Night had settled in, engulfing the whole neighborhood into darkness. Inside the room, a tiny ray of moonlight was peeking from the window and fell on the faces of the sleeping children. They were all lying on a series of long beds, each bed carrying three to four kids. The beds were cramped together, making the place crowded. Some of the children were sweating in their sleep; the meager air from the fans was not enough for thirty or so kids but they were used to it.

The children were fast asleep. Some were rolling while others were still. The girls slept on one side while the boys on the opposite side. They were between five to ten years old who lived in the orphanage situated in the southeast part of the city. The clock ticked at 2 AM when one of the children stirred.

​​

Haeji slowly opened her eyes and sat up. She groggily looked around for a while, still very sleepy. Quietly, she got off the bed, trying not to disturb anyone else. One of the girls grunted but was still sleeping. Haeji’s feet touched the ground and she slowly shuffled towards a desk which had a jar of water on it. But it was empty.

She whimpered and headed towards the closest child, a boy, who was almost dangling off the cramped up bed.

“Minki,” she whispered and shook him.

“Whozzat!” he mumbled and rubbed his eyes. “Haeji?”

“No water,” Haeji mumbled, pointing at the jug. “Come with me to the kitchen. I’m scared to go alone.”

“It’s too late and I’m sleepy,” Minki moaned and rolled over. Then he sighed and looked back at Haeji.

“Fine,” he groaned as he got off the bed and put on his slippers. “Hurry up, okay?”

Haeji nodded. She glanced at his slippers.

“Do you have to wear the Mickey Mouse ones?” she groaned, pointing at his slippers. There were a couple of Mickey Mouse stickers on them.

“I like them!” Minki claimed.

“Lame,” Haeji muttered. 

Minki sighed. He took her hand and quietly led her towards the kitchen. There was an old filter in a corner. Minki took out a glass from one of the cabinets and poured water into it. He handed it to Haeji, who drank it all.

“Done?” Minki grumbled. “Let’s go back before the matron catches us.”

“Okay!” Haeji replied. Minki was about to put the glass back in the cabinet when he heard a noise outside. Haeji was also startled and she hid behind Minki, scared of the noise.

“It’s probably just a cat,” Minki assured her but suddenly, they heard someone thumping loudly on the closet outside.

“Stay behind me,” Minki told Haeji. She nodded, still grabbing on to his shirt as he led the way. Minki was scared but tried to be brave in front of Haeji so that the girl would not be afraid. They slowly headed for the corridor where the old closet was located.

To Minki’s surprise, he saw a familiar face staggering in the hall.

“Brother Wonho?” he hissed. 

“Elder bro Wonho?” Haeji frowned as the curly haired youth slowly walked towards them. But something was not right.

Wonho’s shirt was stained with blood and he was limping as if he was seriously hurt. His eyes fell on the children and he panicked.

“Minki! Haeji!” he gasped. “Hide!”

“What’s going on?” Haeji asked tearfully, scared by Wonho’s appearance but he was pushing the kids into the closet nearby.

“Hold on to this and don’t give it to anyone!” he said, handing Minki a file. “If anything happens to me tonight, give it to the police. Don’t give it to anyone in this orphanage! Got it? Whatever happens, do not let them get their hands on this. Only give it to the cops! And don’t come out of the closet!”

“But-“

Wonho did not wait and shut the closet door. Haeji was whimpering but Minki, alert by the situation, hushed her. 

“Don’t make any noise!” he told her. “Something isn’t right.”

He slightly opened the closet door and they peeped out. Wonho was not looking at them but was staring ahead of him, his face full of shock and worry. He stepped back, trying to get away from a strange figure. 

Minki quickly shut the door, hiding both him and Haeji from view. He motioned Haeji to remain quiet, both of them frightened by the darkness which was looming around them. 

“You won’t get away with this!” Wonho was exclaiming. “I’ll tell this to everyone!”

Minki pressed his ear to the door, trying to hear what was going on. Wonho was saying something else but it was not clear. He then heard the noise of something being stabbed and Wonho let out a loud grunt. 

“What’s going on?” Haeji whispered but Minki motioned her to be quiet. He slightly opened the door again and both of them were shocked to see a pool of blood outside. Wonho lay against a wall, dead. Blood gushed out of his wound, staining the corridor.

A figure stood in front of Wonho’s lifeless body, staring down at it. The person wore a mask and it was impossible to tell whether it was a male or female. Minki and Haeji watched in fear as the figure grabbed Wonho’s legs and dragged him across the corridor, leaving a trail of blood behind.

Haeji was so traumatized by the scene that she was catatonic. Minki was shaking and tried not to cry as he held her, silently mourning for the senior who had lost his life in front of them. The file was still in his hands and he was at a loss.

“Haeji, we must get out of here!” he whispered. “Before the masked man comes back! Come on!”

He opened the closet and quickly looked around to see if the coast was clear. Haeji was still in shock, so he carried her on his back and ran off as quietly as possible, avoiding to step on the blood on the floor. In his hurry, he did not notice that one of the stickers from his slipper had fallen off. 

Minki quietly crept back into the dorm with Haeji. She was still in shock, unable to process what happened. The trauma was too much for her to take but Minki had no time to dwell on it. He put her back in bed and then returned to his own spot. 

Quickly slipping out of his sandals, he hid the file inside his clothes and pulled the covers over him, that too on time. As soon as he pulled the cover, the door of the dormitory opened again and a short woman in her forties entered it. 

Minki was still as the matron gazed at the children. Her hawk-like eyes scanned all of them and she counted if anyone was missing from their beds. 

“Everyone is here,” she whispered to someone. There was a pause before an unfamiliar voice spoke up.

“There is a witness!” the voice hissed. “The closet at the murder spot was left wide open. And I found this!”

The unfamiliar person was showing something to the matron but Haeji was not looking that way. She lay on her bed, still in her catatonia while Minki was pretending to be asleep. The two adults whispered amongst themselves for a while before, finally, leaving.

Once they were gone, Minki glanced at Haeji who was immobile. He was in a dilemma. Sleep had left his eyes and was replaced with fear. How was he going to carry out Wonho’s last task?

…..

*Present*

Haeji’s memory ended there. Hobin searched if there were any more interactions between Haeji and Minki from then on but she was in such shock that her brain did not process many memories after that night.

He was still holding her tiny hand while she waited for his magic trick. Hobin smiled and placed a coin into her palm.

“Close it,” he said. She did as she was told.

“Let’s show you some magic!” Hobin exclaimed, pretending to create invisible circles over her palm.

“Open it,” he said. Haeji opened it only to be surprised. The penny was gone!

She looked back at him, curious about the penny. Hobin placed his fingers near her ear and snapped. To her further surprise, he seemingly pulled out the penny from her ear.

“Miracle, right?” he smirked. Haeji enthusiastically nodded and for the first time in days, she flashed a bright smile.

“Good girl,” Hobin said, ruffling her hair. 

Haeji smiled but then looked over Hobin’s shoulder. He followed her gaze and turned around to find Jina standing at the door. Hobin was about to ask Jina what she wanted when Siwan also appeared behind her.