I was the one who spotted the box first. It was sitting right in front of my door. A cardboard box, sealed, but with a dark, wet stain seeping through. A terrible dread settled in my stomach before I even opened it.
"WHAT KIND OF A**HOLE PUTS A DEAD RAT IN A BOX AND LEAVES IT IN FRONT OF SOMEONE'S DOOR...?" I exclaimed, my voice a shaky whisper of disgust and horror, staring into the contents of the opened box.
"Are you okay, Ajin...?" The man with me, a friend or perhaps a concerned bystander, asked. He quickly tried to shield me, but my eyes were fixed on the grisly scene. The dead rat was lying on a piece of paper, and there was a dark, splattered stain against the wall behind it.
"IS THAT A PIECE OF PAPER?" I asked, pointing to it, needing a distraction from the dead animal.
He reached down and gingerly picked it up. "IT'S A LETTER..." he muttered, his face grim.
The letter, printed, not handwritten, had a bloodstain on it. He read the unsettling words aloud: "I'D LIKE TO ASK YOU AS A GENTLEMAN... WILL YOU COME ME ON A SUNNY DAY, WEARING A WHITE DRESS AND A VEIL, AND LET ME YOU? WHAT DO YOU SAY? TELL THE POLICE AND YOU'LL PAY."
He quickly analyzed it. "AT FIRST GLANCE, IT SEEMS LIKE A LOVE LETTER, BUT AT THE END OF THE DAY, THEY'RE JUST MAKING A THREAT. THE LETTER IS TYPED AND PRINTED TOO." He held the paper, lost in thought. "EVEN IF WE CALLED THE POLICE..."
Suddenly, a loud noise broke the tension. A metal CLANG followed by a ROLL sound. We both snapped our heads toward the source of the noise.
"AJIN... WHY DON'T YOU HEAD INSIDE?" he said urgently, his eyes wide and looking past me. He was clearly worried.
"HUH...?" I questioned, confused by his sudden change of tone.
"HURRY!" he insisted, pushing me gently toward the door.
I finally registered the presence of another person lurking in the shadows, a man in a black beanie. He must have been the one who dropped the box.
The man with me yelled, "! STOP RIGHT THERE, YOU LITTLE FREAK!!!" He started running toward the figure who was now bolting away. "HEY, STOP!!"
I watched, frozen for a moment as the man chased the culprit, before letting out a terrified, guttural scream, "AAAAHHH!!" as I finally retreated into the safety of my apartment, leaving the disturbing scene behind.
"AJIN... WHY DON'T YOU HEAD INSIDE?" he urged, his eyes fixed on the man in the beanie who had been lurking nearby.
"HUH...?" I questioned, still reeling from the discovery of the dead rat and the threatening letter.
"HURRY!" he insisted, and I felt him push me slightly towards the door.
The man in the beanie, realizing he'd been spotted, turned to run. My friend immediately gave chase, shouting, "! STOP RIGHT THERE, YOU LITTLE FREAK!!!" He didn't hesitate, bolting after the culprit. "HEY, STOP!!"
I saw him disappear around the corner. I heard my friend's footsteps fade, his voice shouting, "WHERE THE HELL DID HE GO?!" The man had vanished into the shadows of the building's stairwell.
My friend came back up the stairs, panting and frustrated. "THAT DAMN BASTARD RAN SO FAST...!" He looked defeated. "I SHOULD HAVE CAUGHT HIM AND HANDED HIM OVER TO THE POLICE... I COULDN'T SEE ANYTHING IN THE DARKNESS. DAMN IT!" He wiped his brow, clearly agitated.
As he turned, he saw me standing there, still outside, my bag clutched tightly. "AJIN, I THOUGHT YOU WENT INSIDE...!" he said, his voice laced with surprise and concern.
"MR. CHOI!" I responded. "I COULDN'T BEAR TO STAY HOME BY MYSELF WHEN YOU'RE OUT HERE CHASING MY STALKER." I knew he was angry and scared for me, but the thought of being alone with a threat like that looming was unbearable.
Now that the immediate threat was gone, the horror of the situation set back in: the dead animal, the chilling note that was clearly a threat despite its pseudo-romantic phrasing. Even my friend's earlier thought echoed in my mind: "EVEN IF WE CALLED THE POLICE..." Would they even be able to help with this twisted, anonymous threat?
The unsettling letter remained the only clue
"MR. CHOI!" I said, feeling a sense of relief just seeing him, even after he'd failed to catch the creep. "I COULDN'T BEAR TO STAY HOME BY MYSELF WHEN YOU'RE OUT HERE CHASING MY STALKER."
He shook his head, looking frustrated and apologetic. "I'M SORRY—I LOST HIM. I COULDN'T EVEN SEE HIS FACE IN THE DARKNESS."
"He probably won't come back for a while since you chased him off," I reassured him, trying to keep my voice steady. "It's quite late now. DON'T YOU NEED TO GET HOME?"
He still looked worried. "I COULDN'T LEAVE YOU LIKE THIS, ESPECIALLY AFTER WHAT JUST HAPPENED. IS THERE ANYWHERE I COULD DROP YOU OFF—"
"IT'S OKAY," I cut in. "I CALLED AND ASKED A FRIEND TO COME OVER AND STAY WITH ME. HE SAID HE'D BE HERE SOON, SO DON'T MIND ME AND HEAD HOME, MR. CHOI." I tried to give him a convincing smile.
He hesitated for a moment, then sighed, giving me a final, worried look before heading down the stairs. I watched him go.
Once he was gone, a cold dread crept back in. I carefully opened my apartment door—SQUEAAAK—and stepped inside. I hadn't gone very far when I realized I needed to dispose of the horrific package. I couldn't just leave the dead rat and the bloody note outside.
I grabbed the black garbage bags and went back out. As I bent down to pick up the plastic bag containing the vile contents, I scanned the dark, empty hallway. He said he'd be here soon…
STEP. STEP.
A sudden noise made me freeze. Footsteps. Slow, deliberate.
STEP. STEP.
My heart hammered in my chest. Where is he? I spun around wildly, but the hallway was pitch black and silent again. I clutched the bag, my eyes wide, desperately trying to pierce the darkness.
Meanwhile, Mr. Choi was finally home, but he couldn't relax. He lay on his bed, staring up at the ceiling of his high-rise apartment. "SIGHHH."
WHY DO I FEEL SO ANXIOUS? MAYBE I SHOULDN'T HAVE LEFT HER THERE. MAYBE I SHOULD HAVE JUST BROUGHT HER HOME WITH ME.
He closed his eyes, his determination solidified. I'M GOING TO DO EVERYTHING IN MY POWER TO HELP AJIN, AT LEAST UNTIL SHE MOVES INTO HER NEW PLACE…
He knew I wasn't truly safe yet, and the unsettling feeling of being unable to protect me gnawed at him. He couldn't shake the image of me, alone in that dark hallway.
My breath hitched as the STEP. STEP. of the footsteps echoed in the dark hallway, confirming I wasn't alone. Where is he? I spun around, clutching the garbage bag containing the horrible evidence.
Then, a pair of dark, shadowy hands SLIDE up from the bottom of the frame and suddenly clamped onto my face and neck. I was paralyzed, my eyes wide with terror.
"AAAAHHHHH!!!" The scream tore from my throat as the hands tightened their grip.
"S-SOMEONE HELP ME! PLEASE HELP ME, MR. CHOI!!!" I cried out, desperately flailing my arms, trying to fend off the invisible attacker. I saw my friend, Mr. Choi, in my mind's eye, his eyes wide in panic as he looked up. "AJIN... AJIN!!"
Suddenly, the scene shifted. It wasn't me anymore. I was watching Mr. Choi, trapped by the same shadowy hands. He was fighting back, screaming in desperation. "RUN!!! RUN, JEONGHO!!" He yelled a name, not mine.
Then, another man appeared, reaching out toward my friend. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! RUN!!!"
The dark hands engulfed Mr. Choi completely.
A jolt ran through my body. I opened my eyes, panting heavily. My hands were shaking, resting on the bedsheets. It was Mr. Choi, waking up from a nightmare. He stared wide-eyed at the ceiling, his heart pounding a frantic rhythm.
He sat up, burying his face in his hands, trying to clear the lingering terror of the dream. "WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT DREAM ABOUT...?"
He could still hear the frantic shouts in his head—my scream, his own desperate warning to "Jeongho." The fear that had been gnawing at him since he left me was now a raw, waking panic. He had to know I was safe. He had to know if that friend I mentioned had arrived.
Mr. Choi just had a very disturbing dream that seems to be related to the dangers I'm facing, and it included someone named Jeongho. He also heard my scream in his nightmare.
I was still reeling from the encounter in the hallway, clutching the garbage bag when I heard a voice.
SQUEAAAK. My apartment door opened again, and I turned to see not Mr. Choi, but another man. He was wearing a dark beanie and a plain shirt.
"THERE YOU ARE…" he said, his voice quiet.
"WHAT'S IN THE BAG…? GARBAGE?" he asked, looking down at the black plastic.
"Yeah, I didn't want to leave a dead rat outside my door, so I'm tossing it out with the trash," I explained, trying to sound casual.
He just stared at the bag for a long moment, a strange look in his eye. "HAVE YOU EVER SEEN PEOPLE MOURN... ...THE DEATH OF A RAT ON THE STREET?" He paused, then his eyes flashed up to meet mine, the air turning cold. "THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT YOU ARE TO AJIN, THAT B*TCH."
I blinked, taking a step back from his sudden, venomous outburst. Ajin? That's me... who is he talking to? I watched him realize what he'd said, and his face quickly snapped back to neutral.
"ARE YOU JUST GONNA STAND THERE?" I asked him, trying to break the heavy silence. "COME ON INSIDE. IT WOULD BE BAD IF SOMEONE SAW YOU IN THOSE CLOTHES."
He stepped past me into the apartment. He looked uncomfortable, his brow furrowed. "YOU LOOK SWEATY. DO YOU WANT TO TAKE A SHOWER?"
"NO, I'M FINE..." I replied, kicking off my shoes. "I TOLD HIM I WAS FINE AND TO GO HOME BUT HE LOOKED SO UNSURE. MY BOSS COMPLETELY FELL FOR IT." I was referring to Mr. Choi, who I had lied to about my other friend coming over. I glanced at the man. I knew he was the friend I was waiting for, the one I had actually asked to come over—Junseo.
We sat down, and I got straight to the point, needing to escalate the situation with the stalker.
"IF WE WANT TO KEEP HIM HOOKED, WE'LL HAVE TO STEP THINGS UP A LITTLE. IT'LL HAVE TO BE MORE GRAPHIC THAN ONE DEAD RAT," I said, a dangerous glint in my eye. "THAT'D KEEP HIM HOOKED FOR SURE."
I leaned in, my voice dropping to a serious tone. "I'VE BEEN MEANING TO ASK YOU... COULD YOU HIT ME, JUNSEO?"
Junseo's eyes widened, a look of horror spreading across his face. "W-WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY…?"
I didn't flinch. I walked to a drawer and started RUMMAGING through it. "IT HAS TO LOOK LIKE THE STALKER BEAT ME UP. WHY DON'T YOU PUT ON SOME GLOVES AND HIT ME A FEW TIMES?" I pulled out a pair of gloves and pushed them toward him.
He pushed them back. "I CAN'T DO THAT." He stood firm, shaking his head. "NO. I WON'T DO THAT."
I pressed him, trying to appeal to the logic of the escalating situation. "YOU... WON'T…?"
He looked me straight in the eyes, his expression resolute. "THAT'S RIGHT."
Junseo wouldn't hurt me, even for the twisted plan to draw out the stalker. This left me in a complicated position. Now that I have an ally inside, what's my next move?
Junseo's refusal was firm, but his tone was filled with concern, not defiance. He gently pushed the gloves back towards me, his eyes solemn.
"I don't know about anything else, but..." He lowered his head, the weight of his words heavy in the room. "...I WILL NEVER HIT YOU, EVEN IF MY LIFE DEPENDED ON IT."
His absolute refusal, coming after his confusing comments and odd behavior, actually grounded me. I knew my plan to provoke the stalker by faking an injury was extreme, driven by fear and desperation. Junseo's integrity, however strange his loyalty was, was absolute.
We had two crucial things now: the stalker's interest was piqued with the rat and the note, and I had a steadfast, if slightly unsettling, ally by my side.