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Kim Sunoo was the definition of an angel.
With his long lashes, symmetrical face, sweet smile and plump lips, his face was easy on the eyes. Like a doll.
His mannerisms were amazing, too. Kindness, caring, compassion; they were all packed inside his heart. Anyone who ever came across him couldn’t help but want to befriend him, become mutual with him at the very least.
He was a quiet student, and though he sat at the front of the class, he never acted like a teacher's pet. Contradictingly, he was always able to negotiate with the teacher for less strict rules or less homework. If he could put on a good smile, maybe even push back the deadline for an assignment.
Top student, teacher’s favourite, everyone’s friend, rich and beautiful, he really had it all. It was obvious to everyone that he would go off to a top university and find a career in something he was passionate about. Maybe he’d become a fashion designer or model.
It’s a sunny day, the first day of senior year. The autumn is starting to sink in, but the heat hasn’t gone just yet.
“Sunoo! Haven’t seen you in too long!” Jungwon shouts and calls out to Sunoo, from his spot near a tree in the yard. Classes only start in 30 or so minutes, they’ll be fine.
“Jungwonnie! Ready for junior year? After this, I’m set off for college.. crazy how time flies by,” Sunoo responds, picking up his pace to a slight run.
He pulls Jungwon into a one armed hug and pats the younger one on the back.
“I forget that you’re off to college after this.” Jungwon pouts, a little saddened. “But it’s ok. We’ll still meet on the weekends at our part-time job, no?”
The two of them worked together at a coffee shop, as co-baristas. It seems that this will be the only way to meet each other after school ends, which feels gloomy.
“Of course, Jungwon. Don’t be too worried. I’m still going to live where I always have. I don’t plan to study abroad. Though it does seem nice.. I don’t have the will to leave my parents and everyone behind.” Sunoo says, his smile is bright and radiant in Jungwon’s face. “Oh, brighten up! We’ve got a whole school year. I’ll figure it out.”
Just then, the school bell rings and Jungwon has to leave for his own class. They part ways, with Sunoo heading off to a different class.
They meet again in the canteen for lunch, where Sunoo is waiting for Jungwon with Jake – the only other (apart from Ni-ki, who was still a year below Jungwon) one of their friend group who remained.
Heeseung, Jay, and Sunghoon had already left for college a few months ago after graduation. Sunghoon and Jay had gone off to America, and Heeseung was in Japan now.
The only reason Jake was left behind was because he’d gotten really ill during his senior year, and missed so many classes he was unable to pass the year. Unfortunate, but Jake is happy to have one more year with the younger 3. It’s no problem, both Sunoo and Jake plan to stay in Korea after this anyway. Or they might go to Australia.
“Hey man! Haven’t caught you all day, Jungwon.” Jake says when he plops down onto the bench and sets his lunch tray down.
“Mhm. Nice seeing you again, Jake hyung. It’s been a while. What’ve you been up to in the summer?”
“I went and visited my family in Australia, thought about some things in the future. Nothing much, really.”
“That’s literally amazing, Jake hyung. You know, I went to Japan to visit my family too,” Ni-ki, who has just sat down says.
The conversation flows easily, and it feels like it’s only been 5 minutes when the bell rings and calls them back to classes.
In a flash, the whole first semester has melted away into a blob of studying, laughing and a whole lot of work.
Jungwon is the first to notice it.
He sees the slight twitch in Sunoo’s eye when he smiles at people, the flash of coldness in every blink, which flickers away too fast to even register.
It’s off, but he thinks Sunoo is probably just stressed. Senior year is no joke.
Jungwon also notices that Sunoo disappears a lot more after school these days, without a trace, he’s gone from the campus. Unable to contact till late at night, too. Jungwon can’t even catch him for a quick conversation after school anymore.
But he doesn’t think too much of it. Senior year is serious, and Sunoo’s probably just studying more determinedly. It’s not like he has to do a lot though, Sunoo has always been unbelievably talented and clever.
Jake is second to remark on the odd behaviour, but akin to Jungwon, he doesn’t think a lot about it.
“Jungwon-ah,” Jake says after pulling him away after school one day, “Don’t you think Sunoo is weird these days. Especially nearing the mid term examinations.”
“Yea, I’ve noticed. He’s probably just stressed and studying. Better not be assuming,” Jungwon says, careful to keep his tone neutral.
Jake nods slowly. “Could be it.”
That’s the only time they discuss it. There is no more talk of it later.
Ni-ki hasn’t noticed the odd behaviour at all. It’s not his fault, he rarely sees the elder anyway. Their timetables clash, and Ni-ki is quick to leave school and attend dance class. So he never really catches him.
*********
It’s a quiet Saturday night, and all 4 of them have liked into Jungwon’s living room. There’s a horror movie playing on the television, but no one is paying attention to it anymore.
Jungwon and Ni-ki are, as they always are, bickering. It’s something about the last chip or candy, Jake can’t really tell through their clipped voices, which overlap. They’re standing on either side of the coffee table, pointing fingers at the other.
Sunoo is doing something on his phone, it looks like he’s scrolling very slowly. Like when you read a long article or novel, though Jake isn’t sure. His long legs are tucked under him on the couch.
Jake isn’t doing anything, apart from watching the chaos unfold in front of him. Not like he can stop it.
The room is ambient and slightly dark, the main lights are turned off but some yellow lamps are still on. Makes it feel cozier, as Sunoo had said.
“Sunoo?” Jake looks up at Sunoo from his spot on the floor.
“Yes, Jake hyung? It better not be something stupid. I’m studying,” Sunoo doesn’t look up from his phone, but his expression becomes tainted with impatience.
Suddenly, Jake can’t come up with something to talk about.
“Nothing.”
Sunoo hums in response.
********
Sunoo’s odd mannerisms become more apparent after the examinations are finished and evaluated. He’s come top of the class, predictably, and Jake follows him in one of the top 5 spots.
“Sunoo yah. Good job, top of the class, eh? Well, with you I wouldn’t have expected any less,” Jake’s smile is easy and light. Sunoo’s is a little conflicted, like he’s thinking about something. It doesn’t help that they’re standing in a bathroom in front of a row of sinks.
“Yea. Good job. Congrats to you too. Top 5. Don’t beat me,” Sunoo chuckles, but he looks displeased with the conversation. Or maybe it’s the location?
*********
Lee Heeseung is a perfect man. He’s attending a top university, chasing the dream of becoming an artist, producer, and singer.
His face looks like it’s carved out of marble, with the doe eyes and sharp, straight nose, he truly looks out of a magazine.
Though he had gone to Japan, he’s back in Korea for a short break. Meeting with friends and family, that is.
He’s walking to his hotel late one night when he senses someone behind him.
A dark silhouette is walking behind him. He’s not sure if it’s following him or not, so he takes a few random turns.
With a feeling of dread, he realises that the figure is indeed following him. What shall he do? Walk to the police station? Too far, the figure will get him before they get there.
Call the police? Risky. Walk to the hotel? Probably what the figure wants.
He does the most Lee Heeseung thing he can think of. He walks in the direction of the hotel. May God help him if the figure is impatient and kills him on the spot.
*********
Jake, Ni-ki and Jungwon are hanging out that same night. The night has already settled into the sky, leaving it a dark navy blue.
They’re sitting in a random cafe. Their food and drinks have long since been devoured, but they continue to sit here.
“And then , you know what he said to me? He told me I was being too rude,” Jungwon makes speech marks with his fingers and rolls his eyes, “Like. Bitch. Does it look like I could care? If you think I’m rude, you can, like… leave.”
“You’re not even rude. A little overbearing, yeah,” Ni-ki supplies, “Not rude though. He’s probably been raised in a paradise that shields him from actual rude people.”
“Mhm. Oh well. It’s in the past, and he’s only a stranger, Jungwon,” Jake says.
Jungwon shrugs.
“I wish Sunoo hyung could’ve stayed a bit longer. He said he wanted to go for a walk. Pretty stupid of an excuse, if you ask me. Ah, never mind. It’s one hang out.”
********
“You’re one dumb fuck, aren’t you? You make just the dumbest choice. I don’t want you. You’re not my target. Tell me. Everything about him. You know him better than me, Lee Heeseung.”
Heeseung is sat on a chair, his hands and legs are bonded, tied back to the chair. He really made a stupid choice, because now the figure is clear in the light. He can tell who it is. He even recognises the basement he’s in.
“Lee Heeseung. If you don’t fucking tell me right now, I will have you turned into a Christmas ornament, you mark my words.”
“Why do you even want this info?”
The figure is enraged and slaps his face, then grasps his chin and forces Heeseung to look up at them.
“Lee Heeseung. Irrelevant! You do not need a why. What you do need is a proper beating if you don’t tell me.”
He raises a baseball bat.
“Okay, okay! I’ll speak, I’ll speak.”
The figure smiles and says, “Lovely. You people always crack. It’s so easy, you know?”
********
High school student found dead
Kim Yunah, aged 16 was found dead early this morning. She was found on the floor of her bedroom, stabbed to death. How the killer got in and out of the house without people noticing is a mystery.
First medical responders on the scene declared she had been dead for only a few hours…
Jungwon looks up from the news article with a shocked expression. He looks at the person infront of him, and shows him the article.
“Can you believe it? That was my friend! I knew her, she’s in my chemistry class. Crazy. She’s been murdered. Rest in peace,” Jungwon exclaims.
“Agreed. Condolences to her family. It’s crazy to think that an innocent life was taken yet again. A 4 inch knife.. crazy.”
“Yeah, it really is!” Then Jungwon’s expression changes. He becomes filled with dread. It’s like room dropped in temperature, and a spindly coil of anxiety started to grasp at Jungwon’s spine.
“The article never mentioned the weapon or described it.. so how do you know?”
**********
Jake and Ni-ki are reading the article about Kim Yunah together. It’s Sunday, so they don’t worry about getting out of bed. That is, Ni-ki’s bed.
“Oh my god. It’s terrible. Weren’t you friends with her, Ni-ki yah?”
“More like acquaintances? But yea, I knew her. She was a nice girl, but, eccentric. I don’t know. She got up to a lot of things, mostly bad. You know, stuff like smoking and clubbing. It doesn’t excuse her being murdered, though.”
“Mhm. Well, everyone has their own little oddity. Who’s Jungwon with? I haven’t heard from him this morning. He usually texts good morning.”
Ni-ki thinks then says, “I think he went over to Sunoo’s last night.”
“Really? Sunoo told me he was with Heeseung hyung.”
Ni-ki shrugs, “Sunoo probably got back late and let Jungwon in late, so maybe they’re not up yet.”
“First time I’ve seen you use your brain,” Jake teases.
“Oh fuck off.” The younger one looks pissed off for a second, then his expression lightens.
“Jake hyung, do you think the killer might be a student?”
…Jake doesn’t answer, only chuckles lightly.
********
“Oh, Jungwon. You’re just too sweet. I love you, you know? But sometimes, you’re really too curious. Nosy, one could say.”
There’s a charged pause in the bedroom. Jungwon can see a picture of Sunoo and Jake on the dresser. He imagines their trip to the beach, their little hangouts. This has to be a dream.
He wasn’t about to be killed.
He couldn’t be.
He has to survive this.
But the figure looming overhead makes it hard for him, he’s trapped under the figure in the corner of the bed. Pushed into the wall.
“Please. I won’t tell anyone. You know I can keep my lips closed. Please, just don’t kill me,” he begs desperately. Tears start to stream his face.
He can’t die on a Sunday morning, not when school is open tomorrow and everyone will wonder where he’s gone, and let Jake and Ni-ki grieve.
“Please,” he puts his palms together and gets on his knees. “Please don’t kill me, please! You can’t. Jake and Ni-ki. The hyungs. They’ll be so sad. Have a little mercy, please.”
His voice turns retched and shaky, he’s practically screaming for mercy now.
“Please, you’ve got to believe me, I won’t tell, I won’t say a thing! Please, please, please…”
A tremble tears through his body when a 4 inch knife is run through his stomach.
It’s burning, he’s in pain, he’s going to die. If he’s going to die anyway, let it be over, let the knife strike him again and take his breath easily, without this agonising pain.
Let him be killed, he thinks, though his brain can’t really form thoughts anymore.
He clutches the deep wound, and screams when the figure twists the knife around to cause him even more torment.
The knife is pulled out, then slammed back in, twisted, then pushed back in with force that renders him into a crying, unmoving blob. He can’t think anymore. He’s going to die soon. Let it be over quicker.
In his final moments, he thinks of Jake and Ni-ki, thinks of his other friends and family. The wonderful days they spent together, all the laughs punched out of him with them.
It’s over in a flash, and the darkness consumes him.
He’s dead.
*********
“Jungwon? Where’s Jungwon? I haven’t been able to contact him since Saturday night, and now he’s not at school,” Jake says, his brows are pinned together. Obviously, he’s worried about the younger boy.
“I don’t know, Jake hyung. He just disappeared, like, poof!” Ni-ki says, making a wild gesture with his lanky arms.
“I’m seriously getting worried. We should go to his house, or Sunoo’s. That’s where he said he would go. We should ask Sunoo.”
“Ok, Jake hyung. It’s going to be sun down soon though.. I don’t know if it’s safe.”
“We’ll be fine, “ Jake returns but he doesn’t look all that convinced himself.
The walk to Sunoo’s house takes maybe 15 minutes, as it’s not far. They ring the bell at the gate and wait for a maid to come and get it.
“Oh! Jake-ssi and Ni-ki-ssi. Welcome in,” a maid dressed in a black dress and a white apron opens the gate.
Jake and Ni-ki walk into the house as it’s unlocked like usual (Sunoo never really bothered to lock the door till nightfall).
There’s an odd, potent smell in the air. Jake sniffs it, then comments on it. He says something about how it smells like the freezer broke and meat was rotting.
Sunoo isn’t home, at least, they haven’t encountered him.
Upon the second floor landing of the house, the smell becomes more intense, reaching a level to which they have to clasp their noses shut.
“What the hell..”
Creek.
The door swings open on its hinges after Jake pushes it, and sees something he will never ever forget.
It’s Jungwon’s body, rotting on the bed.
The scream he lets out is silent, he’s frozen on the spot.
“Jake hyung? What’s going on..?”
“Ni-ki. Call the police, now.” His tone is urgent, his face pale.
But Ni-ki isn’t fast enough for Sunoo, who has just emerged out of the other room.
“Jake hyung. Ni-ki. What a lovely surprise.” His cold hand wraps around Jake’s shoulder, while a smile creeps onto his lips.
“Sunoo. I-I saw nothing. Ok? I’m blind, I spilled acid on my eyes—please, I saw nothing.”
“Oh, no. Jake hyung, I know you saw everything in that room. And I think you really like spectating. So. I’ll start off with Ni-ki here. A gourmet meal for two! Two, because one of us, will be the meal.”
Sunoo grins, it’s sickly sweet. Jake feels rooted to the spot, unable to scream or cry for help.
With that, Sunoo pulls both of them down to the basement. It’s cold, dingy and damp.
To their surprise, Heeseung is sitting in the corner of the basement.
He looks tired, beyond consciousness. His eyes are empty, hands bound back while his legs are limp on the floor. His back is to the wall.
He looks as if he hasn’t been fed in a good while.
“So, this is Heeseung, my experiment. I’m testing just how long someone can go without food, but with water. And also, with daily beatings, of course. For the fun factor, let’s not be boring!” Sunoo chirps sweetly.
He ties thick ropes around Jake’s wrists and ankles, keeping him nicely bound, unable to move. Stuck sitting on the cold floor, forced to watch whatever Sunoo is going to do to Ni-ki.
It’s a gruesome sight, to say the least. Jake cannot even scream.
Sunoo starts by restraining Ni-ki in a similar fashion, then slowly, puts him down onto the floor.
Starting off, he grabs a thin knife and starts to skin Ni-kis face. In only a few minutes, the boy no longer has a face, instead, only hs eyes remain. A small pool of blood has collected under his head.
The crimson is sharp against the grey, concrete ground.
“Ni-ki yah. Stay still, and stop moving around so much. I need to skin your torso and neck. You wouldn’t want me to press wrong and kill you!” The man reprimands when Ni-ki writhes away from the knife.
It’s agonising to watch this horrible scene unfold, but Jake can’t deny it feels quite nice. Ni-ki is writhing and squealing like a pig in pain, the sight is cute.
Fucked up, they both are.
Because Jake doesn’t find it all too bad to be sitting here and watching his best friend being skinned alive.
And Sunoo is doing that.
Slowly, more and more of the skin is peeled off and shedded, leaving pools or Scarlett on the floor.
It’s like melted lipstick. Jake used to melt his sister’s old lipsticks and use them as wax. He giggles at the memory.
Rusty irons. That’s the smell of fresh blood, pouring everywhere.
Ni-ki is probably dead by this point, but Sunoo just keeps going. It’s a good 2 hours until he’s satisfied with the result, and moves upstairs to go cook it.
********
Jake is sitting across the table from Sunoo.
There’s a pot of boiled stew on the table. Undoubtedly, it’s some part of Ni-ki. Jake guesses it will taste something like pork or beef.
He’s correct, when he bites into a meaty piece of stew. It tastes particularly like sweet pork to him.
“Sunoo. Which part of the body is this?”
Sunoo replies, “Ribs. The best part. Personal experience.”
Jake giggles at Sunoo. “You’re handsome.”
*********
It’s exactly 34 days before the police finally come into the house and rescue Jake.
The midday sun is burning down on them, and it’s an absolutely disgusting scene for the officers.
Starting off with Jungwon, who’s been dead for so long that he’s practically unidentifiable. His flesh is minimal, and the corpse has been reduced to a skeleton like thing. The smell is still no joke.
Heeseung is still alive, partially. It’s surprising. He is dying, and he looks extremely starved (he is), but he’s not dead. A good thing for Sunoo. Looks like he’ll only be charged for two deaths.
And obviously, Ni-ki is very much dead. Sunoo’s still got parts of him stored in the freezer – most of the organs, and the flesh he’d skinned off.
Jake is an odd case.
It’s so terribly obvious that he’s been subjected to manipulation and abuse, from Sunoo. He’s addled, acting and talking like a toddler, and he doesn’t react to a lot of stimulators anymore.
That’s what the psychologists say at the hospital after a week.
Jake’s been fed properly with things that are not parts of Ni-ki, and been replenished with other things, like IVs.
Heeseung is in a similar situation, but it’s very clear who out of the two is more mentally affected.
It’s Jake, that is.
Effectively, Sunoo’s been able to force him to act way younger than he is – like a toddler, speaking and acting “dumb” or not resisting much to anything at all.
Some horrible desire, and Sunoo probably gained pleasure from doing this all.
Heeseung is also traumatised. The doctor says it’ll be decades until both of them will ever be able to recover mentally from this incident.
The doctor fears that Jake won’t be able to recover at all.
It also seems that Sunoo is a lost cause. During the interview, he seems increasingly bored and detached, though he answered every question truthfully.
He tells the officers things like wanting to eat human meat because he likes it, and that he likes killing. He likes the feeling of warm blood pouring down his arms.
His statements are disturbing and sickening.
Soon enough, he’s placed in a mental hospital with a combination of diagnoses. It’s the same with Jake and Heeseung, though they have to go to very different treatments.
The funerals for Ni-ki and Jungwon are combined, and the funeral is attended by family and multiple friends.
When the caskets are finally lowered, no one can find the right words to say anymore. About lives taken too young, two innocent people who were murdered in gruesome, gory methods.
All because a man had desires.
News articles, national headlines, even international headlines are all telling the story.
The parents of all five families are, of course, not faring very well. Jake’s mother doesn’t even cry anymore, only sits at the edge of his bed in the small mental hospital room.
Jake is too addled to respond to her properly. Sometimes he forgets who she is.
Heeseung has given up on the dream of studying music and becoming a singer. He tells his mom that there’s no way he’ll ever get on stage and perform. He tells her that he’ll stick to producing behind the curtain.
Jake is too far gone to even talk about his future.
So it’s no surprise when one morning, he’s found dead in his bed, expression blissfully peaceful and vacant. His mother admits to poisoning him. She says she couldn’t let Jake do this anymore, and she accepts the hand cuffs.
Security footage later reveals that Jake has begged her to kill him.
Sunoo’s whole family is stuck in a state of shock, despair and anger. They can’t believe that their sweet child, the man who should’ve carried the family legacy, is placed in a mental hospital. Locked up most of the time.
They cry, they sit and think, but nothing can reverse the cruel reality.
Ni-kis family only stay in Korea for a while, but they leave their hearts with the boy who now rests in a grave, in Korea. Nobody will ever be the same, no matter how far they move away from Korea.
Jungwon’s family is beyond devastation. They do not mourn or grieve. Simply, they accept the truth. Yang Jungwon is dead, he died many months ago. He will never smile, never laugh, he will never achieve his dream of being an idol.
But there is nothing they can do. No amount of prayer, of hope and longing can reverse the cruel acts that costed them so much.
The world is filled with bad people, and the 4 boys were unlucky enough to have fallen into one’s grasp.
Because Ni-ki will never dance, Jungwon will never be an idol, Heeseung will never be a singer, Jake will never be a vet, and Sunoo will never be an actor.
5 dreams destroyed at one man’s hand.
It’s unfair to count Sunoo’s dream in, but it is true.
None of the 5 boys will never achieve their dreams or lead normal lives again.
The memories will chase them forever. Re dreams will be louder than reality. The past will feel more present than the actual present.
If only they had never become friends with Kim Sunoo.
He’s an odd case of his own, he’s like a rose. The prettiest petals, the sweetest smell, the sharpest thorns.
It’s sad to admit that in the future, no one will even remember this tragedy apart from the 2 who lived it firsthand.
Once again, it’s unfair to include Sunoo. He caused it anyway. But the numbers are always more important.
Maybe one day, they’ll be able to do what they wanted to.
In another life.
In another timeline.
In another universe.
Maybe they will.