Prologue

Akaiito

Holding white camellias, a lady dressed in black walked towards the memorial house in Songpo park. Clanking footsteps on posh marble floor inside "Home, House of Memory and Eternity". After praying in front of dead singer Joo Jin Gook's shelf,  the lady sadly smiled. Walking back she pulled out Jin Gook's picture from her pocket in front of her, flashing another sad smile while climbing down the staircase of memorial park. 

Halting at a Pollock rice shop, she pulled out a one person-table chair setting out her sling bag and winter coat on the adjacent chair of neighboring lunch table.  The tiny eatery had a small TV displaying a variety show "Let's talk People" making a debate on young singer Joo Jin Gook's mysterious death.

One of the MC interrupting – " on the other hand don't you think that Exotic's Sehun resembles him?"

The lady sitting across the television up high, pressed her lips in thin line. On Sehun's mention her eyes twitched. The abruptness of interrupting  Joo Jin Gook's death topic only to bring another singing artist to evoke a new conversation on their resemblance discomforted her. She clenched her fist tightly and kept starring into the tiny box of MCs & Guests with a furious gaze.

"The similarities are quite shocking, our netizens also debated if they were twins, but ofcourse Sehun is younger!" giggling the main MC Choi Dae Kyung continued on the road of sentimental ignorance. 

"Pollock rice for one! Enjoy your meal Miss" the old lady chimed from her mini kitchen with the order, placing the hot bowl on the cheap wooden table.  

Furiously digging in the bowl, she gobbled a spoonful of dry rice chewing and scoffing in disbelief "This stupid show doesn't make any sense! Why is it still running?!" gobbling rest of the food in haste to leave the mini eatery at the earliest. If not anything, the least she expected from the old lady is that she'll turn up the volume, surely to aid her hearing discomfort.

Half finishing the bowl, the lady stood up grabbing her winter coat and sling bag towards the old lady to pay up for her bill. 

Tailing you, my heart breaks, my soul all in this pain, take me away, take me away, take me with you to happiness, i want to return to our place, that once we called....... Home.....

"Madam, how much for the meal?"

"5000 Won. Miss, your phone is ringing."

"Why is it so expensive... " shuffling through her sling bag she pulled out her wallet and after counting, handing over the exact amount "Here"

Tailing you, my heart breaks, my soul all in this pain, take me awa- "Hello? What now? I was having lunch! Okay okay I am on my way. This is ridiculous, you need to stop calling me every now and the-" the lady strode out of the tiny eating place yelling in her hand phone on whoever was on the other end. 

"Visit again. Goodness, she is so loud, young people these days. Huh? What's this?" the store owner bent down picking up a white envelope lying on the floor."Wait, isn't this that loud young lady's..." she wondered checking it's front and back which had particularly no address.

The old lady ran out of her shop to quickly return the envelope to her previous customer. She scanned from left to right only to find her nowhere. "Where in the world.... She's really fast walking out like that" giving another scan to the mildly busy street of people walking around. 

Dejectedly stepping inside the shop the old lady once again checked for any mentions or address. "Oh forget it! I am as it is busy, the streets are getting crowded, I don't have time for this. I am sure she'll come back for this!" annoyed she threw the envelope towards the cash counter hoping for it's swift landing instead of contents inside envelope falling all over place. 

"Oh my God! It accidentally fell! Wasn't it sealed or glued?!" hurriedly she reached out gathering them to put it back inside.    

"Oh my god! Oh my....What in the world, what is this?! What is she keeping with her! Isn't she a psychopath for keeping this?!" the old lady exclaimed lifting a photograph from the pile she picked up a moment ago. "Isn't this person a famous kid?"  her brows furrowed as she strained her eyes to get a good look on the face in pictures.

There on the busy street of Yatap-dong, in a small rice pollock shop, from inside the white envelope the pictures held by the shop owner,  had a very well known face.

"We welcome Exotic's Sehun!"  the cheers and claps exploding from television, now showing a teaser of Sehun's appearance for next reality show. Startled by high volume, the photograph slipped out of her hands on the cheap wooden floor of the old looking shop. The photograph was no ordinary, it was painted in crimson, stinking of blood. 

 

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