“Protecting… you…” With a thump, a body collapsed onto the ground.

Tiffany stepped backwards with her hand still gripping onto the dagger. A sudden mixture of muss stirred inside her, it seem’s that differentiating between the truth and lies were impossible to her right now. Looking down onto the body, numerous bizarre moments which occurred a few minutes ago flashed across her mind: Her gaze when answering, her sincere tone and perseverance, everything about her latest prey, she couldn’t understand or perceived.

Squatting down to take a closer look on her, she used her dagger to sweep the golden strands off her face. She realized the prey had a smooth like marble skin and a sharp jawline. She furrowed her brow, “I don’t understand… your motive…” she murmured while confusion started to resurface again, “I just don’t… “She then stood back up with hatred for the newfound mess, “Kim Taeyeon… what are you exactly?”

She knew she could just ended her right now where her prey was unconscious and lifeless but the peculiar answer which still echoed in her head restrained her from doing so. For the first time in her life, she felt frustrated and lost with the initial attempt to finish someone. She paced back and forth, applying the pressure onto the dagger when gripping, trying to decide between the life and death of a person. In the end, curiosity won her over. She liked this enigmatic game, something about this person lying on the ground intrigued her, prompting her to find out more about her.

She left her from that spot.

Going back towards her car, she slammed the door and released her frustration on the steering wheel by constantly stabbing onto it. “I shouldn’t be doing this! Idiot!” She felt a sudden rush of hatred towards her, blaming her for the sudden confusion in her. Looking through the window, she yelled another, “What’s wrong with me? Allowing someone to escape death and yet I am satisfy with it?” She cursed and took all her anger on the only steering wheel in front of her.

In the midst of her cursing and yelling, her phone rang suddenly. Picking it up, she looked onto the screen and noticed the incoming caller’s name which suddenly made her breathed in heavily. On that particular moment, she resented the rush of fear she was experiencing before pressing the green button, braving herself to face the consequences on what she had failed just now.

“Why didn’t you end her when you had the chance?”

“She’s too easy. I can just end her in a minute but I don’t see where the fun in that is” She partially lied. She knew part of the reason is that but deep inside her, there was this other unexplained reason to that, the one where she, herself couldn’t understand them well.

“Well then, take her to me. I am sure you are not going to let me miss the fun right?”

She hesitated a little but finally answered, “Of course… I will not disappoint you”

Sensing the pause, he decided to test her, “Fill the glass bottle with her blood everyday. Do not fail me”

 “… Yes… I will…”

With that, the conversation ended. He cut her off, leaving her with an odd feeling. A feeling which she cannot described properly where loyalty and fear were between her right now.

---

Opening her eyelids, the first sound she heard was the electrocardiogram that was placed beside her. After scanning around, she was surprised to find herself, lying on a bed in an odd-looking place with an extra weight on her left knee. She then carefully sat up and discovered Sunny was sleeping, her head was resting on her knee.

“Sunny…”  She bent forward while shaking her lightly.

“Mhm?”

“Wake up…” Taeyeon shook her harder this time.

Sunny rubbed her sleepy eyes, “Finally... you had awake...”

Furrowing her brow, Taeyeon looked at her, “Where am I?”

Sunny stretched her arms while replying, “You have been unconscious for three days. Someone called me, directing me to the hospital”

“Someone?”

“Yeah, I don’t know who she is. An unknown number contacted me, asking me to keep an eye of you and then poof, she cut the line… just like that… she sounded creepy though… Who is she?”

At the mention of ‘she’, her eyes instantly opened wide. After touching her neck and felt there was something on it, she ran towards the mirror at the corner of the room and carefully peeled off the patch which was covering her neck.

“What are you doing?” Sunny stood up and walked towards Taeyeon. She stood beside her and looked at the mirror in front of them.

“Why did you just…?” Seeing the stitches on Taeyeon’s neck, she turned and gasped, “How did you get that?”

Trying to reminisce the incidents, she stared at the stitches. A sudden scream echoed in her head, making her flinched. It was her scream. Images of her, the dagger and the two words instantly flashes in front of her, she gulped.

Noticing the absence of her response, Sunny asked warily, “Taeyeon? Are you alright?” Sunny moved her hand up and down in front of Taeyeon’s face. “You looked stunned”

She tried to smile, “Yeah, I am… am… alright…”

Finding her suspicious, Sunny folded her arms, looking at her intensely, “What happened at the alley?”

Taeyeon looked at her; she was surprised at the sudden question. She knew she couldn’t lie in front of her friend but the thought of her prevented her from spilling, she couldn’t reveal. Not just yet. Changing her mind, she replied, “Like I said, I was doing a selca of myself”

“So many places to choose from, and you chose the alley?”

“I was trying to give hints to my fans on my upcoming album”

Sunny glared at her, “Are you kidding me? Your album songs are ballads and most of them are slow-paced and you are saying you chose the dark, narrow and filthy alley as your hint?”

“Can’t I just troll them once in a while?”

“Sure, anything you want but tell me, what is the stitches doing there?” Sunny pointed at Taeyeon’s neck while raising her brow.

That caught her off guard. At that particular moment, the easiest and fastest thing she knew she will be saying was, “I don’t know…”

“…”

Taeyeon was starting to feel uneasy on the continuous glare in front of her.

“Who is that girl then? The one who directed me” She continued.

“I wish I knew…” This time, her answer is an honest and sincere one. “Sunny…" She frowned while reminiscing the incident "I do really want to know too…”

She paused at her last question. Through the gist of some of her answers, she was able to detect the amiss in them. She knew Taeyeon was clearly trying to conceal something, something related to that girl. She sighed. “When are you going to learn that you are not able to hide from me?”

“I don’t know what you are talking about…” She walked towards the bed, away from her to avoid the question.

Sunny followed her, “Taeyeon ar, you know you can tell me”

“Tell you what?” She faced her, “I was just doing a selca as a hint to the fans and then…” she pointed at the stitches, “This… I don’t know how I got that and the girl… I don’t even know her… what else should I tell you?” She climbed up the bed. After positioned herself in a comfortable manner, she realized the constant glare and abrupt silence from her. “What? Don’t look at me like that”

“That girl who directed me here, from her tone and the way she speak, she sounds dangerous and malicious… I know it’s not our right to meddle into your life or control your decision but as a friend who cares about you, I hope that you don’t shoulder the problems all by yourself”

“…”

“I believe you know what’s good for yourself and what’s not… I just hope that you know what you are doing right now…” Retrieving her handbag on the stool, she closed the door and decided to give some space to the motionless person.

She frowned and bury her face in her hands.

 I just hope that you know what you are doing right now...

Her friend's words were still resounding in her head, causing her to ponder by her own. She closed her eyes, she knew her friend has at least some point, but right now she was really confused with her own. She knew her purpose and objective but the virtual infliction she was facing right now were perplexing. The complexity became worse each time she tried to comprehend them, questioning herself whether it was just sheer sympathy or the other way round.