Chapter 4: The Warning

The soft hum of my ceiling fan slowly pulled me into consciousness. My body felt heavy, and for a moment, I thought I was dreaming—until I saw them. Soojin and Eunji sat beside my bed, their faces a mixture of relief and worry.

"She's awake!" Soojin exclaimed, leaning closer.

Eunji let out a sharp breath, her eyes glistening. "Thank God, Kim! You scared us half to death!"

I blinked at them, my mind a whirlwind of fragmented images and feelings. My body ached, but my heart thudded harder as the memories began to resurface—the cold streets, the gang circling me, the sheer terror of being utterly powerless.

I swallowed hard, my voice hoarse as I asked, "Where… am I?"

"You're in your room," Soojin said softly, fluffing the pillow behind me.

My hands trembled as the flashes of last night came rushing back—the mocking laughter, the stinging pain of the slap, their touch. My breath quickened as panic clawed at me. "But… I was outside. Those monsters—they surrounded me! How did I—"

Eunji interrupted, pulling me into a tight hug. "It's okay. You're safe. You're here."

Soojin added, her tone gentle, "Someone saved you."

I froze, the words slicing through my confusion. "Saved me? Who?"

Soojin and Eunji exchanged nervous glances. It was Eunji who finally answered. "We don't know for sure. Around three in the morning, someone knocked on our door. When we opened it, no one was there. But there was a note. It said, 'Go check on your friend in her room.'"

My heartbeat thundered as Soojin continued, "We ran to your room, and there you were. You were lying here, but… there was something strange. The whole room smelled like flowers. There weren't any flowers, though—just the scent everywhere."

I stared at them, the unease twisting into something deeper. "And my injuries?"

"They were already treated," Eunji said, her voice tinged with disbelief. "Bandaged. Some of them look almost healed already—it's unreal. And that's not all. There was food left for you, too."

Soojin pointed to my desk. "And this."

I followed her gaze and gasped. On the desk was a thick stack of cash.

"Thirty thousand dollars," Soojin confirmed, her voice soft but firm. "And that's not all. There were three job offers left beside it. One involves working with kids, one is writing, and the third… it's for teaching dance classes at an elite academy."

My breath hitched. Teaching dance had always been my dream, something I had never shared with anyone—not even Soojin and Eunji.

"How is this even possible?" I muttered, my voice shaking.

Soojin shook her head. "We don't know. There's no letter, nothing. Just the cash and the offers."

But I knew. Deep down, I knew who was behind all of this. The flowers, the silent care—it all pointed to him. *Heartless monster*, I thought bitterly.

My emotions swirled—a storm of anger and gratitude. "Why does he do this?" I whispered. "Save me but never show himself. What does he want from me?"

Soojin hesitated before adding, "Kim, there's something else. When we found you, there was blood. A lot of it. On the note at our door and on the stairs."

Eunji nodded. "But it wasn't yours—your wounds had stopped bleeding. It looked fresh, though."

My eyes widened. The realization hit me like a punch to the gut. *He was hurt. He must have been injured saving me.* I clenched my fists, conflicted. He was still a mystery, but… he had saved my life, again. "Thank you," I whispered softly, barely audible. "Thank you… heartless monster."

Later that afternoon, Soojin told me the police wanted to talk to me about last night. "Kim, they found 19 bodies. They said you were the only one who went that way."

My stomach churned, and anxiety prickled through me. The truth was, I didn't even know how I survived.

As I grabbed my bag to prepare for the visit, a faint whistling sound pierced the air. *Thunk.* A needle embedded itself in the wall.

"What the—" Eunji began, her voice tight.

We froze. My heart raced as I approached the needle, trembling fingers reaching for the note attached to it.

It was simple. Just two words.

"Don't go."

The handwriting was sharp and precise, unmistakable. It was his.

"Kim, what's happening?" Soojin asked, her voice tinged with panic.

I swallowed hard, my mind racing. If he was warning me, there had to be a reason. "We're not going to the police," I said firmly. "Don't speak to anyone you don't know. Stay cautious."

---

That evening, we were sitting in the living room, trying to distract ourselves with some random sitcom. Eunji kept flipping channels, grumbling about how boring everything was, when suddenly, the TV froze on a breaking news alert.

The headline hit me like a blow to the chest. "Massacre at Local Police Station—Over 500 Officers Dead."

Eunji gasped, her hand covering her mouth. "Kim… wasn't that the station you were supposed to go to?"

Soojin stared at the TV, her face pale. "If you had gone…"

I didn't need them to finish the sentence. My mind pieced it together—his warning, the attack. He must have known.

The reporter's voice filled the room. "Late last night, five attackers killed 500-600 officers guarding a government official at the station. The attackers, armed only with blades, moved with terrifying precision, leaving no survivors. The incident lasted less than 10 minutes."

The footage switched to shaky security camera clips showing the attackers moving like shadows, their speed almost inhuman.

I clenched my fists as frustration bubbled within me. "You heartless monster," I muttered under my breath. "You saved me, but why didn't you warn anyone else? Why let all those people die?"

Before I could dwell on the thought, a sharp *thunk* broke through the silence. Another needle. Another note.

My hands trembled as I unfolded it.

"Leave your home now and sit in the black car waiting on the road. Emergency."

Soojin and Eunji stared at me, their fear mirrored in their wide eyes.

"What's happening, Kim?" Eunji asked.

I swallowed hard, my voice steady despite the chaos brewing inside me. "We need to leave. Now."