21 Days || 김민규

O•N•E - 괴물

O•N•E - 괴물 - Monster

[Areum's POV]

It was a day like any other. I was taking a walk in the forest, in the dark. I do this every night, when the clock strikes twelve.

I do know that I'm not permitted to leave the house without valid reasons, but I'm enjoying every view, every step, every thought, every moment right now.

I roam around in the dark with a vermilion coloured coat. The darkness doesn't scare me at all.

Above my head were the long, thick, misshapen, dark branches of ancient, tall trees. As I walk under them, it feels like these branches were reaching out for me. The Full Moon shone brightly in the sky, with a small portion of it being covered by clouds.

I look around, observing the unilluminated nature. I spotted many flowers with fading colours. The stems of them weren't straight, they lean forward like a huge comb had brushed them down. There were rocks with a thin layer of moss sticking on to them on the ground, forming a path. I strolled along the path, gripping hard on my coat, when I heard a rustle nearby. I never let negative thoughts enter my mind after hearing that susurrate, instead, I distracted myself with the view of a small pond few meters away.

I approached the pond with soft, light steps. There, the reflection of the beautiful night sky with the Moon, stars and clouds hanging above, were crystal clear. Nothing moved in the pond.

Just water lilies floating above the surface of the pond, some long green plants sticking out of the water surface, half-submerged. Then there's the fireflies. They light up the surroundings around the pond. Making the view more fascinating than before.

I focused my gaze on the pond, and observed the dark spots of the Moon from the reflection. The dark spots we see on the Moon that create the image of the man in the Moon are actually craters filled with basalt, which is a very dense material. That thought gave me a sense of pride.

Dad said those words.

I was just five, and being able to remember every single word, tells me how much I love my Dad. When he left, I then realized that, my Dad meant a lot to me.

I didn't know that those words, were Dad's last words. Until I found out that he was announced dead the next morning.

Till now, no one knew who the murderer was. The police had decided to drop the case after two years of investigating. No clues were given to them at all.

[Flashback]

"Daddy! Bring me out! Bring me out!" My five year old self leaped over to Dad. "Shh..." He put his index finger on his lips. I copied him with wide, naive looking eyes, making Dad chuckle and disorganize my hair.

"Daddy." I called out in a whisper. "Bring me to the forest again." A smile spread across Dad's face. "Of course. Get changed. I'll be waiting in the living room. But be quiet, you don't want to wake Mummy up." I giggled and nod with enthusiasm.

Dad left, and I locked the door, grabbing a bright coloured shirt and a light pink jacket with my favourite number printed on it - 27.

I slipped them on, and left the room, skipping with light steps towards Dad. "Hey there Sweetie. Why didn't you change into new shorts?" "Too lazy to..." I slump my shoulders forward with an expression. I was wearing pajamas shorts, along with the new clothes I picked out. "Alright. Ready?" I slipped my feet into my small, ballerina-like shoes and replied with a "Yup".