Project 13 | English

Chapter 9 - 김민규

Death Day - 06.04.2021

This life is a little different from the others.

When I was twenty-one years old and still hadn't met anyone I would think about for the rest of my life, I knew something was wrong.

All eight of my previous lives had been the same.

Each life was dedicated to a different person.

Each time I met a someone who made my heart blossom and broke it right after.

My whole life was basically about meeting that someone.

Some of these people I met while we were still children, others I met in my youth.

In my ninth life, that didn't seem to be the case.

At twenty-one, I hadn't found my person yet.

Was it because I was born deaf?

Was it because I had already met my person, but it didn't work out because I couldn't communicate with anyone this time? I wondered about the reason for a few years now.

My mother and I lived a peaceful life together.

She was a bit older, which is why I was worried about her.

Nevertheless, she got up every morning with a smile and went to work.

On April 6, 2021, I decided to pick my mother up from work and drive her home.

She was happy that someone came to pick her up so late in the evening.

I dropped her off at the front door and drove on to the nearest parking garage, which was only a few streets away.

On my way back, however, I had an uneasy feeling.

Something wasn't quite right.

I hurriedly stopped and looked around.

At first glance, everything was as usual, but when I looked behind me, I saw a figure standing in the distance.

A man, quite tall... Why was he just standing there and not moving?

All of a sudden he came running towards me.

All the adrenaline spread through my body from my legs to my head.

My body gave way and I started to run.

Where was I supposed to run to?

Home would have been a bad idea.

The nearest police station was too far away.

I would have been lost in a parking garage or a quiet neighborhood.

It wasn't midnight yet, I would have had a chance in the livelier neighborhood around here.

I could have-

The world was pulled out from under my feet, I landed on the ground.

A heavy person grabbed me and pulled on my arms and hair, making me cry out.

Shortly afterwards, I felt his hand around my mouth.

I struggled, kicking around and trying to make as many noises as possible.

He was stronger than me, by a lot. I stood no chance.

He managed to pull me off the main road to a place where no one would find us.

Of course I didn't understand.

What was that about? Who is he and what does he want from me?

It turned out that he was my ninth person.

The man whose name I didn't even get to know, the man I had never met before.

My ninth life ended on 06.04.2021, at the hands of a stranger who I couldn't even recognize in the dark moonlight that evening.

I will definitely not forget this life so easily.

(Kim Mingyu)