness.
Why did I come here..? That bastard won't live.
What did I think I could do?
Hajoon took a step back, but his dress shoes, unfit for treading anything but office floors, slipped. He barely stifled a yelp as he caught himself using the wall for support, but it was too late.
Bloodshot eyes had turned to him, the irises crimson as if they had drowned in their own blood. Her mouth opened into a smile, one that had likely been her livelihood in one of the clubs that infested this place.
It was disgusting, that bloody smile.
Hajoon only managed to raise his suitcase as a shield between his face and the monster's gnashing teeth, skidding backwards as he tried to stand his ground. If he fell here, it would be over within seconds. The monster would rip out his throat with those spider-like fangs and he'd die, just like that.
He let out a hiss of breath as he felt manicured nails dig into his arms, and with a desperate attempt to get away, he yanked his arms and briefcase back. He felt the skin under his sleeves tear as he swung his work bag at the monster's head, the combined weight of several novels, his abused notebook, and a stack of paperwork connecting with her face with a dull thunk.
Hajoon's breath shuddered as his mind blanked, watching as the girl, no, the monster fell to the ground. It clutched its head, which was snapped at an awkward angle as it muttered wordless gasps to itself.
Hajoon flinched as the monster stumbled to its feet, fumbling through the alley blindly before finding a wall and bashing its head upon it to fix its head back into place. It didn't look back as it limped out of the alley and into the snow like a kicked dog.
"…It left…! Ghk…ahhk…don't just stand there..! Help me damn it..!!" The man whose guts hung outside of his expensive suit called out as he clutched at his stomach.
Hajoon inhaled, pushing his glasses up to blur the gore as he stepped forward to kneel in front of the man.
"Haaa– I thought that crazy woman could call an ambulance…then she turned out to be a damn monster..! Then that northerner dropped me and ran..can you believe that??"
A ragged breath, and a hand that clutched at a torn abdomen; Hajoon's blurry vision flickered to the crooked expression that greeted him
"I got lucky there… you're strong eh son?" The man was smiling through the pain, but when his eyes focused on Hajoon's face, the fear and hatred Hajoon saw was greater than even what the monster had received as it actively ate him.
"You..!? Crazy fucker…are you here to finish the job..?! Get away from me..!!" He snarled through several violent coughs that spewed blood.
"S…sir, don't yell, what if something else finds us..?" Hajoon hissed through clenched jaws.
"Hah..!! Haha!! then it can eat you too..!! It sounds like the best dying wish I can get right now!" He laughed as his trembling form sagged back against the dumpster behind him.
"Ha…haha…why? What did I do for you to hate me this much…?" Hajoon let out a weak chuckle as one of his hands fisted.
"What did you do..?? You stabbed me you fucker..!! You tried to kill me with a grin on your face..!" He spat out along with a spray of blood that bubbled up his throat.
Ah. So it was his, the blood on my hands.
Ha…hahaha…
That dream, it made me think I killed someone…but he's not dead, yet. He isn't dying because of me, right? That monster ate him, it did the most damage, not me.
I'm not a murderer.
Hajoon stared at his fisted hand for a moment before standing up. Without another word, he turned and walked away.
"H…hey..! Hurk..argh…wait..! Bastard come back…!"
Hajoon ignored that voice as left the alley, his eyes set on the peak of the hill he had previously been walking towards.
"..Help..!...help…h…hel.." The weak whispers were swallowed up by the winds as Hajoon stopped by the awning of a bar at the top of the hill, temporarily sheltered from the falling snow.
The String of Fate. That was what the sign above the door read. Hajoon knew this place, because it had better rice wine than most bars, next to no entertainment value, and relatively cheap prices. He also knew that there was a telephone in the reception area.
Call for help, yea, that's rational. I should call…
Hajoon's fingers paused on the dial pad, letting his head rest above the wall mounted telephone.
"Who…could I even call…?" He laughed as he dropped the handset and let it hang from the cord, lightly bouncing inches from the floor but not quite making impact.
You fool, no one would help you. No one can help you.
Hah…now I sound like that evil spirit in my head.
I'm really going crazy. Fuck.
Hajoon felt exhaustion seep into his bones as he began to gently bang his head against the wall, the muted thuds bringing order to his raging thoughts.
Hongno…is a dungeon now? Or is it the entire Nagwon district?
Thud.
Where are the monsters coming from..? It can't be people…it can't be what I'm thinking. But she…no, that monster was eating that man. Ha…ahaha…was that a zombie..? No way.
Thud.
The security at the bridge…it was intensive because they knew this was going to happen? Where was the damn evacuation order..?!
The thud rang in his ears as he clutched at his chest, trying to reign in his stuttering breathing.
I don't want to go home and find monsters…monsters and the dead…
Hajoon was too preoccupied with his thoughts to notice the footsteps behind him, the sound of a frying pan smacking him upside the head reaching him too late to respond with anything other than a grunt and temporary unconsciousness.
"How did a zombie get in here? I'm pretty sure I locked the door…huh well, this one was weak. Poor thing." A low voice hummed as a boot nudged at Hajoon's collapsed form. A man, whose bandana held his bangs from his forehead, spun the blackened frying pan in his hand as he eyed the motionless man on the ground.
"Should I toss it outside? Or burn it? These things don't die easy…"
"Urgh..?" Hajoon grunted as his eyes winced open, hoisting himself onto all fours just barely, then staggering to his feet as he clutched the bump on his head.
"Damn, I should have burned it when I had the chance. Oh well, nothing another good thwack won't fix." The man muttered to himself as he raised the frying pan once more, but paused when the silver eyed Zombie flinched back, holding a briefcase up like a shield.
"B-burn..?? What?? Back off..!" Hajoon gritted out, his vision fuzzy with white spots as he tried to function with a head injury that would have put any normal person out of commission.
"Oh? It can talk." The man blinked, taking a step closer to peer at Hajoon.
"Huh. Are those eyes real? I should take em, they fetch a damn fortune on the black market."
"I said. Back. off." Hajoon hissed, swinging his suitcase at the man's head like he'd done to that monster in the alley. But unlike that monster, the man with dark hair and skin was fast and easily dodged his attack.
Before Hajoon could move his arm to clumsily swing again, the man grabbed his wrist. A sharp pain ran through him as his arm was twisted back and he was slammed into the wall face first. Hajoon heard the crack of his glasses between the wall and his face, and had to squeeze his eyes shut against the specks of glass that fell into his eyes.
"So bothersome…heh? The zombie is warm…?" The man let out a perplexed grunt as Hajoon struggled against his grip, only becoming more confused as he felt the stuttering heartbeat under his grip.
"Gahk..! I'm not a damn zombie??"
"...Oh. For real?"
Hajoon's attacker suddenly let go, and he used that chance to reach for his briefcase which had fallen to the ground. He only managed to slip the umbrella free from its strap, grabbing the only weapon he had on hand to face the wide eyed man, pointing the end of the umbrella at his face.
"...You're threatening me with an umbrella?" The man's perplexed face broke into a cheerful laugh as he took a few steps back.
"You hit me on the head..! With a…frying pan..?" Hajoon's glaring eyes flickered to the blunt weapon in his attacker's hand, then behind him to the blurry view of an empty bar and dining tables. He could hear faint voices beyond the door in the back, but he felt no confidence in them helping him if he were to yell for help.
If he tried to kill me, why wouldn't the others? How many are there…? Three? Five?
"My bad..! Haha!" Hajoon's attacker said flippantly.
When the anger in Hajoon's silver eyes didn't dissipate, his laughter tapered out. He set the frying pan down on the counter nearby and raised his hands in defeat.
"Hey…I wouldn't hurt a fellow roach yeah? I didn't mean it that way! Calm down!"
"Back. Up."
"Alright alright!" He chuckled, taking one, two, then three strides back while maintaining eye contact. "You can't blame me for thinking you were a zombie yeah? I heard the thudding and swung first! Swing first, ask questions later you know?"
Hajoon scoffed under his breath and let his hands drop to his side, using the umbrella as a crutch as he tried to shake off the buzz of pain in his head. He could feel his skull throb with a likely concussion, and could only hope it hadn't damaged what remained of his mind.
"Oh…hurts huh? Want some ice to put on that?" The man's smile grimaced as he rubbed at the back of his head.
"Ah? The fridges still work?" Hajoon glanced at him with a grunt.
"Who needs fridges right now? Leave a cup outside and it freezes ya know?"
"Ah. So, is the electricity running or not?" Hajoon's eyes flickered to the telephone, which was still swaying slightly.
"...Hn? You have strange priorities huh?"
"Strange..? Shouldn't you have the same? We need to call for help during a natural disaster…"
"Call huh? Well, we should yeah… if it was that."
Hajoon picked up his briefcase and leaned against the glass of a display window, staring at the man who rested his hands on his hips and smiled without a care. He removed his broken glasses from his eyes, blinking off the specks of glass as the darkness beyond the smiling man became clear to his eyes.
He froze as he was faced with a rifle, and a girl who leaned on a rounded table to aim it at his head.
"Don't be so stiff..! I've been truthful you see? I apologized too!" The man with the bandana took a step forward, and Hajoon flinched back.
Something about being at gunpoint makes it hard to believe the sincerity of that.
"Hey. I said I won't hurt you."
"Say that to your friend back there." Hajoon hissed back, his eyes flickering between the two threats in front of him.
"Oh. Ohhhh..!" The dark man exclaimed, looking at Hajoon and back at the girl.
"You're one of those..!"
"...What?" Hajoon said as his eyebrows knitted closer together.
"You can see her! I sure can't! I forgot to bring a lamp in here, haha!"
Hajoon's face twisted into a look of irritation as he stood there, watching the man laugh while his companion pointed a rifle at him.
He's insane. If he can't see…then I could run for it, but no, he's fast.
I can't try anything. One wrong move and there'll be a bullet in my brain.
"Haha…right. I'm a nocturnal, that's all. Not a zombie, not a monster, not even armed." He tried to appeal to the man's apparent relaxed nature, attempting to relax his eyebrows and smile.
"I'm harmless."
"Oh…I uh, I believe you, don't worry–" His response was interrupted by the girl, who stood and walked closer.
"No. He reeks of bloodlust." She snapped coldly, not once letting Hajoon be free from the threat of her rifle. From the closer range, Hajoon could make out the distinct silver emblem on her weapon, a supposed phoenix that closer resembled an eagle or hawk; its wings spread proud and head bent low at an awkward angle to accommodate the minimalist design.
It was the same emblem one could see when looking up at the Hunter Tower. Which meant that the rifle was military grade, at the least.
He couldn't come to any conclusion on that, as he was forced to direct his gaze back upwards at the click of a tongue. The girl who glared at him had a weapon, and he did not. Hajoon wasn't going to test her patience now.
"Huh? Well we all had to kill something to survive, don't be so harsh Althea–"
"Like the demons." She interrupted him again, her dark eyes narrowing at Hajoon.
The man ran a hand through his curly hair at that, pushing his bangs out of the way to reveal the blue bandana and furrowed eyebrows underneath.
"He really smells wrong?"
"Yes."
He inhaled and glanced at Hajoon again. "You. Come to the back." He gestured to the back door, from which two more figures had stepped out.
What? So you can kill me quietly?
"Oi…stop shaking like that. Don't tell me he hit you hard enough to make you dumb?" The girl scoffed at Hajoon, then threw a glare at her companion.
"Haha..! If he ain't a roach, he would have died right there! You know I have a strong swing!"
She didn't respond, adjusting the weight of the rifle onto her forearms.
"I'm not dumb enough to follow you thugs." Hajoon grit out, tasting copper on his tongue as his eyes caught a glimpse of the winding snake tattoo on her wrist.
It was the sign of a new recruit, fresh out of high school, if she graduated at all.
"Don't talk down to me. No one said you had a choice." Her eyes momentarily flared with anger as her finger tightened over the trigger. It was an awkward movement, unpracticed and impractical for a weapon model made for ranged combat.
"Don't steal from soldiers if you don't know what you're doing, kid." Hajoon huffed, his lips quirking up into a sneer.
"I didn't steal..!!" She roared, pulling the trigger in a flash of blind rage. Her companion's eyes flew wide as he yelled something about noise and waking, but Hajoon couldn't hear it over the feeling of cold dread.
I said that out loud.
Don't taunt crazy people, that's the one damn rule I have.
Damn it.
Hajoon's blood ran cold for a moment as he watched her stagger back from the recoil, hearing nothing but the thudding of his own heart as the glass behind him shattered.His eyes shuddered before they flickered to watch the blood seep through the left shoulder of his coat. Shards of glass sprayed over him like falling snow, a precursor to the blizzard outside blasting its way inside.
His hand gripped at the torn fabric and flesh, his monochrome vision fading to black as he staggered.
It hurts.
[ It hurts.]
Words took to the air as he straightened up. A voice that mixed with his own until it became one.
[ Kill them. ]
The commanding words echoed within his mind, twisting with fresh pain to cement itself as law.
Hajoon's hand came away from his shoulder, the fresh crimson dripping down his palm and onto the floor. His eyes snapped to the two strangers in front of him as plumes of fog spilled from his mouth, spreading to encase his form as if to erase his presence entirely.
Althea was frozen in place, her hands shaking as the rifle in her arms suddenly felt too heavy and burdensome under the instinct that screamed to run. The air itself was oppressive with a familiar bloodlust, something that immobilized prey in normal circumstances.
"Behind you..!" Her companion pulled her aside, just barely avoiding the gnarled metal skeleton of an umbrella whose fabric had been ripped away with a bloody hand. She yelped as the metal nicked her forearm and when hurtling past her to get stuck in the floorboards like a knock off excalibur. Unlike the western tale of the legendary sword, the metal snapped in two as the silver eyed man tried to pry it out of the hole it had dug into the wood.
One moment, she could see his silhouette against the faint moonlight that spilled from the broken window; hunched over like a cornered animal with the gnarled weapon in hand. Then he was gone again.
Normally, her sense of smell allowed for her to create an accurate mental image of any person in her vicinity. Even in pitch darkness, she was never caught off guard, but this was different. Something was blocking her senses, a strong and deadly stench that overpowered any trail she could follow.
"Gh..! Hey you hot headed idiot..! Leave it and go to the back..!" Her annoying companion yelled to her, but she ignored him.
Althea whirled around, steading her finger on the trigger and bracing for the recoil as she took a shot in the dark. The gunshot rang in her ears as she was shoved aside yet again, but this time her senses flared as she was hit with the scent of her own companions' blood.
"Grrk..! Hahh…you're really bothersome, Althea. You better be grateful you're my responsibility, although I'm starting to reconsider my promises…" He grimaced and looked back, blood flooding from the arm he'd shielded his face with. The metal edge of an umbrella was now lodged in it, which he struggled to keep from tearing straight through as the silver eyed man who gripped the end of it glared straight at him.
There was no light in those eyes, and staring at them only made the man chuckle.
"Hey, you there? What are you, possessed?"
"No, this is a different creature entirely." A light and airy voice mused, the tension of the air being cut through to ease the trembling of the prey trapped within.
Long and almost corpse-like fingers wrapped around Hajoon's neck and squeezed, causing him to cough up a fresh spray of blood.
"Hm…so there is no contract? No demon gave him that power…? Interesting." The woman—with flowing white hair that nearly trailed on the ground—kicked Hajoon in the back of his legs, making his knees buckle and fall to the ground.
"You can't even see through a simple illusion trick?" She turned to the man with the bandana and the girl who knelt by his side, giving a bored look as Althea pulled the metal out of his arm and gripped at the gushing wound.
"Pathetic."