A MURDER IN SEOUL

PARK SEONGHWA ³

PARK SEONGHWA

(You know I'll never disappear
Now get me out of here
Just trust in me, my dear
No cure is coming you now)

Ḿ̵̨̻̺͕̇̔̓̃͂̎̐̑̅̈́̓̀̑̈́̈̽̓̅͒̐̕͝y̴̛̛̥͍̰̱͇̹͓̯̟̯̝̮̖̖̳̞͍̺̠͉͍̺͍̥͇̣̗̱̯̮͖͙̿̄̐̑̎̆̊̂ ̷̢̪̠̩̮͔̬̲̠͉̟̥̪̬̜͖̥͇́̇͋̂̍̌̔̑̾̌̾̌̒̽̐͐͆͂̑̏͂͋̈̄̽͊̄̈́͋̃̊̌̔̾̈́͑̚̕͜͝͝͠͝ͅm̴̡̡̛̖̞̺̙͖͉̙̯̪̤͙̘͎̮͓̻͔͇̬̥̦̫̞̝͖͉̼̜̹̗̻̼͈͉̥̲̩̩͎͋̑͆͂̈͊̀̂͐̒̅̈́̊́͋͗̆͐͊͌̾̈́̒͑̏́̾̓͘͘̕̕̕͜͝͝į̴̢̢̡̯͇͖͈͇̟̦̱͇̖̘̺̗̜̰͔̹̼̲͈͕̲̬̬̯̏́͐̏̂̃̓̀͒̈́̇̓̑͑͊̈́̾͛͐͘͜͠͝n̶̡̢̧̢̧̨̙̲̭͖̝̗̘̪͚̳͈̰͔̝͕͙̮̙̺̥͙̦̑̽̇̈́͛͒͛̑͌̈́͒͐́̿̚d̷̨̧͈̖̺̞̘̩̲̟̮̘̣̯͉̲̟̗̙̘̭̰̉̉̀̄͗̓̏́͊̆̄̑̄͛̿̏̃̇̑̀͐͌͆̎͛̄̄́̚̚ͅ ̶̬̥̞̔̇̏̚̚ȉ̶̛͙͖̍̃̀̊͋͗̀͊̀̇̀͋͑̉̒͆́̂̀͝͝ş̴̢̫̬̹̲̮̻͇̺̜̲̘͖̘̖͕͈͎͍͉͍̗̞̥̞͚̝̘̤̼̇̓̾̏͌͒́́̏̽͊̆́́͊͆͊̑͐̀̀̀̔̒́̀̂́͑͋͋͘͘͠͝͠ ̶̢̢̺̞̗̙̝̥̗͙̺͊͛́̔̈́̏̋̚͜m̷̛̝̟̀̈́͊̒̾̿̈́̒̐̅̿̀͑́͂͌̓̓̉͋̌̆̈́̃͗͘͝ų̵̨̛̛̛̛̺̰̺̪̰̼̻͍͚̯̩̹̣̲̥̫̱͎̖̮̖̱̗̘͍̦͉̆̀̋͒̽͂̈́́̉͑̾̔̌̀͗͋̅̔̏͑̿̿̆̋͘͝d̷̖̥͕̱̣͓̠̹͆̀̀̈́̌͛́̊̏́̊̑̚͠ḍ̵̛̭̜͚̳͌̔̀͑͊̾̿̍̈̌͌̃̄͛̌́͐̃͑̈́̊̍̃̒̅̆̑͊́͆̈́̈́̀̕̚͝͝͝͝͠ý̶̨̡̢̲͕̗̮̠̰̬̹͈͎͔͈̣̽̅̒͂͂̂͑̀͑͐͐̎̋͌̄́̔́̃́͛̀̃͘̚͝.̸̡̛̟̝͍̹̮̱̯͈̈́̒͗̀͑́̾͒͐͋̋̏̾͐̎̏̿̎͊͌̋̏̉̋͆͘̕̕͝͝ͅ ̶̧̡̛̪̭̩̘̱̯͔̞͉̠̠̜̱̦̹͇͈̊͒̽̎͒̌̈̓͒̈́̽͒̾̓͆͛̀͋͌̕͠͠W̸̨̨̛͚̤̭͖͎̳̮̿̊̾͊̃͂̅͗͂̊̃̉͑͆̊͌͂̉̓̀̄̽͊͑͋̕͠͝ĥ̷̨̢̢͎̺̖̖͔̮̬̤̭̹̱̙̪̮͔̮̖͎̹͕͖̺̦͇̓̾̑͛̏͒̀͛̀͌̾͛̍͛̒͂̇̋́̾̔̐̊̈́͛͌̆́̆͂̓͒͒̎̕͝͝͝a̵̡̨͚̗̣̬͚͕͔͓̩̗͚̻̻̩̝͔͚͍̥̙̣͙̺̝̠̬̽̓͑͋̾͒̉͐̉͛́̉̎̀̐̾̈́̐̒̅͑̔̆̅͌̀̀͋̋͘̚͜͝͝͝ͅͅt̵̨̧̨̖̹̬͖̼̗̻̟͉̥͚̮̫̣̖̝̻̳͙̤͎̬͉͔̳͓̺͈͙̪͙̱̹̪̹͖͐̉͊̍̅̓̏̓̋̄̅̐̉͝ ̶̢̛̛̹̯̣͖͔̪̦͋͐̍͋̽͆̉́̔̾̾͛̄́̐͐̊̆̈́̓̂́̒͛̊͂̾͛̾̿̾̓͂̎͊͛̂̔͝͠͝d̸̨̧̨̹̺̗͔̣̪̹̤̭̯̭̯͎̻̙̳̟̎̎̉̈́́͗̑͋̅̃̈͆̓͒̐͗͘͜͝͠ͅa̵̢̨̧̢̲͍̖̞̙͈̗̘̱̰͉̖͉̘̺̱̹̜̠̙̺̘͛̍͋̈́͋̒̈́̑̆͑́̽̀͐͑̔́͐͛͗̍̚͜͜ȳ̴̢̡̛̛̭͕̰̜̥̪̹̱̤̩̤͈̙̖̦̦͖̖͉͚̱̗͖̗͕̦͚̻̝͈̟̰̋̅̇̆͑̉̈́́͂̑̓̃̓͆̽̅͊̈̈́͂͜͜͜͜͝ ̸̮̻̱̤̳̝͔̯́̇̑̌̽̈́̅̏̑͆͒̍̀̀̏͊̃͌́̽͗̊̆͋̓̌̚̚̕͠͠͝͝į̷̻͖̰̪̀͆͛̏̽̔̇̈͋̌̆͐͊͑͛̅͛͒̾̆̿̂͛̂̍̀̉̕͘͜͝͝͝ș̶̥̭̘̳͉̮̻͎̪̬̭͈̱̲̗̖̩̲̗̹̦͓͕͔̲̔̀̒̈́̑̈́́͋̄̐͋͐̒͌̽̅̆͌̿̉͛̕͜͜͜͝͝ͅͅ ̶̫̰͚̪͇̼̝̤̲̰̮͂͛̐̌͋̀̈́͑̈͒͗͆̑͠͝ͅi̵̮̲̭̒͑̌̓̒̑͑̂̅̓̇͋̀̏̍̐͑̂̌̌̓̏̅̈́̋̓̑͋̈́͊̉̾̒̕͜͝ţ̶̡̡̹̜͖̰̰̙͉͍̘͚̻̼̦͕͚̹̪̣͙̳͑̒͒̑̍͒̈́͗̓̉͐͂͊͊͂͑̆̏̌̓́́̉̕̕̚͘͜͝͝ͅ?̶̧͕̭̦̟̯̼̤̲͈͍̥̳͎̞̮͈̺̣͖͈͎̗̜͈̣̝̲͎̪̩̙͉̱̭̞͙̼̞̮̀̔̈́͜͜ͅ

Seonghwa has ten missed calls from his mother, twelve from his father, a few from his grandparents, and countless messages from worried friends. He can't bring himself to call back.

Everything is surface level with them. Plastic smiles and plastic teeth. They don't care that their insides are decaying with the weight of unsolvable problems.

Their indifference is eating away at him; corroding his insides. Yet they do care about him, in a way. They do. They support him, but do they love him?

Maybe they did, once, when he was younger.

Seonghwa wished they would care more about him, and less about his achievements. Whenever they throw parties, all they talk about are his grades, his valedictorian speech, the compliments his professors give him...