Don't forget me.

Wait for me.

I'll come for you.

I your soft hair, lulling you to sleep.

I take you into my arms.

I sing to you, promising love and serenity.

I sing to you my lullaby, promising to never let you go.

 

 

---

 

Two months earlier...

 

She abruptly turned off the music.

 

All around her, the members stopped dancing and protested, "Yah, Krystal, what are you doing? Why'd you turn off the music? We were almost finished with dance practice!" Sulli reached out to turn the music back on.

 

Krystal swatted Sulli's hand away and put a finger to her lips, "Shush! Listen. Do you hear that?" She strained her ears, leaning forward and listening with a look of intense concentration on her face. The other members stared at her like she had gone crazy but eventually followed suit. The practice room was dead quiet, but they couldn't hear anything but the pitter-patter of the rain outside.

 

Sulli plopped down on the floor, whining, "Unnie...there's nothing...What's wrong with you all of a sudden?" The other members chorused their agreement. Krystal ignored them, still trying to listen. Amber took a swig out of a water bottle before wiping off her sweat with a towel, "Seriously, Krystal. You've been so jumpy lately."

 

Luna nodded, sprawling on the ground, "Besides, we're the only people in the whole building right now. It's empty."

 

Krystal shook her head, clenching her fists in frustration. She had heard something! She really had! She spun around to face the other members, "Didn't you guys hear it? There was someone outside the door, pacing back and forth! I heard the footsteps!" The other members looked at her like she had lost it. Amber mutely offered Krystal a water bottle. Krystal refused it.  "Your brain looks like it needs some serious hydration, " Amber argued, throwing the bottle to Krystal.

 

 She caught it by instinct, crushing it with frustration. "I am not crazy! I really did hear it. My brain is functioning normally!" She insisted, convinced that her ears had not been mistaken. There really had been footsteps pacing back and forth outside the dance practice room. Why didn't they believe her?

 

Victoria shrugged, "Well, go ahead and check the door then. But don't say we didn't tell you." Krystal sniffed and stalked out of the practice room. She walked down the eerily quiet hallways towards the entrance. There was no one there. She thoroughly checked all the other rooms, only to find to find them all empty.  She returned to the practice room.

 

Victoria, Luna, Amber, and Sulli looked up, "Find anything?"

 

 Krystal grumbled, reluctant to admit, "....No." The other members resumed dance practice, and she joined in half-heartedly. No matter what the members said and even though she hadn't found  anyone, she was sure...that there were footsteps.

 

A heavy thundering of footsteps halted their practice. Sulli switched off the music, "Looks like the SHINee oppas are here. Let's pack up."

 

 Krystal quickly rubbed all the sweat on her neck off with a towel. Gathering the stray strands of hair that had come loose of her ponytail, she re-did her hair, checking in one of the many mirrors that it looked decent enough. She tugged off her high heels for practice and laced up a pair of comfy sneakers onto her feet. Just as she was zipping up her training bag, the SHINee oppas flooded in, throwing down their own training bags.

 

 "Hey, guys!" Jonghyun greeted warmly. They greeted each other with hugs. The guys were starting to shrug off their hoodies as the girls exited the room. Krystal confronted Key on her way out, "It was you, wasn't it? Pacing back and forth outside."

 

He gaped at her, bewildered, "What? We just got here."

 

She crossed her arms, "Don't kid me."

 

 He waved his hands back and forth frantically, "I really am not lying! Ask Minho!"

 

Minho looked up, "Ask me what?"

 

Key pointed at Krystal, "Krystal seems to think I was stalking her like a creeper with no life outside the practice room!"

 

 Minho shook his head, "We just got here. I have no idea what you heard, but it wasn't us."

 

She let it slide, trusting Minho. Apologizing to Key, Krystal walked out of the dance studio, pondering her sanity. She was sure that there were footsteps. Actually, she had already been hearing noises behind her for a while. She had just never been sure until today. Was it just someone playing a cruel prank on her? Or was it really just her imagination like the other members said it was? Perhaps she really did need more sleep. Krystal made a mental note to herself to go to bed early tonight. Key's words flashed in her head.

 

 Krystal seems to think I was stalking her like a creeper with no life outside the practice room!

 

 

Stalking.

 

Her blood ran cold, and she felt a sudden chill crawl down her spine. She whirled around, surveying her  surroundings. There was no one there. But she could've sworn that she felt something--no, someone--breathing down her neck. Taking a shaky breath, Krystal slapped herself mentally for even considering such an absurd possibility. It was probably just the wind. But even then as she started making her way to the van, she kept looking over her shoulder the whole time. 

 

 

---

 

 

Krystal blow-dried her hair, shaking off water droplets. She could hear the laughter of the other members as they lounged on the couch, watching TV. They had invited her to join them, but she had refused, sticking to her resolution to get a good night's sleep. Too many late nights, early mornings, and vigorous practice was probably confusing her tired brain. Krystal wrapped herself in a towel and went into her room looking for her favorite pair of pajamas: a loose, baggy gray shirt with a big pocket in the front and panda boxer shorts. She had flung them on the bed on her way out of the dorm to her morning schedule.

 

They weren't there.

 

Krystal threw off the blankets and searched under her pillows. Still not there. She frowned, rummaging in the dresser and closet that she shared with Sulli. Where the hell were they? "Sulli?" Krystal called out.

 

No answer.

 

She tried again, "Sulli!!!"

 

Sulli came, rushing into the room, "What? What did you call me for?"

 

Krystal turned over everything in their room, searching frantically for her pajamas, "Have you seen my pajamas?"

 

"Which ones? You've got lots."

 

"You know! The ones I wear all the time! The gray, loose baggy shirt with the pocket on the front with lovebirds and the gray panda shorts!" She was sure that she had left them in the same spot that she always flung them every day. Why weren't they there today?

 

Sulli joined her in searching, but after ten minutes of futile effort, Sulli flopped down on her bed, "Unnie! There's no point in trying to search anymore. It's like they just disappeared! I swear, I saw them lying there on your bed just, like, an hour ago! Just before you went in to take a shower. Are you sure they're not in the laundry?"

 

Krystal nodded. Sulli mused at the fact, "They're definitely not here anymore. More like they grew legs and walked off. Unnie should just find another pair to wear for now. If we couldn't find them within this time, I'd say that they won't be turning up anytime soon."

 

Raking a hand through her hair, frustrated, Krystal pulled on a red shirt and black athletic black shorts. She had to find those pajamas. They were the last gift she had ever gotten from her grandmother before she had passed away unexpectedly. Perhaps it was silly of Krystal to cherish a pair of pajamas, but she did. Sulli quietly took her cue and left the room as Krystal turned off the lights and got ready for bed.

 

It was a hot summer night with a gentle breeze blowing through the trees. Krystal opened the windows slightly to let the wind in while keeping the curtains drawn close. She shut my eyes, clutching a stuffed animal to her chest, and drifted into a much-needed sleep.

 

 

 

 

---

 

 

Her eyes shot open, and Krystal sat up straight, gasping. She d around for her cell phone lying on the small table beside her bed. She pressed the home button, lighting up the LED screen display. She squinted her eyes  groggily at the sudden brightness.

 

3:11 AM.

 

She groaned, flopping back into bed. Sulli slept in the bed next to Krystal, quietly snoring and mumbling in her sleep. Krystal stared up at the ceiling unable to go back to sleep. She turned to and fro, but she could never get comfortable. She threw her stuffed animal at the wall in frustration. Almost immediately, She felt a little bad and picked it up, petting its head and hugging it tightly to her chest. She rocked back and forth for a while, pouting.

 

Krystal finally set the stuffed animal down on her bed and walked into the kitchen to fetch herself a glass of water. It was pitch black, and she had to blindly in the darkness. Gulping down cool, crisp water that refreshed her dry throat, she set down the glass in the sink with a clink and made her way back to her room.

 

Upon entering her room, she felt a chilly wind blow through the window. Krystal shivered, feeling the cool touch of air on her bare skin. The curtains were drawn back and flapped in the breeze. She crawled back into bed, pulling up the covers to fend off the chill. Krystal closed her eyes, drifting off to sleep. Quickly slipping into a subconscious state, her brain duly noted the empty space next to her where she had left her stuffed animal. Not thinking much about it, she went back to sleep.

 

 

The next morning, she found her lying in a bed full of stuffing. Stuffing that spilled out of a gash in the neck of her stuffed animal which had been hacked and torn to pieces.

 

Horrified, she ran to the bathroom to splash cold water on her face. She shook her head vigorously, opening her eyes wide. She breathed in and out deeply while calmly reasoning with herself that she was just dreaming. Pinching herself one last time and drying her face, she walked back into her room to wake Sulli up. Krystal shook her urgently, "Sulli! It's late! Ireona!"

 

 Sulli groaned before reluctantly rolling out of bed while Krystal rummaged through her closet to find a suitable pair of clothes. Today was their off-day, and they were free to do whatever they wanted. She settled on a plain white shirt, a red cardigan with the sleeves rolled up, and dark blue skinny jeans. She chose gold hoop earrings and opted for a simple, messy bun. Sitting at her vanity, Krystal added the finishing touches on her makeup.

 

Outside, the window had somehow been opened all the way with the curtains partly drawn back--perhaps Sulli had opened them earlier? A few, clear notes of a canary's morning song carried through the window. Putting away her makeup, Krystal walked to the windowsill, admiring the beauty of the canary and its song. The canary hopped from the tree branch and onto the window ledge. She cooed, "Kyeopta! Mr. Birdy, your song is so pretty." The canary chirruped in reply and hopped to and fro from the window to the tree branches.

 

 Luna called her name, "Krystal! Breakfast is ready!"

 

Krystal yelled back, "Coming!" She bent down to the canary's eye level, "I'll be right back, Mr. Birdy." The bird flitted around the window opening, it's little wings flapping. She ran from the room as the canary resumed its little tune  and greeted the other members in the kitchen. Krystal grabbed a piece of toast out of the toaster and generously slathered butter on it. She took a bite, sliding into her seat at the table. Victoria was poring over the newspaper, occasionally sipping her coffee. She nodded to Krystal absently, "Krystal."

 

Krystal smiled, "Good morning. Anything interesting in the paper?" She leaned forward in her seat, straining to see what had caught Victoria's attention. Victoria tapped the page with a carefully manicured nail, "There's been a string of home robberies and kidnappings in the area. Police just sent out a warning to make sure that citizens lock all their doors and check that all their windows are closed at night."

 

Sulli looked up from sipping her green tea, "Oops. Krystal and I left our window open last night. I mean, it was only a crack, and we kept the curtains drawn."

 

Krystal looked at Sulli sharply, "Yeah, and then you decided to draw back the curtains and leave the window wide open. Great job, Sulli."

 

Sulli stared at Krystal, "What are you talking about? I didn't touch the window! I thought you did! After all, your bed is closer to the window than mine is."

 

Her words slowly sunk in. Krystal blinked, "You weren't the one who opened the window? Then...Then...Who opened it?"

 

Sulli waved her hands around, "Obviously not me. Maybe it was the wind. Anyways, did you close the window when you left the room?"

 

Krystal shook her head, pushing her chair back from the table. "But I will now." She took her toast, munching on it, as she thought about what Sulli had said. She was probably right. Perhaps it was the wind that had opened the window. From now on, Krystal was definitely going to sleep with all the windows and doors locked, just to be safe. She felt like she had developed a phobia of some sort. Now, no matter where she went, who she was with, she never felt safe. She felt vulnerable, raw, exposed. The hidden, innate, animalistic instinct deeply embedded in her brain whispered to me, hide. She wanted  to hide. She wanted to lock herself in her room and bury herself under the covers. She wanted to stay in the dorm and not step one foot outside into the sunlight. She wanted to hide herself in the darkness away from everyone else. She wanted to lock herself away from the world in her little, safe bubble where no one could touch her. Krystal shook her head, clearing it of the strange thoughts. She must be developing some sort of social phobia.

 

She walked into the room to be greeted by a huge gust of wind in her face. She shut her eyes briefly until the wind died down. It was eerily quiet and empty after the wind died. Krystal looked around the room wildly, checking the corners.

 

She was alone.

 

Yet why did she feel like she wasn't?

 

Krystal walked over to the window, reaching up to shut it when something yellow caught the corner of my eye. She ignored the flash of color and proceeded to close the window, but it wouldn't close. She tried to force it shut, but it refused to budge. Krystal growled in frustration, but when she looked down, she let out a blood-curdling scream. The slit in the canary's throat seemed like a grinning, gruesome smile. Blood pooled out from beneath its limp, stone-cold body, staining its yellow feathers. Its beak was still open, as if it had breathe its last while singing.  Blood was smeared against her shirt, clashing with the pristine white, from the fallen canary.

 

The canary had died, singing it's last song.

 

But that wasn't what had stopped the beating of her heart. It was the message. Crudely swirled in red, crimson paint, the message glared at her against the white windowsill. She backed away slowly, shaking.

 

나만 쳐다봐. 나만 바라봐.

Only stare at me. Only look at me.

 

Her knees gave out from beneath her, and she collapsed to the ground in a shaking, hysterical mess, trying to drag herself out of the room. The other members found her there, huddled in a fetal position. But by then, the bird already disappeared, and the message was already gone.

 

 

 

 

---

 

 

SooJin raced through the crowded streets of San Francisco frantically, worried that she might be too late. People grumbled and cursed at her whenever she bumped into them. She didn't stop, only calling out the occasional apology over her shoulder, not caring whether they heard her or not. Halting at the intersection, she ducked into the back alleyways of the city after a brief moment's hesitation. She had debated about whether she should've taken the shortcut; the back alleys of San Francisco were not a pretty sight.  They were dark, dank, and foul. Trash littered every inch of the sidewalk; rats scurried to and fro, their yellow, beady eyes darting nervously around in the darkness. But if she used the alley network, she could cut the journey's time in half and avoid the humiliation of punishment.

 

She ran on nimble toes, leaping over piles of garbage and darting through a labyrinth of alleys. Once, her foot slipped, and she splashed through a ditch full of murky water with soggy hamburger wrappers floating on the surface. SooJin grimaced at the unpleasant coldness of the slimy water on her bare legs as she continued to run. She stumbled over her own feet, scraping the palm of her hand against the stone brick wall in the process of catching herself. She blew on the scrape a couple of times to temporarily relieve the burning sting before continuing on her way.

 

She raced towards the opening where light streamed through. Emerging from the darkness, SooJin wheezed, out of breath, her hands on her knees. A coughing fit seized her body, and she hacked away, clutching her shirt. Her eyes closed, and SooJin had to lean against the wall of a building for support until the coughing and dizzy spell had past. She didn't need medical confirmation--and she certainly did not have money for it, anyways--to know that she had a weak heart and poor lungs. The dank, polluted air of the alleyways did nothing to help her condition.

 

She placed a hand on her chest, trying to calm her hammering heartbeat. Her breath rasped in , and she longed to gulp down pristine, cool water, not the gritty, slimy tap water she normally drank. She brushed stray, sweaty strands of hair out of her face and walked briskly in the direction of the shop.

 

A dull ring of a bell sounded as she opened the door. It was still fairly empty with only one or two men sipping coffee in the dark, quiet corners of the restaurant. She quietly slipped through the back door marked 'Employees Only.' Closing the door very softly, she grabbed a dusty-white, flour-printed apron and fumbled to tie it on. SooJin hurriedly snatched up a name tag from a tray, clipping it on the front of her apron.

 

Jeon SooJin.

 

She quickly grabbed a hairnet and tugged it over her head, checking in the mirror hanging on the wall that there were no stray, un-tucked hairs. She quickly rushed to the line of inspection, hoping to sneak in without drawing the Boss's attention to her. The Boss despised tardiness and her--mostly her--and would not kindly look upon her being late. SooJin squeezed in between two other women in dirty-white chef outfits just as the Boss called her name. She forced her voice to sound normal, as if she had not just arrived in the kitchen. The Boss's eagle eyes seemed to pierce through SooJin's skull as she noted the beads of sweat on SooJin's forehead and neck, the mud on her leg, and her shortness of breath. The Boss's blood-red lips turned down into a scowl, "Jeon SooJin. Always late. Must you always arrive at the last minute?"

 

SooJin cringed, biting her tongue and ducking her head apologetically. She tried to discreetly hide her hands behind her back, knowing what the Boss would say next. The Boss walked down the line of workers , stopping in front of SooJin. She didn't even bother to look at SooJin when she suddenly snapped, "SooJin. Hands."

 

SooJin cursed mentally, hesitantly holding out her hands. The Boss grabbed SooJin's right hand, jerking it towards her underneath the sunlight. "Goodness! You were thinking of baking with these monstrous hands of yours?! They must be filled with all sorts of bacteria and filth!" She dropped SooJin's hand, an aghast expression on her face.

 

SooJin rolled her eyes. The Boss could talk all she wanted about hygiene and cleanliness but that wouldn't hide the fact that the kitchen itself was in need of dire hygienic sanitation. The Boss paced up and down the line, ordering, "No kitchen duty for you. Tardiness and filthy hands? You should know better SooJin. You can go out and serve the customers in the tavern."

 

SooJin groaned inwardly, while the chef next to her grimaced with pity and sympathy. Everyone dreaded waitress duty. Those duties were saved for the newbies--for good reason too. It took years of unwilling, torturous years to work your way up the ladder of experience. Waitresses were the ones who withstood the brunt of complaining customers. But even worse, they were forced to tend to the needs of lecherous, drunk men. You would be lucky to just get away with the occasional . There were a lot worse possibilities. SooJin shivered. She thought she had left those days far behind her. The Boss held her hand out, "Apron."

 

SooJin reluctantly untied her apron and handed it over to the Boss. She unclipped SooJin's nametag from the front and tossed it to her. "Waitress uniforms are in the closet to the left. Now, shoo. We're about to reach our peak hour." Painfully dragging her feet, SooJin opened the uniform closet and yanked the frivolous black and white uniform off the hanger. She changed into it, grimacing at the short hemline of the skirt. It just barely reached mid-calf, but whenever she moved, it would always ride up her hips. She tried to yank it down as much as she could; She hated feeling exposed and vulnerable. SooJin grabbed a tray and entered the beasts' tavern to take orders.

 

It was disgusting that so many people were out to get drunk so early in the day. Didn't these lazy asses have anything better to do? She tried to stand in the back, letting the other waitresses take all the orders. SooJin busied herself with mopping up the bar counter, meticulously making sure that it was sparkling and spotless. She looked up at the clock.

 

10:56 AM

 

Four more minutes. Four more minutes until her shift ended. It was torturous, working here in the stifling hot bar with the drunken roar of men all around her. She drummed her fingers on the countertop, counting mentally in her head. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11.....

 

A waving motion caught her eye, and she stopped counting. SooJin looked up, almost instantly regretting making eye contact with a customer. She tried to rectify her mistake by quickly dropping her head with her bangs covering her face. She turned away hurriedly, pretending to inspect some glasses. SooJin shivered. Was it just her or was it really chilly in here? Maybe it was because she was wearing a skirt, but she could swear that just a moment ago, she had been complaining about the heat and stuffiness. She couldn't shake the feeling off. It was the feeling that people would get when they're watching a horror movie and they just know something bad was going to happen. That's how she felt.

 

 A finger tapped her on the shoulder, and SooJin jumped, nearly dropping the glass. A new recruit with heavily-piled makeup on her face looked at her strangely. SooJin straightened her skirt and placed the glass gingerly onto the shelf again. "There's a customer asking for you," the new recruit told SooJin, matter-of-factly.

 

SooJin glanced at the girl's nametag, "Well...Jin..Ae. Can't you get someone else to take his order? As you can see, I was in the middle of doing something." Technically, she was supposed to place the customer as a first priority, but there was no supervisor in the room. SooJin was the senior employee in here, and this girl was so new, SooJin was pretty sure she was still learning the ropes.

 

JinAe pouted, "But he's asking specifically for you. 'Get me the waitress behind the bar,' he said."

 

SooJin blinked, "What?"

 

JinAe shrugged, "Whatever. It doesn't matter. What matters is that you go see what he wants. Table #1101." She flounced off, tossing her hair over her shoulder. SooJin scoffed. Who was she to tell her what to do? I'll do whatever I wanted, SooJin thought to herself mutinously. She sighed. But then how would she pay the bills? Living homeless on the streets of San Francisco with rats crawling all over her every night was not an experience she hoped to endure ever again. Trudging reluctantly, SooJin walked through the crowds and hordes of men in the direction JinAe had pointed. There, in the darkest, dingiest, and quietest corner of the room was a table.

 

But it was empty.

 

She looked around for the customer, wondering if maybe JinAe had told her wrongly. There was no one here. There wasn't even a glass on the table for her to clear up. There wasn't even a drop of beer on the table on the spotless table. She frowned, surveying the scene. She was about to just leave when something white on the floor caught her eye. She stooped to pick it up. Seriously, when would people learn to clean up after themselves? She walked over to the nearest trash to throw away the slip of paper when one word caught her eye: SooJin.

 

With deliberate fingers, she opened the slip to find messily scrawled handwriting covering the whole span of the paper. The more she read, the more frightened she became.

 

Jeon SooJin

Age: 19

DOB: Records say October 28, 1994....*check for more information

Weight: 47 kg

Height: 172 cm

Hobbies: Dancing (Ballet), Reading

Dislikes: Working at the tavern, Old, lecherous men, Rats, Sleeping outside

Notes: She's always late for work (Work: Illegal Korean Tavern and Cafe. She's been working there since she was 13). Currently lives in the slum section of San Francisco at the corner of 5th and Dowside Street. Dances at the abandoned, closed ballet studio at Tresan Drive and 45th Avenue. Only owns one, broken pair of ballet shoes (From a garbage bin, size 5 women's). Likes Korean street food...Spends most of her time at Koreatown. Also works at a bakery. An orphan who used to sell chewing gum at the airport.

 

The paper fluttered, forgotten, to the ground. SooJin crouched down on the ground, her hands over her ears. She shivered, looking over her shoulder at the now-empty Table #1101. She couldn't erase the feeling that the whole time she was reading the paper, she hadn't been alone.

 

 

 

 

---

 

 

 

Wow. First chapter's finally up. Haha, sorry for making you guys wait so long. =.=;; I've been super busy lately, but I just couldn't put it off any longer. Who do you think the girl in the third POV is? ;) As you can see, this is only the prologue. But it was a whopping 5,000+ prologue. O.o Hope it was long enough...

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