“Freeze!” The men shouted as they drew out their guns.

you felt something wet on you neck. Then you remembered: his bloody knife. Your body tensed up in shock. “Omo!” People at the bottom of the auditorium called out. They dropped the plastic bags in their hand and screamed when they saw EunJung on the stage. People rushed in from both sides of the auditorium. All this while, the man was pulling me backwards and away from Minho sunbaenim. “Don’t come any closer!” he threatened before bringing the knife closer to my neck.

“Let her go! You don’t have to do this. Just surrender yourself and nobody will get hurt,” one of the men said.

“I can’t! This is necessary. The ritual needs sacrifices!” the murderer shouted. Tears were running down your face as you tried not to panic. “What ritual?” sunbaenim tried to ask calmly. “The Salpuri! To be cleansed in the spirit, you need to present offerings to the gods!” the murderer shouted deliriously. “Why are you killing people for the Salpuri? It doesn’t require human sacrifices,” sunbaenim asked. “It does! I majored in culture!” the murderer shouted. You tensed up as you felt the knife touching my throat. You couldn’t help but let out a whimper. “Miss, relax. Everything is going to be okay,” Minho sunbaenim said.

“Of course everything is going to be okay. Once the dancers are offered for the dance, the ritual would be complete.” you recognized that line. Jong Woo! He’s that student in my course that zealously presented about the Salpuri. “Jong Woo-ah,” you tried to say calmly. His grip on me tightened even more. “Miss, please try not to say anything,” one of the men said.

Then, Kim seonsaengnim stepped forward from the crowd behind the men. “Jong Woo-ah, is that you? Why are you doing this?” “Sir, please stay back.”

“The salpuri needs offerings! If they want to cleanse the spirit, they have to offer themselves,” Jong Woo proudly said. “Why would they perform that ritual? That’s the dark practice, Jong Woo-ah! Come to your senses!” Kim seonsaengnim said. “Wait, was this all about their dance? Jong Woo-ah! They’re performing the Taepyeongmu, not the salpuri!”

“So I saw the wrong dance?” his grip loosened greatly and the knife moved away from your neck as he was thinking about his mistake. Sunbaenim motioned for you to run and you tried to escape. But Jong Woo tightened his grip on you again. Everyone all tensed up and the crowds were gasping. “But I didn't get the wrong ritual! Their movements! It’s the salpuri! you! Tell them!” he cried deliriously. “Jong Woo-ah,” you said shakingly. “We are performing the Taepyeongmu. It’s supposed to bring peace to the minister during his years in the office. We’re not allowed to perform the salpuri. We’re not shamans!”

His grip loosened but you didn’t try to escape again despite sunbaenim’s motions. The knife was right in front of you and my legs were giving out. The knife was the only thing that gave you motivation to remain standing, or else you would have fallen to the ground. “That means… I’m a murderer,” Jong Woo murmured to himself. You started to fall and Jong Woo held you up. The knife was at your back. “Everybody get out of the way!” Suddenly it turned into a hostage situation. Sunbaenim and the men retreated backwards as we moved forward. He was pushing you forward, holding you by the front and pushing the knife into your back. Your eyes were just flowing with tears. Right now, the only thing that came into your mind was “Jong Woo, please let me go.”

As the crowd kept moving backward, the men kept shouting for Jong Woo to release you. “you-ssi. Look at me. Everything is going to be okay,” sunbaenim said to you calmly. Your tears just kept flowing as you were pushed forward with the knife at your back. “Everything is going to be ok.” Suddenly, the men stopped moving backwards. Jong Woo stopped moving and you fell back slightly onto the knife. “Ahh,” you whimpered slightly. Sunbaenim moved toward you but one of the men said, “Young master, please stay back!”

“Jong Woo-ssi. Take it easy. Right now the situation is that you have committed murder already, you are going to jail already,” the other man said. “If you let the young miss go right now, you wouldn’t be committing another murder. Think of it. The defense attorney can help you to lessen your time.”

“I’ll provide the defense attorney!” sunbaenim shouted. Is he mad? “I’ll provide the attorney. Just let her go.” Jong Woo’s grip started to loosen, and you could stand up properly. You were suddenly jerked back by Jong Woo’s hand and you screamed! The knife! Wait there was no knife! His arm was gone! You turned your head and saw that Jong Woo was subdued by men dressed the same as the first two. Your nightmare was finally over. Your head went light and you fell to the ground.

__________

Whoa! What is that smell! you opened my eyes and saw… A man. “Miss, you’re awake now. You fainted from the shock.” You remembered that you were half in the auditorium and quickly covered your chest. Oddly, you felt a jacket on you. “The guy who saved you put it on you,” the paramedic said.

“you-ya! Koenchana?” oppa called out to you as he rushed into the ambulance and placed his hands on your shoulder. You gave him a smile and nodded slowly. He helped you out of the ambulance and you thanked the paramedics for their service. You walked slowly to a nearby bench while he held you up. “When I heard your name being mentioned amongst the students walking away from the auditorium, I went into panic mode.” He hugged you tightly and said, “Thank God you’re okay.”

You sunk into his chest as he hugged you tighter. “Jonghyun hyung?” You broke from the hug and saw Minho sunbaenim in front of you, holding a cup of coffee. “Ah! you-ya, this is my friend Minho. He was the one who saved you apparently. He’s a senior in you school. Minho, this is the sister that I had mentioned,” oppa said. Sunbaenim and you looked at each other for a while before oppa broke your trance. “I’ll just be with the rest and give you some time to thank him,” he said to you.

When he left, you turned your view back to Minho sunbaenim. “Kamsahamnida, Minho sunbaenim,” you said with a bow. He smiled and stuck out his free hand, “Just call me Minho.”

You shook his hand and said, “Neh. Kamsahamnida Minho su- Minho.” You stopped yourself from saying sunbaenim. You didn’t let go of each other’s hands though. Instead, his grip tightened and his thumb was the back of your hand. Finally after a few seconds, he stopped and stretched out his other hand. “Coffee?”

You thanked him and you sat down on that bench. “Thank you for lending me your jacket, and thanks again for saving me. May I know how you knew to come into the auditorium to save me?”

“I had a dream that I met you at a booth as you bowed to my father, just like you actually did. And then I went into the auditorium after hearing a scream. And there you were on the stage, dead,” he said the last part solemnly.

“Really? I had a dream that I met you at the booth too! Except, I saw the murderer and I think I died because I woke up from the nightmare as the murderer covered my mouth,” you said with chills down your spine. You looked at him and said, “Thank you for believing in a hunch and coming to me.”

He looked into your eyes and said, “I’m glad I did. And I hope it’s not the last time.” You smiled and continued to look into his eyes, feeling that unseen connection and ignoring your surroundings. When you both broke from your contact, you bowed and told him that you would return his jacket after you had it washed. He smiled and said, “Can’t wait to see you again.”