The Door Would Not Open
**LINE 1:** `CHAPTER_TITLE: The Door That Would Not Open`
“Mom! I’m here! Mom!” So-hee shouted in delight, her voice bright and urgent. Almost immediately she lunged toward the door, thrashing wildly, but Jun-hee was faster. He snatched his daughter’s hand and pulled her back with all his strength. So-hee pouted, staring up at him with wide, accusing eyes. Jun-hee couldn’t meet her gaze. His heart hammered so violently that every warning siren in his skull screamed at full volume: do not open the door. He forced himself to keep looking at the closed front door. The sound beyond it was unmistakably his wife’s voice. “Appa? Why are you like this? It’s Mom… Mom’s here! Open the door!” “Uh… uh, okay…” he managed, the word barely escaping. But hesitation still clawed at him. Every instinct screamed that the door must never be opened. “Appa! I want to see Mom! Let me go! I want to see Mom!” “H-ha, but… but…” “Hurry! Let me go! Mom! Mom!! Waaaaah! I hate Appa! Aaaah!” So-hee wailed, kicking and struggling until she could barely breathe. Jun-hee had no idea what to do with this sobbing child who now called him “Appa” with pure venom. His chest felt like it was burning black from the inside. The doorbell rang again outside—kung-kung—then knocked sharply. This was exactly the nightmare he had lived through. His lips were dry. Cold sweat poured down his face. The fear swelled until he could hardly stand. What was he supposed to do? Open the door? “I… I know, okay? So-hee, calm down. Calm down. Mom’s right here.” In the end he had no choice. He could not keep listening to his screaming daughter. After coaxing her into quiet sobs he said, “She’s in the living room. I’ll go open the door. Got it?” “Really? Now I can see Mom?” “Yeah. You’ll see Mom. I’ll open the door.” “Okay…” So-hee nodded obediently, and Jun-hee smiled bitterly while wiping the tears from his cheeks. Perhaps she had always needed her mother more than her father. The thought left a bitter taste on his tongue. “Haa…” He took a long breath and walked toward the door. Every instinct still roared that he must not open it, yet here he was. Maybe the person waiting was really So-yeon. Hadn’t he been half-asleep in a nightmare? Wasn’t hesitating out of fear just the foolish act of a terrified man? The intercom screen beside the hallway showed So-yeon clearly. She looked pitifully unkempt, shivering even though she wore nothing but a wrinkled sweater. Her clothes were torn, patches of dried blood visible between the rips. Her face was streaked with bruises. She stared straight into the camera, eyes wide and haunted. “Honey… So-hee… please… open the door… I’m so cold…” Kung-kung. The voice was weak, trembling, terrified. Jun-hee’s body jerked. His heavy legs moved on their own until he stood before the door. With sudden hesitation he glanced back at his daughter. So-hee watched him with desperate hope. Was she really that desperate to see her mother? “Haa…” He took a deep breath, hand reaching for the knob. Maybe he didn’t need to open it. If she wanted to come in, she could. His eyes drifted to the door lock. “S-so-yeon?” “Honey…” “Is it really you?” “Yeah… it’s me… so please open the door… I’m so cold and it hurts…” For some reason the password had not changed. It was still the same number. The one So-hee treasured above all else. Jun-hee’s hand froze on the knob. He stepped back instead. “So-yeon… come in… I checked… the password didn’t change… you know it, right?” The password was So-hee’s birthday. It had been set as the family code the day she was born. Impossible to forget. And So-yeon would never have forgotten it. “So-yeon? Do you remember? So-hee’s birthday… it’s the same. So open the door and come in…” A tiny part of him hoped she would simply enter. If she truly remembered, she would have. But if she didn’t… if she really didn’t… then the woman at the door was not his wife. The knocking stopped abruptly. The desperate voice fell silent. The hallway became eerily quiet. “So-yeon?” Then—click. Click. The doorknob turned. Someone was trying to force the lock. Click-click-click! The sound grew louder, more frantic. Jun-hee’s breathing quickened in panic. He stumbled backward. Click-click-click! “So-yeon! Why? Open the door! You wouldn’t have forgotten! The password didn’t change—it’s So-hee’s birthday! You know that!” But the answer never came. Only the knob rattled uselessly. It felt like the lock would snap any second. Jun-hei was certain now. The woman at the door was not his wife. Something wearing her face. Click-click-click! The knob was coming out. And then—bang-bang-bang! The door began to splinter under furious pounding. “Heh!” Jun-hee jumped back again. His face drained of color as terror crashed over him like a wave. The door shuddered violently. “Open… the door… open the door… open the door…” The same stubborn, insane voice repeated the demand. It was unnatural. So-hee’s terrified eyes widened. Jun-hee ran to her and pulled her into his arms, shielding her face from the violence. How could he protect her? Bang-bang! The pounding grew fiercer, as if a hammer was now striking the wood. The front door crumpled under the assault. The thing waiting outside was not So-yeon. Jun-hee frantically searched his pockets for his phone. He had to call the police, but—ah, idiot—he had forgotten to charge it. The screen stayed black no matter how many times he pressed the power button. “Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!” In that moment a deafening crash echoed. The door splintered open a little more. Through the gap appeared the figure of So-yeon… no, something that only wore her face. Its eyes flashed with a beastly glare. The same premonition hit him. It was exactly what he had seen in the nightmare. In that dream the beast had charged with glowing eyes. Jun-hei trembled violently, clutching So-hee as she began to scream in terror. “Grrrrr…” The sound coming from the thing outside was unmistakably animal. Jun-hei’s face paled further. He pulled So-hei tighter and backed away, but there was nowhere to run. “S-so-hee… it’s okay… Appa… I’ll protect you… I’ll protect you no matter what… Appa…” He lifted her into his arms and kept his eyes fixed on the door. The terror was so crushing he could barely breathe. Inside, the pounding continued. K-dong! K-dong! The thing on the other side kept hammering. Suddenly the entire apartment felt wrong. If it was this loud, someone should have come by now. Why was no one answering? Bang! The door shuddered again. The hinges sounded like they were about to tear out. “Grrrrr…” The animal growl grew louder. The beastly eyes glowed even brighter. Soon. Very soon the door would be ripped away.