SMILE: A Terrible Night.

Bleeding Melody

Chapter 27: (Scarlet's pov)

The air in the small house felt heavy with the scent of copper, sweat, and desperation. Taehyung's voice echoed from the kitchen, but I barely registered the words. My focus was on the knife in my hands. The pain from the cuts, the bruises, and the strain on my muscles all blurred together as I took a step forward.

I heard the click of the gramophone, the crackling static that filled the room before the haunting melody began to play. It was a song I knew too well, one I'd listened to countless times while cooking, it was comforting presence in my otherwise lonely nights. But now, in this nightmare, the melody twisted into something else, something darker.

🎵: These houses of sins remain awake only at night, they open their doors to whoever comes here.

Taehyung hummed along with the tune as he stood at the sink, washing dishes as if this were an ordinary evening. His shoulders swayed slightly to the music, his back turned to me, unaware of the danger lurking just behind him. I watched the rhythmic motion of his arms, the soap suds swirling down the drain, and gripped the knife tighter.

Scarlet: I have to do this. There's no other way.

I forced my feet to move, dragging myself forward. Each step was a battle, my legs barely holding me up, my vision swimming from the blood loss. I was shaking, the knife slipping in my blood-slicked hands, but I kept my eyes on Taehyung's back, focusing on the moment when he would turn around.

🎵: Aah-haaaa, Ahhaaa, ahaannn Aah-haaaa, This is the path of the misguided, smiles are false. Identities are false, There are colors here, yet it is lonely.

The music seemed to fill every corner of the house, echoing off the walls and mixing with the erratic pounding of my heart. I took another step, stumbling as my knees buckled, but I managed to catch myself on the edge of the counter. The pain of the contact jarred through my body, making me gasp, and Taehyung's head snapped up at the sound.

He turned, his dark eyes widening as they took in my disheveled appearance, the knife clenched in my trembling hands. His surprise only lasted for a moment before his lips curved into that same Eerie Smile, the one that sent shivers down my spine. But I couldn't let myself be afraid. Not anymore.

Without thinking, without hesitating, I lunged forward, driving the knife into his stomach with all the strength I had left. I felt the resistance as the blade slid through flesh and muscle, the sickening warmth of blood pouring over my hands. For a moment, time seemed to stop. The world faded into the background, leaving only the two of us, locked in a grim embrace. The music played on, the singer's voice was hauntingly beautiful.

🎵: Ut was just about yesterday there was this excitement in these same streets, in these same bloody places...

His Smile never faltered. He looked down at the knife embedded in his stomach, then back up at me, his expression unreadable. Blood soaked through his shirt, the dark red spreading like a stain across his clothes, but he seemed unfazed by the pain. Instead, he raised a hand and wrapped it around mine, still gripping the handle of the knife.

His touch was cold, and a shiver ran down my spine as I realized he was still strong, even in this state. He leaned in closer, his breath ghosting against my ear, and whispered with a strange softness that made my stomach twist.

Taehyung: You think this is over? I'm not that easy to kill, My Love.

I felt his grip tighten around my hand, and I tried to pull back, but he held me in place, his strength overpowering mine. My heart pounded wildly in my chest as his weight leaned into me, forcing the knife deeper into his own body. He seemed to relish the pain, his Smile growing even as blood dripped from his lips, staining his teeth a gruesome red.

🎵: The soul which is thirsty, in which there is sadness, it wanders here... Everybody is looking for something, I wish someone could understand...

The words of the song washed over us. It was a macabre dance, this twisted intimacy, as if the music itself bore witness to our struggle. Taehyung's knees buckled, and he dropped to the floor, dragging me down with him. I gasped as I hit the ground, the knife slipping from my grasp as we collapsed together in a heap.

He let out a low, pained laugh, the sound gurgling in his throat as more blood poured from his wounds. His eyes fluttered, struggling to stay open, but the Smile remained, it was a haunting reminder of his twisted nature. I scrambled back, freeing myself from his grip, but I couldn't take my eyes off him. He was barely audible.

Taehyung: You... really thought... this would end here?

I clutched my chest, feeling the erratic thud of my heartbeat, my breaths coming in short, frantic gasps. My entire body throbbed with pain, but I forced myself to stay focused, to keep watching him in case he tried to rise again. But this time, he didn't.

His body slumped forward, collapsing against the cold tiles, his blood pooling around him in a dark, spreading stain. The last vestiges of life flickered in his eyes before they slowly, finally, began to close. His breath came in shallow, ragged gasps, each one weaker than the last.

🎵: There are secrets in the dim light and the dim darkness, why is it lost, What has happened that it is angry? O night, tell me this much, you will surely know. Oooohhh-uhhh~

The final notes of the song echoed in the silence, fading into nothingness as the gramophone wound down. I listened to the music die, the house falling into an eerie quiet, broken only by the sound of my ragged breathing.

Taehyung lay motionless on the floor, his eyes half-closed, his chest barely rising and falling. The Smile was still there, fixed on his lips like a grotesque mask, even in death. I stared at him, unable to believe that it was over, that the terror that had gripped me for so long had finally been silenced.

But the sight of him, lying in a pool of his own blood, did not bring me the relief I had hoped for. Instead, a cold emptiness settled in my chest, a hollowness that seemed to stretch on forever. I clutched the bloodied knife in my hands, my mind reeling as the reality of what I had done crashed over me. I had fought back. I survived. But at what cost?

I stumbled back to the corner of the kitchen, pressing my back against the wall as the room spun around me. My legs gave out, and I sank to the floor, the knife slipping from my grasp as my vision blurred with tears. I buried my face in my hands, feeling the hot, sticky blood on my skin, and let out a choked sob.