Breaking News!

18 year old girl Lee Hye Min has been found dead dumped inside the recycling rubbish bins located behind block 320. She had been slashed at the abdomen with a wound of approximately five centimetres, possibly done by a pocket knife. The cause of death is believed to be the critical hit on the head which had broken her crown and caused immediate death. No murder weapon has been found at the crime scene. Preliminary suspicions may be a male suspect who murdered with brute force. Lee Hye Min was officially last seen at Baldeagle Hospital on 12 January 2015 at 7.47pm after her abortion surgery. However, forensic evidence has shown that time of death is likely to be 11pm. Please call the police hotline if you have seen the deceased girl within this time frame.

It was a bright cold day in May. Just like every other day, Sunni went about her usual morning routine. She would make her bed, brush her teeth, and take a quick shower to freshen up. Sunni would then head downstairs to the newspaper booth across the road for a daily free copy of Today. The sky was clear and blue, and the sun was showing off its rays, casting a golden hue on everything it touched. The moment Sunni walked out of her door, a cold gush of air hit her due to the difference in air pressure. She expected it to be windy but the air was ironically still and cold. It was unusually cold for this time of the year. The finale of her morning sequence was to enter Yakun that was right beside the newspaper booth for some traditional breakfast of lovely soft-boiled eggs, steamy toast and coffee, while she munch and read the daily news.

Sunni reported to work for her afternoon shift, as always. “Hey Sunni!” Ki Bum raised a hand and greeted her as he exited the taxi. Sunni went over and greeted with a slight bow and asked, “How’s everything?”

Ki Bum passed her the car keys and gestured by twirling his wrist in circles, “Everything is in good condition, I even helped you pump it to full tank.”

“Wow thanks!” Sunni laughed, “It’s on me the next time!”

“No problem!” Ki Bum chuckled.

Sunni went in the taxi and adjusted the rear mirrors and height of the leather seat, preparing for the start of work. She drove out of the taxi headquarters building and switched on the green light worded ‘taxi’ on the roof of the vehicle. She toured along the main roads aimlessly without seeing any potential passengers. On some days, lady luck would bring along passengers one after another. Today was one of those days where the taxi leather seat was still cold and empty. After almost an hour, Sunni decided to drive towards the nearest taxi stand to wait for passengers instead of indiscriminately lowering the fuel gauge. Sunni queued behind a few taxis at a taxi stand at Admiralty MRT Station. It was only a few minutes wait before it was Sunni’s turn and a young girl boarded the taxi. Sunni self-berated and thought she should have come to a taxi stand earlier instead of wasting time roaming around the roads. It was not peak hour; it would have been hard to get a passenger along the roads. She should have realised it earlier.

“National University Hospital, thanks,” the girl said as soon as she got in and continued her phone conversation after telling Sunni her destination.

“You don’t understand, I’m too young for this! … … No! … … So what if you could help me take care of the kid, how am I gonna face my friends? I can’t possibly walk around with a huge bulging stomach, I’m only 19! I still need to enter university and make new friends, not walk around being labelled as an unwed mom. … … Save your speech mom, I’m already on my way to aborting this baby. It’s my life mom, shut up!” And she angrily hung up, rolling her eyes and dumping her phone into her white shoulder bag.

Sunni glanced over cautiously through her rear mirror to look at the young girl seated at the backseat of the Taxi. Sunni contemplated if she should voice her concern. She saw the girl putting her palm over her belly. She took a deep breath and cleared , “Hey miss, perhaps you would like to reconsider? Abortion is really bad and harmful to your body. You may have really bad side effects like scarring the uterine lining, infection, unable to get pregnant again or even… death…” Sunni choked on the last word, “Your mom meant well. You may not want the baby now, but it’s still a life after all! You know, you might regret. Your mom would be there for you, you do not have to resort to abortion…”

Clap. Clap. Clap. The young passenger at the back clapped slowly, “Wow, so you’re a doctor now? Ms Taxi Driver?” sarcasm dripping all over her tone, “Look, I’m still young and there’s no way in hell I’m gonna have a baby and ruin my future. How about you stop eavesdropping and mind your own business, don’t even know if you just cooked that up.” She rolled her eyes and folded her arms snobbishly. Leaning her head back on the headrest, she closed her eyes for a nap. Sunni flustered and felt a rush of blood through her body, flushing her cheeks and head. She was definitely embarrassed by the young girl’s retort. She was just trying to help though. She clutched the steering wheel tight and continued driving in tensed silence.

After her shift, Sunni lethargically returned home. The encounter with her young passenger was still etched in her mind, she remembered their conversation and the thought of her beloved daughter had been lingering around her mind the whole day. Sunni went into her daughter’s room which was well preserved. Nothing was changed after her daughter’s death. Sunni kept everything the way it was, occasionally cleaning to clear up the dust and freshened up the room with air refreshers. She forlornly gazed around the room, hoping to feel her daughter’s presence. Her heart clenched tightly. Her eyes started to sting and tears were collecting around her eyebags. Sunni’s fingers hovered above the photographs of her daughter and herself, framed nicely in plain white wooden frames. Needles started pricking her heart as she wailed in pain by herself, “Why Mi Yeon… … Omma misses you! If only you were still here… …”

Slightly over a year ago, her daughter got to know a guy who just commissioned from the national service, just a year older than her. They were dating for almost two years but finding out that she was pregnant and the baby was his, he bolted immediately. That irresponsible jerk! Sunni was consoling her daughter that everything would be alright. It did not matter if the guy left, she would take care of both her daughter and the unborn granddaughter. Her daughter could count on Sunni, and they would pull through together. However, Sunni’s daughter just could not deal with the emotional betrayal and refused having his baby. Alas, she lost too much blood during the abortion surgery and died. Sunni cursed herself every single day in anguish. She should have been more assertive and insisted on her daughter having the baby. They should have never turned to abortion as a solution.

Sunni placed the photo frame back at its permanent spot and took a cloth to wipe the display items on her daughter’s table, a habit she formed whenever she felt lonely and pained, and when she missed her daughter badly. She wiped the photo frames, her daughter’s favourite collectibles, and her daughter’s medals. Her daughter was a Javelin Champion for the Interschool A Division Track and Field Competition, just like Sunni herself. Sunni was immensely proud of her daughter for inheriting her genes and continuing her legacy.

That night at 3am, Sunni fell asleep in her daughter’s room after a long day that was emotionally, mentally, and physically tiring.

It was another morning in May, just like every other day, Sunni went about her usual morning procedural routine. She greeted the lady that gave out daily free copy of Today and entered Yakun for her usual breakfast to recharge herself after a draining yesterday. After Sunni made her typical breakfast order, she flipped her everyday copy of the news. On the front page was a huge bolded font “A possible serial killer on the loose!”

Breaking News! A Possible Serial Killer on the loose!

19 year old girl Kim Soo Young has been found dead dumped inside the recycling rubbish bins located behind block 320. She had been slashed on the arm with a deep cut of 3 centimetres, possibly due to a struggle. The cause of death is believed to be the critical hit on the head which had broken her crown and caused immediate death. No murder weapon has been found at the crime scene. Police has suspected killer to be the same as an unsolved murder case in 12 January 2015 due to identical patterns. The victim’s mother notified the police that Kim Soo Young was on her way to the National University Hospital at 27 May 2015 at 5.32pm according to phone call records. The hospital showed that Kim Soo Young was scheduled for an abortion surgery at 6.30pm. However, the deceased victim never showed up. Forensic evidence has confirmed time of death to be 7.15pm. Please call the police hotline if you have seen the deceased girl within this time frame. A serial killer may be at large, citizens are warned to be wary and stay on the lookout for suspicious figures. Do not hesitate to call the police.

Sunni closed and folded her newspaper. She sighed, “I tried my best, but they wouldn’t listen. God, I’m sending them over to you, take over from here and guide them well.”