The Knife Strikes

Time flew by, and before I knew it, I had changed clothes and stepped out of the house. Yeon-a and Haram were waiting downstairs. Traveling alone was too much for me, so the two who knew where I lived had offered to pick me up.

'I'm looking forward to this.' With that thought, I headed down and passed through the villa's automatic doors. A white-haired beauty came into view. Haram stood there, fiddling with her phone with a sulky expression.

"H-Haram...! Over here...!"

I called out happily. Her eyes widened as she looked around, then she spotted me. When I raised my hand slightly, our gazes met.

"Haram... Hehe, I'm here."

"Sis...! It's been a while! How's your leg? Better than before?"

She fussed over me as she spoke. It wasn't the kind of thing someone my age should be doing, but being in her arms felt so comforting that I didn't push her away.

"Hehe......"

A laugh slipped out before I could stop it. I really had gotten much healthier. Before, I would have been terrified to laugh in case someone hit me. Haram seemed to notice, smiling softly as she looked at me.

"Sis... Stay healthy like this, okay? Really."

"Y-Yeah, got it......"

"No more cutting yourself with a knife or anything, understand?"

She gave me a serious warning. I had no intention of doing that anyway. I was happy now. I didn't think I'd ever do something like that again.

"Where's Yeon-a...? Weren't you two together?"

"Ah, Kits-nim should be here soon...."

She straightened up and waved behind me.

"There she is."

"Helloooo...! Sorry! I'm late!"

When I turned around, Yeon-a came running over, panting and grinning like an excited puppy.

"Yeon-a...!"

"Suhyun! Is your leg okay?"

"Ah... Yeah, it's fine. I'm doing rehab."

"Good, that's a relief."

She checked my leg while speaking. It was a little embarrassing, but I was happy she cared.

"You can walk pretty well."

"Yeah... Hehe, maybe I'm not limping as much."

"Anyway, I'm glad."

She pulled me into a tight hug. I smiled brightly at the reassuring warmth.

"Shall we head out? They'll be waiting."

"Yeah, okay."

"Cover your face well, sis. We might get recognized."

Come to think of it, the other three were famous and had already shown their faces.

"...Shouldn't you guys be the ones covering up then?"

When I asked, Haram and Yeon-a simply exchanged knowing looks without saying a word.

* * *

In front of the beef restaurant where the guild members had agreed to meet, Junsu waited while checking his phone.

'When are they getting here......'

He was still the only one there. Fans passing by began approaching him despite the mask and hat. Feeling puzzled, Junsu took photos with everyone who asked.

"Hyung...! Can I get a picture?"

"Oh, sure, no problem."

"Kei Kei!"

"......"

"Thank you!"

A shy high school girl ran off. Junsu sat back down awkwardly, thinking that wasn't the kind of thing a ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠high school girl should say.

"...Maybe I should move seats now."

It already felt too late. By then he was surrounded. Junsu could only sit there blankly.

And soon ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠he would regret it. Because—

* * *

In a dark room, Takheon, who had been browsing the internet for a while, now doubted his own eyes.

[Title: Met Kei-hyung!!!]

A single eyewitness post. The photo, seemingly uploaded by a young user, clearly showed Junsu and even the name of the beef restaurant he was heading to. And that meant—

"...Found her."

Suhyun would be eating there too. Everything had fallen into place. There was no need to hesitate anymore. Takheon finished searching for the restaurant online. It was closer than expected. Even the sky seemed to be on his side. He couldn't afford to waste time. Rising from his seat, Takheon felt truly alive for the first time in a long while.

"...Tools... A knife would be good."

He stood and headed to the kitchen. There, wearing a crazed grin, Takheon picked up the knife in front of him and smiled.

Now it was all over. If he could just kill Suhyun, his goal would be complete. Even if this attempt failed.

Takheon executed the method he had researched for removing the electronic ankle monitor.

* * *

The cool early-autumn air brushed against me, and I smiled faintly. The breeze felt refreshing. There weren't many people on the streets, so I could move around relatively freely. Honestly, I wasn't too worried about the red pill either.

'...Whether it's Haram or Yeon-a, both of them are gorgeous......'

Haram's looks were on another level. With her half-cam videos already circulating, everyone knew she was an incredible beauty. Yeon-a also had idol-level visuals, so I wasn't particularly worried about the red pill causing issues. What worried me most was people being disappointed when they saw me.

'Please don't let the red pill get exposed......'

I made the wish as I walked down the empty street. In the distance, I spotted Kei-nim taking photos with people.

"I had a feeling, and sure enough."

"...What are we supposed to do if he gets recognized?"

Haram and Yeon-a sighed in turn. Since Haram was a longtime fan of Kei-nim, she had probably predicted this situation. We had no choice but to wait a long time until no more people approached him.

After about five minutes, the crowd finally dispersed. The three of us hurried over to Junsu.

"K-Kei-nim...! Hellooo......"

I was the first to greet him, since we had already met offline. He nodded politely in return.

"Hello, Vam-nim... You really do look exactly like your avatar."

"Ah, the avatar is way prettier......"

"Tsk... Is that so?"

He tilted his head. I did the same, feeling awkward.

"Hello, Kei-nim. I'm a real fan."

"Ah, yes... Give me a moment to guess."

"Yep."

"You're Kits-nim, right?"

"...It's Akari."

Haram answered with a suddenly cold expression. It was the first time I'd seen her look that icy, so I was a little surprised. Junsu flustered and apologized. Yeon-a offered him a bright smile and extended her hand.

"Hello, I'm Kits. You can call me Yeon-a, Junsu-nim."

"I didn't say that was okay."

"Ah......"

"Just kidding."

"Ugh, you scared me."

Yeon-a laughed and said she looked forward to working with him. The atmosphere lightened a little.

Then a question occurred to me. 'Our location seems completely exposed. Is it really okay to eat here?'

I was curious but didn't have the courage to ask, so I ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠stayed quiet. Then—

"Shall we move? It looks like our location has been exposed."

"That's right. Suhyun gets scared around crowds, so she can't show her face."

Haram and Yeon-a both spoke up seriously, defending me and suggesting we change locations. I thanked them, but at that moment I didn't realize it was already far too late. We had forgotten that someone who would turn this into hell for me had already arrived.

* * *

On the slightly chilly autumn street, Takheon walked with a haggard appearance, a knife hidden in his coat, giggling to himself.

"I'll kill you... Yoo Suhyun."

It was time to go back. Back four years into the past. He deeply regretted not killing her that day. The insolent daughter who had done nothing while her father was taken away, only staring with empty eyes. Today ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠he would personally educate that daughter with his own hands. Thinking that, Takheon felt blood rushing through his body. How dull his life had been all this time. How utterly joyless. He missed the feeling of flesh yielding.

"Kuh... Khahaha......"

He followed them slowly. Five photos of Junsu had already been uploaded online. Verification was complete. All he had to do was hide nearby and swing the knife the moment Suhyun appeared. No one could stop Takheon with his monstrous physical abilities. Before long, he spotted Suhyun smiling not far away. Yuho, streaming under the name Yeowu, noticed his dangerous appearance.

"Huh...?"

She saw Takheon pull the knife from his coat and screamed.

"Watch out...!!!!!"

Of course, it was already far too late.

-Thud...!!!

Hot blood poured from the abdomen and splattered onto the pavement.