Nearly a thousand years ago they say there lived a young woman who was as beautiful as she was vain. She thought that she was the most beautiful woman in the entire world, not just in the country of Japan.

She was believed to have been the wife of a famous and deadly samurai, a woman of status and good breeding. Until she was discovered to be cheating on him.

An extremely jealous man, angered at feeling betrayed and humiliated, he attacked her.

His blade was sharp and he made quick work of revenge.

When he was finished, had been slit from ear to ear. He screamed as he cut her a grotesque mask, “No one will think you’re beautiful now!”

The woman now wanders around with her face covered by a surgical mask, attacking anyone she thinks is too beautiful.

Minho rolled his eyes as his roommate Jonghyun told his tale. Who hadn’t heard the story of the Kuchisake-onna? It was almost like an induction story when every new students transferred to the Japanese university.

“What, you don’t think its scary?” Jonghyun pouted.

“Its just a stupid ghost story meant to keep kids inside after dark.” Minho rolled his eyes, “I’m going for a run.”

Stretching his muscles, stiff from sitting studying too long, Minho grabbed his new running shoes.

“Now?” Jonghyun asked, looking out the window, “But its dark.”

Minho shrugged. “So? Its cooler now than it is during the day. I’ll be back in an hour.” Tying his shoes, he headed out.

He thought it was quite peaceful as he ran around the university campus. There were only a handful of people hurrying about, heading back to their dorms.

Fog started rolling in, causing a hazy glow from the streetlights.

Slowing to a walk, Minho wandered the trail leading back to his dorm.

“Am I beautiful?” The words came from out of no where causing Minho to jump and spin around.

Standing behind him, wearing a white surgical mask, was a boy about his own age. The only feature of his face that Minho could see were his piercing eyes. Almond shaped eyes that seemed to draw him in, almost glowing in the dim foggy light.

“Am I beautiful?” He asked again moving closer.

Minho faltered, he didn’t know what to say.

“Yes?” He said, his mother had always told him that everyone was beautiful in their own way.

The corners of the boy’s eyes lifted as if he was smiling before one pale hand reached up and tugged the mask off his face.

Eyes widening, Minho stepped back staring at the sight in front of him.

Thick scars covered his cheeks, stretching from ear to ear. It was as if someone had taken the time to torture and maim his face. Time had healed gruesome wounds but it was clear that he had been slit from ear to ear.  

The memory of Jonghyun’s story flashed to mind as he stared. “I thought it was a woman.” The words came out as barely more than a whisper.

His heart raced as the boy spoke, “Am I beautiful now?” Then a thought came to mind and he let out a relieved chuckle.

“Did Jonghyun set you up to this?” He asked, walking closer to the boy taking in his unusual clothes. “Did you guys plan this out earlier to try and scare me, because you almost had me.”

A perplexed look came over the scarred boy’s face. “Am I beautiful?”

“Very funny, you can quit it now. Not scared.” Minho grinned, he had to admit, even with the scars the boy was beautiful.

“Am. I. Beautiful?” The boy’s voice was hard, anger bleeding into every word. His traditional clothing looked too good to be prop clothing from the arts department.

Minho’s blood ran cold. Maybe the legends were true. Swallowing hard, Minho fought to remember the answer he needed to escape with his life.

If he answered “no”  the scarred boy would attack and he’d die in the same horrible way that the other had, slit from ear to ear with a pair of shears.

Telling him “yes” wasn’t any better, considered by most to be the worst answer. That would only delay his death, the Kuchisake-onna following Minho home to kill him in their own doorway.

Having only been studying Japanese for a short while, Minho had learned early on that the words for pretty- “kirei” and cut “kire” were easily confused.

He’d been slapped by a girl after confusing the two.

While he had been thinking of the right answer, the boy had moved closer to him, examining his face with piercing eyes. “Am I beautiful?”

“You’re average.” Minho said quickly, “just so-so.”

Eyes narrowing in confusion, the scarred boy tilted his head to ponder that statement.

Minho saw he chance and ran, feet thudding against the pavement until he skidded to a stop in front of his dorms and bolted inside.

“What the hell man?” Jonghyun swore as Minho threw open the door to their room and slammed it shut, locking the deadbolt they usually left unlatched.

“Kuchisake-onna.” Minho panted out of breath. “Real. Not a girl. Boy.” He managed half mangled sentences as he tried to catch his breath.

Jonghyun snorted, “Honestly man, you have to do better than that to scare me. I told you that story, don’t be lame.” Rolling his eyes, Jonghyun stood up and stretched. “I’m going to bed, your sweaty smelly should shower.”

Too afraid of being alone, Minho ignored his roommates words and just changed into his night clothes before crawling into bed, covers over his ears.

He didn’t know how long he lay there until he fell asleep, falling into twisted dreams of a beautiful almond eyed man.

He was the lover of a wealthy, married samurai. He’d been caught one day after leaving his lover’s embrace. The scars on his face were created by the jealous wife, angry at her husband’s beautiful lover.

She had wanted him to be as ugly as the actions she claimed he did.

Bolting straight out of bed, Minho lay in the dark gasping for breath. He didn’t know how his mind created such a horrible dream, but he told himself thats all it was.

Rolling over, attempting to be all horrors out of mind, he didn’t see the figure of the scarred boy standing at the edge of his bed.

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Yes I know that this isn’t the exact same as the legend, but Key’s character (the scared boy if you didn’t guess) was screaming at me to end it this way.

Anyways, what do you think?

I’m off to try and sleep now, easier said than done after writing this creepy thing!

Hope you enjoyed it! Comment and tell me so if you did!

Loves Kat