Time and time we’ve been told that we mustn’t judge a book by its cover rather by its contents. Everything in this world is not what it seems and requires careful studying and analysis before concluding.

            She was someone that you wouldn’t suspect or even give the thought of being capable of doing something evil. Hell, she was far from the stereotypical picture of a serial killer that the media has fed us throughout the years. Her personality wasn’t what you could describe as demure but it wasn’t gregarious and vivacious, either. She was far from it. As a matter of fact, she was what you would describe as an all-around student, the perfect person.

            Goo Hye sun was a 20 year old student in a prestigious university in Korea who was taking up medicine and law at the same time. This intelligent, hardworking, and talented tomboy was the envy of most students and the favourite of almost all professors. Being only 5 foot 2, she was short in height compared to her fellow doctor-lawyers to be who were mostly older and male, frail in body type, pale in complexion with huge doll-like eyes that grew bigger with wonder when she was interested in a topic. Her black hair was cut short like a boy’s to match her androgynous fashion.

            Hye sun was often the word of mouth in the faculty room. Her high IQ made her a top students whom teachers had no doubt would excel in the course and eventually make a good doctor and lawyer. Taking up a course that was rare and only pursued by the smartest of the smart, many students admired Hye sun’s balls for working extra hard. And Hye sun loved her work dearly. Another admirable trait of hers was staying up late at the library after classes just to review the day’s lessons and the next day’s in advance to stay ahead of the class. She was really determined to get on the Dean’s List and graduate at the top of her class.

            And that she did. Because of her dedication to her academics, she frequently made it to the Dean’s List each semester, making her professors and the Dean of their department all the more proud of her. The medical-law department was lacking in women and amongst the very few that dared, it was a woman that topped them all. Goo Hye sun was even prouder of herself.

            At home, she was a decent enough child. Not exactly what you would call the role model child but she wasn’t much of a problem either. She was born in 1984 to a 19 year old mother and up to date had no clue about the identity of her father. Hye sun grew up in the care of her mother, her stepfather, and her mother’s childhood nanny. Though loving and caring, as well as accepting, Hye sun refused to acknowledge Jason Kwon, her mother’s 23 year old boyfriend, as her father despite them marrying. To Hye sun, he was stupid and incompetent and did not deserve to have her mother as his wife. For the remainder of her childhood, Hye sun remained distant to her stepfather.

            Hye sun’s gender was evident at a young age. Her parents noticed that she was very close to her brothers whom her mother had with Jason. Apart from them, little Hye sun apparently took an interest in playing boy’s games and boy’s toys. This didn’t pose as a problem for her parents, who acknowledged it as a phase and as something that she couldn’t help, given the fact that she was surrounded by brothers.

            “It’ll pass...” they would often say. Little did they know that this would be her true identity and would hold true for the rest of her life.

            But it wasn’t until high school that her parents started to notice a great change in her behavior.  The once quiet and timid Hye sun became boisterous and loud, besting her brothers. The once shy and secretive daughter was now a hell raiser equal of that of a son. And the once socially inept child was now a part of a group of naughty adolescent boys who enjoyed causing trouble. Though she hadn’t done anything illegal up until the age of 16, it was with this group of boys that her identity, that the mark of the true personality of Goo Hye sun would be exposed.

            Enter Daniel Armand Lee, Choi Jin, and Kim Jung-sik. Three teenaged boys who were nothing but trouble. Hye sun met them in history class and the minute they started talking, hell was about to break loose.

            These boys, despite the trouble they were worth, weren’t stupid or lazy students. As a matter of fact, they were artistic and visionary. They were the kinds that had their own say about things and weren’t going to let the books and the teachers spoonfeed them information or tell them what to believe in. They had their own insights much like Hye sun did. They were rogue and creative and weren’t afraid to express it.

            However, these boys were just getting started. In their junior year in high school, Hye sun was almost kicked out, along with the three, for shoplifting at a local convenience store. Daniel insisted that they were low on cash and had no choice but to shoplift or they would go hungry. The principal refused to accept their reason, seeing it as invalid and forced them to chip in on the stolen snacks. It was paid for and all was forgotten.

            Except that Hye sun did not forget her first semi-criminal activity.

            Fortunately for Hye sun, she wasn’t violent. Despite being hot headed at times, she never got to the point where she needed to use her physical prowess to put a man down, though she knew very well in her head that she could. But there were instances in her life wherein she needed to get violent and when she did, she became really brutal.

            “Hey sissy!” called one teenaged boy from behind. “Going home to mommy?” he and his group of friends taunted the small girl. Hye sun decided to control her temper and ignore them, continuing her walk silently and alone. Her older and taller friends Daniel, Jung sik, and Choi Jin weren’t around to defend their little sister. No matter, Hye sun thought. She could defend herself anyways. She just waited for the right opportunity.

            “You’re a real sissy, aren’t you!?” one of the bullies pushed her and tossed her skinny frame around. “You only look like a boy but you fight like a wee little girl!” they taunted. One of the bigger boys grabbed her backpack and tossed it around like a doll amongst his friends. Then, the unexpected happened.

            Hye sun was filled with anger and hatred for these bullies. These bullies had been around before high school and had done the same thing to her. They had been picking on her ever since and for the longest time, she tolerated them out of fear that she might do the unthinkable because even at a young age, Hye sun knew what she was capable of. But this time, now that she was 16, she knew that she had control over what would happen...

            Or did she?

            Something came over the teenager that told her to fight back. Kind of like an internal force that was taking over her. A monster that she knew she had but never for once wanted to recognize. Then, Hye sun’s big, dark eyes grew darker and bigger. She lost sight and was seemingly hypnotized. The monster inside her had possessed her and when it did, she was just as good as owned. An inner strength overcame Hye sun as she faced the big bully and punched him hard in the balls.

            “OWWWWW!!!!” yelped the big guy. Hye sun aimed for his face, giving his nose continuous jabs until he bled.  She clawed on his face until he looked like a cat’s scratching post, his face scarred.

            “STOP HER! HELP!” the other boys were too afraid of the monster that became of the skinny little tomboy that was once their prey. Now, she was slowly killing their leader. Hye sun never halted her assault on the big boy. Her punches were continuous and in varied places that it definitely weakened her attacker. Bringing him to his knees, Hye sun gathered her backpack and mercilessly, relentlessly smacked him with it. On the face, on the body. The boy was beat up real well and his friends were too intimidated by Hye sun’s violent nature.

            “STOP IT! THE TWO OF YOU BREAK IT UP!!!!” a teacher witnessed the assault and lifted the diminutive girl off the bully. Hye sun finally calmed down and returned to normal.

            “Oh God!” Realizing what she had done, Hye sun felt a feeling of dread overcome her. A feeling that would be stranger to her later on in her life...

            Hye sun often told her friends about her encounters with the bullies and how she would deal with them. None of the stories she told were good, with the exception of this one. 

            “I beat TaeGoon up real good. He got down on his knees and I smacked him endlessly with my backpack. Had it not been for the teacher, I would’ve killed that motherer!” she would narrate to her friends with a sly, unforgiving, conscience-free grin. Her friends were also tormented by bullies in their youth and had gotten into fights but never had they heard such satisfaction and pleasure from hurting people as Hye sun had told them.

            “When I saw the blood ooze from his nostrils, I felt like God! I was God!”  teenaged Hye sun said. Her friends pretended to find it badass but in reality, they were scared for their lives. Despite her silence and withdrawal from the majority of the class, she was definitely a force not to be reckoned with.

            “Woah. You are evil.” Daniel said part sarcastically and part honestly. Hye sun nodded a slow, sinister nod.

            “Now those bullies can never touch me. Because if I do, their families will find their bodies in a hog shed.” she threatened, her tongue moving like a snake’s would. Her friend grew afraid and being the eldest, Daniel felt the need to warn her.

            “I know you’re angry, Hye sun but don’t take it that far.”

            “I won’t.” said the young girl. “I won’t.”

            “Good. We wouldn’t want to see you in jail.” Choi Jin said.

            That very night, Hye sun spent all her time locked in her bedroom, away from her mother and her stepfather whom she hated. While in her room, she sketched gruesome pictures of her attackers being murdered and her stepfather being decapitated. Since Hye sun was talented in drawing, the sketches were very realistic and when colored, were enough to send chills running down the spine of whoever saw them.

            What her family, friends and she thought was just a phase of violence would eventually turn out to be something that would give her the notoriety that she had always dreamed of as a young person.