Mercy in the Dark

The fluorescent lights overhead seemed to flicker to life, casting an eerie glow over the scene before him. Sang-woo stood frozen, his eyes fixed on Sae-byeok's lifeless body, her chest no longer rising and falling with the labored breaths that had become all too familiar. Gi-hun's sobs grew louder, more hysterical, as he stumbled into the room, his eyes wide with horror. Sang-woo's gaze slowly shifted to his own hands, still slick with Sae-byeok's blood. He felt a shiver run down his spine as he took in the sight of his stained clothes, the knife still clutched in his hand. A numbness had settled over him, a sense of detachment that he couldn't shake. As Gi-hun's cries grew more intense, Sang-woo's eyes locked onto his, and for a moment, they just stared at each other. Gi-hun's face was twisted in a mixture of fear and revulsion, while Sang-woo's expression remained impassive. The alarms continued to blare, and the sound of footsteps echoed down the hallway, growing louder with each passing second. Sang-woo's gaze dropped to Sae-byeok's body once more, and he felt a faint sense of regret, but it was quickly swallowed up by the darkness that had driven him to this point. He took a deep breath, the cool air filling his lungs, and slowly began to wipe the blood from his face, his movements mechanical and detached. Gi-hun's sobs had given way to frantic whispers, his words indistinguishable as he stumbled backward, his eyes fixed on Sang-woo with a mixture of fear and disgust. The footsteps stopped outside the room, and Sang-woo's head jerked up, his eyes locking onto the door as it swung open. A figure loomed in the doorway, its features obscured by the glare of the lights. "What's going on here?" the figure demanded, its voice firm and authoritative. Sang-woo's gaze never wavered, his eyes fixed on the figure as he slowly began to speak, his voice low and even. "She was dying. I...I ended her suffering." The figure's expression was unreadable, its eyes flicking from Sang-woo to Sae-byeok's body and back again. For a moment, there was silence, and then the figure stepped forward, its features becoming clearer in the harsh light. Sang-woo's eyes narrowed as he took in the figure's uniform, the badge pinned to its chest. This was one of the administrators, one of the people who had brought them to this place. The administrator's eyes locked onto Sang-woo's, and for a moment, they just stared at each other, the air thick with tension. Then, without a word, the administrator turned and disappeared into the hallway, leaving Sang-woo to wonder what would happen next. The silence was oppressive, punctuated only by the sound of Gi-hun's quiet whimpers and the steady beep of the alarms. Sang-woo's eyes never left the door, his mind racing with thoughts of what was to come. He knew that he had crossed a line, one that could not be uncrossed. And he wondered if he would be able to survive the consequences of his actions.