The Memory That Should Never Have Stayed
The scream tore through the room like a blade. "Kyaaaak!"
Heejin convulsed in agony, thrashing and twisting like a wild animal. The tongue that had been crushing her throat finally slackened. Hwan seized her shoulder with his free hand, spun her around, and slammed her down onto the floor. He pinned her firmly between his thighs, then pressed the silver crucifix hanging from his neck against her grotesquely swollen belly.
Sssssss!
The sickening sound of searing flesh rose again. Heejin screamed, unable to withstand the burning torment, her body jerking and writhing violently.
"Kyaaaak! Kyaaaaaaaak!!"
"You filthy demon... Get out of that body. You don't belong there."
The prayer continued in a low chant, each word heavy as molten lead, pressing down on Heejin's tormented form with crushing force.
"Kyaaak!"
Another piercing shriek. Sometimes the sound that ripped from her throat was a beast's howl. Other times it became a woman's wail. And then—
"Daddy! Daddy, please save me!!!"
She began screaming in a young woman's voice, raw and desperate.
Hwan felt a chill crawl down his spine. His expression hardened like stone. Behind him, Miho watched with a faint, amused smile, clearly intrigued by the unfolding nightmare. She had no intention of lifting a finger to help.
"Daddy! It hurts! This man... Aah! This man is raping me!!! Daddy! Help me, please! Daddy!!"
The accusations grew sharper, her voice cracking with feigned terror and urgency. Hwan finally clamped his hand hard over her mouth. Even then she twisted wildly beneath him, screaming through his fingers, desperately calling for her father, Yongha.
That was when the very thing Hwan had feared finally happened.
Click.
The door to the master bedroom swung open. Through the gap, Yongha's face appeared—pale as a corpse.
"Heh... Just as I thought," Miho clicked her tongue. Heejin flashed a wicked, knowing smile.
In the next instant—
Whoosh!
The kitchen knife buried in the floor levitated on its own and hurtled straight toward Yongha.
Hwan was faster. His body moved in a blur that shattered human limits. He threw himself forward, shielding Yongha just as the man peeked out.
Thud!
A sickening impact. Hwan gasped sharply.
"Ugh!"
He crumpled to the floor. The blade had sunk deep into his shoulder.
"H-hey! Are you okay?!"
A flustered Yongha rushed to support him. But another knife was already flashing through the air. This time, even Hwan couldn't dodge.
Miho moved.
She seemed to glide slowly, yet her form flowed like water as she stepped in front of the fallen Hwan. The airborne knife froze mid-flight, then spun away and stabbed harmlessly into the floor.
Faced with such unnatural power, the gwoeyi possessing Heejin tensed visibly.
She flattened herself against the ground like a toad, glaring up at Miho with bulging eyes.
"You fox bitch! You really plan to get in my way too?!"
The voice dripped with venom. Miho simply shrugged, then turned to Hwan as he struggled to his feet with Yongha's help.
"Sadly, this kid is very important to me."
At her casual reply, Heejin spat on the floor in fury. Then she began scrambling backward on all fours like a beast once more. The pitch-black darkness surged around her again, swallowing her form until only those grotesque, toad-like eyes remained visible.
Outside, the crows' hideous cawing grew louder. Their numbers had multiplied. They were converging on the house from every direction.
Thump... Thump thump!
More crows hurled themselves at the windows, smashing into the glass and dying on impact. Others made it through the shattered panes only to slam into the walls, necks snapping with wet cracks.
Thunder roared suddenly. Lightning bleached the world white, followed by a deafening crash that rattled the bones. The air grew heavy, pregnant with the promise of torrential rain.
Hwan pushed Yongha back and stepped forward again. The knife still protruded from his left shoulder; his arm hung useless, sticky drops of blood falling from his fingertips. His face was twisted in pain.
Miho sighed. "It would be so much simpler if you just killed the thing. Why are you being so stubborn, kid?"
"There's still... still a chance to save her."
Hwan's voice was resolute. He reached into his coat and pulled out a golden rope. The moment it appeared, the glowing eyes within the darkness flickered with clear unease.
"You really do carry all sorts of strange toys, don't you? Did that damned fox woman give you that one too?"
"Who gave it to me is none of your concern. You cannot escape. Return that body to its rightful owner. If you surrender now, I'll send you back to where you belong without pain. But if you resist any further, I will erase your existence completely."
"Hah! You expect me to believe that? The words of a boy trailing after that cunning vixen? Staying in this body seems far safer, don't you think?"
Heejin shrieked, then growled like a wild animal. Objects around the house began to levitate and rattle on their own. Yongha's face drained of all color. He screamed in terror.
Hwan clicked his tongue and tightened his grip on the golden rope.
"After all the trouble to find a suitable body... I finally found a mother who can bear my child! You think I'll give up now? It's almost time. My child is about to be born! Hah! I won't allow it! Never! Absolutely never!!"
"If that's how stubborn you intend to be... then I have no choice but to annihilate you."
"Hah! Who said I'd die so easily?"
Whoosh!
Another knife flew at Hwan. He lashed out with the golden rope like a whip. Metal clashed with a resounding clang! The knife spun away and buried itself deep in the wall.
Hwan took another step forward. The creature inside Heejin retreated, eyes wary.
Thunder rolled again outside. The crows screamed in a frenzied chorus.
"Oh, that's right. There was one thing I wanted to ask you. Just remembered."
"What? Now? In the middle of this?"
"Yes. Answer me, and I promise to spare you from complete erasure. Of course, if you ever try something like this again, I'll hunt you down and end you. But if not, I'll give you one more chance. You have my word."
Heejin tilted her head within the swirling darkness. Her expression remained suspicious, as though she suspected some hidden trick.
After a tense silence, she asked cautiously.
"Wh-what do you want to know?"
"Not far from here there was a small village. The people there worshipped an existence like you—something that doesn't belong to this world—as if it were a god. Do you know anything about that? Even the smallest clue would help. Tell me, and I'll show mercy. This isn't a lie."
A heavy silence descended. Outside, the sky seemed to collapse with another earth-shaking boom. Yet another crow flew straight into the wall and died. One more burst through the broken window, flailing madly around the living room before its neck snapped with a sickening crunch.
Hwan ignored it all. He only wanted an answer.
The rain finally began to fall in earnest, drumming against the roof.
Heejin's yellow eyes flashed with eerie light. At last, her lips parted.
"Aah... I might know something... Then again, I might not..."
The words dripped with mockery.
Bang!
Another crow shattered what remained of the window and tumbled inside. The living room floor was now littered with feathered corpses. The stench of death hung thick in the air.
Yongha could only tremble violently, trapped between shock and disbelief. It was like some inescapable nightmare.
"Go inside and lock the door. Don't let anyone in," Miho told the terrified man.
Yongha scrambled into the master bedroom on all fours, shaking so badly he could barely move. As he closed the door, he caught one last glimpse of his daughter through the gap—those inhuman eyes gleaming in the pitch blackness. Tears finally spilled down his face.
Hwan asked once more.
"You seem unable to answer... Does that mean you really don't know?"