Then I Saw Her (Book 1 of the "K-Pop" Chronicles)

Karma Sucks (Dami's POV)

The last week was hell, waiting for it to pass while trying not to have a full-blown panic attack. I still remember the number he told to me. 71245... What the heck could it mean?? I'm sitting on Andrew's bed, thinking. I guess I should explain that. Basically, I've been taking care of and staying at his place since he got arrested. I've also been reading a lot. His library is quite impressive, but with nothing else to do, I've been able to read all the books in there. Well, all but....

Me: No way.....

I go to his library, grab the one book that I haven't read yet, and go sit in my usual seat in the far corner, which is super secluded. I love this corner. It's by far my favorite place to sit and read, even though no one else is in this apartment. Anyway, I look at the spine, which is blank, then open the book. On the first page is a date. February 2, 2019. That was five months ago. Is this a diary?

I just moved into a new apartment. I'm so nervous because I don't know anyone. I just hope that I can get a new start here.

I flip the page and continue.

February 9, 2019 - No way! I can't believe who I just ran into, literally! Was that who I really thought it was, or was it just my imagination?? I kind of hope it was the former, but there's no way that could be the case!

February 27, 2019 - I just saw her going up an elevator when I was coming back from the store. Grocery shopping, you know?

June 26, 2019 - OMG!!! I FINALLY CAN BUY VIP, MEET AND GREET BLACKPINK TICKETS FOR A CONCERT IN SEOUL IN A WEEK!! AND I HAVE THE MONEY FOR AIRFARE TO AND FROM THE CONCERT AS WELL!!! OH MY GOD, FINALLY!!!!!

Geez, this guy really is a fan of them. I definitely understand his extreme excitement. A tear comes to my eye, but I blink it away. See what I did there? Haha. Anyway, I'm super worried about him. Then a sudden thought hits me like a ton of bricks.

Me: Wait, why did the entries skip four months?

That's when I see the tears in between the February and June entries. I flip through the rest of the book and find a bunch of ripped out pages folded up in the back. I open them, and my jaw drops. All I see is the number 71245 written over and over again on all of those pages. I finally decide to get on my phone and look up the meaning of that number, and what I see worries me greatly. It has to do with a bunch of deaths all over the country. 71,245 deaths, to be exact. And they were all killed in the same way. The neck was sliced, and a single circle was carved on their bare stomachs. I almost threw up my whole stomach, but I somehow managed to control it. As I'm reading the articles, I'm starting to see a pattern. I put all the locations into my map app, and it almost makes a complete oval around the country. There is one location missing, and it's here in Los Angeles. I look up the distance of the space that's missing, split it in half, and figure out the location at that halfway point. I make the map go into the satellite mode, and I'm hardly able to believe what I see. I know that place... OH NO!!!

I'm flying down the back roads in my Camaro, following my memory of where that place was. Once I get there, I park my car behind the house and rush inside, the memories flooding into my head.

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Me: Come back, Yoohyeon! Please! Gahyeon! Sua! Jiu! Siyeon! Handong!
Yoohyeon: Oh, shut up already! Your voice is so annoying, you can't sing, you sound like a guy, and you're really not pretty!

That was a super low blow, not just because I thought they were my sisters, but also because I've thought the same exact things about myself since I was little. So when Yoohyeon said that, I gasped, not being able to control the waterfall that cascaded from my eyes as I fell to my knees, wailing.

Me: I've tried... I've tried to be more like y'all. I've tried to work on my voice, make myself more beautiful, and be less annoying. I've been doing my best.
Gahyeon: Goodbye, Dami.

They got into their SUV and drove off, leaving me with the house and a Chevy Camaro. That was all I had now, and I was miserable because of it. I packed up my stuff, put it all in my car, and drove off, not looking back.

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That was eight years ago. I didn't think I would ever have to come back here, but here I am. Crying on my knees, like I did then. My heart feels like it's being torn into a million pieces all over again, as if they had never healed. Maybe they didn't, even though I thought they did. I go up to my old bedroom to see that it hasn't changed at all, except for all of the cobwebs. I clean them up, and as soon as I finish, I hear the roar of an engine. I look out the window, and I can't believe what I'm seeing. I must be hallucinating or something because there is no way that could be them. The driver gets out, and I shut my eyes hard and open them again. A woman that I haven't seen in eight years is walking up to the front door.

Yoohyeon: Dami, I know you're here. I saw the Camaro.

I try to rush downstairs quietly to escape out the back door. Bad idea. My other five ex-sisters are waiting on the back porch, so I rush back inside and to my secret room's entrance that I never told them about. It requires a special 5-digit combination. 7-1-2-4-5. The lock clicks, and the door swings open. I rush through, close the door, and go through the tunnel. At the end of the tunnel, I climb up the ladder. As I'm climbing, however, the grate is pulled up, and I hear voices in the tunnel. Great, there's no other way now. I have to confront them. I climb the rest of the ladder and jump out, kicking at the person standing there, who jumps out of the way. My instincts kick in, and I land with a roll. I flick my head back in the direction of the grate I came through and glare at the woman standing there.

Me: Yoohyeon. What are you doing here?
Yoohyeon: I came back because I have some work to do.
Me: Work, huh?

I rush in her direction, and she sidesteps. Perfect! I grab the grate from the ground and put it back on the hole. I stand on the grate, glad that it is solid. I then rush right at Yoohyeon, and this time, I tackle her. I start wailing on her face with my fists, causing her to scream in pain. Someone finally tries to grab me to get me off of her, but I elbow them. They go to grab my arms this time and yank me back.

Man: Dami, that was ME you just elbowed in the face!!