His unstable breathing echoed clearly inside the silent house.
Minsoo stood in the middle of the room, staring at the necklace in his trembling hands, as if it were a rope slowly tightening around his neck.
He felt the metal grow heavier with every passing second.
His gaze dropped to the twisted letter hanging from it.
"W"
His lips trembled.
— "I…" His voice came out broken. — "I have to get rid of it."
He tightened his grip until the metal edges dug into his palm.
— "It has to disappear."
A short, shattered laugh slipped from his pale lips.
The laugh of someone who already knows everything is collapsing.
— "A murder rumor…" He slowly lifted his eyes toward the void. — "This will be my end."
His eyes darted around the room wildly, as if searching between the walls for a thought that could save him from the disaster swallowing him whole.
Then—
He froze.
He brought the necklace closer to the light.
And looked again.
His pupils suddenly contracted.
Something was engraved beneath the letter.
Tiny Korean characters.
Almost invisible.
But this time, he could read them.
"Lee Woo Jin."
His face turned completely pale.
As if all blood had fled at once.
— "No…"
He began hitting his head with his fists violently.
Once.
Twice.
Then more.
The sound of his teeth clenching mixed with his ragged breathing in a disturbing rhythm.
— "Think…" — "Think, you idiot…"
His fingers dug into his hair until his scalp burned red.
Then suddenly—
He lifted his head.
His eyes widened as if he had remembered something.
He rushed into the kitchen with unsteady steps.
He nearly fell more than once.
Finally reaching the cold countertop, he slammed the necklace down.
But his fingers didn't feel the cold stone.
His hands were colder than it.
He moved frantically through the kitchen.
Opening drawers one after another.
Slamming them shut.
Searching between metal utensils.
Between knives.
Between cooking tools.
— "Damn it…"
His voice came out sharp and broken.
— "Where did I put it?!"
He flipped a drawer violently, and utensils scattered across the floor with a sharp crash.
Then—
He stopped.
Looked down.
Tiny drops of blood were forming on the white floor.
One…
after another.
He stared at them slowly, as if he didn't understand what he was seeing.
Only then did he notice the deep cut on his finger.
He must have cut himself on one of the knives during his frantic search.
But he hadn't even felt it.
As if his body had completely separated from his mind.
He breathed heavily.
Then suddenly spotted what he was looking for.
A metal kitchen torch.
His eyes widened.
— "Finally…"
He grabbed it with trembling hands.
Then took a metal ladle and placed the necklace inside it.
He lit the flame.
A sharp blue fire rose.
The necklace began heating.
His eyes were fixed on it in a terrifying way.
As if trying to erase its existence from the world.
— "Disappear…" He whispered. — "Please… disappear."
But his bare hand was holding the ladle directly.
And slowly…
the heat began burning his skin.
The smell of burning flesh mixed with heated metal filled the air.
— "Ahh!!"
The ladle dropped to the floor with a metallic crash.
He stumbled back, panting.
Looked at his burned hand.
The skin was red, while blood still dripped from his cut finger.
But even now…
pain wasn't what mattered.
He ran to the sink.
Turned on cold water and shoved his hand under it.
He stayed like that only a few seconds.
Then suddenly looked back at the necklace.
Still there.
Still existing.
As if refusing to disappear.
His eyes widened in panic.
He left the water running and rushed to a toolbox.
He searched frantically.
Until he found it.
A heavy metal hammer.
He rushed back.
Wrapped his hand in cloth this time, grabbed the ladle again, and relit the flame.
He heated the necklace until it turned glowing red.
Then lowered the flame.
And grabbed the hammer.
— and struck.
The sound of metal echoed violently through the kitchen.
One hit.
Another.
And another.
He gasped with every movement.
His wide eyes locked onto it like a madman.
As if waiting for its identity to vanish completely.
He kept striking.
Until the letter began to deform.
Then the entire shape twisted.
The necklace finally became a broken, unrecognizable lump of metal.
He stopped.
His breathing was heavy and uneven.
He stared at it in silence.
Waiting for it to cool.
Then whispered in a shattered voice:
— "I'm sorry… Woo Jin."
His lips trembled.
— "But… I didn't kill you."
He lowered his head further.
— "I can't go to prison…"
The glowing red faded into dull silver-black.
He grabbed it again with his bare hand, ignoring the heat.
He rushed to the bathroom.
Opened the toilet.
And dropped the metal inside.
He stared at it for a long moment.
As if saying goodbye to all his suffering at once.
Then pressed flush.
Water rushed violently.
But—
It didn't disappear.
It stayed stuck.
Refusing to leave.
He froze.
Pressed again.
And again.
Still there.
Motionless.
As if staring back at him.
A cold shiver ran down his spine.
And in that moment…
it felt like it was mocking him.
Saying silently:
"You can't escape."
His eyes trembled.
Then suddenly—
he reached in without thinking.
Grabbed it.
Looked at it with disgust.
— "You refuse to leave?" He leaned closer. — "I'll get rid of you no matter what."
He ran outside into the light rain.
To the back of the yard.
There was an old drain near the wall.
He knelt down.
Removed the metal cover.
And dropped the necklace into the darkness.
The sound disappeared after a few seconds.
He quickly covered it again.
Stepped back.
And finally breathed.
For the first time in hours…
he felt something like relief.
No longer thinking whether he was a killer or not.
No longer thinking about truth.
Only one thought remained:
No one must ever connect him to Lee Woo Jin.
He collapsed onto the wet ground.
Curled into himself like a broken child.
Closed his eyes.
And tried to remember.
How did the necklace get to him?
What happened that night?
But nothing came.
Only emptiness.
His memory wasn't betraying him anymore…
it had become his enemy.
————
Somewhere else…
Inside a dark room filled with glowing monitors…
Minsoo's image appeared across dozens of screens.
Kitchen.
Studio.
Hallways.
Backyard.
Every corner of his house displayed in silence.
And on one screen…
a clear shot of him dropping something into the drain.
A heavy silence filled the room.
Then—
a mysterious figure sitting in front of the screens moved slightly.
And a faint smile formed on their face.