Shadows of Deception-KTH

Prologue

The city lay cloaked in darkness, its streets glistening under the faint glow of streetlights. The hum of distant traffic blended with the whisper of the wind, creating a symphony of urban life that masked the underlying tension simmering just below the surface. Y/N stood on the balcony of her apartment, gazing out at the sprawling metropolis, the weight of the world resting heavily on her shoulders.

As a dedicated journalist, she had spent years chasing stories, uncovering truths that others preferred to keep hidden. Her passion for the written word was only rivaled by her determination to seek justice for the voiceless. Yet tonight, an unsettling feeling gnawed at her gut, a premonition that the very darkness she sought to expose was drawing closer, inching its way into her life.

A sudden flash from her phone broke the stillness, pulling her attention away from the cityscape. A notification popped up—a news alert, but the headline sent a chill down her spine: "Another Murder Shakes the City: Victim Linked to Serial Killer."

Y/N's heart raced as she clicked the link. The victim, a woman in her thirties, had been found in an alley, a haunting resemblance to the patterns of a notorious serial killer who had eluded capture years ago. She had covered the story extensively back then, but now, the chilling familiarity was too close for comfort.

In the distance, the faint sound of sirens pierced the night, a stark reminder of the dangers lurking in the shadows. She felt the pull of her instincts—she needed to dig deeper, to understand the connections, to uncover the truth. But as she scrolled through the article, one name jumped out at her: Kim Ji-soo, a fellow journalist who had also been investigating the case before her untimely death.

“Why didn’t I see it before?” Y/N whispered to herself, her mind racing. Ji-soo had been gathering evidence, piecing together clues that could lead to the killer, but now she was gone, silenced before she could unveil the truth.

Suddenly, the soft creak of the front door pulled Y/N from her thoughts. Tae-hyung entered, his presence filling the room with warmth and comfort. She turned to face him, forcing a smile to mask the storm brewing inside her. “Hey, you’re home early.”

Tae-hyung offered a casual smile, his hair still slightly damp from the shower. “I finished my work for the day. What are you up to?”

“Just reading the news,” she replied, her heart pounding as she carefully avoided mentioning the murder. The last thing she wanted was to burden him with the weight of her fears.

As he stepped closer, Y/N couldn’t shake the feeling that beneath his charming smile and playful demeanor lay an intricate web of secrets—secrets that could unravel everything they had built together.

But for now, she pushed the thought aside, unwilling to face the possibility that the man she loved could be hiding something so profoundly sinister.

“Want to watch a movie?” Tae-hyung suggested, his eyes sparkling with mischief. “I promise I’ll pick a good one.”

“Sure, sounds great,” Y/N replied, her voice steady, though her mind was far from at ease. As they settled onto the couch, the flickering light of the television washed over them, but Y/N's thoughts remained trapped in the shadows.

In that moment, she couldn’t know how entwined their fates would become, or how the past would come crashing into their present, threatening to shatter the fragile illusion of safety they had cultivated.

The darkness was closing in, and secrets were waiting to be uncovered—both outside their home and within the very walls they had built together.

As the credits rolled and the story on the screen unfolded, Y/N felt a growing sense of dread. She had only begun to scratch the surface of the truth, but she could sense the impending storm lurking just beyond the horizon, ready to disrupt their lives in ways they could never anticipate.

And as the night deepened, Y/N made a silent vow to seek the truth, no matter the cost, even if it meant facing the shadows of deception that threatened to consume her.