Chapter 18: A predator in plain sight

"I'm lucky you found me when you did," Ji-ho said to Seung-ho as they made their way back to the party.

"I saw Blue following you through the grove," he replied. "Be warier of your surroundings, miss Sun. You never know when a monster could be watching and stalking you."

If Seung-ho said those words with the intention of scaring her then he had succeeded. Ji-ho suddenly felt as if a thousand eyes were watching her through the gaps between the tall palm trunks. She inadvertently found herself sticking closer to the handsome actor as they walked towards the lights.

_____

No sooner had Ji-ho gotten back to the rightfully worried Aera, than they were both asked to go home by Seung-ho. After everything that had transpired so far, he suggested that Sun Young-mi get home and rest. Aera had also had enough of the party and of Dan-bi. There was no contest to his suggestion.

Ji-ho had a restless sleep when she did manage to fall asleep that night. Her dreams were plagued by Blue and his face, pale and swollen in the water.

____

The sound of a phone buzzing loudly woke up the sleeping young woman. Ji-ho squinted at the caller ID. It was Aera.

"-lo," she sleepily mumbled into the phone.

"Young-mi, are you still sleeping?! Wake up! There's some morbid news going around this morning."

"Hnnn? What news?"

"A dead body was found on the island!"

Ji-ho was suddenly wide awake. Her heart skipped then jumped into palpitations. She shouldn't have left Blue in the water like Seung-ho had told her to! Now they were both going to go to prison for homicide.

"Young-mi, are you listening?!"

"Yea, I am," Ji-ho replied with forced calm. "Who died? And how?"

"I don't know. The police haven't released the identity of the deceased person but we know that it's someone famous. We'll find out in a few hours though because everyone is calling each other to confirm that they're still alive. Can you imagine how horrible this is? Someone was out there dying, maybe getting murdered, while we were partying."

Ji-ho felt guilty for some reason. Blue was a creep but he didn't deserve death for what he'd done. Aside from the guilt, she was still in a panic about having been an accomplice to murder.

"Why are you so quiet?" Aera asked her. "Say something."

"I'm scared, Aera," Ji-ho said in a shaky voice. "What if we know the murderer? What if... it's someone we're close to?"

"Don't say that!" Aera squealed. "Young-mi, please keep those thoughts to yourself. I know I said it first but we can't just jump to the conclusion that it's a murder. The person could have died from alcohol poisoning or something! I can't imagine how Dan-bi must be feeling today. Having someone die during your birthday party is sure to leave a lasting memory. Ugh, my brother is calling. I'll talk to you later, Young-mi."

Ji-ho heard the click of the call disconnecting. She was going to prison, wasn't she? Blue was dead. Seung-ho and she had killed him.

The young woman absentmindedly held her phone as she stared at nothing. The notifications from her social media popped up one after another. Her eyes were immediately drawn to the word Blue that appeared in one of the notifications from a news app.

Her heart lurched and her finger hovered over the notification. So the news was out then. Ji-ho pressed the notification and was taken to a glaring headline.

'BLUE ATTACKED BY AN UNKNOWN ASSAILANT, LEFT HOSPITALISED.'

Ji-ho's eyes could have popped out of her sockets. Blue was alive?!

*Famous singer and rapper, Blue, has reportedly been hospitalised after an attack that left him unconscious and suffering from minor injuries. The singer was partying with other attendees who were invited to...*

Ji-ho's eyes rapidly scanned the article to confirm that Blue really was alive. She sighed in deep relief at the misunderstanding that had happened. The rumour that a dead body had been found on the island was false if Blue had been found alive. Just who was spreading such a rumour? She decided to call Aera to tell her about it since the young lady didn't seem to be aware of the truth.

"Aera, done talking to Seung-ho?" She asked her friend.

"My brother never takes more than thirty seconds when he calls. He just tells me what he has to and then hangs up," Aera replied. "Anyway, I think we know who the dead body is."

"What? No. I read the news about Blue being injured and hospitalised. It could be him, right? Someone could have mistaken his unconscious body for a dead one."

"Young-mi, a dead body really was found on the island this morning," Aera solemnly told her.

The relief that Ji-ho had been feeling was a bubble that went pop.

"We're not supposed to spread the news of the identity of the deceased but I'll give you a hint. She's a middle-aged actress who was a cancer survivor."

"That's horrible!" Ji-ho replied, feeling sorry for the woman who had survived cancer but couldn't avoid death. "How did she die?"

"Murder. That's all I know," Aera replied. "I hope her soul is resting in peace though she died a violent death."

Ji-ho shuddered as she recalled what Seung-ho had told her. 'You never know when a monster could be watching and stalking you.'

"I think I should hang up," she told Aera. "The news has upset me more than it should."

"I'm sorry," her friend responded. "The police will find the killer, Young-mi."

"I'm sure they will. I just feel uneasy about it because-" it could have been her as well if the circumstances were changed. If Blue just wanted her dead but she'd misread his intentions. If Blue had brought a weapon with him. If instead of Blue, someone else had followed her. Park Ji-ho suddenly didn't feel so untouchable anymore. Even if the grim reaper were somehow protecting her, she was afraid of dying a second time.