It is raining. How funny. Today will be a happy day. It should be cool weather, not rainy.
I will send someone to hell who killed the brother of someone who wants justice.
I put on my black clothes and put on my mask. It is white, smooth, without a mouth, such a neutral object that it has always given me permission to act without a face and without any emotion.
I get out of my car. It has always been safer to dress near the place where I carry out my killings.
I walk to my secret basement. It is a dark place, with only one light, far away from everything. It is impossible for the police to find, or anyone else.
When I enter, I see the man I captured so easily sitting on a chair, with his eyes blindfolded and his hands tied behind it.
— Who is there? — he asks, in a trembling voice.
— You bastard!! What do you want from me?!
How cute. He thinks I am a man. Is it his intuition telling him this or because, in fact, most kidnappings are done by men? I do not judge. This will be the first time he hears my voice.
— I should be offended by your insults, but sorry to disappoint you… I am a woman.
I get close to the chair and bring my mouth near his ear.
— What did you think of your three-day stay in this place?
For some reason, I feel that he is scared, but he does not show any weakness. Are all murderers as cold as him?
I step away from the chair and remove my mask from my face.
— Well… you asked what I want from you. But I want nothing. Someone else does.
I say this with a smile on my face.
— And why isn't that person here?
He is bold for someone who is guilty.
— Can you tell me what I did wrong? Damn it!! I have never harmed anyone in my whole life, so tell me… why all this??
I could almost believe him if I didn't have years of experience. I would say he is a good manipulator.
— You know what you did!! — I say in a firm and harsh voice.
— What did I do??? You crazy woman!!!
He is making me angrier and angrier. I do not know why I do not finish this already. I am running out of patience.
— Lee Minho. Does that name remind you of anyone?
He starts smiling sarcastically.
— That is a common name in Seoul. I have met several people with that name.
This time, he really managed to take away my patience. How dare this murderer play like this and pretend he does not know what I am talking about?
— The police must already be looking for me. It will be the end for you.
He says it with anger in his voice.
— I would say the end is closer for you than for me, you murderer.
I take my gun out of my jacket.
— Wait… murderer? What are you talking about, you crazy woman? I have never killed anyone!!
He speaks loudly and firmly.
I roll my eyes. How long will this guy keep this up?
— Listen carefully to what I am going to say. It will be the last time you hear my voice.
— What are you talking about???? Wait… I have never killed anyone. This is a misunderstanding.
He seems agitated. Finally he is showing the fear I wanted to see. Too bad it happened only at the end.
— You are being killed for having killed Lee Minho.
I say with a cold voice.
I take my gun out of my pocket and cock it.
— Please… can I see your face before you kill me?
What? What a strange request. It is the first time someone asks me this. Since he will no longer be alive to remember my face, I do not see a problem. It might even be fun to see the fear in his eyes when I point the gun at his head.
I get closer to him and remove the blindfold from his eyes.
— Be happy, in a way. It is the first time I do this. You will be able to see me pull the trigger.
He remains silent, looking into my eyes. I do not know why, but I feel a strange sensation in my chest.
— Are you an angel or a demon? — he asks.
For a second, I hesitate at the question. What is happening to me?
— You look like an angel… but an angel does not do this kind of thing.
— Shut up!
Who does he think he is to say this? Who does he think he is to make my heart burn like this?
— I hope the justice of Earth or divine justice shows no mercy to you.
He says with a firm and harsh voice, and continues:
— If in the next life we meet, I promise I will make you suffer.
This time, tears fall from his eyes.
It is better to finish this quickly. That strange feeling in my chest is growing more and more. I feel like tearing out my own heart.
I point my gun at his head.
— I do not believe in reincarnations.
I pull the trigger.
His blood starts to fall on the floor. Well, I should take a photo proving that my work is finished.
I take my phone out of my pocket, lift his fallen face, and take a photo of him tied to the chair, with blood on his body. I send it to my "client."
— The job is finished. See for yourself.
My phone starts vibrating. She is calling me.
— The job is finished, as you asked. Why are you calling me? — I ask neutrally.
— Thank you very much. You did a great job, but…
— But?
What does she mean by this "but"? I wonder if there is something else she wants me to do.
— Actually, he did not kill anyone. I do not even have a brother. Everything I showed you was fake.
She says calmly, without any emotion.
— What are you saying, you idiot?!
So I… I just killed an innocent person?
I look at the man whose life I took without even listening to what he had to say.
— Tell me, why did you look for me then? Why did you go through so much trouble to contact me? — I ask with a firm voice.
— Because I wanted him dead. He rejected me. I wanted to be his girlfriend.
She continues:
— I have been in love with him for more than ten years, and we worked at the same company. I spent my whole life following all his steps.
— I know where he lives. I know what he does on weekends. I know everything about him. Everything. Literally everything.
My God… how did I not realize this before? She is a stalker!
— If he did not want to be with me, then he will not be with anyone else.
I hang up the call quickly. I cannot listen to anything else she has to say. I walk toward him with tears in my eyes and take his face in my hands.
— I am so sorry. Forgive me…
Two seconds. Enough time to erase someone's life. Two seconds that echoed like a gunshot in my heart. That was all I needed to take the life of someone who did not deserve this end.
I had never regretted before. I was always precise, cold, a ghost without a shadow. Today, however, something broke inside me,
a crack so deep that even my breathing feels different.