But she didn't know the dangers that lurked in the concrete jungle. How could she? A measly outcast from a rural village? Junru... she wasn't hard to befriend. The girl was so vulnerable, so gullible, and above all, so clueless of what her new friend had in store for her. It didn't take Xinling long to unearth Junru's plans for the present, her dreams for the future, and the estranged family in her past. After all, she was a knowledgeable wolf in sheep's clothing. She had seen Hyojin cast her spell and play god too many times not to catch on.

This poor girl... she had no future and no one would miss her. To kill or not to kill? It wasn't a difficult decision to make. Even if her family did turn full circle to find her, Xinling didn't need her identity for long.

For the past month or so, Xinling felt she'd been followed. She had no evidence... but she knew. She suspected it was them. Had they only discovered her little gift now? Despite his vast connections to sketchy organizations across Asia and South America, she killed him, his daughter, his parents, his nephews. All in a day's work. Family reunions had a use after all. Their deaths were quick because she didn't see any need for torture. Even though they'd put her through hell in the past, she no longer hated or resented them. She was simply disposing the garbage and making the world a cleaner place.

Hyojin... she would've been proud.

The little gift she left behind could've been used in so many ways to bring her down but she was counting on them not to make a scene. The authorities didn't have to know. It was their little secret.

Xinling was a high stake gambler but she wasn't a novice. She knew how to play her cards. She knew the danger but what had she got to lose? She wasn't just flesh and blood anymore. So game on... game on.

When I speak to my patients, most of them, as it usually happens, are troubled. Some have no control as it comes from physical weakness but most... and I say this with years of experience... are just simply unaware of the rules of the game. What are the rules? There are just too many that no man will ever know them all. The world we live in is governed by these unwritten rules. They are most often unknown to us until they are broken but we may safely guess how far we crossed the line by the measure of our suffering.

I am afraid to say knowing this does not make me immune. Rules that should commonly be understood are broken by even the wisest of men. Because of these ambitious pursuits of knowledge, I am suffering. Judging by its degree, I have graciously overstepped one governing my well being.

I can already guess what she is capable of but some uncertainty still plagues me. I cannot neglect it. There will be no rest for the mind. A seemingly simple solution can be devised and that is... to stop thinking altogether. In the mean time, I will give myself busy work. I will watch over her. And in this way, I can cease the thinking and still have a sense of effectiveness.

Godfrey felt the strange pull as if his sister was calling out to him. He didn't want to go out. Something was terribly wrong about the outside. But he knew... he knew that he would find no peace by turning back now. She was stranded. Now was his chance. He had to take the the imposter back with him and make her suffer. He just had to. Godfrey shoved the nylon guitar string up his sleeve and readjusted his black gloves.

He prepared himself for whatever craziness awaited him on the other side before opening the door of his car and stepping out onto the fresh asphalt. 

"Hi. Do you need some help, miss?"

The woman, who looked vaguely like his sister, turned. "I was just about to call for someone. You don't really have to stop for me."

"I can give you a lift to where ever it is you're going. You can call someone to pick up your car on the way." He walked around to the passenger side.

"That's very kind of you to offer but I'm in no rush."

"But I insist." He opened the passenger door.

"It's better if I waited here." She was decisive and firm with her answer. Which, in turn, left him with no other choice. Godfrey fished out the guitar string from his sleeve and wrapped it twice around her neck in an instant.

Just a few seconds more and he would've rendered her unconscious. But as luck would have it, the sound of a gunshot forced him back into the car. The bullet lodged itself into his left arm, making it impossible to restrain the woman. So, he took off in his car with the passenger door still swinging.

There would be other chances, he promised himself. But only if he stayed alive.

Xinling collapsed onto the the black asphalt, gasping and coughing. It wasn't over. Not yet. Her fingers fumbled with the nylon still clinging to . Damn him. Now she'd have to wear turtlenecks and heavy scarves just to cover up his failed mess.

"Let me see it."

Her eyes lost focus as she looked up towards the sky. He'd come back... at the worse possible time.

Still a monster.