Kim Chul looked at her with a faint smile, "Ms. Yuri, we meet again.'
Yuri's bag slid from her shoulders and unto the floor, apprehension on her face. "That does not answer my question!"
Detective Kim Chul chuckled rising to his feet. "well-" as he was about to continue, Yuri's mother walked down from upstairs with another detective. "That's everything I found.."
Yuri's eyes shrank in their sockets. Her investigation board, and every other thing she had for clue was being held by the other detective... "mother, what are you doing?" she asked her voice rising.
She walked up to the detective in an attempt to snatch her things but Kim Chul held her hand. "Ms. Yuri..." Yuri looked at him her eyes seething with anger. She took her hand back. "Don't touch me, you fucking piece of shit.."
Yuri's mother who had been silent spoke up finally. Her voice stern. "Yuri, how dare you speak to an officer like that?? Apologize this instant!'
Yuri scoffed. "What? Apologize? Mother are you kidding me?? You and them are to apologize to me! What gives you the right to touch my things?!" she yelled. Her chest heaving.
Yuri's mother seemed to have reached her boiling point. She raised her hand and slapped Yuri across the face.
Pah!
The room went quiet.
"Right?? Speaking of rights what gives you the right to secretly investigate your sister's death? Haven't you had enough? What more do you want to find out? Your sister committed suicide! Why won't you just give it a rest??" she yelled back
Yuri's eyes blazed with fury. "Suicide? What do you know? You've never been there by her side so what do you know! What makes you so certain she committed suicide? What!"
"Yuri, you're sick." Her mother said taking in a deep breath.
Yuri was stunned. "What?"
Her mother looked at her squarely her eyes rimmed red. "Dissociative shock. That's what you have... You're doing this, because you can't accept that Yonna committed suicide... You're hurting yourself more by going this far Yuri,"
Yuri took a step back, her breath trembling. " That's a lie, you are saying this to justify your actions."
"No, I have been mixing pills in your food daily. I couldn't tell you because I didn't think you'd go this far!"
Yuri stared speechless at her mother, disappointment and fury brewing in her. "You disgust me." She muttered and ran outside slamming the door behind her.
"Yuri wait! Where are you going?!"
She ignored the yells of her mother and continued running ahead. The night was chilly but Yuri felt numb. What was she to do now?
She...
Yuri scoffed exhaling sharply.
Was sick. She was currently being delusional.
Then the photos, everything they've found out surrounding Yonna's death was a lie?
She arrived at the Bus-stop, her steps coming to an abrupt halt. She slid into the chair suddenly feeling lightheaded.
Her eyes fluttered close.
Yonna.... What do I do now?
Time slowly ticked by. Seconds turned into minutes, into hours and a bus pulled up by the stop. Yuri stepped in taking a seat by the window. The Bus steered along the Highway.
Yuri returned her gaze outside, watching motionlessly as the scenery drifted past her. Yuri lost track of how long she was seated, it wasn't untill the Bus driver informed her that she'd arrived at her destination before she alighted.
She inhaled sharply taking in the Night's cold air that seemed to soothe her nerves a little. She gazed up at the sky. Right now, she really wanted to have that baptism..
Just as she took a step forward, Yuri's arm was yanked forcefully pulling her out of the streets into a dark alley.
Sparing her no time to process, she felt a cold object being pressed at the back of her head.
"Yuri, we meet again.."
The calmness Yuri felt dissipated within seconds. That voice... She was almost familiar with it at this point.
"Did you follow me here? What do you want?" Questions spilled from her hips before she could realize.
The person gave a low chuckle. "Follow you? Don't flatter yourself Yuri. I had business in the area and upon seeing you, I merely thought I'd say Hi."
Yuri hands clenched into fists. "Hi? You have a gun pointed at the back of my head you shithead"
"Oh this, I can't have you playing smart you know... Besides this makes it more fun."
"Sure, you must be having the best time of your life messing with me."
"Mess with you? I wouldn't dare."
Yuri closed her eyes. "Get to the point. What do you want?" She asked.
The person leaned in, their lips next to Yuri's ear. "I wanted to know how you're feeling. Receiving a shocking news like that, you must be hurt."
Yuri's eyes snapped open wide with shock. "H..how did you know that?"
The person chuckled again. "I have my ways you know... Telling you would ruin the fun."
They continued, the playfulness in their voice lingering. "You never understand do you Yuri? No matter what you do, you'll never get to the end of this. You are just being delusional; stuck up in this make believe world of yours thinking your sister was murdered. I'm curious.. what would it take to shatter that will of yours?"
Their voice suddenly turned cold losing trace of the playfulness it had seconds earlier.
"What if... You return home to find a couple of bullet holes in your mother?"
"Picture this, your mother laying motionless on the floor. Her clothes drenched in a musky coloured substance - Blood."
Yuri's lips quivered. "Stop.."
"Or, that friend of yours. Jiwon was it? I heard her father takes a lot of pride in her. Imagine how he'd feel to find he's daughter murdered. A pile of books underneath her lifeless body. Isn't that a beautiful way to die?" They let out a maniacal laughter.
"I said stop it!" Yuri yelled. Her breath trembling. "Stop!"
The person laughed again standing up straight. "Fun isn't? Is that enough to have you get your thoughts organized?" He asked.
Yuri's fingers dug into her skin. The stench of blood slowly lingered in the air. The person gazed down at her hands and for a moment their eyes lost all trace of brutality.
"You... never cease to amuze me Yuri," they muttered.
"Yuri!" The both hear someone call.
"Ah, i told you I had business in the area. There he is... The person I had business with."
Yuri's eyes made out the person approaching her with panicked steps. She scoffed lightly. As expected.
Park Minhwan.
"Hey, what do you think you're doing?" Minhwan yelled.
The person wrapped an arm around Yuri's neck and pulled her back. "Don't move, I might pull the trigger." They warned a snicker playing on their lips.
Minhwan's steps halted. "You fucking bastard." He cursed loud enough for them to hear him.
"Bastard? Me? Park Minhwan ssi, I'm hurt." They replied with a smile that didn't reach the eyes.
"Let her go this instant!" He yelled.
"I don't want too." They rested their chin on Yuri's shoulder. "I like talking to her. She's fun."
Yuri's eyes stole a glance their way with hopes of seeing their face but he had a mask on. They caught Yuri's stare and chuckled.
"Do you want to see my face that bad?" They nudged the gun on her head rubbing it back and forth with surprisingly gentle movements.
Yuri glared at him. Long and hard. " Can't I be curious?"
The person stared at her for a long time. "You should be curious about your boyfriend instead." They whispered. They looked at Minhwan. "You might find something interesting about him." They added returning their gaze to her to see she had returned them to Minhwan.
They gazed at Minhwan, then back at ar Yuri. "This is no longer fun." They stood up straight at the same time withdrawing the arm around Yuri's neck.
"See you again, Yuri." Having said that, they slowly disappeared into the darkness.
Minhwan rushed forward and pulled Yuri into his embrace. He held her tight. "I'm sorry." He whispered apologetically.
Yuri's eyes clouded over. She pulled away from his embrace. The person's words rang in her ears
You should be curious about your boyfriend instead. You'd find something interesting about him.
Yuri suddenly realized how much she didn't want that. She realized how much she didn't want to be curious about him.
"Yuri are you hurt? Did that bastard hurt you anywhere?" Minhwan asked holding her by the shoulder.
He looked down as though contemplating on what to say. "About what he said earlier I-"
"I like you." Yuri blurted without hesitation.
She was going indulge herself in this blurring delusion Infront of her. She was going to escape the pain awaiting her in her distorted reality.
Minhwan stared at her bewildered. "You-"
Yuri continued. "I said I like you. But not more than I did Yonna. You told me before that you wanted to change that. You said you wanted to work us out."
She held his hand, a warm smile lighting up her face. "I'm giving you a chance Minhwan, make me like you more than I did Yonna."
Make me fall so hard for you that I wouldn't find myself wanting to be curious about you again.