don't blame me

mastermind

Motak had always been a light sleeper.

As a police officer, stakeouts were a common occurrence. So having the ability to take naps but be able to wake up and be active in an instant was incredibly valuable.

So, at first when he heard noises outside his bedroom, he didn't think much of it. In fact, the lack of pure silence helped him relax more.

He had fallen back asleep before he even knew it.

But then it was silent.

Almost too quiet.

Motak had gotten used to silence, a privilege that he didn't use to have.

But at that moment, he felt a shiver run down his spine. As if he was missing something.

He hated feeling like that. It drove him mad.

Motak rose from his bed and opened the doors of his bedroom to find a note on the dining table.

He found himself walking towards it and noticed So Mun's phone was next to it.

As he read the note, he felt his heart drop into his stomach.

So Mun went alone.

All by himself.

He surely wouldn't make it out alive.

Motak needed to come up with a plan.

They needed to find a way out without setting off the bombs or alerting the evil spirits of their plans to escape.

His first course of action was waking up the rest of the Counters. Chairman Choi had become overly paranoid with the influx of evil spirits, so he had taken to sleeping in Jeok-bong's room.

As he woke up the others, he knew he was purposefully avoiding someone's room.

Do Hana was at first a mystery. Someone who never showed emotions or let anything affect her.

But now, she felt too much. Especially towards So Mun. He knew that this would break her.

If she knew So Mun left to fight by himself, she would surely make an irrational decision and run out of the warehouse to go after him.

He had to break the news to her carefully.

Before that, Motak showed the others the note he had found.

Ms. Chu's eyes watered as Chairman Choi held her up from falling to the ground.

Jeok-bong looked angry but devastated. Almost as if he was equally mad at himself for So Mun leaving.

Ms. Chu quickly wiped her tears, as she went with Motak to wake up Hana.

The Counters thought it was best if they broke the news to her. The first two people she viewed as family after her parents and sister died. They were the ones she could always lean on.

Motak, always noticing, found a wet towel on the chair next to Hana's bed.

As he carefully touched her shoulder to wake her up, he noticed her clothes were slightly damp.

Did she go outside? Motak wondered.

As he lightly shook her awake, Do Hana awoke with a startled gasp.

She looked around the room, searching. Her eyes were wild as if she was on the verge of a panic attack.

"Where is he? He couldn't have left." Hana whispered frantically.

Ms. Chu walked closer with a sympathetic smile plastered on her face.

"No. He couldn't do this. He couldn't do this to me." Hana's eyes widened in realization.