진홍색 그림자 | Crimson Shadows (bbangsaz) [COMPLETE!]

XIII Unraveling

Minji couldn't shake the feeling of being watched. Every shadow seemed to move, every face in the crowd a potential threat. She became hyper-aware of her surroundings, her mind constantly on edge, waiting for the moment when her secret would be exposed.

She stopped going to work, fearing that the eyes that followed her were just outside the library doors. The stack of books she had taken home, meant to provide comfort, now sat untouched. She found no solace in the pages, no escape from the relentless pounding of her thoughts.

Sleep eluded her. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw Hanni—her dark black hair, her delicate smile, and the lifeless expression that had haunted Minji since the day she died. Hanni's voice echoed in her mind, a soft whisper that alternated between love and condemnation.

One night, the pressure became too much. Minji found herself walking through the darkened streets, her footsteps echoing in the silence. She didn't know where she was going, only that she needed to get away. Away from the apartment, away from the memories, away from the constant dread that gnawed at her sanity.

She found herself at the park where she had first truly connected with Hanni. The bench where they had sat together was still there, a silent witness to their brief, intense love. Minji sat down, the cold seeping through her coat as she stared up at the moon.

It was full tonight, casting an eerie glow over the empty park. For a moment, Minji allowed herself to remember the good times. The nights spent laughing, talking about everything and nothing. The warmth of Hanni's hand in hers, the way Hanni's eyes lit up when she was passionate about something.

But the memories were tainted now, overshadowed by the blood on Minji's hands. The love that had once filled her heart was now twisted into something dark and destructive.

A rustle in the bushes nearby made Minji tense. She turned, her eyes scanning the darkness, but there was nothing there. Just the wind, she told herself. Just the wind and the ghosts of the past.

But the feeling of being watched didn't leave her. It clung to her like a second skin, an itch she couldn't scratch.

She pulled her coat tighter around herself and left the park, her steps quickening as she made her way back to her apartment. The city felt different tonight, more menacing, as if the very air was charged with malice.

When she finally reached her apartment, she locked the door behind her, leaning against it as she tried to catch her breath. The note from the mysterious woman still sat on the table, a constant reminder that someone out there knew her secret.

But who? And why hadn't they exposed her yet?

Minji paced the room, her mind racing with possibilities. Was it the man from the bar? The one who had asked her to kill Kim Taehyung? Or was it someone else entirely, someone she hadn't even considered?

The paranoia was consuming her, eating away at her resolve. She had been so careful, so meticulous, and yet it wasn't enough. Her control was slipping, and she knew it.

She couldn't go on like this. Something had to give. But what? And when it did, would she survive the fallout?

Minji stopped pacing and sat down at the table, her eyes drawn to the crumpled note once more. She smoothed it out, reading the words over and over again, searching for some hidden meaning, some clue she might have missed.

But there was nothing. Just a simple message, a threat, a promise.

And the knowledge that her time was running out.

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The End