Work.

Home.

Love.

Food.

.

Sleep.

Repeat.

Nothing was wrong then. Everything was perfect.

Orderly.

Unflawed.

Seunghyun kissed my forehead one morning. He smiled and held me against his chest.

"I have to go on a business trip."
"How long?" I asked, peering up at him.
"A week or so.."

Change. Difference. Flaw.

"Ji...Did you hear me? I said Minji will be here to take care of you."
"She's always here..."
"Don't g-"

A shrill ringing cut me off. Seunghyun's hand dove into his pants pocket, pulling out his phone. He had a nice phone. Big, touch screen. I had the same phone, yet an older model. Minji's phone was just a tad different. 

Not that it'll matter anyway....

I'm sick...

"Boss? Ne...Aniya... You sure? Aish.. I'm not sure... No no I'll ask my family.. Of course I'll call back."

His eyes looked sad. Not crying or depressed sad, but sad that they'd have to be deprived of something wonderful.

"Ji, It's going to be a little longer than a week. A month and a half."
"It's fine."
"I'll bring home gifts for you." He said, tilting my chin up.

Rings. Diamonds. Pretty things.

His eyes sparkled for a second, gazing into mine. I like his eyes. They're deep brown, and occassionally he'll wear those green circle lenses Minji got him for his birthday.

They're really pretty. I like pretty things.

"I'll go tell Minnie." He mumbled, his lips pressed against my forehead.

I think I'm sick...

He left the room, and I followed close behind. While he disappeared into Minji's room, I stood in front of the wall right next to the door. It obscured me from their vision, and I didn't want them to see me. They talked loudly, just as they usually did. Then something caught my attention.

"Minji, watch your mother. He isn't stable."

Then there was whispering. I couldn't hear, so I stood and waited.

Change. Change is bad. Why change?

I'm pretty sure he kissed her forehead and ruffled her hair, since she did that little low whine in that she does when she gets annoyed. She used to do that all the time. When I didn't comb her hair gentle enough, and almost pulled her hair out, she'd whine. or when Seunghyun spoiled her too much.

She's so cute. My baby is so cute. I love her.

Senghyun was pulling his phone out and dialing a number as he walked out. Instead of listening on his conversation, I wandered into Minji's room.

"Looks like it'll be you and me."
"Eomma and dal time." She smiled.

What a pretty smile. She makes her eyes crinkle up and disappear. Reminds me of someone. 

Seunghyun? Ani... His eyes do crinkle..

Daesung-ah. He was a good friend of Minji's.

He's dead though.

A small giggle rose in my throat.

He was fun.

My head landed back into reality when a movement in the corner of my eyes caught my attention. Minji had gotten up and unplugged her phone.

Where is she going?

"Make-up run. Need any liner?"
"Nope."
"I'll be back soon." She mumbled, grabbing her purse and keys, before pecking my cheek lightly.

She's a good kid.

She'll be fun too.

I'll follow her. She wasn't going to go to the market anyway. I ran into my bedroom and grabbed my own keys from the table.

I know you Minji. I've heard you talk to yourself about it.

We ended up driving for a good mile or two before she pulled onto a dirt road. I followed behind, and kept my car at a distance. While I got out, I watched her approach a gravestone, hen plop down into the grass. She pulled a flower out of her jacket, and layed it on the soft earth. While she sighed softly, I hid behind a tree, and listened to her.

My baby is in pain...

"Daesung-ah. It's Minji. You were in another dream of mine again. Are you trying to tell me something? I mean...that's what they say. If a dead person shows up in your dream, it's because they're communicating with you, and trying to tell you something. Something very important. But I'll keep thinking. Oh! Are you trying to tell me who killed you?"

A small silence fell. She sighed sadly, and wiped at her face.

"They haven't found him." She said, her voice wavering. "But I won't let them give up. I'll do anything for you, Dae. That's what I promised when you said you'd keep me safe. I said I'd do anything for you. You're my only friend. I miss you, Dae..."

She wiped at her eyes again, and stood up.

So much hurt. My poor baby...

"Whoever he was...He was a monster."

The words sting. They burn like a fresh slap.

Anger. I don't like anger. It leads to bad things.

My eyes bore holes into her as she walked past, not noticing me. She simply kept wiping her eyes, and going to her car.

Anger. So much anger..

I waited till she to the road, and jumped into my car. I'd have to speed home..

Murder..

I got home and settled into the couch, the rerun of one of my favorite dramas playing. Seunghyun was in the kitchen, cooking something that smelled glorious.

Seunghyun makes good food. So does Minji.

"Seungie, can Minnie make dumplings?"
"I dunno..." he said while cutting vegetables, "I guess. Ask her when she's home."

Almost as if on que, she popped in, mumbling something about the store not having her brand before going into her room and slamming the door.

Seunghyun jumped from the slam, and put his knife on the counter before peering at the door down the hall.

Something's wrong. A flaw.

"She's thinking about Dae again, isn't she?" He sighed.
"He was her friend, Hyun. There isn't a day that goes by without her thinking about him."

He sighed and picked the knife back up.

Knives are shiny. I like shiny things.

"I hope she moves on soon. It's too much stress for her to be like this. I don't like seeing her this upset."

Dinner rolled around, and not a word was said during the meal. Other than the occassional, 'pass the rice', nothing was said.

It's normal. Normal is good. It's unflawed.

A loud beep pulled me into reality.....

"Change the tape, give him more hallucenigenic."

There was a click, and then nothing.

Dinner. I was eating dinne. Minji was upset. Seunghyun was leaving for a business trip soon. Daesung was dead.

Dumplings. I wanted dumplings.

I reached forward and stuffed one into my mouth. Minji makes the best dumplings.  So perfect.

Dinner ended quicker than usual however.  Minji left the table first.

My baby....my sweet little angel...she's in pain...

I'll end that pain...

The lights of the house had long since dimmed, yet I remained on the couch. I began thinking. Now, when I think, it usually ends up with something dramatic happening, and then a shot. Not a gunshot, but a needle. A needle with this wonderous liquid that makes me forget. I don't know what it is, but I like what it does.

Thoughts were jumbling up, piling them on top of each other. I remembered how Minji would curl up under her covers, with her laptop balanced on her knees. She would stay that way till the little laptop would fall to the side of her bed, and then go into sleep mode. She wouldn't remember a thing about how she fell asleep, except that the computer had slowly lulled her into her slumber. Seunghyun was different. He was stoic. Always sleeping a certain time. Unless we were having . That was a different story. Taxes, , alcohol. They all made him change for a little, but not long. He'd go right back to that little schedule. 

I strike on Thursday. I want Seunghyun to see his baby without pain...

In the end, however, I fell asleep on the couch with the Playstation controler wedged between my thumb and forefinger, dangling precariously over the mahogany wood floor.

That's not good.

The week passed on without anything different. Minji went out a little, spending time with other friends. Seunghyun remained stoic.

Work.

Home.

Love.

Food.

.

Sleep.

Repeat.

And then Thursday came.

I refused to eat. I didn't .want to. I had an appetite for something else anyway. And I was going to get that something.

Because I always get what I want.

Minji joined me in the kitchen like she always did. She'd watch me cook, or fiddle around with the faucet, pondering how such thing would work. At least until I'd shriek from getting a cold jet of water on my face.

"What're you doing this time?"
"Nothing."
"You haven't eaten.. Want me to make you anything?"
"No."
"Appa will be worried..."
"I'll be fine."

She pouted slightly, then turned around to the fridge. She slid the magnets around, pushing them to different positions, altering their places.

My fingers toyed with the sharp blade tucked into my sleeve.

Knives are pretty. Pretty knives.

I turned around and looked at the back of Minji's head. Her hair was dyed a light lavender, making it glow slightly in the flourescent light of the kitchen.

I like lavender. Lavender is pretty.

I took two steps forward and grabbed her shoulder, violently spinning her around and slamming her against the wall. My knife....my pretty knife was jabbed hard into her side.

Her eyes widened, and she planted her hands on my shoulder, gasping silently, gaping open and closed, no sound coming out.

"J...Ji-"

I silenced her blubbering with another stab. She let out a soft whine, her head slumping against my shoulder, her loud pants for air filling the kitchen.

Another stab.
More whimpers.
Another stab.

I tilted her face upand smiled softly. No more pain for my beautiful little baby.

"You and Dae had the same expression."

She looked up into my eyes, and those very brown orbs were full of hurt. Tears on the brims.

"D-dae? He's...."
"Dead. Minji, I killed him."

Silence.

Then a loud sob. She stood there against me, dry heaving with each sob, unable to control her body movement. I laed her on the floor, then plopped down next to her and placed her head into my lap.

And then my pretty knife took over.

When my masterpiece was finished, she was gasping and spluttering up her own blood.

"I love you baby, I'm not a monster."

We sat that way for a few minutes, before her gagging slowed. She whispered about telling Seunghyun she loved him, and she thanked him one last time for giving her a home before she was gone.

And that was death.

Death is a beautiful thing. When a person dies, every emotion, every memory is flooded through the brain, causing it to feel everything at once. Then, nothing. It's really quite breathtaking.

Seunghyun came home to find me Minji's forehead, smoothing that beautiful lavender hair back, blood pooled around us in a shallow puddle.

His briefcase clambered to the floor, and he dropped to his knees.

"Why Jiyong? Why Minji...Why Daesung? What did they do?"
"They were in pain."

Seunghyun remained silent, refusing to speak to me at all. My head popped up slightly when sirens started to wail in the dist-

"Mr. Kwon. Please open your eyes."

So I did. 

A pretty white room.

White is nice.

But where is this? What is it?

"Mr. Kwon, you're in a mental facillity."
"Why?"
"Please pay attention to the next few slides. You've been sentenced to this facillity for the rest of your life."

I looked up at the wall, where a projector had shown an article from a newspaper a few years back.

"First victim. Kang Daesung. Over ninety-five stabs wounds were located on his body, Severe trauma to the back of his head. Body was dumped in his closet, where Gong Minji, a close friend, found him. Dead on discovery."

The slide changed. Another article. Newer.

"Second victim. Gong Minji. Your adopted daughter. Over one hundered stab wounds found on her torso. Body was found in your arms, in the kitchen by father, Choi Seunghyun. Dead on arrival."

Seungie. He was a beautiful man. The way his eyes crinkled, and sparkled. Those lovely brown eyes. That cat like smile, and the permanent smirk on his face. 

Perfect.

Unflawed.

"May I see Seunghyun?" I asked softly.

"Mr. Kwon. You are not permitted to see visitors in your current mental state."
"But...I wanna see my Seungie.." I whined.
"Play the next slide."

There was a newer slide, a more recent cutout of a newspaper.

"Choi Seunghyun. Stabbed seventeen times on his arms and legs. Suffering muscle trauma, and is currently still in rehabilitation for the injuries sustained. This is his call to the police."

A small buzz, and then the room went black.

"Ji...Ji please, yeobo. You're hurting me. You're becoming a monster... Stop. The police will be here soon. They're gonna take you far away. I love you Ji."

A tear rolled down my cheek.

I'm not a monster.