"Well, that clears my doubts." Minjun said taking another sip from his coffee.
"That blood…it doesn't come in the category of monsters either." He said, voice a little more tense.
"What other damn species could it be?" Minjun said as his eyes turned dark.
"That's what we cannot find. There's not even ANY DNA in that blood. It's like…it's just a liquid out of this world."
"Out of this world, huh?"
"Hmm."
They both looked at each other.
"This needs to be dug in."
"Our detectives are inspecting the nearby areas and canvassing the people."
"Detectives alone wouldn't do any good. We'll send our officers and maybe, even go there ourselves."
"You're right. We'll check it out."
[At the portal]
The rescuers came back, but…
The two men weren't…alive.
Everyone gasped seeing the dead bodies carried by the rescuers by the shoulders.
"Ego killed them, really." Si-Hun whispered to Kuro.
"They were too overconfident. The kind that makes them regret their decisions later."
"They didn't understand that while they were alive. Death gave them the answer. It's the most painful yet the most truest one" Si-Hun said, eyes reflecting no emotion yet so intense.
Kuro didn't say anything and just stared at the ground.
The rescuers laid them on the stretchers and took them in the ambulance.
Everyone stared.
The predator came to them and said
"We understand. You all are free to go."
No one could do anything.
They were gone because of their own mistakes
The ego.
Si-Hun turned and left.
The air felt colder on the way back home, colder than usual.
The silence stretched harder.
"This is how I'll have to continue my life. This is what was meant by "killing innocent beings," but this time, I'm not the reason."
"This is the path you chose for yourself. I believe it's what was there for you…not random, to be honest."
Si-Hun breathed out, his breath fogging in the cold air.
This was shitty.
But irreversible.
Yet
The way he didn't mind going now.
"It's for the better." He told himself.
The walk home was quiet and heavy.
Each step away from there reminded him of the steps he was taking ahead.
He unlocked his apartment and went straight to the point, which was the point where he poured everything out.
The balcony was subtly quiet.
The quiet he liked.
Even where noise reached the balcony, it didn't get into his ears.
Si-Hun took a seat on the empty folding chair.
His hood draped low.
His eyes were still open, yet the hood made him blind.
It was the kind of blindness that had a meaning.
He didn't say anything yet, but his mind held too much, and so did his heart.
"Everything's changing. Ji-Ho was supposed to come today, but I told him that I'm not free. How can I tell him I'm stuck? My world is too dark for his. For…anyone, I wonder."
The night descended, and before he even noticed it, his eyes closed.
He fell asleep right there, his heartbeat even and breathing steady.
Kuro sat on the couch, his head low.
He could see Si-Hun sitting on the chair, knowing he was asleep through the sliding glass window.
But he didn't put a blanket over him or put him to bed.
"He's used to the cold now."
The night passed, and even the wind noticed the glaze in the air that was dark and flooded.
Leaves moved in a rhythm, and the wind followed its way.
The Sun rose eventually and cast a pale glow on his face.
His eyes opened slowly, slightly twitching from the light he wasn't used to.
"It's…day already? I slept here?"
"You slept out there." A voice from behind followed.
"You didn't give me a blanket this time."
"I didn't."
"Why?"
"You…don't need it."
Si-Hun spoke without turning his head.
He got up and went to the bathroom.
The morning followed its normal routine, but something had changed.
Maybe…it was time for a new start, again.
Si-Hun was just sitting on the couch when someone knocked on his door.
"Who's there?"
"Open up. We're from the police department."
"Do you have a warrant?'
"We don't. We're just here to investigate, and we'd appreciate if you participated."
Si-Hun's eyes turned dark, and he opened the door.
It was no other than Minjun.
'Yes?"
'Could you come out for some questions, sir?'
Si-Hun sighed and followed.
"You must be aware of the killings that have been happening around HERE lately?''
Si-Hun clenched his jaw ever so slightly and answered, "Yes."
"This survey will be related to that case. We want to collect information and trace our way to the killer. There are always belongings left after a murder. Tell me if you recognize any of these." The officer said, showing Si-Hun all the belongings that were of the entities HE killed.
Si-Hun looked at them with his intense eyes, and those moments replayed.
He had a belonging from every entity he killed.
The gun from the first two entities, the cap from the convenience store guy, the Venom Stone he got from the entity in that alley, and the dagger from that detective.
"Do you recognize these?"