9 Layers Down (Twice)

Prologue

How many layers are you hiding in?
Who is the naked you that's been locked away from society?

Is she a good person?
An angel?
Or the devil that's been lurking in this filthy world, feeding on people's happiness?

"Hey! Kim Dahyun! Aren't you going to school?"
Her mother barged in her room, taking her by surprise. She jolted off the bed and gave her mom a devil look. The woman gave her a warning look as an answer so she didn't have a choice but to reply politely.
"Coming."

Her mother kept on nagging her about cleaning her room and keeping her pet dog, Ari away from the kitchen.
"And also," her mom paused. "Your sister asked you to bring the papers she forgot."

"Yeah, mom. I got it." She unenergetically answered. Not that she hated her mom but she just acts this way because she's not really a morning person in contrast to what other people from her school might be thinking. In that place, she's always this cheery, energetic and talkative person who would always have a wonderful, close-eyed smile on her face. She have been the one giving out positive energy to everyone. But at home, it's totally a different story. It's like another world. A world where she's always the bad girl. The negative energy. It's bizarre to think but it's the truth. She turns into an entirely different person. The complete opposite of who she is in front of other people.

After breakfast, she had to take a bus going to the National Investigation Services office where her older sister, Ji Eun works as an investigator.

"Oh, you're here. Did you bring the right papers?"

"Yeah. Here." She handed the files to her sister. She looked around and noticed how the office was a little busier than usual.

"Haven't you catch the devil yet?" She asked in curiousity.
There have been an abduction of college girls these past few weeks. 8 girls were gone and nobody has any idea where they where. The authorities only know one thing, the person who have been doing it.

Bernard Choi.

A former math teacher.
So much to her surprise, this person also became her math teacher in high school.

"Nope. This man is as smooth as a rat. That's why you, little miss sunshine should be home right after school."
Ji Eun instructed but Dahyun just scoffed.

"Well yeah but not today, I need to meet some friends. And besides, he will not get me. That is for sure." She confidently stated, leaving the older girl confused.

"And how can you say that?"

"The man hated me from the very first time he laid eyes on me." She answered.

"Maybe that could be the exact reason why he would choose you."

"He loved those eight girls, didn't he? They were his favourite students."
Her sister narrowed her eyes, buffled as to how did she know that and then she realized, this bastard has always been looking at her files.

"Did you just look at my files again?"
"Not really." Dahyun started to sprint her way out the office.
"You're going home after school."

"I told you, I can't!"

"I'm fetching you!"

She stopped halfway and looked back."Whatever, agent IU." She said, calling her sister the nickname their dad gave her as a kid.
Ji Eun remembered something and ran towards her.
"Hey!"

"What?"

"Here." She handed her a box.

"What's this?"

"The congratulatory present I owe you" she took her wallet and gave her a credit card." and here, take home some salmon onigir from your school canteen. I really love that thing."

"Hey! Why don't you buy it yourself, you lazy ajuma!"
Her sister just laughed and walked down the hall back to her office.
"Bye, loser."

Dahyun couldn't do anything but sigh. But then she realized, her sister just willingly gave her, her credit card, that means she can do anything she wants with it. Her annoyance suddenly turned into happiness. Her frown turned into evil laughter.

The university is just a few buildings away from her sister's office so she just walked from there.
--

After her classes, her friends, Lee Chaeryoung and Jung Somi fetched her and they went to the theme park as planned.

"Where are you?" Her sister called. There was this urgency in her voice as if something bad is happening again.

"I told you I have to meet some friends. We're at the theme park. You weren't listening." She replied, her tone is evidently full of irritation and annoyance.

"No, you're the one not listening. I told you, I'll pick you up!" This time, she couldn't conceal her anger anymore towards the younger sister who have been trying to push her buttons.
"I said I don't want to! What's wrong with you, unnie?!" Dahyun scolded. Her friends looked at her, worried and puzzled at the same time.

"Listen, the kidnapper was seen around the theme park." She lowered her voice, giving Dahyun a serious warning.
"Now, get your ass out of there and go to the bakery nearby, that's where I'll pick you up."

"You're unblievable. Fine! Whatever!" She gave up and angrily dropped the call without even a warning.

"Dahyun! Ugh, this stubborn kid!" Ji Eun quickly drove off to the theme park to fetch her sister.
Meanwhile, Dahyun had to tell her friends she had to go now.
"It's okay. She's just worried about you. Don't be too hard on your sister. She's an NIS agent, she clearly knows what she's doing." Chaeryoung held her shoulder and gave her a reassuring smile.
"We'll see each other next time, okay?"
Dahyun finally smiled. She and these two girls have been best friends since elementary. They just happen to go separate ways in college because Chaeryoung went for medical school, Somi pursued entertainment, now she's a trainee at JYP. While Dahyun went for Information Technology course in one of the biggest universities in the country.

The girls decided to walk Dahyun to the bakery her sister said. Her friends decided to stay until Ji Eun arrive but Somi received a text message from the company, calling her for an emergency meeting. She told her friends and they decided to let her go.
Few moments later, Chaeryoung's dad called, asking her to come home now. Her sister almost got hit by a car earlier. She got really worried.
"What?" Dahyun said in surprise from the news Chaeryoung just told her.
"I have to go!"

"Yeah. Take care, okay?"
She quickly ran and looked for a taxi.

Just a few moments later, suddenly there was an explosion. A car few meters away from the theme park, exploded and caught fire. People began to panic so as Dahyun who immediately ran inside the bakery to protect herself from the flying debris.
Since the car was in the middle of the road, the debris from the explosion scattered, damaging other cars. Now, there's traffic and people, getting out of their vehicles. The police station nearby was alerted and quickly ran to the site, alerting the fire station as well.
Meanwhile, Ji Eun was stuck in the middle of the traffic. She's in total urgency and panic. Especially now that even her call won't reach Dahyun.
Meanwhile, Dahyun was just as shocked. Other people in the bakery were in panic as well.
She looked for her phone inside her bag and her pants but suddenly, it's nowhere to be found. She looked around and her eyes landed on the phone that's lying on the floor under the table. She figured, it accidentally fell during the panic. She had to get down her knees to reach for her phone.
And then the power went out. The establishment went dark for a moment. She was still on her knees on the floor.
Suddenly, a hand with a cloth gripped on her mouth and nose. Even in a shocked state, she still tried to get away from the big, manly arm that's restraining her neck.
That moment, she felt weak. She was just a little girl. A deer against the beast that's been lurking in the woods.

And then she passed out.

All black.

No light. No hope.
Nothing in between.

There's just this disgusting smell of a medicine that's so strong, it practically burned her windpipe and stirred her insides.

--

Author's Note:

Additional Characters:

*Agent Kim Ji Eun = UI/ Lee Ji Eun
*Bernard Choi = Park Seo Joon
*Jung Somi
*Lee Chaeryoung