USA, Texas

past midnight

Outside the window was vile weather, after a long winter that lasted more than the months allotted for it, spring gradually came into its own. But even in the first days of April, the weather decided to play a trick on the inhabitants of Seoul, to bring to the city a cold atmospheric wind blowing from the northwest with grains of drizzling rain. The promised sun appeared in the morning, but soon the gray clouds completely swallowed up the sunlight.

The girl sighed heavily, for the umpteenth time, looking out through the glass window of a store with children's toys for half an hour, she took an umbrella from her purse, opened it, and, saying goodbye to the saleswomen, left it. Fine, nasty rain tapped on her umbrella as her shoes clacked on the wet pavement. Now it was impossible to catch a taxi, she knew it very well, so she hurried to the meter. The people walking towards her were also in a hurry, so it was not surprising that there were small collisions. It was a shame, but she herself also pushed, so, in her opinion, everything is fair.

The light rain gradually gained momentum, and in a matter of minutes turned into a continuous downpour. The shoes were soaked, as were the tights with the ends of a fashionable cherry-coloured skirt. A small, capacious handbag in the same color dangled from the elbow of a dark blue jacket, which she had buttoned up beforehand. But he still did not save from the cold wind, penetrating to the bone. She was in a hurry, there were only a couple of 10 steps left to the subway, when a tall man who was rushing past her pushed her onto the roadway with force.

The car that was driving at that moment did not have time to stop in time, the woman did not have time to scream and somehow bounce, the squeal of tires, the screams of passers-by and the man calmly leaving the scene of the crime.

The woman's name was Lim So Yeon, she just turned 23 this month. Everyone who was not addressed said in unison that she was "sweet and kind, pure and innocent." That morning, when the sun was still shining through the window, she received the most wonderful news, and it was for this reason that she was in the children's store. She simply could not pass by a window with cute children's toys, and when choosing what to buy, she thought about how her future baby would play with this toy.

The detectives who took up this case gradually concluded that there was an accident, someone did not calculate their strength, pushed her, and she, unable to resist, fell onto the roadway. The case was closed and hidden in the archive.

Lim SoYeon was buried and soon forgotten about this incident.

 

South Korea

Seoul

A couple of months later, on a Wednesday afternoon, there was one incident in the park that led to the fact that the girl died the next day she visited it.

During the investigation, one of the detectives recalled an incident that happened in the United States a couple of months ago. But colleagues refuted his theory, saying that the murders could be connected, because the places were different, and the evidence too.

The only thing that united them was that before her death, the girl visited a store with children's things and toys.

The next morning, the body of a 23–25-year-old girl was again found.

Same handwriting, same place, same time. Only next to the corpse of the girl appeared a printed text with a question:

Are you sure you understood my message correctly?

The park where the bodies were found temporarily blocked the entrance, warning all citizens of Seoul to find another way for their morning run.

They hoped for the loyalty and understanding of the citizens.

The killer did not get in touch for a whole week.

Someone from Seoul posted the news on the net that you can return to your favorite park again.

Some remained cautious, bypassed this park, someone (youth), on the contrary, boldly went for a walk there (at any time of the day).

**

A girl dressed in a tracksuit that included workout leggings and a sports top with a hooded sweater thrown over was jogging past a large tree. The headphones played pleasant music, to which she sang along aloud. A light step, a pleasant warm breeze caressed the face, a melody that gives mood, there are not so many people in the park.

Today is Tuesday, noon, people are still at work or at school. Those who met were elderly people walking the dog or just sitting on the benches and reading a book. There were other runners like her, but not many. Recently, a young man with a hood pulled over rushed in front of her.

Then she met him when she turned behind the index sign, which said that there would be a fork in so many meters. Running there, she almost ran into a guy who at first ran a little ahead, and then abruptly stopped and turned in her direction.

His light gray eyes burned right through her, causing her heart to flutter in fear as he slowly approached her. Not only the look was frightening, but also the smirk on thin lips, with a small, barely noticeable scar under the left lip. The girl wanted to take a step, but she seemed to be glued to the ground, and just waited, watching him approach.

The guy approached, raised his hand, she closed her eyes, but instead of a blow or something else, she heard a muffled voice:

- That passage is closed, go back - his speech was a little burr, and he had difficulty pronouncing Korean words.

Without waiting for an answer, he set off.

- T-thank you, - she said belatedly, holding onto her heart that was pounding loudly, – and what are you thinking, Jihyo. He's not a maniac, he just wanted to warn me and that's it. God, he scared me! - taking a deep breath to calm her nerves, the girl obeyed the guy, returned to the beginning, to the place where the pointer used to be hung.

Only now it was empty.

- I remember exactly that the arrow is cheerful here, my memory is accurate.

Yes, Park Jihyo could boast of her memory. As soon as she sees someone or something, she remembers instantly. And can tell who he is or where something is. She had been running this route for two months already, she knew all the bushes and how the trees were inclined.

- Wait – she stopped her thoughts, then listened to her feelings - yesterday this sign was not there. Nothing was fun here yesterday. Why did I think it was the way it was supposed to be? Because that guy was running in front of me, and then he brought me back here - Jihyo answered herself, looking around.

Silence.

Nobody.

- Okay, I'll go back - she confidently went in the direction from which she ran. But as soon as she ran for a couple of minutes, the guy in the hood overtook her again. - Hey! Wait! - Chased him, trying to catch up, but he was too fast.

Even with her running skills, she couldn't catch up.

Jihyo didn't know how long they circled around; she only knew that it didn't look funny anymore. It feels like the guy is just mocking her. Tries to make her weak and tired.

If that's his plan, then it'll work out. I can’t move anymore – I sat down on a bent branch, waving my arms, wiping sweat on my T-shirt, Jihyo thought.

The girl relaxed, closed her eyes, and almost regretted that she had lost her vigilance. Someone pushed her in the back, crushed her to the ground, holding her neck with his hands, hastily whispered:

For today you will stay alive. If tomorrow you don't do as I asked you last week, you can say goodbye to life. Did you cut it, Jihyo? Nod if you heard, Jisoo - pressed harder, she, almost choking, lack of air, somehow nodded. - Don't get up until I'm gone.

Jihyo, if she could move, she would jump to her feet and run to the nearest police station. But she lay flat on the cold ground, barely breathing. The guy almost strangled her, in addition to this, his knee rested against her solar plexus, creating discomfort.

She almost lost consciousness, but held on, or rather, one thought was spinning in her head, preventing her from losing consciousness:

How does he know my past name? How does he even know my name?

 

Japan Tokyo

A couple of days after the incident in Seoul

The chill of the morning made her shiver as she left the house to say goodbye to her parents and older brother. How, always not listening to the mother that it can be cold in the morning, because spring has just come, the snow has just melted, and the air is still cool. Now she was walking, shaking from the headwind, which, unfortunately, decided to play with her endurance.

Teeth chattering, mentally repeating to herself that the sun was shining now, and it was hot outside, she quickly walked to the turn, rounded it, leaned against the wall, took a breather. A little further ahead and there will be a descent into the subway, where she can warm up. Her hands were frozen, she tried to rub them, put them in the pockets of her school jacket, but nothing helped, for some reason it got worse.

Her legs stiffened, the air became completely unbearable, it seemed to be saturated with severe cold, it became difficult to breathe, and she tried to hold her breath. It felt like her lungs were turning into ice, and the more she swallowed air, the harder it became.

- We need to go forward - the girl thought, taking a step, one more, she could not do one more.

She was attacked suddenly.

They injected something, making her freeze, as if she turned into a statue.

A tall man in a black cloak walked up to the statue. His rough features twisted as his lips pulled into a smirk. Raising his large hand to the girl's face, he gently the icy cheek, then leaned over and kissed, muffled:

You are so beautiful, my girl. Welcome to my eternity.

After the kiss, he carefully lifted the “statue”, slowly took it to the van, laid it on the same human statues as the girl.

- Here you go, they are now your girlfriends.

He slammed the van doors, walked to the driver's seat, got in, started the car, and drove off.

 

South Korea, Seoul

A week after the Tokyo murder

Saturday. Morning.

She could feel the soothing warmth of the spotlight on her cheeks as she danced, feeling weightless, as if she were floating in the air rather than across the stage as she turned and twirled.

It was like happiness, like perfection. Like something she hadn't felt in a long time.

Her feet walked across the hard floor. The girl could also hear the music, but it sounded from afar, as if it was making a broken radio crackle. From time to time the song would flare up, trembling until it returned.

She danced the steps she memorized to the point where she could do them in her sleep. Indeed, she was probably asleep, but at that moment she felt like she was on top of the world, and it didn't matter if it wasn't real. She didn't care. All she cared about was that now it was her song.

I am the swan queen, she thought, her white wings billowing behind her.

She saw feathers floating around her, falling like snowflakes as she stepped among them with her arms outstretched. She jumped and swung, trying unsuccessfully to keep a smile on her face.

It was just magical. She commanded everything, truly becoming Odette, feeling just as innocent and pure.

She continued to dance, much longer than she thought, but the song didn't end. But it didn't matter, because she was content to stay in her own world for as long as life would let her.

But eventually the song stopped, and she bowed to the invisible audience. Her hair fell out of her bun, curling around her face for a moment, shielding her from everything else.

There was no applause, except for one clap. When she looked up, she saw in the audience the lonely silhouette of a girl who looked oddly like her. She blinked, wondering if she should scream. But instead, the girl slowly waved while standing, and then she saw that the girl was her mirror image.

She shuddered and her soft white wings curled around her body. She felt her heart start pounding in her chest as the song started again, but this time slower, darker.

The strange girl smiled before the stage lights suddenly went out.

Instead of a stage, she saw herself lying in the middle of the same mirror images of herself, frozen like a statue.

Pam-pum-para-pam - the ominous melody of Tchaikovsky from the ballet "The Nutcracker" played.

She wanted to wake up, she began to look around, looking for a way out, but he was nowhere to be found.

Soft footsteps approached her, the music getting louder.

Then an invisible hand reached out through the darkness and...

Mina shuddered, her heart still pounding in her chest.

It was barely dawn, the sun gently creeping through her window shades. She automatically felt a little disappointed for waking up so early on her day off, but Mina couldn't get back to sleep.

A glance at the clock on her bedside table confirmed that it was still too early, 6:35 am.

Mina sighed.

How many times I wake up again and again from this dream and so early. Why can't I sleep longer on my day off?

Before going to the kitchen to make breakfast, she decided to stretch herself a little, so she went down to the yoga mat that lay next to the bed and began to perform standard stretches.

After putting on a dressing gown, putting on slippers with penguin ears, she went to the kitchen, past her little sister's room, trying not to make noise.

Mina lived in a small, perhaps bordering on a tiny, apartment with her younger sister near the Seoul Ballet Company. It was also not far from the clothing design company where her sister worked, and every morning when they both had work, they walked to the subway station together. Mina liked the routine, and her sister Chaeyoung complained that she had no imagination.

Chaeyoung, she must have been back late yesterday again, Mina thought to herself as she opened the fridge and peered in for breakfast ingredients. I didn't hear when she came.

She did not envy Mina, although she did not hide from herself that she was a little uncomfortable, maybe not familiar, being in a noisy company of complete strangers. She was essentially an introvert, shy, not very sociable, she liked being at home more than in the company.

Yes, Chaeyoung often rebuked her about this, always trying to pull her out of the shell to show the world outside the room.

Mina went out, but all her campaigns were unsuccessful.

She may not have hung out with strangers or had relationships, but she was one of the best dancers in the Seoul ballet troupe.

Mina worked hard, as shown by how high she was at the top of the "ballet food chain", but she never had the ambition that some of the other girls in the company had. Mina fought for the title for a long time until she received it, and having received it, it was taken away from her.

Now, instead of the profession of "ballerina", she was engaged in the profession of "choreographer". And she loved her job.

The dream she had been having since that day was considered a nightmare.

But today the dream has changed its structure, Mina will not remember that in her nightmares she has ever seen a mirror image of herself.

I wonder what that could mean? – thought girl, starting to prepare breakfast. The dark version of me...

She has always been a White Swan in her life, but here, in a dream, she appeared as a Black Swan.

Strange - her thoughts were interrupted by a rustle, and then Chaeyoung entered the kitchen, sat on a chair, looking sleepily at her older sister.

Chaeyoung looked really cute, her hair sticking out, her pouting expression, her pajamas "tiger".

- Good morning - Mina delicately cleared , trying not to smile.

- What are you cooking, unnie? - Chaeyoung asked without hiding .

- Toast and eggs for you. And maybe some juice, - Mina replied, pretending not to notice Chaeyoung’s arched brow.

- Are you going to keep your figure again, unnie? - she asked.

- I just don't want to have breakfast, I'll drink coffee - Mina answered, putting the prepared food for her younger sister on the table. Chaeyoung just grimaced.

- You know, I don’t like it when you don’t eat. - Chaeyoung pointedly said, Mina sighed.

- I'll have breakfast later, I promise. It’s better to tell me what you want to do today, I’m completely yours, she reminded me that she had a day off today.

- Shopping, shopping, and that art museum where I wanted to take you last week. I would have been mixing if someone hadn't decided to help their best friend, replace her at work.

-Hey, Chaeng, I already apologized, - Mina said, taking a sip from her coffee cup, sighing in satisfaction, feeling the hot liquid help wake her up. - Besides, Momo-chan really couldn’t stay there, because…

- Yes, yes, her girlfriend came and blah blah blah - Chaeyoung waved her off, quickly eating her breakfast, then poured herself a cup of coffee, almost drank it in one gulp. - Let's go get ready, I want to leave the house early. Clothes can't wait.

 

South Korea, Seoul

Saturday. Day.

Dance Studio "Three Graces"

Music filled the silence, and in the middle of the space, a single girl danced, her ash-colored locks in a bun, disheveled after so many hours of training.

She loved to dance, to give herself completely to music, enjoying every moment.

Today in the studio there was only she, Momo, one of the managers of this judge was now driving towards the airport to pick up her girlfriend, who flew in from New York for the weekend.

Mina, another of her close friends, the best prima ballerina in the past, was supposed to come in her place. Now, she, like Momo, was an independent choreographer who owned the second part of the studio.

Until Mina arrived, the entire studio was at Sana's disposal. Minatozaki Sana, co-owner of the Three Graces studio, who owns the last third part.

Once upon a time, back in their school years, three Japanese girls wished one day to create a dance studio, become successful and shine on stage.

They did not become successful, on the contrary, they had to endure a lot, to compete for a place in the sun.

It hurts to remember this, and now I didn’t want to remember, so Sana gave all her thoughts and feelings to the dance, the choreography that she staged for the newly debuted group.

Their dance studio, Three Graces, specialized in choreographing idols: Momo did popping and hip-hop, and also excelled a little at breakdancing; Mina is modern, Sana is modern with an admixture of old movements.

Together, the girls created amazing chemistry and synchronization, conveying uniqueness in dancing.

If earlier nobody knew anything about the studio, then for the last 2 years they have become famous even abroad.

The last chord informed Sana that it was time to stop and take a breath and fill an empty stomach with some food to continue the choreography. Turning the music down, the girl took her wallet from her bag and left the dance studio into the corridor. At the end of the corridor stood a kiosk with hot drinks and chocolate bars. Of course, chocolate doesn’t count as food, especially if nothing has been thrown into an empty stomach before, but Mina promised to bring the ordered food with her, so you can hold out for a couple of hours.

Empty corridors never bothered her, but today, some premonition crept up that someone was following her. In addition, for a second it seemed to her that she heard a light whisper behind her, and then a ringing laugh in general. Sana didn't believe in ghosts, but she looked back, expecting that maybe it was Mina who arrived earlier than the appointed time, and laughs at some joke of Chaeyoung.

It turned out to be a deception of hearing, because no one followed her.

Sana frowned, pinched the bridge of her nose, thinking to herself:

You just overworked, Sana, and from hunger everything seems to be. Let's eat now, everything will pass.

Having bought herself a chocolate bar, hot coffee, having received the rest of the money from the kiosk, throwing coins into the pocket of her jacket, she returned to the dance hall.

Stepping over it, Sana felt that the hall had become several degrees warmer than it had been before.

Strange, I didn't change anything when I left.

She went to the thermostat, scratched her chin, looking thoughtfully at +30, although before that it was only +22.

She returned to the temperature that she was, leaving herself a note to find out the reasons (the expiration date may have expired, who knew him).

She picked up the remote, pressed the volume up, replaying the music, thinking about new moves as she sipped her coffee and candy bar.

Having finished her coffee in two gulps, swallowing the bar just as quickly, Sana was ready to continue when she suddenly staggered, lost her balance and fell on her back.

She wanted to get up, but she could not, because someone crushed her body to the ground.

Someone held hands around her neck.

Someone smelled of floral perfume, too sweet, so that you wanted to pinch your nose with your fingers and not breathe.

Sana froze, not daring to move under the one who was now sitting on her.

She heard heavy breathing.

She heard his voice, which sounded a warning:

- Don't you dare go back, otherwise you will join eternity.

Sana nodded her head quickly, praying that she would stay alive, although she honestly did not understand where she needed to return.

- Stay like that until I'm gone. Don't you dare raise your head, Sana-chan.

She nodded again, pressing her lips into a thin line, gasping for air in her lungs.

I waited until the door closed behind someone, then lay down for another 10 minutes (maybe more, I didn’t detect it), exhaled, greedily gasping for air.

He knows my name. What did he warn about? Where should I not return?

 

Taiwan

Saturday. Evening.

Film Studio "Voskhod"

Choi Tzuyu, the main actress of the historical drama titled "Moon Melody of the Heart," has just finished filming the last episode for today. The young actress, who already had two Best Leading Actress awards under her belt, stood in front of the monitor carefully examining herself as the beloved of the Pearl Lotus King. She was still in the form of a concubine: a simple light pink dress with images of the moon and the sun embroidered at the bottom of the hem; sandals on a small heel, emphasized the elegance of her legs; braided hair, neatly styled in the form of a crescent; light makeup, with a barely noticeable coral lipstick, a little powder on the cheeks.

The entire staff, as well as the actors who played the recent scene with her, admired the girl, remembering the current image, which will be replaced by another outfit tomorrow.

After running through the footage, she filmed, Tzuyu went to her dressing room to change into her casual clothes, remove makeup, and take the stage outfit back to the costumers. In addition to her, in the room was her manager, and part-time best friend, unnie, whom Tzuyu could always rely on in any situation.

- You did a great job, Tzuyu, - Dahyun said with a slight smile, carefully helping the girl take off her concubine’s simple-looking attire.

-Thank you, Dahyunie, - Tzuyu thanked her softly with a note of fatigue in her voice as she freed her sleeves from her dress and handed it to the manager.

- It may seem to the viewer that this scene is very easy, but it was difficult for you to learn half of the text. And yet you managed despite the obstacles of English words, - Dahyun praised her, carefully hanging the dress on her shoulders, straightening all the folds to take it back to the dressers. - I'm so proud of you, Tzuyu.

- I'm proud of myself too, unnie, - the girl said shyly, raising her hands above her head to begin to untie the bun, freeing her hair. It would be better if I didn't delay the shooting like that. We shot the same scene so many times and it was all my fault, shaking my head so that long dark brown hair fell down her back, covering her back almost to the waist.

- It was not only your fault, - Dahyun disagreed with her arguments, taking a comb in her right hand and starting to run through her hair, removing unnecessary clumps. - I watched the whole scene from the side, your partner was also confused in words. In addition, the light was constantly flashing, I had to change it. So don’t take all the blame on yourself, Tzuyu, - she finished, stepping back a couple of steps to the closet where the actress’s casual clothes hung, took it out, handed it to her friends. - Go get changed while I look for an open cafe where I can have a quick bite to eat before going home.

- You can have dinner with me, unnie. I won’t mind if you spend the night with me again, - Tzuyu said, going behind the screen, suggesting that her friend go to her home, and not return herself through the dark streets to her place.

- Sorry, girlfriend, no matter how much I appreciate your politeness, but I want to sleep in my warm, soft bed tonight. Your couch is cruel to my delicate back. - Dahyun winced involuntarily at the memory of how badly her lower back ached after spending the night at Tzuyu's the previous weekend.

- But my house is located near the film studio, and not somewhere on the outskirts of the city. It’s already late now, so buses, taxis don’t run, you’ll have to walk through dark alleys, - Tzuyu insisted, furrowing her brows, imagining how someone would steal her friend along the way (after all, she’s so small, like a doll) or even that worse. - You’re coming to my place, period, unnie.

- Tzuyu, don’t cross the elder unnie, - Dahyun didn’t give up, thinking about how to save her back from being tortured. - Don't worry, if I can run fast.

- You can spend the night in my bed - coming out from behind the screen fully dressed in jeans, a T-shirt and a cap, Tzuyu threw the last argument, perfectly aware of what such an overnight stay could lead to.

- In your royal bed, where you never let anyone in except your dogs? Seriously, Tzuyu, will you let me lie there? -Dahyun pretended to gasp, covering her open surprised mouth with her small hand.

- Only without hands - the tall girl clarified, looking away at the white envelope lying on the table, which had not previously been there. - Unnie, did you put it here?

- What? Oh, yes, I completely forgot, one of the assistant directors handed it to you, asked you to read the changes in the text. But back to bed and overnight, I'll probably still refuse, Tzuyu. I don't want to bother you; you need a good rest. If I stay, we'll talk half the night again. Let's go next time, okay?

-You and your spoiled sense of duty towards me as an actress, unnie, - Tzuyu surrendered, sighing as she took the envelope in her hand and put it in her bag, deciding to read it at home.

Whenever I read letters from fans, I always wanted to cry. And she did not like to show her tears in public.

After waiting for Dahyun to close the doors to the dressing room behind them with the words "Choi Tzuyu, actress" written on them, and saying goodbye to the film crew, the girls left the film studio. After a stuffy room, the pleasant spring night air refreshed their flushed faces, bringing a smile to their faces. They walked down the stairs together, passed the guards of the building, said goodbye to him and wished him a good night, went to the car waiting for Tzuyu.

Their light conversation about nothing as they waited for a taxi to be called for Dahyun was interrupted by the horn of a car that rushed past them, narrowly missing the bumper of Tzuyu's car. Very loud music was playing from the salons of that car, but behind the tinted windows it was impossible to see the driver.

Dahyun didn’t have time to protest when that same car returned, but now it was deliberately driving towards them, approaching at a speed that threatened them with death. The girls could not jump back or somehow react, their bodies were numb with fear, they pressed against each other, praying for any help. The car spun sharply in that gap from the impact, when only a few centimeters remained before Tzuyu's car. The driver's hand in a black hoodie tossed them several envelopes with the same emblem that Tzuyu had seen out of the corner of her eye when she took the fan's letter.

A rough, metallic voice following this warned:

- Don't you dare come back. You are not expected there. It was a warning, next time I will kill you. Did you hear me, Tzuyu, Dahyun?