Saerin paces the small dressing room, obsessively checking the time on her phone; in roughly thirty minutes, she'd be called out to pose in front of flashing cameras for hours. Before that though, she had agreed to meet Joonhyo -- and Saerin had something in mind, the deviant smile on her lips reflecting her not so innocent thoughts.
Another minute passes and Saerin grows antsy and slightly agitated. She possessed endless patience, but was blatantly lacking it today, her heel tapping against the marble floor. He had exactly two minutes to walk through that door, before she'd find him herself.
The dressing room wasn't an ideal place for what she had in mind, but it'd have to make do. The emotional reunion of husband and wife had simmered down, only for the strong desire for physical intimacy to arise; so strong that it clouded her mind and impaired her judgement -- she was risking public indecency for a few minutes with Joonhyo out of selfish desire, but she wasn't being mindful of that at all.
Saerin took one look around the cafe and immediately decided that it was a terrible idea to come for a late at this hour. Every table was occupied and the roar of the people chatting among each other drowned out her own thoughts. It's already been a good ten minutes and she's just now receiving her order.
With a sigh, she wiggles through the crowd of people and grabs for the first empty chair for she's a bit too slow. Already there's someone reaching for it, and her eyes flicker up to a male that looked around her age, with a bit of height on her.
"This is mine." Comes a sharp tone of voice, eyes narrowed. She's having a rough day, if you can't tell.
Saerin was eager to return home. The good news had already been shared with Joonhyo - that she's been given the lead female role of a new action drama that'd be airing in the next year. Things were finally starting to look up for her, and for the first time in years, she can confidently say that she's happy with her life.
She decides to take a cab home, because walking would take too long considering her apartment was on the other side of the city. Night had fallen and the city was beginning to come to life, the streets and sidewalks bustling with people. In a few moment's time, she'd be home, greeting Joonhyo with a big smile on her lips.
When the cab pulls over in front of her building, she quickly hands over the cost and throws in a generous tip - her mood was elated, and she wanted to spread it. The cab driver gives her a big smile and many thanks before she steps out and eagerly rushes inside.
The lobby was quiet, which Saerin thought to be a bit odd - but she doesn't pay much mind to it, tapping the button for the elevator to arrive and take her up to the second floor. It seems like hours before the golden doors swing open, the elevator empty. She steps in and waits patiently for the doors to close and take her up, a soft hum filling the air.
It was hard not to look so overjoyed. Her red lips were spread in a big smile and she was bobbing her head from side to side, a bounce in her step as she quickly exits the elevator and skips down the hall to her door, but immediately she realizes something isn't right.
The door was unlocked, and open a crack. Saerin knows that if Joonhyo was here, he wouldn't leave the door open - and if he left, he would have made sure it was locked. Her heart drops and she hesitates to take the handle, trying to peek inside through the crack to see if anyone was inside.
The smarter thing to do would be to leave and wait until Joonhyo arrived home to go inside - but maybe this was a surprise he had planned for her. She fishes her phone out from her purse and pulls up his contact information, sending a hasty message.
[ sms ; joon-hyo ♥ ] Are you home? The door is open a crack but the lights are all off..
[ sms ; joon-hyo ♥ ] It's probably my fault! I'm sure I forgot to lock it. So never mind!
She drops her phone back into her purse and steps inside, trying to close the door behind her quietly. She tiptoes over to the light switch on the wall and flips it up, expecting to find Joonhyo standing there with a big smile on his face.
"Surprise to see me?" A voice asks, but it doesn't belong to Joonhyo. Saerin's blood runs cold and she freezes with her hand over the light switch, her pulse quickening.
"Y-youngjae.. why are you here?" She asks, voice meek and wavering. She keeps her back to him, body already trembling. Their break up hadn't been a good one, at all -- and his voice was calm. Not the kind of comforting calm, but the bone-chilling calm before the storm.
"So, you're living with him already? I remember asking you months ago if we should live together, and you said you preferred living alone.. --
-- ..aren't you going to look at me when I'm talking to you?" His voice is sharp, and strikes immediate fear in her.
She takes a deep breath and turns around, her heart dropping into the pit of her stomach -- he hadn't come without a plan. He stood only a few feet away from her, with a gun pointed at her chest. The look in his eyes was sickening; he was thrilled to have this power over her, a small smile on his lips.
"You wouldn't get away with this.." She says quietly, her voice barely above a whisper. Her features pale and she swallows thickly, tears sprouting from her eyes.
"Those tears may have worked on me before, but now? Not a chance. You really made a mistake, you know.." His thumb rests lightly against the trigger and he tilts his head, waiting for her to respond. When she doesn't, he bares his teeth and shakes his head; it was a pity, really. Such a good life wasted.
She knows she should probably run, but she's frozen in fear, rooted to the floor. She's trembling, breath quickened, pulse rapid. When she finally does get the gall to move, it's a second too late.
Bang!!
The sound bounces off the walls and echoes through the building; immediately alerting everyone within that a shooting had taken place. For Saerin, that wouldn't help her case.
For a split second, it feels like time has slowed. She watches as the hollow-point bullet soars in her direction, helpless to stop it. It explodes through her chest, puncturing her right lung and exiting through her shoulder. Before she even hits the ground, she's out cold.
Only one thing crosses her mind as everything goes black - that if she die, she'd die with regrets. Before, Saerin was never afraid of dying, in a sense. Then, there wasn't much for her to live for. But now, she had someone to live for, someone she wanted to spend her life with - and someone that she would deeply miss.
Youngjae quickly flees the scene, assuming she's dead or would be in a a few minutes - her condition was critical, and the internal bleeding was already severe. Her life was hinging on the quickness of her neighbors, who were already on the scene and dialing an ambulance on their phones.
It was a bloody, gruesome scene. She was bleeding out fast, but a few people were adding pressure to the wound to try to stop it while they waited on the ambulance. If not for them, she'd likely be dead. The white carpet was soaking up every drop of blood, staining it crimson.
She was lucky that the paramedics arrive swiftly and got her onto a stretcher. By the time they got her to the ambulance, she was already suffering from hypovolemic shock - people crowded around the front door of the building, police sirens blaring as they arrived on the scene.
Time was of the essence -- Saerin's life was slipping away.
“KimSaerin-ssi, do you know where this little guy belongs?”
"I’m sorry.. I either didn’t learn your name or I don’t remember.."
“—You can call me Park Joonhyo, if you want.”
"Ah ah! I won’t forget your name, I promise."
--------------------
He is easily the most extraordinary person I've ever met. Being in his company is such a joy. I don't know him that well yet, but he's a good person. He lives life in such an admirable way. He enjoys the simplest of things. Even something so simple as a ride on the elevator brings a smile to his face.
I can't explain it, but I feel like there's a reason why we met. Maybe I'll find the answer someday.
2 months later.
"Have a safe trip home, Saerin-ssi! Tomorrow we meet with the director, he's excited to meet the lead role herself!"
Saerin is still in awe as she's congratulated and praised by her manager and friends that had gathered to celebrate. After struggling with her celebrity status for nearly a year, today marked a major turning point for her. A new drama, that was sure to be popular among viewers, had casted Saerin as the lead female role. Many people were ecstatic to know that she'd be making a comeback.
But not everyone.
It was late on a Friday night when Saerin left the bar that they had all agreed to meet at to celebrate. The roads were nearly empty, save for the occasional passing car on the street or lingering person on the sidewalk. Saerin had a long walk home, considering it was too late and taxis were no longer running. She didn't mind, though. The smile on her ruby red lips could be seen from miles away -- from another star, even.
It meant a lot to Saerin to be given this opportunity. Honestly, she had started to give up hope that she'd ever have the chance to redeem herself. It was a miracle, really. In one day, Saerin's life had changed for the better -- and starting tomorrow, it'd get even better.
She's eager to get home, so instead of following the main stretch of road, she takes a detour down a back street. She knew these streets well, considering she's been living here her entire life. Her apartment was only a block away, and across the street. If her excitement allowed it, she planned on trying to sleep immediately so that she'd have energy for the next day.
Saerin is completely oblivious to the black Lamborghini creeping along a safe distance away. It's headlights are dim so that it draws no attention to the driver. Leather gloves grip the wheel tightly, a heavy foot tapping the gas pedal. They were biding their time carefully when when Saerin would need to cross the street. And as luck would have it it for them, there weren't a lot of witnesses around either.
Saerin glances over each shoulder twice before stepping out into the street. Traffic was seemingly clear, there wasn't a car in sight. Not that she could see, anyway -- the one that crept up behind her from the backstreet remains unnoticed.
After careful consideration on when the best time to strike would be, the driver presses their foot down heavy on the acceleration -- pushing it to the floor. The engine roars to life and tires squeal as the car makes a sharp, precise turn onto the main stretch of road that Saerin was crossing. A few heads turn to witness the sight, gasps filling the air when they realize this is an intentional act.
Saerin has no time to act. When she turns her head, her eyes double in size, blinded by the sudden light of the fast approaching headlights. Her heart drops, and she screams out in horror, but it's too late -- the car was exceeding 80 miles per hour, and in an instant she's hit.
People spoke of death like it was a natural, beautiful thing. Saerin never understood why anyone would fear death, something that was inevitable for every human being. She was always certain that she'd have a peaceful, easy ending. She never feared that.
But now, as she lays in a pool of her own blood, choking and gasping for air to fill her collapsed lungs, she can understand why people fear death. She can hear people gathering and frantically trying to get her to respond to their calls, but she's motionless and unresponsive. The only relief is that she doesn't feel any pain. She can feel the beat of her heart slowing, and she feels incredibly cold.
And then, there's nothing but darkness. Death was anything but beautiful as people had thought.
