CHAPTER:3 THE FIRST HUNT

The next day, Ji Won told Min Jae, "Let's go hunting this weekend—just the two of us, without your sister or mother." Min Jae nodded, but Hye Jin, who overheard the conversation, later, when Min Jae told her about it, she began to tease him.

 Hye Jin leaned in closer, her voice

"Hunting means Dad is going to take you to kill rabbits. Are you really going to kill a little animal and eat it?" Hye Jin asked, her voice dripping with mockery.

Min Jae frowned. "No, I don't want to do that!"

"Then let me go instead of you," Hye Jin suggested.

Min Jae shook his head. "Dad won't let you come with him."

But Hye Jin was already thinking of a plan. "I've got an idea," she whispered. "You just need to tell Dad what I say, okay?"

Later that evening, when Ji Won came home from work, Min Jae approached him nervously. "Dad, I'll come with you this weekend, but I have two conditions."

Ji Won raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "What are your conditions, son?"

 Min Jae gulped, repeating Hye Jin's words. "First, after I change into the clothes you give me, the conditions will apply. You won't talk to me, touch me, or ask me anything, even after we get home. You have to promise."

Ji Won chuckled. "Why all the rules? There's no need for that."

"No, Dad, if you want me to come, you have to agree to my conditions," Min Jae insisted.

Ji Won finally nodded. "Alright, I'll accept your terms."

 Min Jae ran to tell Hye Jin that their father had agreed to the conditions. She smiled slyly, excited that her plan was working.

 On the night of the hunt, Ji Won waited at the garage at 9 PM, just as he'd said. Min Jae entered the garage and took the clothes Ji Won had handed him. "Once I change, the conditions apply," Min Jae reminded him. Ji Won nodded, watching as Min Jae disappeared into a side room to change.

 But it wasn't Min Jae who emerged. Hye Jin, now dressed in Min Jae's clothes, stepped out into the cool night air, her face covered by a hood, mimicking her brother perfectly. Ji Won led her to the car without a word, as promised, and they drove off into the darkness.

 They drove into the night, switching cars along the way to avoid being traced. Hye Jin's pulse quickened as she wondered where her father was taking her. Soon, they arrived at a pig slaughterhouse. Inside, Ji Won led her through the building, showing her every grisly detail of the process.

"Are you enjoying this?" Ji Won asked, watching her closely. Hye Jin, still pretending to be Min Jae, was mesmerized by the scene. She couldn't speak due to the conditions, but inside, her mind raced with excitement. This was exactly what she wanted. She watched every moment—the slicing of flesh, the squealing animals, the way their blood ran thick and red. Her heart pounded with exhilaration.

 Once they returned home, Ji Won told her to go upstairs and change, keeping the conditions he'd promised. Hye Jin switched back with Min Jae, and he went upstairs, oblivious to what had just happened.

The next morning, Min Jae asked Hye Jin, "What did Dad show you?"

Hye Jin's eyes lit up with excitement. "He killed a pig. Blood was everywhere, flooding the floor. The smell filled the room. I watched everything."

Min Jae shuddered. "Stop. I don't want to hear about it."

 Hye Jin, unfazed, only smiled to herself. Over the next few days, she began paying more attention to the smaller animals around her—mice scurrying through alleyways, birds fluttering near the schoolyard. Something stirred inside her, a fascination that grew with each passing day.

 Soon, Hye Jin began her own experiments, catching mice and luring them into small boxes with pieces of bread. She poisoned them, drowned them, used acid—each death a new experiment. On weekends, after her hunting trips with her father, she took her time with the creatures, documenting their deaths with sketches. The sight of their struggling bodies brought her a thrill she couldn't quite explain.

 One day, while Hye Jin was pouring acid onto a mouse, her mother, Eun Mi, entered the room without Hye Jin noticing. She stood in the doorway, frozen in horror as she watched her daughter calmly torture the tiny creature. The mouse writhed in agony, its skin dissolving under the acid. Hye Jin's eyes sparkled with excitement, completely absorbed in the mouse's struggle for life.

 Eun Mi's heart raced. She couldn't believe what she was seeing. Fear gripped her, but she said nothing and hurried out of the room, her mind swirling with worry.

 Later that night, she confided in Ji Won. "Hye Jin... she was torturing a mouse with acid. I think something's seriously wrong. We need to take her to a psychiatrist."

 But Ji Won remained calm. "She told me she's conducting experiments. It's just curiosity."

 "Are you sure?" Eun Mi asked, unsettled. "I'm scared, Ji Won. What if she's... not normal?"

"Trust me. If it happens again, we'll consult a psychiatrist," Ji Won promised.

Reluctantly, Eun Mi agreed, but Ji Won was secretly thrilled by Hye Jin's behavior. He began to monitor his children closely. Min Jae, though emotionally soft, still seemed normal. But Hye Jin was changing. Her eyes no longer held the innocence they once did. Now, they were cold and calculating, void of emotion. When Ji Won searched her room, he found her drawings—detailed sketches of mice being killed in various ways.

 He was proud.

 When the weekend came again, Ji Won prepared for another hunt. As always, Hye Jin, disguised as Min Jae, joined him. They drove out into the night, heading for a new location—an abandoned park. Hye Jin's heart raced with anticipation. This time, it wasn't just animals. This time, they were going to hunt a human. She was sure of it.

As they arrived at the park, Ji Won turned to her, his voice low.

"Hye Jin."

She froze, her blood turning cold. Hye Jin froze in place, her blood running cold. How had he known? Ji Won pulled back her hood, revealing her face. He had known all along.

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