Chapter Four

“What the…”

Yuri and the shikshin duo froze on their spot when they witnessed the scene before them.

“What is this…”

A man was standing in the middle of the alley, struggling by himself painfully. His skin was ripping apart in a very slow motion, and rotten flesh was emerging from underneath the peeled skin.

The three of them held their breath with gasps as they watched the human slowly transformed into a mutant.

“Yuri,” Sooyoung nudged the hunter who was next to her, “Prepare your gun.”

Yuri nodded and placed her hand on one of the guns. But before she retrieved it, something struck her out of the sudden, “No, I can’t! The residents will be alarm if they hear the gunshot.”

“What are we suppose to do then?”

Yuri looked at the shikshin duo, who had nothing but foods in their hands. She couldn’t help but became frustrated and raised her voice at them, “Why didn’t you guys bring your weapons out?”

Sooyoung retorted back almost immediately, “Yah! No one brings an axe and a katana out when they go for shopping!”

“Ugh!” Yoona pulled back the both of them. “Unnies! Now is not the time for quarrel! Deal with that mutant first!” As soon as the skin was completely removed from the body, the victim would become a mutant. They had to finish it off before it attacked the other human beings.

Yoona was right, they should not argue over trivial matters.

Sooyoung chewed on her lower lip and pondered for a solution. “Yuri, you got your communication device with you, don’t you? Find Tiffany.” Unlike Sooyoung’s large axe and Yoona’s long katana, Tiffany usually had her blades with her wherever she goes since she attached them to her thighs.

“Damn it.” Yuri cursed out of the sudden.

“What’s wrong?”

“I can’t find the signal to her device.”

*

Tiffany came out of the changing room and stood in front of the mirror. She was slightly shocked upon seeing her own reflection. She couldn’t believe that pure and innocent looking girl in the mirror is her. Her reflection looked too different from the usual one she saw in her very own mirror every day. It was like two people, who shared the same features, had opposite personalities. One being the cold one she always saw and the other one being the warm one she was currently looking at.

As much as she hated to admit it, Tiffany loved what she was seeing right now more than the one she always saw.

“I’m right.” The unknown girl appeared once again and stood next to Tiffany. She examined Tiffany through the mirror, “You look fantastic, gorgeous.”

Tiffany returned her an eye smile, “Thank you.”

The girl was amazed by Tiffany’s crescent eyes. “Your eyes are really pretty. They sparkle like stars.”

Tiffany was so used to receive compliments from people that now, she became immune to them. However, everything seemed different when she heard it from this girl.

Her compliments made her heart fluttered. It was a reaction she hardly experienced despite for a person at her age. She could even feel the warmness on her cheeks now, as though she was… blushing?

“Are you okay? Your face looks red. Is it too warm in here? Or are you uncomfortable in that dress?” The girl asked worriedly.

“Um… Yeah, I’m fine.” Tiffany turned herself away from the girl in an awkward manner. Gosh, is she really blushing? “I… I think I’m going to change this out. My friends must be looking for me. I have to get back to them before they start to get worry.”

“Oh…” The girl looked disappointed.

Somehow, it hurt Tiffany to see that depressing expression on the girl's face. And before she even realized it, words already slipped out from , “I will always come here whenever I’m free.” Then, she felt the warmness on her cheeks again, that… that was just too embarrassing! What was she thinking when she said that?

The girl was obviously stunned by Tiffany’s comment that she didn’t utter a single word after that.

Tiffany really regretted badly for saying that.

She was too abrupt and obvious, wasn’t she?

While Tiffany was busy worrying for her abruptness, little did she realized that the girl, who she was worrying for, had a mysterious smirk on her face as she watched Tiffany entered the changing room in silence.

*

The unknown girl was gone when Tiffany came out of the changing room. So, she really isn’t the store assistant here… Tiffany thought to herself, feeling disappointed for some reasons which she didn't even realized herself.

“Hold on Miss Hwang!”

Tiffany had just headed down the stairs and was about to exit the store when one of the store assistants called her. She paused in her track and turned around, only to find the lady running up to her with a bag in her hand.

“Miss Hwang, you forget your dress!” The store assistant exclaimed and passed the bag to her.

Tiffany took a step back and avoided the bag. She refused to take it. “I did not purchase anything. Did you make a mistake somewhere?”

The store assistant shook her head, “I’m sure this is yours. Well actually, it was the other customer who bought this, but she said this is meant for you and wanted us to pass this to you personally.”

She? “Did that person tell you who she is?” Tiffany asked with a tone full of suspicions.

“Uh… I don’t have her name, but she is rather short and is wearing a white shirt and pants.”

White shirt and pants? The alarm rang in her head. The girl from before?

Tiffany quickly asked, “Did she leave any message behind?”

“Nope, she only asked us to pass this to you and left right after.”

And that’s all? Tiffany felt stupid all of the sudden, why was she even expecting something from a stranger whose name she did not even know? It wasn’t like they were friends or anything… They were just strangers who happened to meet one other out of nowhere.

Tiffany forced a smile at the store assistant as she thanked her and took the bag over. Tsk… she was really getting annoyed by herself. Why was she so particular with this kiddy looking stranger? If fate wanted them to meet, they would meet eventually. And if fate didn’t, it only meant this would be their first and last meeting!

Tucking a strand of hair behind her ear out of vexation, Tiffany was reminded by the heaviness on her hand that she was holding a bag right now.

That’s right, the present! She lifted up her arm and held the bag in front of her face. Curiosity immediately took over her as she stared and wondered what the girl had gotten for her.

“The staff said it is a dress right?” She mumbled the question to herself and pulled out a familiar white dress from the bag.

Wasn’t this… Tiffany stared at the familiar white dress, somewhat feeling calmer than before. Wasn’t this the dress she tried on earlier? Though it wasn’t exactly the same one she wore, but it was the dress with the same design on it.

Why did she give her this?

Beep!

Before Tiffany could figure out an answer, she felt her communication device vibrating in her pocket. She quickly shoved the dress back into the bag and put on the device as she ran out of instinct.

She smelled something.

The air, it stinks.

“Gosh! Tiffany! I finally got you! I’m at the alley near the KenDonald’s. Come here right now!”

“I’m on my way.” With that reply, she immediately leaped and disappeared away from her spot.

A café stood across the street from the clothing store. A kiddy looking girl was sitting behind one of the tables, drinking her cappuccino while watching the slender figure disappeared down the road.

Tiffany Hwang… I shall be fair to you.

“Taeyeon, are you still there?”

The kiddy girl touched the ear piece in her ear, “Yeah, I’m still here.”

“Are you serious?” Her caller asked.

“Of course I am. In fact, I’ve already removed the charm spell I casted on her earlier on.”

Taeyeon heard a loud gasp from the other side of the phone before the party replied, “You don’t want to fail your mission, do you?”

“Of course not, don’t you trust me?”

“I trust you, but your opponent is––”

“It doesn’t matter who she is.” Taeyeon snorted annoyingly, cutting her friend’s words away. She never liked it when her friend discussed her with her. “There is nothing I cannot handle. Just trust me and stop worrying.”

There was a silent pause for a moment. Taeyeon heard a sigh filled with resentment from the other side before the speaker spoke again, “Taeyeon, I know, and I truly understand why you are so persistent this time. But please, remember! Our life isn’t ours anymore. I don’t want you to risk everyone’s lives because of your personal problem! You got me?”

Taeyeon took in a deep breath and let them out slowly. Her friend was right, how could she have forgotten? Her family, her friends and even her life, all of them… they were in someone else’s control. Unless that person got what she wanted, no one could live in peace.

But what made her worried the most is if there was even an end to it.

“Don’t worry, I’m not risking anything.” She sipped on the last bit of her coffee before standing up, “Everything will go as how it was planned.”

Tiffany Hwang, the most sensitive and swiftest hunter in Aurales. She will get her down no matter what she is, or who she was.