I couldn't reach my son's hand. I couldn't do anything when the monster took my son. It was too fast. If I had caught my son's hand... If I'd been able to reach that far, would my son still be alive?
I can't forgive myself.
I'm having nightmares every day. The monster in my head is telling me that it's all my fault. Maybe it will be better to just become a monster.
No! It's my fault.
I should've held onto him! I should've kept my son next to me!
No! There was nothing I could do. It's not my fault.
Sung-hyo read every single line, feeling more and more scared and heartbroken with every page she turned.
This poor man. Continuously blaming himself while fighting against a monster in his head to stay human.
Was this what Hyun-su was battling every day?
Was it the same?
Was it worse?
Sang-wook suddenly began to stir.
The woman, who'd introduced herself as Yu-ri, shuffled over to him with some first aid equipment.
"Are you awake now?" Yu-ri asked.
"I don't need any of that," Sang-wook replied.
Yu-ri went to grab Sang-wook's hand to stay still, but he ripped it from her grasp.
"Yes, you do," Yu-ri said as Sang-wook continued to stand. "Your bleeding has stopped, but you're still injured."
Sang-wook didn't listen and just left the apartment.
Yu-ri stood, letting out a defeated huff. "Is it okay to let him go like that?"
"There's no need to worry about him," the elderly man, Gil-seob, said. "I bet he could take on a tiger by himself."
Hyun-su stood up, catching Yu-ri's attention. "You look pretty hurt too."
Hyun-su covered the injury on his head as he replied, "No, I'm fine."
"Move that hand," Yu-ri said, searching for bandages in her first aid kit. "It'll get infected if you don't treat it."
"I can do it," Sung-hyo chimed in. "Give them to me. I'll do it."
However, before Yu-ri could hand them over to her, a crossbow was pointed at Hyun-su.
"Move that hand, kid," Gil-seob ordered. "You're turning, aren't you? Yu-ri, get away from him."
Sung-hyo felt her heartbeat quicken, but she tried to remain composed on the outside.
"Move that hand!" Gil-seob ordered again. "Or else I'll make sure your heart never beats again."
Hyun-su removed his hand, which revealed his injury that was healing.
Sung-hyo's hand slowly went to her knife, preparing for the worst.
"Get out," Gil-seob said. "I wouldn't have helped you if I knew you were a monster. Get out!"
Sung-hyo let go of her knife, glad things didn't end any other way. Hyun-su picked up his weapon and began to make his way to the door.
"I'm sorry for the trouble," Sung-hyo mumbled, bowing respectfully before following Hyun-su.
However, the pair stopped as they heard laughter behind them. Turning around, they spotted that Gil-seob was laughing.
"You have such a bad hobby," Yu-ri scolded him.
"I was just kidding," Gil-seob told the visibly confused teenagers. "You don't have to leave. And you didn't have to apologise, my dear. Why would I be scared of that when I'm going to die soon, anyway?"
"Pardon?" Hyun-su let out.
"Yu-ri. You stay here," Gil-seob told his carer before turning back to the teenagers. "You're going to the 14th floor, right? And you said there are little kids there."
"Yes, that's right," Sung-hyo nodded.
"Don't you need someone who's not afraid of death?" Gil-seob offered, resting his crossbow on his shoulder.
"Sir!" Yu-ri scolded again.
"You're fired," Gil-seob replied. "You've done well nursing an old man with a bad temper. I want to play a superhero before I die. Can you let me join you?"
"You're just acting tough," Hyun-su commented.
"What?" Gil-seob asked.
"Don't fool yourself," Hyun-su replied, earning him a small elbow jab from Sung-hyo. "No one really wants to die."
"Is becoming rude one of the symptoms of turning into a monster?" Gil-seob retorted. "Let me give you some advice, kid. Not being afraid of death and wanting to die are different things. I'm planning on living longer than anyone.
"May I ask how old you are?" Sung-hyo asked.
"Why?" Gil-seob asked.
"So I know how long I need to live to beat you," Sung-hyo replied.
Gil-seob started laughing again. "You've got a fiery spirit, my dear. That's exactly what we need in a world like this."
ᶠYͧoͨᵏu
Sung-hyo was definitely confused when they arrived at 1408 to find just Du-sik and the kids. Ms Im was nowhere in sight.
"Are you two alright?" Sung-hyo asked the kids. They both nodded.
Hyun-su turned to Du-sik, "What about the lady?"
Du-sik slowly opened the bathroom door, revealing what was inside. It looked to be like a giant womb, with a baby inside.
Sung-hyo let out a small sigh. Ms Im deserved nothing like her ending. She was a sweet lady, even though Sung-hyo had continuously tried to avoid her.
She regretted that now.
And unfortunately, it was too late to fix.
"Rest in peace..." she whispered.