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49. I'm Sorry

Loud banging jolted her awake.

Her eyes shot open and she laid still, waiting for it to happen again.

It started again, louder and quicker than the first time. Short staccato bursts, hammering against what sounded like the front door. She quickly got up and grabbed her phone. The rest of the house was pitch black and empty as she opened her bedroom door. Jiwon must have left after their last conversation and Da Reum was staying at his friend's.

She crouched low and moved closer, hoping to catch a glimpse out the window of who was at her door. The pounding had stopped again and from the opposite corner of the room, she leaned forward to get a better look, but the angle wasn't right and she couldn't see.

Again the pounding resumed. This time three slow, heavy hits pounded at the outside of the door hard enough to rattle the window next to it.

Yuna's heart pounded. Did those men from that day all those months ago suddenly decide to come look for her? Or maybe talking with Mark today was a big mistake. If that were the case, she knew it would be no use to call the police in this situation.

She crawled toward the couch, huddled behind it and waited. Her back started to ache from sitting alert on the floor as the time passed, until it had been nearly 30 minutes since the last knock.
Guardedly peeking around the side of the couch, she saw nothing out the window. Though she was sure whoever it was had probably left, she couldn't bring herself to get up to go check just yet, much less go back to sleep or spend the rest of the night alone in the house.

Still being cautious, she did her best to hide the light of her phone as she sent the call.

"Noona?" Da Reum groggily answered.

"Hey. I'm really sorry to call so late, but can you come home?"

"Right now? What's wrong?" His voice sounded more awake and full of concern.

"Uh, well...it's nothing much. Someone was knocking on the door a little while ago but I think they are gone now. I just feel a little creeped out now and don't want to be here alone."

"I'll be right there." He answered before hanging up.

His friend didn't live far from them so she felt better knowing he would be home soon. She breathed a sigh of relief and pushed herself up from the floor, stretching and twisting in an effort to alleviate the tense feeling in her lower back.

As she turned toward the window, a slight movement caught her eye. The shadow of a dark figure loomed outside. Tall and dark, the light from the street behind it made the long shadow seem as though it stretched in right through the window and came toward her. Before she could get a better look, her body reacted; she screamed and ran back to her bedroom locking the door behind her and leaning her weight against it.

With her phone still in her hand, she quickly called Da Reum again.

"Are you ok?" He asked on the first ring. She could hear his heavy breathing and the sound of his heavy boots running across the sidewalk.

"Don't come." She whisper-yelled as the pounding started again.

"What? What's going on? I'm almost there. What's that noise?"

"I swear, Da Reum, fucking slenderman or something is right outside the door. Don't come!" She urged.

"You're not making any sense, noona. Slenderman? Is your blood pressure so high you're hallucinating? It's 3:30am...maybe it was a dream? What's going on?"

"I don't know. I saw someone outside the window. I couldn't see very well and maybe it was the shadow but their legs were super long and it was dark and fucking creepy...I don't know, but whoever it is, I don't want you to run into them so just wait until I call you, ok?"