That day was the beginning of many problems in SolHi’s life. Particularly, it had been the moment when the past caught up with her and let her know that she had only one path to follow: in front and never back. Why exactly? Because she had to find out the truth and not reach death. At the same time, SolHi understood that it wasn’t time to fall prey to feelings but to fight, as she did eight years ago when she survived that monster’s attack, just as she had been doing in the years that followed when she never gave up, although she had had enough reasons to do that.

SolHi knew she couldn’t give up on herself and the truth, although she was seeing that truth right in front of her eyes - no one other than Han YuSan. At least, he was a monster with the same face as someone she had known as someone good, the face of a monster that was unshaped by hatred and sick pleasure. At the same time, it was the face she had trusted before, but which had been hunting her for years. How exactly? By being the cause of her nightmares and all the problems she had all those years. „A face I’ll be hating for my entire life,” she suddenly hissed through her teeth, squeezing the cellophane in her hand when she intended to approach him. She badly wanted to do that: to approach Han YuSan, who was right in front of her, and destroy him as he did the fatalistic night when she lost everything.

Suddenly, SolHi pulled back. She did that because of Ha Rin and not because she wanted that. This happened the moment Ha Rin anticipated her move and grabbed her arm. Ha Rin did well when she did that because she managed to impede SolHi from being seen there because, when SolHi squeezed the cellophane in her hand, it made a strange noise, which made the maniac, who simply enjoyed the pain of others, attentive.

Looking toward the place where the two women were hiding, YuSan saw someone’s eyes shining in the darkness. Those eyes seemed so familiar to him, although he didn’t remember whose eyes they were. It didn’t even matter whose eyes were there but the fact they had seen something they shouldn’t have ever seen. And, not to tell others about what they saw there, those eyes had to be closed forever.

To watch out his back and hide what he did there that night, Han YuSan suddenly threw the hammer, which he’d been squeezing in his hand, toward the place where he saw those eyes spying on him. Yet, he missed the target because, instead of hurting the unwelcome witness, he only hit something metallic. Then, he heard someone’s footsteps further and further from that place, a hint that the intruder was trying to escape by running away.

The two women’s decision made YuSan scream like a lion in a cage. Then, eyes sparkling because of anger and hatred, similar to a demon from those terror movies, he followed the two. He did that not silently, trying to take them by surprise, but yelling at them to stop and face their death.

Nobody was stupid enough to stay there and wait for him though. No, there wasn’t definitely room for being reckless at that moment but for smart moves. It was more the time to think smart and make wise decisions, something SolHi and Ha Rin did by only exchanging glances and motioning to each other while they kept running along that long hall, spurring each other to keep advancing and not stay behind. Yet, this didn’t mean that fear suddenly vanished somewhere or that they were willing to give up.

Running toward the exit door, as fast as they could, SolHi realized that the entire fatigue she had felt when she left DooSan’s apartment suddenly vanished. Instead of it, she felt the adrenaline running through her veins. She also found courage in her soul, something that gave her power to defeat her inner demons, who tried to knock her down at that moment - demons that had a single power supply - the eight years ago event. What happened then was seen by her eyes at that moment while her mind, despite the effort she made to run and her interrupted breath, kept working damn fast, reminding her about every single detail of what happened that night. After that, the inevitable happened and SolHi stopped.

With her back at that monster, staring in front and seeing him repeatedly kicking her belly, SolHi relived what happened eight years ago. She saw herself as a victim again and felt the pain so real. She also saw the hatred in the beast’s eyes - the beast that hurt her then and whom she kept hearing yelling behind her at that moment. And, for the first time in her life, SolHi understood that „None of this was my fault: either his hatred or the suffering. Even so, it’s worth it to take revenge on him.” And, without thinking about what she should have done, SolHi turned with her face toward the place from where she heard him coming and fired her gun.

The moment she pulled the trigger, SolHi saw herself knocked down and the bullet, which hit the wall behind her, bounced off and hit another wall. This didn’t make SolHi give up though but only increased the adrenaline in her veins. That’s why she pushed Ha Rin off her, the one who knocked her down, trying to fire her gun once again when she heard the individual getting closer and closer to the place they were.

She didn’t fire the gun for the second time though. This happened also because of Ha Rin, who suddenly appeared in front of her, still on her knees, confidently telling SolHi, „If you want to be reckless, do it, SolHi! Yet, the second bullet will be shot only over my body.”

„And I’ll do it, Ha Rin! So, if you don’t want to die, move away!”

„And let you ruin everything? Of course not!” Ha Rin hissed through her teeth, grabbing the gun and touching the barrel to her forehead. „Fire it!”

SolHi froze. Then, she shook with her entire body, not understanding how Ha Rin could do that. Yet, she was sure that Ha Rin didn’t do that trying to defend the one whom SolHi wanted dead with all her body. Even so, she couldn’t accept that everything was too far from being over. She couldn’t accept that because… all the pain, fears, and failures over the years suddenly took over her, controlling her intensely and making her want a single thing - to take revenge, forget everything, and pull that trigger the moment she would have seen that maniac right in front of her eyes again. She wanted to do that no matter who he was and what his reasons for doing what he did were.

Thinking of all this, SolHi felt her blood madly flowing through her veins again. She felt as though she was a racing car on the runway at full speed. Where was she heading? Toward Death or maybe toward salvation, thinking that the only thing that could have brought peace back to her was revenge, something she’d been craving for all those years. She also wanted to live. And, being this feeling stronger than everything else, she stood up the moment she heard the maniac’s footsteps closer and closer to them. After that, grabbing Ha Rin’s hand tightly, she forced her to stand up and follow her as fast as she could.

Honestly, the will to live finally convinced SolHi to leave revenge for later and try to survive. The reason? She realized that she knew nothing about her enemy. She also didn’t know the reasons why he turned her into a victim and tormented her all those years, reasons she wouldn’t have probably ever found out if she had pulled the trigger and saved the world by getting rid of that maniac and his madness. Nevertheless, surviving, she could look for new leads toward him, could find out the truth, and bring justice to all those who suffered because of him. Yet, they had to escape together from that place: both she and Ha Rin because she was already sure that Min Ha Rin was the only and the main key to getting revenge on him.

About these thoughts, she didn’t talk to Ha Rin though but kept them to herself only. She focused on their run and left the ghosts of the past behind her. At the same time, SolHi tried to forget all those painful memories related to the eight years ago event, ghosts she felt madly dancing around her while trying to lure her toward them and never letting her free. Yet, SolHi was aware already of what the consequences of that captivity could have been. She’d been through that not only once in the last few years. That’s why she knew that if she had stopped again, it would have definitely meant death.

Too focused on her thoughts, SolHi didn’t notice the stairs when they got outside the building. Thus, not paying attention to where she put her feet, she stepped into the void, rolling on those stairs afterward. Getting on hard soil again, SolHi gasped, feeling the pain cracking her bones, pain she also felt strong in her belly. The reason could be only one - memories and a new anxiety crisis, something she couldn’t fall prey to, not at that moment and for anything in the world. That’s why she gnashed her teeth again when it intensified. Then, closing her eyes, SolHi used her palms and pushed herself up, with all the strength she was capable of at that moment.

When she pushed herself up, SolHi felt the coldness of the soil with her palms very well, a coldness that reminded her of that cement floor where she lay years ago, something that haunted her for years like nightmare memories. Yet, although she kept seeing that cement floor at that moment, SolHi didn’t focus too much on it but groped around her, looking for the gun she dropped when she rolled on the stairs.

It hadn’t been difficult for her to find her gun, which she heard falling somewhere to her left. Then, finding it, SolHi squeezed it in her hands and, straightening her back, she looked at the door for only seconds, breathlessly waiting for the moment the mad beast from the terror movies would appear in front of her eyes. A wild animal that she hadn’t seen that night again because of Ha Rin. This one, getting next to SolHi, grabbed her arm and forced her to follow her.

About 100 meters from the entrance to the building, the two women suddenly stopped. They froze in their tracks, better said, the moment something fell with a bang not that far from them. Even their breath stopped for a few moments after hearing that sound. Even so, none of them looked behind them. They only focused their attention on their hearts that were madly beating in their chest and on that weird twitch felt halfway through their throat - the outcome of the fact that they finally allowed the air to get out of their mouths. Then, when they’d been able to control themselves again, the two women released the rest of the inhaled air from their chest, which they breathed out with no effort or loud noise, trying to make sure that the maniac wouldn’t discover their hideout. „An open field hideout,” as the two women thought afterward.

That flux of anxiety and calmness, something that made her feel both something cold and warm crossing through her bones, finally gave SolHi the chance to understand that she was still in control. It even gave her the courage to turn her head and look toward the place where she heard that object falling. What exactly was there? She could only guess - „The hammer!” The same hammer he used to hurt her years ago, which the individual threw toward her when he’d seen her spying on him from the shelter of the cellophane. „A hammer that can save our lives eventually and give us a chance to solve this complicated puzzle,” she thought after that, realizing that if she could get it, they could find fingerprints or DNA on it, something that would have finally given them the chance to find out who the individual really was.

Well, she saw that maniac’s face, it was also true. She’d seen it pretty well - that it was Han YuSan’s face. Even so, she still felt that there was something more than that in that story. What exactly? She didn’t know how to explain that. She knew only one thing - that SoRan might have been right when she told her that day when she visited SolHi in jail: that if the attacker had been really Han YuSan and he had wanted her death, he wouldn’t have needed a reason to modify his voice. „Even so, he did that, and this meant one of two things: he tries to lead us on the wrong path or to make us think that he’s not the one who we think he is,” SolHi whispered in her head, shaking after that when she’d seen his face in front of her eyes again.

This image made her swallow hard again. Then, not thinking too much about what she should do, she squatted, facing the place where she heard, what seemed to be the hammer, falling. Yes, she did that, knowing very well what risk she was taking. Even so, she preferred it if this meant having clear evidence.

SolHi’s decision made Ha Rin shudder. „Where is she going?” She hissed through her teeth, barely heard. Then, when the truth suddenly crossed her mind and she understood that SolHi was trying to get the weapon the individual threw, Ha Rin intended to follow SolHi.

She stopped after only one step in front, freezing after this, when she realized that it was too risky to do that. Was she afraid for her life? Yes, this also. Yet, what convinced her to stay in her spot was the fact that she understood that, being far from SolHi, she would have helped her escape. Why? That individual couldn’t realize that there were two witnesses and not only one. Eventually, he’d seen only SolHi’s eyes and not hers. Then, he’d seen Ha Rin when they turned right at one point and she tripped over something that made her slow down a little while SolHi was far away from her. Thus, understanding that the surprise element might have helped them with this, Ha Rin pulled a little back, trying to make the less possible noise, while SolHi kept advancing on the squat toward the maniac’s weapon.

After about fifty meters of walking backward like the crabs, Ha Rin stopped and listened to the silence of that place. She did that, trying to realize where exactly he was because she remembered his hissing breathing, something that could have given him away. Otherwise, Ha Rin couldn’t see where he was because it was too dark around. Yet, no matter how hard Ha Rin tried to hear at least something, she heard nothing, in the end. Not even the deaf noise made by SolHi by then wasn’t heard, something that hinted to Ha Rin that SolHi stopped. What exactly made SolHi stop? „She probably felt him close or realized what I intended to do and sheltered. If she did that, it means she’s a smart girl because… this is our only chance to survive.”

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Such thoughts finally convinced Ha Rin: she had to be the bait at any cost. Before doing this, she had to find out where their enemy was and what SolHi’s location was. It was the only way she couldn’t fail and confuse him while giving SolHi the chance to grab that evidence, one that could have prevented them from having headaches in the future.

To find out what the individual’s location was, Ha Rin didn’t need to wait for too much. She suddenly heard him hissing through his teeth, „Where are you, bitch?” His question made Ha Rin grin, satisfied, understanding that he was somewhere to her right while she had heard SolHi somewhere to her left, where they had heard the hammer falling. Then, when she realized that her analysis wasn’t wrong, Ha Rin squatted and started groping around her, trying to grab anything that could have been used as a weapon.

She needed about a minute to grab a stone the size of her fist. Then, squeezing it in her hand, Ha Rin grinned again, as though she was a predator that felt the blood of the prey, long before the prey was hurt. After that, hearing the man’s footsteps, somewhere to her right, she suddenly stood up and, using all the strength she could use at that moment, she threw the stone toward him.

The stone… like the stone - it headed where Ha Rin projected it to fly, finally hitting the individual’s head, making him scream. His yell made SolHi wince and, scared, she looked toward the place where he was at that moment. The reason? She couldn’t understand what could make him scream like that because it wasn’t because he didn’t find any of them. Only when she remembered the deaf sound made by the stone touching the ground did SolHi understand that Ha Rin was the one who took care to make him pay attention to her, and this made SolHi smile. After that, hearing him heading toward the place from where Ha Rin threw the stone, SolHi lay on her stomach, trying to be as invisible as possible.

Practically touching the ground with her stomach, SolHi carefully listened to any move or gasp of the man, guessing his trajectory and intentions. Thus, she heard him stopping at one point and turning toward the place where they left Bunny and Bear with the ATVs. What exactly made Han YuSan look over there? A strange light that was now on and then off.

The same light forced SolHi to pull herself to the left eventually, toward a huge pile of trunks built one upon the other, building a perfect hideout for her because it was right between her and the light. Thus, once the light didn’t get to her, SolHi saw herself in a safe shelter. This also gave her the chance to look to her right, where he saw the man’s feet. Yet, he didn’t see her or Ha Rin. This happened because of the contrast between darkness and light, something that made him often close his eyes. Not the same happened to SolHi - looking behind him, she saw Ha Rin moving back and back with the easiness of a mouse, finally disappearing behind the same high pile of wood, next to which she was.

The fact that Ha Rin moved from her spot and he saw her, even though for a few moments only, made him scream again and follow her. Thus, when he turned right, following Ha Rin, he gave SolHi the chance to jerk to her feet and head toward the place where she saw, for seconds only, the hammer. Once there, she grabbed it on the move and headed in the opposite direction to the one where she headed by then. The reason? She thought that it’d be easier for her to defend Ha Rin in case the man would have caught up with her.

The moment she turned right, SolHi was forced to stop. The reason? She saw him staying somewhere halfway through that corridor created by two piles of wood, a corridor that was approximately two meters in width. What was he doing there? SolHi couldn’t understand. She could only guess that it was probably because of Ha Rin, who disappeared, something that demoralized him. This worked for SolHi because, being with his back to her, he didn’t see her there. Thus, walking backward, she managed to shelter on time. If she had stood there for a few more moments, he would have definitely seen her because she spotted him, from the place where she was hiding, looking behind him.

„I think he felt me,” SolHi told herself, squeezing the handle of the hammer in her hand. „Yes, it might be that he realized that we are two against him. Thus, staying there, he tries to figure out where each of us has headed, to calculate the chances he has to catch one of us. Having one of us in his paws, he hopes to make the other one surrender. Yet… ups, son of…, you didn’t choose the right prey this time! Thus, by choosing your target wrong, you can turn into prey from a predator. If this happens, I assure you that my hand won’t shake as it happened eight years ago when I hit your head.”

Thinking of such things, SolHi understood what that tragedy really did to her: it turned her into a monster. Better said, it woke that inner monster inside her, someone whom people generally try to keep asleep for their entire life, a monster that can help one survive or turn him into a criminal as seemed to have happened to Han YuSan. Yet, „It’s strange if he’s the real one,” thought SolHi. „I remember that he was a good man when I met him for the first time. At least it might have seemed to me that he was a good man then. However, now, after everything I’ve seen tonight and from what I remember that happened eight years ago, he seems to have escaped Hell. And… What made him like that? What?”

She had to leave such thoughts for later, as she had to leave for later the process of finding out answers to her questions, when she saw the man jerking from the place where he had stood until then and heading toward her. Seeing him coming, SolHi didn’t think too long about what she should have done but turned back, heading toward the entrance to the building again. Halfway through the distance, she stopped when she realized that if she had entered the sawmill, she would have probably been on his territory, a place he seemed to know very well, finding her eventually even with his eyes closed. Understanding this and that it wasn’t a smart idea to fall willingly into his trap, she decided to find another solution. Which one? She had no clue! Yet, she had to find one and fast because she had already seen him turning left and stopping again.

So suddenly that SolHi almost shouted, the individual staggered to his feet, falling on his knees afterward. The reason? Ha Rin! Climbing on one of the piles, she hit his head with the metallic bar she had taken with her since she entered the sawmill. Then, not staying in the same spot for long to see what would happen to her victim, Ha Rin ran toward SolHi, still on that pile of wood, yelling at her, „Run! Now! Don’t stay there, do you hear me? Now!”

Ha Rin’s urging finally made SolHi move from her spot. She didn’t head toward the man, where she knew her escape route was - the same path they had used to get to the building, but in the opposite direction where she saw Ha Rin heading. Arriving at the edge of the pile of wood, she turned left the moment she saw a small corridor formed by the wall of the building and woods. Better said, she sneaked between them because that place was really narrow. Yet, it was enough for her to shelter again. Then, sneaking in front, where she heard Ha Rin heading, walking above the pile, she got to a larger place where she turned left again, running as fast as she could when she realized that it was the same corridor between the piles of wood where she’d seen him staying before that.

Arriving at the edge of the corridor, SolHi stopped. She did that when she understood that it was quiet all over again. That silence was too overwhelming, something that made her heart strangely pound in her chest, and her heavy breath, something that made her feel a harsh pain in her throat, felt more intense than ever. Yet, she didn’t pay too much attention to that because she focused her attention on listening to a melody that was whistled by the individual somewhere to her left, two corridors, formed by those piles of wood, away from her.

Hearing it, SolHi shuddered. Then, for seconds only, she closed her eyes and breathlessly listened to that whistle, which was a kind of melody. „I heard this melody before. Yes, I heard it eight years ago! I’m sure of this. Yet… what kind of melody is it? Where exactly did I hear it? Where?”

She winced eventually, finding no answer to her questions, the moment she felt a slight movement behind her. This made her squeeze the hammer in her hand, intending to use it if necessary. Realizing that the noise of the footsteps was too soft, SolHi understood that the one approaching her was „Ha Rin,” as she whispered eventually.

„You are right,” Ha Rin whispered, grabbing SolHi’s hand and dragging her after her. „It’s me!”

„What about him? Where is he right now?” SolHi asked, breathlessly.

„Somewhere to our left, on the first corridor where he lost us the first time. The whistle is heard from there. And, from his sudden calmness, I realize that he’s doing this, trying to lure us into his trap.”

„Like the snake that tries to lure the frog straight into his throat that’s always hungry for prey.”

„That’s right. Yet, this time, we have to be the snake while he is the frog. It’s the only way we can take a picture of him and make others believe our version of the story.”

SolHi frowned. „Still, this won’t work for us, Ha Rin. Why? He knows this place. We - don’t!”

„Still, he’s alone while we are two here. So, while I lure him somewhere where there is light, you should stay hidden and make sure you’ll have a picture of his face.”

„No, Ha Rin,” SolHi opposed the idea. „I mean… I should be the bait while you take his picture.”

Ha Rin shook her head. „He knows you,” she said, after a few moments of silence. Then, spotting a slight movement to her left, somewhere in the distance, she made SolHi shelter again behind the pile of wood. Only after that did she say, „We can’t take the risk for him to see your face, SolHi. Not while everybody thinks that you are dead. Yet, he doesn’t know me.”

„You don’t know that. Besides, you know very well who’s after us right now.”

„Scar!” Ha Rin hissed through her teeth. „I know,” she added. „Even so, I must take this risk!”

„Why?”

„Call it recklessness or impulsivity if you want. Even so, I still think that’s better to sacrifice the old deer and not the youngest.” Then, not waiting for SolHi’s answer, she sneaked outside their hideout and headed toward the place from where they came. After that, so suddenly that she even made SolHi wince, Ha Rin stopped in the middle of that corridor between the two piles of wood and yelled, „Have you been looking for me?”

Hearing her shout, YuSan stopped and looked at her for a while. A strange grin was seen on his face the moment a lamp suddenly turned on somewhere behind him. Who turned that lamp on? Most probably Bear or Bunny, who might have thought that it was a good idea to make their presence felt and let the two women know that they weren’t alone.

The lit lamp didn’t seem to bother YuSan or Ha Rin. On the contrary, they felt so comfortable at that moment. Looking at them, SolHi even seemed to have seen an evil smile on Ha Rin’s face. She saw it the moment Ha Rin approached the left wall built from wood, against which she leaned eventually. Then, staring at her shoes and the frozen soil, Ha Rin said with hatred in her voice, „Still, you showed up and I thought you’d stay hidden forever, dude!”

„Do we know each other?” The man asked, cunningness felt in his voice. Then, hands in his pockets and sketching a weird grin, he calmly headed toward her.

„Of course, we know each other,” replied Ha Rin, as calm as he was. „Only hearsay because… let’s say I had the „honor” to be hired by one of those that wave their tails in front of you, listening to your order. Who are you? No one other than… Scar!”

Hearing her talking like that, YuSan winced and stopped. SolHi also winced because she hadn’t expected Ha Rin to mention the fact she knew who the individual was. Then, SolHi focused her glance on him, trying to understand if he really was Scar or not.

However, the individual was a difficult bone to chew. When Ha Rin mentioned the nickname Scar, not even a muscle moved on his face. At least he tried to make his interlocutor think he wasn’t surprised to hear her talking to him about Scar. That is why SolHi found it weird when he pretended to be surprised and this happened when he told Ha Rin, „I have no clue who this guy is, just as I have no idea who you are or why you are here.”

„Who am I?” Ha Rin asked him with a strange malice in her voice. „I’m the same worm you’ve kept crushing with your shoe, but which still shows up where you least expect him. At least this is what’ll happen between us from now on, friend: we’ll see each other around for a while.”

„May I know what I’ve done to deserve such honor?”

Ha Rin grinned. „Honor? I wouldn’t be that sure that’s an honor for you to have me around. I’d rather call it a curse… the curse of all those you’ve sent to hell, starting with Ian SolHi.”

Hearing her name, SolHi swallowed hard. Then she stared at him with wide-open eyes when she spotted a grimace of unpleasant surprise on his face. She even heard him gnashing his teeth at one point. Then, SolHi saw him squeezing his fists, and, taking a few more steps toward Ha Rin, he gave SolHi the chance to see his face perfectly and film it as Ha Rin had told her to do.

When she took her phone out of her pocket, SolHi realized that fear was still there, in her soul, although she had lied to herself all that time that she didn’t feel anything like that. Yet, the fear was there and it was visible in the shaking of her hands that were squeezing the phone hard. Even so, barely controlling her heart, which was about to make a hole in her chest and run away, SolHi started filming, zooming the focus on his face.

She didn’t have too much time to film him and this happened because of the infernal noise of the ATVs that suddenly showed up somewhere behind him. The noise made YuSan furiously look over there. Then, he looked with hatred at Ha Rin, yelling at her, „You aren’t alone, bitch!”

„You know: bitches like you can be controlled only by bitches like me!” Replied Ha Rin with hatred. Then, grabbing a piece of wood in her hand, she squeezed it hard, ready to defend herself in case he would have attacked her.

Ha Rin was right when she thought to defend herself because she suddenly saw him jerking from his place and running toward her. A few meters from her, YuSan threw himself on his stomach, rolling to the right. This happened when Bunny, who passed on his ATV by there, fired his gun. Thus, the young man gave Ha Rin the chance to run from her place and run as fast as she could toward SolHi.

Once next to SolHi, Ha Rin snatched the gun out of her hand and fired it twice at YuSan, forcing him to look for shelter instead of following them. After that, not staying there to see what would happen next, the two women vanished behind a pile of wood, closely followed by YuSan, who seemed to have completely lost his mind and was determined not to let his prey escape from his paws… never.