My room is my safe haven, my own little world where only I have control over. It knows every little detail of my life – from the happiest to the deepest darkest secrets.

 

 

Seoul is one of the twenty-eight cities that make up South Korea. It is currently at its peak in the business industry, famous, a safe and nice community to live in. Opportunities are everywhere, transportation is not too much of a hassle, there are good schools you can attend to, hangout places for Friday and Saturday night outs, and luxurious hotels and condominiums dominate the whole place. The people are cool, updated with the latest’s – whether it’d be gadgets, clothes, or food – All in all, it is the perfect place to live in.

Well, it WAS…

My family has settled here for more than eight years since my dad was assigned to report at the Korean National Police Agency. Seoul defined peace, almost the perfect place to live in. Seorae Village (also known as Seoul’s Beverly Hills) is well-known for being one of the most expensive villages around Seoul for its exclusivity and security, which where my family and I live. Until shocking news broke about two weeks ago sometime in June, innumerable cases of serial killings emerged in our community. Families were terribly frightened, curfews were strongly implemented, CCTV cameras were planted all over the village, and some even hired guards to look out for their houses. The killings happen every night so my parents had me brought back to our house at 6:30 in the evening, 8:00 would be the latest.

Since news about the killings broke out on every newspaper, on the radio and on television, the police district of Seoul has no other choice but to file a report and ask help from the national headquarters, Korean National Police Agency.

The inspectors asked permission to do an autopsy for every dead body that they would recover from each crime scene. The victims are all teenagers with ages ranging from 13-17 and all are from one village – Seorae Village. The camp had a hard time pointing out a specific person who could have done these killings for every time the Seoul policemen reach the crime scene, it was already contaminated. No evidence left of the suspect, the area is clean and the only thing left to do some cleaning with is the body of the dead person lying in bed inside their room. People from the camp suspected that the perpetrator might also be a teenager.. or not, but they are rest assured the suspect could hold a tight grip on a gun, maybe even a gun expert.

My dad came home late this evening from his tiresome work from the Korean National Police Agency. Have I mentioned that he is one of the 3-star generals in their department?

The moment we finished dinner, my dad called us up for a family meeting. The usual – mom and dad and of course, me, but this time the maids and the driver are considered family too. And we talked about the recent killings going on around our village.

“Nobody goes out of this house late in the evening. Remember your curfews, especially you, Taeyeon, you can’t leave this house without my permission and your body guards. You understand?” Dad muttered his words in fright.

Bodyguards? He hired bodyguards for me? Dad, you have got to be kidding me. What do you mean by that? Don’t you trust me enough when it comes to taking care of myself? By my own? Ugh. You are insane.

“Yes dad, I understand.” My words were reluctant.

Did he really think that I would follow those stupid curfews of his and the village’s? I know my way around the village and there is no stopping a pesky little teenager like me who loves sneaking in at her friends’ houses. I can’t help it, I’ll only be a teenager once.

“The killings that have been going on are no joke. This is different. What is happening in our village will go down in history. In a span of two weeks, 10 teenagers were killed using a .45 caliber pistol.”

Now I am scared.

“Just a .45 caliber pistol?” I got curious.

My dad nods. “And they were all shot in the head, right in the middle of their foreheads. It went like that for all the victims.”

            A month has passed and the cases remain unsolved.  Twenty-five innocent teenagers were killed. My family, close friends and neighbors are scared, moreover traumatized by the current situation in our village. How can they not know who the suspect is?

            “First victim is Tiffany Hwang, 16 years old, she lives in Maporo St. We asked her parents if their daughter had any issues with one of their neighbors’ sons or daughters but they couldn’t give us accurate information. Everybody says she is a sweet girl too. Next is Kim Kibum who lives right down the same street.” The police officer reported to 3-star general, Kim Seung Ho.

            The culprit remains silent. No clues, phone calls, nothing to track him/her down. Every crime done was perfectly studied and well-planned by this serial killer.

            My dad shakes his head in frustration as he massages his temples. A long table was set-up to compile and scatter around all the files needed for further investigation of the unsolved cases. Dad did not come home that night because the whole camp stayed up all night to study the cases from the very beginning. They found nothing except for five similar things that each crime scene had. First is the deed was always done at night, between 9 and 10 in the evening.  Second is the victims were all teenagers. Third, every victim was shot in the middle of their forehead using a .45 caliber pistol. Fourth, the bodies were all found lying on their beds inside their rooms. Fifth, the victims all lived along Maporo St. That is it. Nothing more, nothing less of the evidences. Are these clues blatantly given by the suspect? Is there something hidden within these evidences? The camp wanted to take their chances. Time is running out for everyone who is involved. They might get something from out of those to immediately put the perpetrator behind bars.

            The following nights bring terror and trauma for everyone. My dad stays late in Korean National Police Agency working on the cases with his fellow generals and policemen. It went on for two weeks, but in those two weeks the suspect was silent. No serial killings were committed. The silence made him/her more petrifying.

            Until…

             “Hello.. Dad..” fear overpowered my whole being. “Are you there? Can you please come home?”

            “I’m still in camp, baby. Dad’s still working. Is there something wrong?” He sounds worried.

            “Dad, I am next.” And the phone call ends just like that.

            Kim Seung Ho, my dad, is finally going to see who this goddamn serial killer is. I know he is trying to compose himself as he drives his way back home, getting ready to fire a gun to whoever that person is to save me.

            The gates of our house are open for everyone to see, it only happened now. Our gates were never open and this was new, it was the culprit’s first time to do this. It’s a sign, telling him that the suspect is already in. He immediately parks his car infront of the house only to find out that the front door to the living room was open. The house is fully lit up.

            My maids and driver are dead.

            My bodyguards shot in the middle of their foreheads.

            …And so is mom.

            Dad’s now furious. He slowly stands up from crouching down to look at my mom’s dead body. His hand slides down to his gun and holds it up, pulling the trigger, ready to aim his fire.

            “Taeyeon, baby, where are you? Daddy’s here.” He shouts from downstairs.

            “Dad, I am here!” The serial killer made me scream for help but eventually puts the cloth back in my mouth to keep me shut.

            My dad immediately runs upstairs to where the voice came from. I could feel his presence from outside my room, only the door is keeping us apart – holding back my safeness from this situation. He kicks the door, my computer chair faced back and then the perpetrator slowly turns it around…

            The phone in my hand, cloth in my mouth, I drop them down on the floor. The computer table filled with photos of teenagers from the past killings.

            “3-star general, Kim Seung Ho. You finally meet your culprit.” I give him a cheeky grin.

            “T-Taeyeon?”  He looks left and right, his hands shaking as he points the gun around the room.

            “Welcome home!”

            “Y-you.. You did all this. You’re the serial killer?”

            I clap my hands to congratulate him. “Have you seen mom downstairs?”

            “Why’d you do it?” His voice is low. He points the gun right at me.

            “I wanted to get back at people, for no particular reason.” I caress the computer chair’s hand rest using my index finger. “Everybody thinks I’m crazy.. I’m not. Am I dad?”

            He remains silent.

            “Am I dad?!”  I shouted furiously at him. “Answer me!! Am I crazy? Is that why you built me a room that is similar from that hospital you locked me up four years ago?!

            “You are sick. I did it because you are sick… You are sick in the head, Taeyeon.” He finally breaks his silence.

            My hands form into fists, my head about to burst in anger. “I’m not! The doctor said I was a special girl. I am not sick. He said I was special. Even my teachers from school told me the same thing.”

            “Why’d you do it, Taeyeon? To all those innocent teenagers in our street. What did they ever do to you?”

            “They were treated normally.”

            “We treat you the same way.”

            I grin. “Same way? You hired me bodyguards and made me attend a special school for freaks.”

            “Nurses.”

            “Exactly my point. You hired them so I wouldn’t be able to go near people, to socialize, to have fun, to be normal!” Teardrops started to form in my eyes.

            He is going to plead, I can tell it. “Because you are not. I’m so sorry, Taeyeon… But what you did is unforgiveable! Didn’t you think about the families of those innocent teenagers?”

            “Think? I am sick in the head, you just said it. And you’re actually telling me to think? I guess you’re the one who’s sick in the head between the two of us, dad.”

            “Taeyeon, baby, let’s talk this over,  please?”  He puts his gun down. That was my cue.

            I continue on. “No need, dad, you won’t be seeing or hearing from your crazy baby girl anymore.”

            I take out the .45 caliber pistol from behind me.  “Because you’re my last victim.” I shoot him right in the middle of his forehead, blood splatters around my room, putting color into the boring plain white interiors of it.

 

            I could hear the sound of the police siren from outside the house. I am ready to be taken behind bars. Those good for nothing people have finally figured out who the culprit is, the daughter of their goody 3-star general, Kim Taeyeon. I know they are coming for me and they would be questioning me after this.

 

            “How did you do it?”

            “I learned it all from him.” I take a glance back at my dad’s empty office.