MEMORY

Darkness surrounded the palace and the stone walls were buried into a deep black color, I walked through one room after other... Silenced doors circled around me... which door would lead me out of this maze of evil memories? I opened one of the hundreds, one more pitch black room... I fetched my way through that darkness... feeling every door with my hands... a deep uncertainty itched my throat... would I ever be set free from this dark past... I screamed out for help... but who could listen to me? who could be here to help me? I had been left alone in my own heart... I have to keep walking... If ever I stop this darkness would engulf me... it will eat me.. my own heart will destroy me... no... no... I can't die, I have to live... Why? I... don't know.. I just want to keep living this cruel fate... this dark life.... But, suddenly a door lined with bright rays appeared in front and unknowingly I was drawn towards that light... I walked and reached out my hands to push that door... A sudden surge of brightness made me go blind, I covered my face with hands.. this sudden warmth was unbearable for my cold frozen body... Slowly I opened my eyes and found myself standing on a sea shore... for a moment my heart seemed beating... is it the first time I'm feeling this rush of emotions through my veins? Was I living like a zombie till now? a silky cool breeze tingled over my face... is this my paradise? will I be able to live here forever like this... No, I cannot... a heavy breathe lingered over my shoulders... did he come to take me away into that death palace again? No, after all these years I've stepped out I won't ever go back... I ran away from that dark smoky demon... he was built of my evilness... he kept following me... I ran with my all might... I won't let him take over me again.... not again.... stop...

"HUH!!! huh.. ah... tskk... shit... that was awful...", Hangyul woke up in cold sweats.

He threw away his blankets and walked into kitchen, drank some water as he entered the living room and pushed his body over the sofa. He went through his cell phone, Doctor had called over ten times while he was sleeping.

"My goodness... can he just leave me alone for once....", he turned off the phone and closed his eyes. When opened his eyes it was already past noon, he felt hungry as it had been two days since he left the hospital and was eating just a bowl of ramen once a day.

He locked his apartment and went out of the building to eat something.

"Ohh? Jeong Hangyul?? You came back?", his neighbor called him as he walked down the alley

He tried to remember the neighbor's name but his brain had already stopped functioning with a heavy dose of anesthetic drugs all these years. He could barely remember his own identity.

"Ahh, yes... Hello...", he said hesitantly

"Where have you been for ten years? Did you visit grandma? She used to visit your house after you left"

"Grandma... ahh yess... I will visit her in a few days... yeah.. I'll be leaving now... see you later..", Hangyul avoided talking anymore with a person who seemed to know more about him than he knew himself.

He entered the café beside the cross walk and ordered for French toast. He went through his picture gallery and looked at the pictures he had clicked ten years ago.

"Do I know this person? I had so many friends.... waah... where could be they now... wait... what is my age again? doctor had told me... I looked so young back then... Ahhh, I'm almost 35 now... right?", he tried figuring out memories from past

He suddenly heard a girl banging on the table and screaming out loudly. As soon as he lifted up his face to look at her he was thunderstruck... her face made his head swirl around.... a pain pierced through his heart... He stood up, unable to walk he bombarded on the door and walked out. He looked back at her behind the glass window, he realized that she kept following him and he ran behind the café. That girl screamed on the road and his legs felt weak, his energy seemed going down with every coming moment.

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"Exactly what have you experimented on me? Why can't I remember anything from my past??? Why do I keep getting these absurd nightmares???", he yelled out at the doctor.

"Didn't you want to forget all those dark memories? why are they bothering you so much now?", doctor said while injecting a soothing dose into is IV drip

"I don't know... It's just that people around me know more about me than I could even remember!!! It's truly frustrating... Do I have a grandmother?"

"Hmm, she lives in Jinhae. You can go and meet her, but I don't think so she would welcome you."

"Why? have I done something wrong?"

Doctor gave him a cold gaze and said, "It's fine that you don't remember anything, try living a new life and make new memories. Anyways I have never let you forget your way to earn living and your late parents were rich enough so that you could easily survive on your own, you own an apartment, what more do you need to keep on living? Start a new life as if you've never lived before. Just make sure to visit the clinic every week and take your soothing doses and you'll be fine."

He gave Hangyul his sketch book and patted on his shoulder as an assurance that even he deserves to live a normal life.

Hangyul went through his sketch book, as he turned the pages he saw the sketches he drew over ten years, trapped inside the hospital. He always wondered what would it feel like to sit beside Han river and paint a sunset... he decided to leave back all the diminished memories and start making new ones which he was gonna begin from today.

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Seong-ah rested down on the grass at the Han river and looked up in the sky. Pinkish orange clouds floated making her heart urge for that kind of freedom. No one had ever held her back neither her family nor people around her but still she felt chained up in her own sorrow. The lonely life she had lived for past ten years made it even more terrible every night at home. After a few years she dropped returning back home at night and started taking night shifts at the company. Mornings felt much better as there was no darkness which could remind her of painful days in memories. She left a deep sigh and rose up from the ground, stared at the setting sun, "You too... seem lonely... rising up alone everyday... setting down alone every night.", she chuckled at her own foolishness. She turned her head towards her right side and her eyes left wide open... he was there... sitting there on the bench... her peaceful face was full of fuming anger in few seconds. But she decided to take it slow and patiently this time and walked to the trees behind him, as she hid herself keeping an eye on him what made her surprise was that he peacefully sat down there sketching the view in front of him.

"How could he sit down so calmly there? Am not mistaken right? the reports from Professor said that the killer who was being caught back then... had a very... rough behaviour... almost like a fierce animal... is he simply a similar looking person?", thoughts ran throughout her mind as she observed him for next two hours.

He suddenly stood up, gathered all his belongings and started walking towards the exit. Seong-ah quietly followed him at a distance, holding shoes up in her hands she silently stepped in his direction. Stalking someone had become a habit due to her job and she was quiet sure even he couldn't catch her so easily.

He stopped front of an old building and went inside. Seong-ah waited down for a few seconds unsure to keep following him inside... but she wanted to give it a try... "One risk won't cost a life, right? anyways I've been through more dangerous situations... Seong-ah... let's do it.."

She entered the building, "Does anyone even live here? look at those spider webs my god..."

She went upstairs and looked around on each floor, but was quiet hesitant to knock the doors as it could possibly alert him. "What should I do? Is it the last floor? seems like that... no stairs going up... it's fine at least now I know where he lives... or not? Its better to be back tomorrow with professor... yeah...", lost in her thoughts she turned behind... but... a pair of eyes stared at her from distance... they were staring at her for quite long time... chills went down her spine as she looked back at those eyes...

The figure approached closer and he stood right in front of her eyes. She controlled herself and stayed cool, she knew in this moment anything could happen with her. He was still wearing black mask which hide his face but those eyes of his, stared into her eyes, she knew those eyes were definitely not normal with a tint of red... as if he was intoxicated....

"Wanna kill me too?", she showed some bravery which even she knew was unnecessary in that moment. But the air was too cold between them and she wanted to hear his voice. But he said nothing, just stood there and stared at her. She tried to take steps away from him, as she went back towards the staircase he still kept standing there at the same place. Seong-ah couldn't interpret his behavior at all, but for now she wanted to get out of that dark building. She ran down the stairs and went out of the gate, she continued running till the building went out of her sight.

Today she had lost twice when he appeared in front of her. Once was because she was too stunned to catch him and other was because she was too scared to confront him or even touch him. She waved at the taxi to stop on the main road and sat inside, she wanted to meet up with Professor as soon as possible. This was going to be the most important moment for them. Although she had no idea that he kept following her and stared at the taxi which passed beside him.

"You think its that easy?", he smirked by himself and walked back slowly towards his apartment.