Hyukjoon:[VIDEO THUMBNAIL]
Hyukjoon:haha she didn’t say anything when I put it in her ass
Hyukjoon:maybe I should keep her?
She remembered that night well. He had hurt her badly, and afterward, she told him what he’d done, quietly and apologetically, tears prickling in her eyes. Hyukjoon apologized immediately. “I’m so sorry,” he had said. “It was dark. I drank too much, and I couldn’t tell.” His face was full of remorse. He had kissed her a hundred times until the feeling inside her chest had dissipated. And when he fell asleep curled against her side, she had been certain that Hyukjoon was her soulmate. For the first time in a long while, she had felt something akin to happiness. Bora was always parroting shit about “things happening for a reason,” and Dahye had understood her completely. Every unhappiness and injustice, every painful thing in her life had brought her one step closer to him.
Or so she had thought …
Sangwoo:[VIDEO THUMBNAIL]
Donghyun:who the hell is that?
Sangwoo:Some whore from the mall.
Seungmin:H, did I just drive past you in Gangnam?
Hyukjoon:prob
Hyukjoon:[VIDEO THUMBNAIL]
Hyukjoon:took my cock like the good little slut she is, so I bought her a dress to thank her
Hyukjoon:lesson for today. all bitches have a price
Donghyun:you’re such a dick
Hyukjoon:you act like that’s a bad thing
There was a sharp noise to her left. Dahye stood abruptly, knees knocking against the toilet bowl. The little hairs on her neck stood up as she peered into the shower. She could hardly see in the dark. Just a faint reflection on the slick wetness of the tiles.
Another noise. This time it sounded like it was coming from inside the wall. Fingernails scraping. Somebody—or something—was scratching to get out. Dahye pressed her ear against it, listening hard. There was a vent right above her head, just out of reach, and she stood on tiptoe to check. The metal cover jiggled when she touched it. She tugged hard, and the cover popped off with a high-pitched screech. At first there was nothing, and then—
Something was slithering out from the opening. A tangled black mass, like a giant clump of hair, fell onto the floor with a wet squelch. Dahye gasped and inched backward, fear tight in her throat. Her back connected with the door. Clawing the air, she reached for the doorknob behind her as the mass stitched itself together, growing taller and taller until, finally, it resembled a person. A girl. Her hair was long and damp, covering her face completely.
“Please don’t hurt me. Please …”
The girl reached for Dahye, and as she did, her hair swung away. Her eyelashes fluttered. Pinpoint specks of red and purplewere scattered across her eyelids, and Dahye gasped. Petechiae. The girl smiled, revealing a little gap between her bottom teeth.
“Dahye,” she said. Her voice had a strangely aquatic quality to it, like she was talking underwater. Dahye stared.
It was her sister’s voice.
Eunhye?” Dumbfounded, Dahye reached out to touch her. She expected her hands to go through Eunhye like air, but she was solid. Her skin was cold and clammy.
“I’ve … been …” Eunhye started to say. Her hands moved to her throat, and she let out a sharp gasp. Her fingernails were long and jagged. She seemed to be struggling to speak.
“What … what are you?” Dahye asked, trembling. She shook her head. “This isn’t real. You’re dead. You drowned.”
Eunhye coughed, a spray of water flying from her mouth. Her voice grew stronger, but it still sounded muffled. “I don’t know what I am,” she said slowly.
“What does this mean? Does it mean I’m dead, too?” Dahye cried, pressing her palms against her cheeks.
“No. You’re not dead,” Eunhye said.
“Then … how am I seeing you like this?”
Eunhye stared at her. Faint red lines, like cobwebs, covered the whites of her eyes. Her irises were cloudy, but when she turned her head, Dahye caught a glint of red in them. Suddenly,Dahye had a thought. She heard her father’s voice in her head:If their purpose is not fulfilled, restless spirits will roam the earth long after their death.“Do you have unfinished business?” she asked.