One day in Seoul 🇰🇷

🇰🇷: 56

As we pulled up to the address, the sight before us felt like stepping into a nightmare. An old, abandoned building loomed overhead, its structure worn down by time and neglect, maybe 10 floors high, not sure. It stood there like a tombstone, casting a shadow that stretched across the empty street. Tahimik. Eerily quiet. Too quiet.

My thoughts drifted back to Katarina and Sarang. They're safe, I reminded myself, trying to hold on to that thought. But the imagination of Sarang's face, asking where I was, and Katarina's breaking voice over the phone-it all made my chest tighten. I shook my head, forcing myself to focus. Tonight isn't about me. No mistakes.

"Ready na ba kayo?" I asked, looking at Daniel and John.

John was already gripping his gun so tight his knuckles had gone white. Daniel was scanning the building with sharp eyes, his jaw clenched. I nodded to them. They knew the stakes. We all did.

We didn't know what kind of trap Ace had waiting for us inside, but one thing was certain: we were either walking out of this building alive, or not at all. There's no turning back.

We approached the entrance cautiously, backs to each other, moving in sync, guns drawn, flashlights from our phones barely cutting through the suffocating darkness. Every creak, every echo felt like it was watching us. Waiting. The air was thick with tension.

"This place is massive," John whispered, glancing around at the seemingly endless stairs and corridors.

He was right. The building stretched upward like a tower, and it felt like it would take forever to reach the top. John's voice broke the silence again. "Maghiwalay na lang tayo. We'll cover more ground and meet up."

"No," I snapped, my voice low but firm. "We stick together. Hindi natin alam kung ano'ng meron dito, baka may traps. We can't risk splitting up."

Daniel nodded in agreement, and John, though frustrated, didn't argue. Together. That's how we'd survive this.

We moved slowly, every step carefully placed as we climbed the stairs, checking each floor, each hallway, each room for any signs of life.

And then, a noise.

It was faint at first, almost like a whisper. But as we reached the fourth floor, it grew louder, more distinct. Something-or someone-was up there.

"Dinig niyo 'yun?" Daniel whispered, stopping in his tracks.

I nodded, my heart pounding. We exchanged a glance, and without another word, we ran. Quietly but swiftly, our footsteps echoing up the stairwell as we reached the fourth floor. The noise was coming from one of the rooms down the hallway, growing louder with each step.

We approached the door cautiously, guns ready, breaths held. This is it.

With one quick nod, I signaled for Daniel to open the door. He reached for the handle, and we all braced ourselves as the door creaked open slowly. My gun was raised, finger on the trigger, ready to fire at whatever was waiting for us inside.

But when the door fully opened, what we saw was nothing short of a cruel joke.

A dummy.

A fucking dummy in the middle of the room, making the noise we'd been chasing. It wasn't even real. My blood boiled. Putangina.

Daniel walked over and checked the dummy, pulling a small speaker from inside it. That's where the sound was coming from. Ace was messing with us.

"Tangina!" John shouted, slamming his fist against the wall, his face twisted with frustration and nervousness. He had been hoping, praying, that it was Nathan. That we were close.