TATMFL - 2

2 a.m., on her way home after finishing her part-time job.

Raon was humming softly to a song playing through her earphones as she walked down the street.

In January, with every breath she took while singing, faint clouds of steam escaped from her slightly parted lips.

“Ah…”

Suddenly, she paused mid-step, staring blankly at the dissipating vapor before tilting her head back and letting out a groan.

The pub near the university was still bustling with students, even during winter break. After a night of tirelessly shaking the cocktail shaker, her shoulders were aching as though they were about to give out.

I’ll have to either change my shift or quit once the semester starts.

Rolling her stiff shoulders in a full circle to stretch them out, Raon closed her eyes tightly before reopening them.

The pay was good, and the atmosphere of the pub wasn’t too bad for a bar. But having to work until the early hours every day was starting to feel unbearable.

On top of that, the every-other-day winter semester classes didn’t allow her to get proper rest. She looked so worn out that even a panda wouldn’t hesitate to put its arm around her and call her a friend.

“If only I didn’t have my afternoon café job, I’d actually have some time to rest…”

However, quitting the café job she had been working at for the past three years since starting college wasn’t an option she wanted to consider.

In that case, it might make more sense to quit the pub and look for a different job.

Even if that means my income might drop starting next month…

Thinking about the balance that would remain in her account after sending her father his living expenses, Raon let out a small sigh.

Fortunately, things weren’t that tight just yet.

Next semester’s tuition was already fully covered by her scholarship.

“Ugh, I’m so tired…”

Rubbing her tired eyelids as if to massage them, Raon resumed her walk.

Although it was late at night, the street wasn’t completely dark, thanks to the neighborhood being filled with small apartment buildings.

The street was quiet and deserted, with no one else in sight. The only sound that accompanied her was the sentimental lyrics of the song playing through her earphones.

As the cliched lyrics about unrequited love filled her ears, Raon sighed and lowered her gaze.

Hearing songs like this always brought one particular face to mind—a face tied to her old, relentless, one-sided love.

“So pathetic…”

Raon let out a deep breath and brushed her hand over what she imagined was probably a grim expression on her face, berating herself.

Overhead, a streetlight flickered.

As the song reached its climax, with the music swelling dramatically, an unexpected noise suddenly pierced through her earphones and struck her eardrums.

It sounded like a faint scream—”Aaaah!”—followed by static. It was so subtle that she could’ve dismissed it as a mistake or mishearing. Yet it was enough to make her pause in her tracks.

Just as she was about to raise her hand to remove her earphones with a puzzled expression…

A man tumbled into view, rolling onto the ground right in front of her.

The loud clatter of a metal can echoed through the silent night. One of the trash bins set up along the street seemed to have been knocked over by the man, its contents spilling out as it tipped over.

“What the…?!”

“Ugh… ughhh…”

Under the flickering streetlight, the man’s terrified face appeared briefly, only to be swallowed again by the darkness.

Still sprawled on the ground, the man began crawling forward on all fours like a desperate animal.

Raon’s wide eyes followed the man’s movements, staring at him as though she were witnessing something surreal and out of place.

The man’s bloodied face painted an eerie contrast to the once tranquil night, and the street, wrapped in its usual stillness, was now thick with unease.

It felt as though the man’s terror had seeped into Raon, clinging to her like a shroud. Before she realized it, her stiff shoulders had hunched up defensively.

Even as he crawled on the ground, the man kept glancing over his shoulder, like someone who knew a hand might grab the back of his neck at any moment.

Now that she took a closer look, one of his ankles was grotesquely twisted. That was why he was crawling instead of running—his mangled ankle made escape impossible.

“Ah.”

Raon let out a soft gasp before pressing her lips tightly shut. She managed to force her frozen legs into motion, taking a hesitant step backward.

Her instincts screamed that she needed to leave before the frantic man noticed her presence.

But then, at the worst possible moment, the soft music accompanying the man’s groans suddenly stopped.

And in the brief silence before the next song began to play—

Step. Step.

The sound of slow, deliberate footsteps filled the void where the music had been, resonating with an eerie calm and weight.

The next track started playing moments later, its upbeat melody sharply contrasting the tense atmosphere, only intensifying the unease.

As if drawn by an invisible force, Raon slowly turned her head.

The trembling man, shaking so violently it seemed he might faint any second, was staring intently in one direction.

It was the same direction where an intense presence emanated, even though nothing was yet visible.

“...…”

From the dark alley emerged a shape even darker, moving unhurriedly under the streetlight’s flickering glow.

The predator’s leisurely gait, the kind of confidence born from knowing its prey couldn’t escape, finally stepped into the light.

Raon, frozen solid, widened her eyes at the sight.

For a moment, she almost forgot her fear, nearly captivated by the breathtaking face before her—a face so striking it seemed plucked straight out of a TV drama, utterly out of place in the suffocating tension.

And then, cutting through the blaring melody, came a low, smooth voice.

Its softness only made it more chilling.

He chuckled faintly, as if amused.

“So, the best place you could hide after stealing from us was a student apartment near the university?”

“Ah...!”

The man gasped, his breathing ragged, and managed to drag his unresponsive leg forward, kneeling on the ground.

Then, clasping his hands together, he began to plead.

His entire body shook like a leaf, his appearance utterly pitiful and desperate.

“P-Please, s-spare me…! Just spare my life, aaaaah!”

But the man’s begging didn’t stop the polished black shoe from stomping down mercilessly on his knee.

Through the crisp black trousers, the rippling of firm muscle was visible, making it clear just how much force was being exerted. The man’s agonized scream pierced the night.

Raon, still frozen, her face pale, flinched slightly as her eyes twitched at the corners.

At the same time, the man above clicked his tongue in irritation and forcefully shoved a handkerchief into the other’s open mouth.

The scream was cut short.

As silence quickly settled over the scene, the man finally seemed satisfied, smiling faintly.

Placing a cigarette between his lips, he tilted his head slightly and spoke.

“If you’re trying to keep your life, shouldn’t you have better sense than to act this recklessly? Hmm?”

Despite his soft, conversational tone, the words dripped with menace.

“Just when I feel like sparing you, you make me want to rip that mouth of yours off.”

“Mmghhh…!”

The bloodied man, his mouth stuffed with a handkerchief, trembled violently in agony. His twisted ankle barely allowed him to kneel, and the relentless pressure on his thigh, as if it might burst, only worsened his torment.

The man with the cigarette in his mouth stared down at him, his face painted red—almost black in the flickering light. He smirked, seemingly entertained by the sight.

The shadows cast by the streetlight made his beautiful face unnervingly grotesque, exuding raw terror that froze Raon’s legs in place.

Her body screamed to take a step back, but she planted her trembling toes firmly on the ground, forcing herself to stay still. Her shallow, shaky breaths echoed in her ears through her earbuds.

It was a small relief that her labored breathing was drowned out by the man’s groans of pain.

Just as Raon swallowed the lump of terror lodged in her throat, her breath hitched.

Two more men, both clad in black suits, appeared behind the man with the cigarette.

Responding to a subtle tilt of his head, they moved without hesitation, grabbing the bloodied man sprawled on the ground and lifting him up, restraining him in the process.

The man with the cigarette tapped it lightly against his lips, slipping one hand into his pocket. Beneath the flickering streetlight, the glowing red tip of the cigarette bobbed gently.

“Handle him carefully. Our precious client mustn’t lose value as merchandise, right?”

“Understood, sir.”

The man with the scar on his chin nodded. Without further ado, the two men dragged the bloodied man away, disappearing swiftly into the dark alley.

The middle-aged man, his legs dragging limply behind him, seemed to have accepted his fate. He hung his head low, his body slack with defeat.

“…!”

Raon, who had been staring at the entire scene in stunned silence, flinched and trembled.

Suddenly, she felt a gaze.

It came from the man who remained, the only one still standing in the alley.

He lifted his eyes from the alley and slowly turned his head. As if waiting for her to notice, their gazes locked, and his lips curved into a sly smirk.

That was all.

There were no threats, no menacing gestures, no warnings to act as though she hadn’t seen anything.

It was as if he had only just noticed her existence, and all he did was offer a playful smile before walking away with long, confident strides, leaving nothing behind.

“….”

When all of them had disappeared beyond the alley, leaving her completely alone, Raon finally let out the breath she’d been holding and staggered, nearly collapsing.

“Ha…”

Her heart was pounding like mad, threatening to burst out of her ribcage at any moment.

She wiped her sweat-drenched palms on her pants and licked her dry lips. Her hands, still clammy and trembling, felt cold against the fabric.

The goosebumps crawling over her skin refused to subside.

What was that? What the hell just happened?

Though the street was now empty except for her, the air still felt heavy with danger, thick with an ominous energy.

Raon exhaled shakily, the image of the man’s radiant beauty under the streetlight seared into her mind.

The music in her earbuds, which she’d forgotten amidst the chaos, crept back into her awareness.

At some point, it had switched to the next song. The electric sounds of a loud rock track crashed against her eardrums, adding an almost surreal edge to her surroundings.