Nights at Haebaragi village were usually peaceful. Especially at midnight, the only noise you’d hear were the crickets and the wind. As for the residents of that particular subdivision, since the night was cold and quiet, it was very easy for them to fall into a deep sleep. So deep that the heaviest noise couldn’t wake them up. That made it easy for Ban Joo Seok, the Predator to sneak into houses and girls. He did it every night and had not yet been caught. Police were aware of his activites and had tried every single strategy to catch him but to no avail. He was totally uncatchable.

That very night, he snuck into three houses and all the young female residents in each house. Ban Joo Seok seemed to have a thing for young girls, now don’t he? Pity on the young girls, they were never heard. They were knocked out with noxious gas first before being ually molested in their sleep and then killed.

The following morning, Yuri got up looking more tired and sickly than usual. Maybe it was because of Minho’s death and the events that transpired, with her wild birthday and her night out with Minho’s father. For the first time in her life, Yuri found herself hating on herself. She blamed herself for Minho’s death. She had been crying since last night and today, there was no doubt she would cry again.

Yuri wanted to go to work but thought that she was physically and emotionally unprepared. She might not be able to take orders properly or bring food on the customers’ tables so she decided that it was a good idea to skip working at the diner (and at the bar) and just sleep all day.

Until her phone rang.

“Hello?” Yuri said with a groggy, raspy voice.

“Yuri, this is Martin. Come on over for breakfast.”

“Martin? Why are you asking me to come over?” Yuri asked, starting to become wary of Martin’s activities.

“Nothing. I just want to talk to you.”

“Martin, your wife is there. It’s kind of awkward. You should spend time with her.”

“Well if you really insist.” Martin noted the apprehensive tone of Yuri’s voice. “Are you going to work today?”

“No.” Yuri said. “Before you put down the phone, let me ask you a question.”

“What?”

“Does your wife know that you’re talking to me?”

“My wife is in the shower. She’s leaving in a few minutes.” Martin answered.

“Does she know that you talk to me often?”

“No.” that’s when Yuri hung up. Martin called for her name over and over but got no answer.

Jane was done getting ready and bade Martin goodbye without a kiss. She waited infront of their house for a taxi cab to come by and when one came, she got on it without taking a second look at Martin and his house. She left with a sad memory in her heart. Then all of a sudden, she remembered Minho’s girlfriend Yuri.

I just hope she’s careful. I just hope she heeds my warning. That man is a dangerous beast.

Yuri stayed in her room all day long, lying on the bed only getting up to drink a glass of water or orange juice. She recalled all the times she and Minho spent together and all the promises Minho made. Promises like he would stay with her til college and they would get married, have 2 or 3 children and live far, far away from their miserable lives to start anew and provide good lives for their future children. Yuri cried at the thought of this. She cried at the thought that Minho, her first love, died. They say first love never dies but hers just did. What’s even more painful was the fact that Yuri, with the full knowledge that Minho was dead, still celebrated her birthday getting drunk and with her lover’s father getting all trashy and . Yuri felt dirty and it made her not want to see Martin anymore.

But something about Martin drew her to him. She wasn’t sure what but there was something about that man that was so enticing that no matter how hard she tried to convince herself that he was just a father figure, she kept on feeling as if he was more than that. She enjoyed his company and loved the friendly father-daughter like relationship that they shared prior to Minho’s death and her birthday but after her birthday, she began to feel strange towards him.

At some time around 11:30 am, Martin heard his doorbell ring. He walked calmly to the door to receive it and received a huge surprise.

It was Yuri.
“What are you doing here?”

“Nothing. I just want to talk to you and maybe have lunch here. If that’s okay with you?”

“Of course it is.”

“Sides, I could use some comforting.”

“I see you’re stilll missing Minho.”

“Right.”

“Come with me. I’ll just fix us some lunch, alright?”

“Yeah.” Yuri sat on the sofa and changed the channel. Then, a particular channel caught her eye. It was a boring news channel but what really made her stop there was that Haebaragi village was the feature story. The news was about a serial within the village going from house to house teenage girls. Yuri began to feel chills down her spine and goosebumps pop up on her skin. Martin overheard the news and began to feel his heart racing. Choosing to play innocent, he came out of the kitchen with the tuna casserole in hand and warned Yuri.

“You better be careful, Yuri. That guy could be anywhere.”

“God. I thought this place was safe.”

“No place is safe if a mad man’s on the loose.” Yuri looked at him with frightened doe eyes.

“Say, you live alone, don’t you?” Yuri nodded.

“Yes.”

“You better stay with me for a while. From now on, I’m walking you to your house.” Yuri nodded, feeling safer in Martin’s company. Sometimes as awkward as it may be to hang out with him, it could feel safe, too.

After lunch, Martin decided to do some fixing upstairs while Yuri stayed downstairs in the living room with her eyes glued on the TV. Deciding that watching TV was borning, Yuri turned it off and got up, walking around the house to take a better look at the place she was in. She tried to familiarize herself with the house that her ‘father figure’ lived in. Sure enough there were lots of picture frames, most of which were Minho’s pictures. From his childhood days up to the very recent one. There were pictures of Martin hanging on the walls, too. His diplomas along with Minho’s medals and other diplomas hung on the walls as well. Yuri studied them all. She decided to go to the other living room to check it out. In there were just couches and some coffee tables. Yuri wondered, though, why was it so dark in there. Knowing this, she a lamp. But one thing in particular caught her attention and made her curiosity work. It was an envelope. A big envelope. Yuri wondered what it was and since boredom and curiosity were at play here, Yuri couldn’t help but pick the brown envelope up and check its contents. Her clumsy hands let go of the envelope just when she was about to get what was inside and out spilled the contents.

And with it spilled shock and disgust.

ographic pictures. . Young girls. Young boys. All those from the envelope. Yuri covered with her hand and repeatedly shook her head in shock. She couldn’t believe what she was seeing with her own eyes. Whose were these? Were they Minho’s? Impossible! Minho would never do such a thing…

Or were they Martin’s.

Checkmate! They were Martin’s. And Yuri couldn’t believe what she was seeing. How could the man who treated her like his daughter have something like this? How could the man who treated her and showed her a good time on her birthday be interested in something as disgusting, inhumane, and tasteless as this? Martin Yoon was into ography? And if that wasn’t enough, Yuri also found some ographic magazines on the lower rack of the table. No wonder the room was dark! Martin was hiding something all along. Minho’s words to Yuri flashed back. She recalled all the things he said about his father and why she should avoid him. She even thought of what Jane had said about her being careful.

Those words. Solved the mystery. Martin was a e.

But what was Minho saying about Martin going around ‘breaking into houses’?

Of course! Because Martin was the Haebaragi village .

If he really was the , why did he ask Yuri to stay in his house and stay safe?

Simple. He wanted to victimize Yuri! He wanted to catch Yuri in his trap. He knew that Yuri was al and friendly with him so that would make her easy prey. But now that his secret had been revealed, Yuri knew she needed to get out of here before he stops her. Wasting no time, she put the magazines down and ran out of the house. Martin was upstairs when he heard the door slam shut and jumped out of his skin. He wondered what was happening downstairs and was filled with worry. Worry not for Yuri but for his o collection. Maybe Yuri had gone on a little tour around his house and stumbled upon his collection.

He was right. And he didn’t have to check downstairs to prove it.

Yuri went running like mad out of his house and when she was only a few feet away from her house, she tripped and scabbed her knee. Luckily, nobody saw her so she was able to get back on her feet without the humiliation and run to her house. As soon as she got in, she double locked the door and leaned on it, allowing her back to slide down and herself to sit on the floor. Yuri panted and panted. She felt cold and clammy and all she wanted to do right now was to sleep. The incident scared her and weakened her all at the same time. Minho was right all along! And she refused to believe him!

But if his father’s a e, why did he live with him in the first place? He should’ve stayed with his mother.

Because he was a guy! Minho was a guy that’s why he stayed with his dad. He tried for so long to curb his father’s addiction to ography, namely ography which was the main reason why his parents divorced. Yuri remembered Minho coming to her one day at school telling her how he witnessed his mother being forced to have with Martin and because she didn’t want to get hurt, she just gave in to his desires. All of Minho’s stories came back to Yuri in an instant. When Minho was younger, his father became a addict and an avid o magazine collector. His mother knew about this and so did he but when his father was really, really into it, he didn’t understand the concept of for sale yet. Oftentimes his father would to pictures of men and women, girls and boys severely disturbing and worrying his mother. She tried to divorce him once but Martin begged her not to leave him. Jane was kind and giving so she gave him another chance. Martin somewhat lessened his ographic escapades but resorted to online on his laptop instead. Jane never knew about this until Minho, who was around 14 at the time, was playing around on his dad’s computer with his mom watching over him and accidentally clicked on the o site. Jane was greatly apalled and this led to a bloody confrontation between husband and wife. Martin tried to beg off, saying that it was every guy’s nature but Jane refused to buy it. Her mind was all made up. She was getting a divorce and she was taking Minho with her. That’s when Martin turned violent. He began to hurt Jane and threaten her with a gun if she dared leave him and/or take his son away. Jane, though strong in terms of language, was weak in the face of a wrathful Martin. She agreed to stay with him and share Minho, too. Until Minho got older and the addiction became stronger. At age 16, Minho told his mother to divorce his father. Jane agreed and said she would take him with her but Minho refused saying that he would rather stay with his father as he would be the one to curb Martin’s addiction. He made a promise to his mother that he would straighten out his father for good but for her sake since she was a woman and she was getting hurt more than Minho was, he had to send her away. Jane agreed and gave her full trust to her 17 year old son and separated from her husband. Whenever Martin got violent, Minho would get in the way and was always successful in making his father stop. Minho grew to be a strong, tall young man who could equal his father.

But then Minho’s life was cut short. And with Jane away, there was no one to stop Martin.

Yuri could see everything coming together now. It’s all crystal clear! Martin was the Haebaragi . It was very obvious! The violent nature, the addiction, what Minho saw one night. It was Martin, without a doubt! Add in Jane’s frequent warnings whenever they parted. Yuri knew she was the next victim so she planned on staying awake that night.

[THAT NIGHT]

Martin was in a rage to find his o collection and pictures all scattered. He knew it was Yuri who did this and she had to pay. Tonight, he planned on breaking into her house and doing what he did to the other girls to her, only this time, more ic. Martin was really into Yuri. He had a great crush on her from the day Minho introduced her to him. What he couldn’t forget was their wild night out. Well this time, it was Martin’s turn to have fun.

Yuri slept not a wink that night, sitting on the edge of her bed looking out the window. With her was a cleaver knife, ever ready for some stabbing. If it was possible, Yuri wouldn’t blink at all. She just looked straight and at times left and right, never leaving her spot. Staying alert was her best weapon and she needed all the strength she had if she was gonna fight Martin. Yuri waited for a man in black to come passing by, climbing from wall to wall. Sure enough, there was a black shadow running on the other side of the street, crossing over to her house. Yuri readied her digital camera, charging its batteries. She took the cleaver knife and leaned against the door.

“Yuri. Yuri, sweetie. Come out come out wherever you are! I know what you did! I can never forgive you for that.” said the voice. Yuri, though determined to end this cycle of malicious terror,could feel her heart beating right out of her chest. Martin the lights on the second floor, making it easier for him to spot her so Yuri needed to be as quiet and as swift as possible. This wasn’t an easy task. Killing an armed and dangerous erted killer wasn’t an easy task. It needed a lot of power and concentration and right now, Yuri could slowly feel her power waning down. It was nighttime, she was tired and depressed and feeling sleepy. But she knew she mustn’t give up. It was for her own sake. For all the girls who still hadn’t been touched. It was for Minho who tried so hard to straighten his father out. The stairs were laden with heavy footsteps, like the Yeti’s. Yuri was sure the footsteps could be heard from inside her head and heart so she tightened her grip on the cleaver knife. Just as Martin got on the second floor, Yuri gripped the cleaver knife so tightly that it was as if her hands were stuck permanently on it. She leaned harder against the door, as if her small frame could stop his huge built from breaking in.
“I know you’re in here!” Martin kicked the bathroom door open and clenched his knife tightly. Yuri heard it and tried not to scream though her heart practically jumped out of . Martin saw that the room was empty so he walked around some more. Knowing that her camera was fully charged, Yuri swiftly took it and removed the flash. Martin wasn’t wearing a mask that night, maybe because he wanted Yuri to know his deep dark secret. Like a brave detective, Yuri emerged quietly from her bedroom as Martin turned his back on her room’s direction. She walked towards him in a crouched position with the camera and took a picture of him. Martin didn’t notice and he continued moving around. He was about to turn around so Yuri scrambled to her room and hid once more. She wanted to get more shots but it was a really hard task to accomplish and she couldn’t find the right timing. That was when she noticed that she had a light switch in her room that was connected to the light bulb outside, the one that Martin and it manipulated it. So in order to go undetected, Yuri would have to turn this light off. And so she did. The second floor was in total darkness.

“What the? What the hell was that? Yuri? If that’s you come out now! You know it’s wrong to mess with other people’s property! You have been a very bad girl! And you deserve an equally bad treatment.” Martin warned. He couldn’t see anything as the floor was pitch dark. Yuri took this opportunity to crawl out of her room with her camera. She adjusted the flash and tried to take a few pictures. Since there was flash, Martin spun around and when Yuri sensed this, she sat down and pulled knees up to her chest, trying to appear as small and unnoticable as possible. Sure enough, Martin didn’t notice her. He knew probably that the flash was coming from the right, Yuri’s direction so he had his face turned to that side. Yuri seized this opportunity to take a picture of his face. With the flashing camera, she was able to snap a shot of his deceiving fatherly face at night trying to her. With the picture she wanted, Yuri stood up and turned the lights on when she felt warm air against her face, as if someone was breathing breaths of rage on her. She knew it was Martin so she tightened her grip on the cleaver she had in her hand and tried to remain as calm and as motionless as possible. She tried to make out shapes in the dark as her vision was better than his. She saw something long above her with something sharp at the end, that’s when she knew it was his arm raised above her, with a knife in hand. Yuri placed her cleaver knife right before her stomach, ready to aim it at Martin’s balls. With a silent yet deep breath of bravery, Yuri took a picture of Martin and just when Martin was about to stab her, she slid down and sat on the floor quickly , making him stab the wall. She hastily stabbed his balls and felt a great ooze on her hands and legs. Yuri quickly turned the lights on and saw that she had stabbed Martin to the point of paralysis. She dropped the cleaver knife and took more pictures, ran downstairs and rushed to Martin’s house. Good thing the house was unlocked! It enabled her to break in easily and gather the o paraphernalia. Yuri rushed back home and together with the pictures and the o stuff, she grabbed her phone and called for the cops. The cops came on time and investigated the matter.
What happened next?

Martin suffered from bleeding balls and had to be treated. All the evidences were studied and sure enough, he was the killer. After a few months, Martin was jailed for murder and charges.

[ 1 YEAR LATER]

Yuri is now 19 years old. She has given up her job as a singer at the Bar and still works at Jin’s Eats as a waitress. She has gone back to school and is doing great in her studies. She hopes to pursue a career in Forensic Science. She has lived in peace ever since…

One day, while working at Jin’s Eats, Yuri receives a call from an unknown number. Puzzled, she answers it with apprehension.

“Hello Yuri.” says a familiar voice. “How is everything, sweetie? Do you still remember me?”

Yuri drops the phone and her life spins into a crazy tornado once more.