It was a fine day. The sun was bright, and the sky was clear. The weather was wonderful, making it seem so that it would be the perfect time to take your family out to enjoy the weekend.
On the ground floor of the mall, there were a few indoor playgrounds. Numerous kids ran around, enjoying the slides, and games inside. Parents were happily playing with their children, and spending quality time with them.
Everyone was smiling, except for one. Seo Hyunwoo rolled his eyes to the side, sighing while his chin rested on his hand. His uncle and aunt left him to watch over his younger cousin in the playground while they roam around, and enjoy their time together at the mall.
Ah, I'm so bored…
He felt too old to play so he sat in a corner, giving him just enough of a view to see his cousin wherever he rolls around. Seo Hyunwoo wanted to stay at home and sleep a little longer, but his uncle wouldn't let him.
They wanted him to come so they could leave their daughter to him, insisting on making him a babysitter. It has been this way for about three years now. After his parents died from burglars, his grandparents did not want to take him in, and passed him on to his uncle who reluctantly accepted him.
No one wanted to take responsibility for a child who wasn't their own, but his uncle got an idea. If they accepted Seo Hyunwoo, who is four years older than their daughter, then he could help around the house and even make him babysit their child.
Hyunwoo, who was smarter than most kids his age, had already noticed his intentions from the beginning. Both he and his uncle hated each other, but they didn't bother showing it openly.
Seo Hyunwoo needed a place to stay until he was an adult, and his uncle wanted a free maid. It was an unspoken deal no one dared to voice out. He has nothing against his cousin but that doesn't mean it was wise to leave a 7-year-old with an 11 year old child to babysit.
He glanced at his cousin playing with the fake snow on a table once before pulling his hoodie down for a bit, and the next thing he knew, he dozed off.
"Gasp!"
Hyunwoo removed his hoodie, his eyes widened at the sight of people running around and screaming outside. He saw some parents pulling their child close to them, and the kids cried out loud.
"...What?"
He doesn't understand what's happening, but he quickly got up from his seat and ran off to look for his cousin.
"Yuna? Yuna!"
Hyunwoo shouted for his cousin's name but no one answered. He looked through the corners and places a child would hide he could think of, but to no avail.
Yuna was nowhere to be found. His fingers trembled at the realization. A moment of carelessness that could trigger a disaster.
"Crap!"
Hyunwoo went through the whole place again, even though everyone around him seemed to be running away from something. He couldn't even begin to think of the reason why everyone was screaming in horror. His mind was way too occupied by looking for his cousin.
"Ah! Help me!"
A woman shouted just outside the entrance, stealing his attention. They made eye contact, which propelled him to run towards the door.
"N, noona*–!"
He reached his hand out to her, but just before their hands touched together…
The woman's body was sliced in half, her blood spraying all over his face. Hyunwoo froze when he saw the woman's hand flying until a huge, purple hand caught it.
A monster with the head of a pig, holding an axe, put the woman's hand on its mouth. Crunching sounds came out while the monster chewed the hand as if it were something delicious.
The red blood spilling from its mouth did not faze the monster. It even tilted its head, as if it were pondering the taste of its food.
It roughened up its chewing until the monster put its finger in its mouth, and a smashed gold ring came out.
"Ptew!"
The monster spat a tiny shiny object out on the floor. Upon a closer look, it appeared to be a diamond.
However, the monster did not care. After throwing away the ring, its attention went to the child frozen in fear in front of it. Seo Hyunwoo watched the monster slowly approach him while his heart rate went faster. He wanted to run, but his legs wouldn't move.
Suddenly, a loud scream filled the area.
"Ugu?"
The monster turned to its right and continued marching, searching for the scream. Seo Hyunwoo was left standing at the door, gasping for air until he finally snapped out of it.
He instantly closed the glass door on the playground and glanced around. He went to the spiral tube and quickly shoved himself inside to hide, holding onto the edge so he wouldn't fall. Just enough to hide himself.
Crack!
He heard a crunch below him. A familiar crunch of a monster chewing.
Seo Hyunwoo flinched, slowly turning his head to see what's inside the tube. However, what he saw was something he never expected in a million years.
"O, oppa… help me… hic…"
His cousin, Yuna. The small, adorable Yuna. Tears were flowing nonstop from both Yuna and Hyunwoo's eyes as they looked at each other in horror.
When Yuna was looking for a place to hide, she decided to go to the spiral tube and a monster followed her inside.
However, the monster's body was way too big, and it got stuck as it tried to reach for Yuna. She saw the monster couldn't move and waited in the tube until a bigger child shoved himself inside, pushing her right to the monster's mouth.
"N, no… Yuna, Yuna…"
Seo Hyunwoo trembled. It was as though his whole being was being pierced by a sharp needle as his chest tightened. The pain of seeing his innocent younger cousin being eaten right in front of his eyes made his mind blank out.