As soon as the meeting was over, Taehyung looked around for his Secretary all around the building in vain. Where did that girl go?

She had mentioned something about visiting somewhere to get leads or something but he wasn't paying attention. Now that she was not in the office Taehyung was getting a bit uncomfortable. Perhaps she's at the apartment.

He ran down the stairs, unlocked his Maserati, and he quickly got inside. After a few minutes, Taehyung reached home. As he unlocked the front door, he called out, "Secretary Lee! You are here? You know I am about to die within 4 days, shouldn't you be looking after me?"

Nothing. Silence greeted him as he pushed open the door and entered the room.

"Secretary Lee?"

There was no reply. She wasn't there. Where did she go? Taehyung unlocked his phone and a message popped up from her. Taehyung clicked on the notification.

Beware of Oh Mansik

seen

Beware of Oh Mansik? The cleaner guy?

Something felt odd. Taehyung felt that something was terribly wrong. What did she mean? And where was she? Taehyung dialed her number.

Ring....ring....ring....

The person you are trying to reach is not available. Please leave a message after the tone. Beep.

"What have you gotten yourself into now?"

~~~

(Turn on the media for an immersive reading experience.)

Hyein opened her eyes to find herself in a dim room, poorly lit only by the occasional sun rays that came in through a nearby opening. She was on the ground. Her mouth was gagged with a piece of dirty cloth and her hands were tied. Her heart rate accelerated at the sight.

No no no no! Calm down Hyein. This is not the time to panic.

Hyein calmed herself as she slowly looked around. She seemed to be in an abandoned warehouse. It was dusty and damp from the rain. A musty smell hung in the air. The rain had stopped and the water on the roof dripped down one by one creating a soft plop that echoed through the building. No one seemed to have used the building for a long time now. Hyein writhed and wriggled trying to get herself into a sitting position, careful not to put a strain on the knot tied to her hand. She knew that tugging at the knot would only tighten it bit by bit. She has to be careful. Her captor wasn't there. That felt like a good sign. If she could manage to get out of her knot, she could escape and warn Taehyung.

Oh Mansik was the culprit. The Cleaner Ahjussi. But why?

Hyein knew that he used to work in Ethereal. She had found out after digging around a bit in the official records. She was surprised and was happy that she finally had someone to ask for leads. That was why Hyein was at the slum that day. She was looking for Oh Mansik. Things played out well when he saw her and took her in. It was the perfect opportunity to have a deep talk, reminiscing the past (and on the way find some clues). Everything fell apart the moment Hyein saw the perfume bottles. Never in a million years did she see that Mansik would be the X man. That kind and sweet personality of his... was it all a facade?

Hyein somehow got herself into a sitting position. Now that she was sitting up, she could slightly see through the opening nearby. The whole place seemed abandoned. There wasn't anything except for the woods, as far as she could see. Sh*t! Where the hell am I?

"Ah, look who's awake! Our little Hyein-ie?"

A familiar voice called out. A voice she used to like but has now come to despise with her entire being. She scowled at the dark figure that emerged from somewhere within the shadows of the building. Mansik smiled. Hyein caught a dull glint and saw that he had a knife. A particularly sharp one. The panic she had managed to suppress instantly came back at the sight.

"You were not my target kid. But you got a little annoying. You shouldn't have gotten involved with that guy. Should have been smarter." Mansik tsk-ed shaking his head as she got hold of a rusty old chair and dragged it up to her, the metal screeching harshly against the rough concrete floor. The sound grated at her ears and Hyein winced.

"You are smart Hyein. I should give you credit for that. Oh, and also brave. Or should I say stupid?" He smirked as he took out his knife and began sharpening it on the stone that was placed on the chair. It was already more than sharp enough. Hyein gulped, nervously. Beads of sweat dotted her skin and Hyein felt the coldness of it. It was an unpleasant feeling, she didn't like it. She eyed the knife.

"Oh, this?" Mansik held up the knife noticing her gaze, "One can never be too careful. Don't worry. I'm doing this for you. It'll keep everything nice and short." He explained as he continued rubbing the knife against the rock.

Fear crept in and sent shivers down her spine. Her adrenaline pumped up telling her to run away, or fight. To save herself. Yet the logical part of her brain told her to calm down and to wait for an opportunity. But one couldn't always do that when death loomed directly over their heads.

"Why Hyein-ie? You are so quiet. I thought you would be a pain to manage."

Mansik said, observing the knife. He ran a finger softly along its edge and little droplets of blood appeared on his fingertips. Mansik smiled again, content at its sharpness.

"Or are you planning something in that clever brain of yours? It won't work Hyein-ah..."

Hyein's fingers that were secretly working through the knot, froze. She gulped down. Fear was making everything worse. She couldn't think straight. She couldn't be smart, right when she needed it the most. Her stomach lurched and her ears kept ringing.

Mansik held up the knife against the sunlight, the edge reflecting a dull glint on the monochrome walls.

"I guess it's time to say bye-bye Hyein-ie. You were a nice kid. Would have done great things in life. What a waste..." Mansik hung his head sorrowfully and Hyein scorned at the hypocrisy. Hyein frantically tugged at the knot. She almost had it. But the panic was making it more complicated and she couldn't work properly through it. Hyein's breathing came out in tiny gasps and it wasn't helping that the cloth was stuffed inside her mouth restricting the flow of air. She could only breathe through the nose and it wasn't enough. Cold sweat dripped down her forehead. Mansik edged towards her slowly and Hyein's eyes widened. She crawled back, away from him. It was not easy considering that her hands were tied down.

Hyein never really thought about death and the afterlife before. But now that she was facing death herself, she wondered what it was. Was it the end? Was this her end? What happens then?

What about her parents? What about Hoseok?

What happens to Taehyung. . .?

Hyein didn't know why, but the mere thought of him sent a pang of pain through her heart. She wanted to save him. She promised that she would protect him. But ... she couldn't.

No, she can't leave like this...

Mansik raised the knife and Hyein closed her eyes.