Rian opened the door. It was Yunho, in school uniform, his bag slung over one shoulder.
"Yunho…" Rian whispered.
Yunho didn't say anything at first — he just stepped forward and hugged him tightly.
"I'm glad you're alive… and I'm really sorry," he whispered.
Yunho continued while entering the house, "Where is Yurim?"
Rian just lowered his eyes.
Yunho looked around but couldn't see Yurim. "Rian! Where is Yurim?"
"You know what they found from the investigation this morning?" he said. "That monster was a human. They tortured him and experimented on him, making him like that."
Rian's eyes widened, as if he felt guilty for what he had done.
He rushed outside.
"I'm worried—" before Yunho could continue, he saw Rian running outside. He quickly followed him.
––
The clouds above had begun to turn red, the air heavy as if it would rain soon.
"Growl…"
"My stomach again…" Yurim muttered to herself, holding her belly as she quietly walked along the empty side streets, trying not to be noticed.
"It's going to rain… I need to hide somewhere."
She slipped into a narrow alley and sat down, pulling her knees close to her chest to rest for a moment.
Slowly, tears rolled down her cheeks as her thoughts spiraled.
"Why… why did this happen to me? What did I do wrong?" she whispered.
"Did I overreact? I shouldn't have left the house…" she murmured, guilt tugging at her.
Her voice trembled as she buried her face in her hands.
"Why can't I remember anything? Why am I even here…?"
A faint sound broke her thoughts.
"Shoo! Shoo, you dirty creature!" a shopkeeper near the alley shouted.
For a moment, everything went quiet again. Then —
"...Rrrr… mrrr…"
Yurim raised her head and turned slowly. From behind a pile of broken crates, something crawled out — a small creature, its body low to the ground, its face sharp and unnatural.
"A cat?" Yurim muttered, confused.
But then it growled again — deep, guttural, wrong. When it opened its mouth, rows of jagged teeth gleamed in the dim light. It wasn't a cat.
Yurim's heartbeat quickened. The creature's nose twitched, as if recognizing her scent. Its eyes narrowed.
It crouched, ready to pounce.
"Stay back…" Yurim stammered, taking a shaky step backward.
The creature hissed — then leapt.
Panicking, Yurim's eyes darted around. She spotted a metal trash bin nearby, grabbed it, and flung its contents toward the creature. Rotten food splattered across the ground.
The creature only grew angrier, its snarl louder, its movements sharper.
This time, it charged.
Yurim screamed and threw the trash bin itself with all her strength. The impact made the creature stumble, giving her one desperate chance.
She ran — blindly, breathless — down the alley, her shoes splashing through puddles, unaware that she had burst out into the open street. The creature's growls echoed behind her.
Her legs ached, but she didn't stop. She didn't dare.
Then — her foot slipped. She stumbled into someone and crashed onto the street, her palms scraping against the rough ground.
Gasps filled the air. People turned from the sidewalks, whispering.
They weren't just shocked — they had smelled it.
"The scent of… human," someone whispered.
"She's… human," another voice murmured, trembling with surprise.
Before Yurim could move, the creature crawled out from the alley's shadows, its eyes locked on her — ready to strike again.