episode_0114

“Argh!”

Doyun let out a bewildered cry. The sudden appearance of the strange man and the bizarre incident caught him off guard. He froze, unable to move.

The man’s mouth hung open in a silent scream. A thin, black tendril, almost like an eel, writhed around his neck. It began to tighten, squeezing the life out of him. The man’s face turned blue, his eyes bulging as he struggled for air.

“Urgh… ugh…”

Doyun watched, mesmerized by the horrifying scene. The man’s body twitched, struggling against an invisible force. His hands clawed at his neck, but the black tendril only tightened further.

Then, just as quickly as it appeared, the tendril vanished. The man slumped to the ground, unconscious.

Doyun gasped, finally breaking free from his trance. His heart hammered in his chest. He looked at the unconscious man, then around the empty hallway. Had he imagined it? No, the fear gripping his heart was too real.

He knelt beside the man, checking for a pulse. It was faint, but there.

“What… what was that?” Doyun whispered, his voice trembling. He had never witnessed anything like it. It was as if something invisible, something monstrous, had attacked the man.

Just then, a cold voice echoed through the hallway.

“Do you understand now?”

Doyun spun around. Standing at the end of the corridor was a woman in a long, dark coat. Her face was obscured by the shadows, but he could feel her gaze on him, chilling him to the bone.

“Do you understand the consequences of straying from your path?”

The woman’s voice was calm, almost soothing, yet it held an undeniable threat. Doyun stumbled backward, his blood turning to ice.

“W-who are you?” he stammered.

The woman took a step forward, and a sliver of moonlight illuminated her face. Her eyes glowed with an eerie green light, and a faint smile played on her lips.

“I am the one who ensures obedience,” she said. “And you, Doyun, have been disobedient.”

Doyun’s mind raced. He had no idea what she was talking about. Disobedient? He had just been trying to live his life, trying to find his way back to…

“You thought you could escape, didn’t you?” the woman continued, her voice growing colder. “You thought you could abandon your role, your purpose.”

She gestured towards the unconscious man. “This is a warning. A small taste of what awaits those who defy me.”

Doyun swallowed hard. He looked at the man, then back at the woman. Her words struck a chord of dread deep within him. He remembered the strange dreams he’d been having, the unsettling feeling of being watched, the subtle manipulation he’d sensed around him.

“What… what do you want from me?” he asked, his voice barely a whisper.

The woman chuckled, a dry, humorless sound. “You already know, Doyun. You belong to me. You always have.”

She stepped closer, and Doyun could see the black tendrils, like wisps of smoke, swirling around her. They seemed to emanate from her, a part of her very being.

“Now, return to your place,” she commanded, her voice firm. “And remember this lesson. There will be no second chances.”

With that, she turned and melted back into the shadows. Doyun stood there, trembling, the unconscious man at his feet. The hallway was silent once more, but the chill remained. He knew, with a terrifying certainty, that his life would never be the same. He was trapped, bound by an unseen force, a puppet in a game he didn’t understand. And the woman in the shadows was pulling the strings.

His mind reeled, trying to make sense of the chaos. The man’s attack, the black tendril, the woman’s chilling words. It all pointed to something far beyond his comprehension. A hidden world, a sinister power, and he was caught in its web.

Doyun staggered to his feet, his legs like jelly. He had to get out of here. He had to warn Jiyeon, but what could he tell her? That an invisible monster attacked someone, and a shadowy woman threatened him with eerie powers? She wouldn’t believe him.

He looked down at the unconscious man. He couldn’t just leave him here. He had to help him, somehow. But fear paralyzed him. The woman’s words echoed in his ears: “There will be no second chances.”

He looked around again. The hallway was still empty. But the feeling of being watched, of being controlled, was overwhelming. He knew she was still there, somewhere, observing him.

He took a deep breath, trying to calm his racing heart. He had to think. He had to find a way out of this nightmare. But as he stood there, alone in the silent hallway, a chilling realization dawned on him: there might be no escape.