Masquerader Chapter 8

 

Throwing aside the tree branch she had been using as a support, she hobbled towards the shelter. The wooden building, shrouded in darkness, looked like it had been abandoned for a long time. However, a large evacuation sign was clearly affixed to it.  

 

As she yanked at the rusted door handle, her eyes remained fixed on the radio, watching for any response. Only static continued to break the silence. Keeping the radio on, she stepped inside. There might be an emergency phone in there.  

 

As soon as she entered the pitch-black space, a thick scent of dust rushed into her nose. The twisted wooden floorboards creaked under her weight.  

 

Coughing from the dryness in her throat, Seol-ah groped along the wall. She soon found a switch, but flicking it did nothing. The electricity seemed to be cut off.  

 

Relying on the moonlight filtering through the open door, she cautiously ventured further inside. Since it was a designated shelter, there had to be something—an emergency phone, a first-aid kit, or at the very least, some food.  

 

At the very back of the shelter, Seol-ah finally found some canned food and a water bottle on a dust-covered shelf. A sigh of relief slipped from her dry lips.  

 

If she could eat here, keep warm, and endure until sunrise, she might find a way out.  

 

With renewed determination to survive, she picked up a can. Since she had already drunk some water from the stream, she decided to save the bottled water for later.  

 

All she had to do was pull the tab, but after an entire day of exhausting struggle, she didn’t even have the strength to open the can. Her hands slipped several times, and eventually, they began to tremble uncontrollably.  

 

Wiping the sweat from her palms onto her pants, she tried again.  

 

But the result was the same.  

 

“Haa……”  

 

Even with food in her hand, she couldn’t open it, and the hunger she had forgotten about rushed in like a tidal wave. Her empty stomach rumbled, and the pain went beyond mere hunger pangs—it felt like sharp needles pricking her.

 

“Isn’t there something like a stick?”

 

She needed a tool. Just as she was looking around for something to use as a lever, she heard the creaking sound of a wooden plank twisting.

 

“…….”

 

At first, she thought her ears were acting up again. Or maybe it was a noise she had made herself. But her instincts sent her a cautious warning. Her breath settled quietly. A strange tension hung in the dust-filled air. Chills spread down her spine, and her throat tightened.

 

She wasn’t alone in this space.

 

She sensed a slow movement from the opposite wall. A single-sized bed stood there, abandoned. A dark, lump-like silhouette wriggled and grew larger. Her clenched fist tightened even more.

 

The moment she felt as if she had locked eyes with the figure in the darkness, Seol-ah bolted forward. She didn’t need to see the person’s face to understand. Her instincts were screaming at her. She had to run.

 

Her judgment was swift, and she didn’t hesitate. The only problem was her injured knee and twisted ankle. She stumbled and practically threw herself forward, but just before she could make it out the door, her hair was yanked back with force.

 

“Aaagh!”

 

The sensation of her hair being ripped from the roots was excruciating. A fierce struggle broke out between Seol-ah, who was trying to escape, and the assailant trying to capture her. Her will to survive was second to none, but the overwhelming difference in strength was undeniable.

 

Would things have been different if she weren’t already at her physical limit?

 

“Let go!”

 

Just as she aimed a kick at the attacker’s shin, a harsh slap struck her cheek. A blinding flash burst before her eyes. The large hand didn’t just slap her cheek—it came down on her ear as well.

 

“……!”

 

She couldn’t even scream. Her breath caught in her throat. The pain in her eardrum rattled her brain. Seol-ah’s eyes rolled back for a moment.

 

When she came to, the ceiling of the shelter was in view. She must have blacked out only briefly because the dark figure standing beside her was still catching his breath, roughly rubbing his jaw where she had hit him.

 

Cracking his stiff neck from side to side, he bent his knees and lowered his upper body. Then, he brought his face closer. The faint moonlight revealed his features, which had been hidden in the darkness.

 

“I never expected to meet you here….”

 

It was Seo Gyo-jin.

 

“Should I call this fate?”

 

God’s design was truly cruel. At this point, it felt downright unfair. After crawling, tumbling, and desperately pushing forward all day, this was where she ended up.

 

“Yoon Seol-ah.”

 

“…….”

 

“I told you to stop when I asked nicely. You were going to get caught anyway.”

 

Seo Gyo-jin smirked. But something felt off. His face, which had never been particularly inviting, was now a complete mess. Had he rolled down a mountain while chasing her?

 

One side of his cheek was abnormally swollen, making his face look grotesquely asymmetrical. His entire face was covered in blood. The swelling had buried his features, twisting his smile into something utterly repulsive.

 

“You bitch….”

 

As if reading her thoughts, Seo Gyo-jin’s smile vanished in an instant.

 

“I can’t even begin to figure out how I should destroy you to feel better.”

 

Muttering to himself, Seo Gyo-jin spat onto the shelter floor.

 

“Because of you, what should have been over in a moment turned into a complete mess. Do you have any idea how much I’ve suffered because of you? And to top it off, that bastard went berserk, making my day even more fantastic.”

 

His foul breath brushed against her nose.

 

“I’m going to make sure you regret this.”

 

“…….”

 

“Or maybe I should shove a gun between those precious legs of yours so I can finally feel better.”

 

Seo Gyo-jin’s gaze slowly trailed down Seol-ah’s body, but then, all of a sudden, his expression hardened.

 

“What the fuck is this?”

 

Seo Gyo-jin grabbed her by the collar and yanked her up. Her upper body was lifted into the air.

 

“Why are you wearing that bastard’s clothes?”

 

His grotesquely swollen cheek twitched intermittently.

 

“You fucked him, didn’t you?”

 

His bloodshot eyes gleamed with unhinged madness.

 

“You spread your legs for that bastard? Why? What makes him so different from me?”

 

“…….”

 

“No wonder that bastard went crazy out of nowhere. Son of a bitch….”

 

Seo Gyo-jin let out a hollow, incredulous laugh.

 

“You fucking slut, are you screwing me over like this?”

 

His unpleasant, heavy breathing clung to her lips and neck. Seo Gyo-jin was completely out of his mind. His eyes were utterly deranged. Seol-ah turned her head to the side in disgust. That seemed to set him off entirely.

 

“You’re dead today.”

 

Rip. The buttons on her coat were torn off.

 

“Let go!”

 

“Why?”

 

“Don’t touch me! Aagh! Let go! I said let go!”

 

Seol-ah flailed and thrashed violently in resistance.

 

“Judging by how that bastard lost his mind, you must’ve been one hell of a fuck. I’m dying to know what’s so special about you. Let me have a taste too.”

 

No matter how much she scratched, hit, or kicked him, Seo Gyo-jin was solely focused on stripping her coat.

 

“Stay still, bitch! It’s not like you’ll wear out!”

 

Realizing that she had no way to overpower him with brute force, Seol-ah seized his wrist and bit down with all her strength.

 

“Argh!”

 

Seo Gyo-jin let out a bloodcurdling scream and swung his other arm fiercely. Slap. Another burst of stars exploded before her eyes. A sharp ringing sliced through her head as her vision blurred. Her limbs, which had been struggling with all their might, suddenly went limp and fell to the ground.