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Identification card successful.

It beeps once, causing the sleeping guard in their workstation to tidy his posture.

"Goodnight and stay safe Miss!" the half-awake security guard waves goodbye to the last employee exiting the company, preparing his flashlight to check the entire building as his final task of the day.

"You too!"

Having to dismiss work at a late hour requires better attention towards her surroundings in case of potential danger. She scanned every area on high alert, never missing a chance to lower her boosted five senses.

In fact, she might discover a sixth sense where she can identify invisible entities staring behind her back throughout her journey home. 

It may sound absurd though it isn't her fault the scary thought would randomly appear in a situation like this. 

The risk of wandering out in the dark lures unwelcome guests. Criminals or ghosts too. Dahyun must take precautions before trouble readies itself for a surprise, which is why a bottle of pepper spray disguised as lipstick and a taser similar to the size of a phone charger rest unharmed inside her handbag. Otherwise, she may—or may not—have placed an emergency holy water in her back pocket to drive evil spirits away. 

Not to burst anyone's bubble, she doesn't fear anything (maybe a couple not worth mentioning related to humans that excludes paranormal stuff).

It's a stupid choice to avoid calling an Uber to drop her off. If that's the thought running through everyone else's heads. She actually lives closer than you think—a 15-minute walk.

The downside of it is coming across an old dormitory. Dahyun remembers encountering a child facing the opposite direction, holding a piece of chalk and drawing repetitive circular motions on the wall. The boy disappeared as she turned to tell him it was late at night.

What scares her a little is a known rumour in her area.

There have been stories in the neighbourhood about the 'slit-mouthed lady' (Kuchisake-onna). They said she wanders to an isolated place where a possible victim falls into her trap. Missing victims were found dead or alive with a slit mouths identical to hers. Their whole teeth are visible due to the use of a medical scissor. Even some police and exorcists became her victims. 

Most of them are men, she heard.

Despite that, everybody fears her spontaneous appearance. 

They think the following target will be them.

If these things exist, shouldn't she look for another company?

In her position, Dahyun migrated to Japan after a promising job offer convinced her to spend a new beginning and start over as a blooming adult. Her fluency in the Japanese language in her resume and demonstrated in her interview were the biggest bonus. Never in a million years had she thought of working in a different country. But look where she is now. She's more financially stable. Her parents won't have to work their asses every day because she needs to graduate. 

You can say she felt closer to the company and decided not to change because of the contract (especially with the rumours going around).

Thinking about her family makes her miss them. 

She should call tomorrow morning.

Still, on guard, she adjusted her scarf to cover her cold nose. The midnight wind froze parts of her facial features.

Somewhere from a long distance, a faint silhouette paced forward—a woman in a mask, one hand positioned behind. Dahyun's chunky glasses slid down her nose bridge out of disbelief, and she readjusted to see a clearer image. 

Her heart starts to beat abnormally, and goosebumps emerge in her arms.

The build-up sting spread higher in . The parching saliva worsened on her tongue. And the warnings in every fibre of her body advise her to run for her life. Although, the calmer side of her keeps telling her to walk normally to avoid the situation.

She chooses the latter. 

Her eyes were glued to the ground.

Eventually, a woman's shoes block the view.

Three feet apart, her track ends there. 

Stay calm and never break character.

"Am I pretty?"

Her attention finally drops to the pretty eyes of the woman.

She looks... normal?

Surprisingly, she doesn't feel as spooked by the strange woman wearing a piece of a surgical mask as she expects it to be. Her inner self fell into the depths of a dark hole as the honey tone of her voice somehow soothed the growing nervousness inside. 

Shouldn't she be solving an equation on how to escape this route before it's too late? At this point, her backup plan is nowhere to be found.

"Yes," she answered without hesitation.

The anticipation leaves her at a standstill. This slit-mouthed lady, she now guesses, removes her mask with the moonlight directly shining at her face and Dahyun's shadow covering the lower part of her body.

No gasp nor terror was detected. 

Dahyun mostly showed awe and guilt.

The history of the Kuchisake-onna is a sad story. Mutilated, manipulated and mocked by the people who betrayed her.

Why would she disrespect her looks?

However, bits of her emotion felt uneasy at the unidentified object hidden behind her back. 

The slit-mouthed lady hides her notorious weapon. And the office lady doesn't want to switch her fate into a deadly ending.

"Am I pretty?" asked the woman for a second attempt, stepping closer to let her think twice. 

She didn't have to think twice. 

"You are." her widest grin left the woman speechless. 

Never once of her victims showed such sincerity. Her expression reminded her of the old days, people who really thought of her as the—

"The prettiest girl I've ever seen."