Chapter 20: The man that walked past
1012 Words
Night fell slowly over Seoul, the sky turning a deep shade of indigo as the lights of the city began to glow.
Inside Sinclair Global Media and Technology, the cybersecurity floor buzzed with quiet activity.
Rows of glowing monitors reflected off the glass walls.
Employees leaned over keyboards, analyzing security traffic, protecting networks, tracing invisible threats moving through digital space.
Adrian Knox sat silently at his workstation.
Hours had passed since his shift began.
The room had grown quieter.
Most of the staff had already left.
But Adrian remained.
His eyes were fixed on the monitors before him.
Lines of data scrolled endlessly.
Server activity.
External connection attempts.
Encrypted requests.
He leaned forward slightly, resting his chin on his knuckles.
Something still bothered him.
The hospital access attempts.
The pattern had stopped hours ago.
Too suddenly.
Too neatly.
Like someone realizing they were being watched.
Adrian exhaled slowly and leaned back in his chair.
Perhaps he was overthinking.
It wouldn’t be the first time.
He shut down his workstation and stood.
The office lights dimmed automatically as the night shift began to take over.
Adrian slung his bag over his shoulder and walked toward the elevators.
The ride down was quiet.
His reflection stared back at him from the mirrored walls.
A young man.
Calm.
Unreadable.
But behind those dark eyes lived memories of ten years spent hiding.
Ten years of training.
Ten years of running.
The elevator doors slid open into the massive lobby.
Night security guards nodded politely as employees passed.
Adrian stepped outside into the cool evening air.
The city was alive.
Neon lights shimmered across wet pavement.
Street vendors called to passing customers.
Cars honked impatiently.
Adrian adjusted his jacket and began walking toward the subway station.
His mind drifted absently.
He thought about his father.
About the lessons Dominic Whitmore had forced into him with brutal discipline.
Never trust comfort.
Never forget someone may be watching.
Adrian shook the thought away.
Tonight felt normal.
Peaceful.
For once.
He turned a corner.
And that was when it happened.
Someone walked straight into him.
The impact was sudden.
Shoulder against shoulder.
Adrian stumbled half a step back.
“Watch where you’re—”
He stopped mid-sentence.
The man who had bumped into him was already moving away.
Tall.
Broad shoulders.
Dressed in a dark coat.
A hood pulled low over his face.
His head bowed slightly.
Almost as if he deliberately avoided being seen.
For a moment Adrian stood there, watching him disappear into the crowd.
Something about the encounter felt… strange.
But the city was crowded.
People bumped into each other all the time.
Adrian shrugged it off and continued walking.
Behind him—
The hooded man kept moving.
He did not look back.
Not once.
But as he walked through the crowd…
He began to whistle softly.
A quiet melody.
Slow.
Almost cheerful.
The sound blended into the noise of the street.
Barely noticeable.
Adrian heard it faintly behind him.
He paused for half a second.
Then continued walking.
The whistle faded into the night.
And he forgot about it.
Sinclair Tower – Earlier That Evening
High above the city, inside the executive floor, Damien Sinclair slammed his office door shut.
His father stood calmly near the window.
“You embarrassed yourself today,” the older man said coolly.
Damien scoffed.
“You set me up.”
His father folded his arms.
“I introduced you to the woman you’re supposed to marry.”
“You locked my car.”
“That was necessary.”
Damien ran a hand through his dark hair, clearly irritated.
“I’m not marrying Hana.”
“You slept with her.”
Damien laughed bitterly.
“You planned that too.”
His father remained silent.
Which was answer enough.
Damien grabbed his coat.
“I’m leaving.”
“You have responsibilities,” his father warned.
“I have freedom,” Damien replied coldly.
He walked toward the door.
Then paused.
“Oh, and tell your future daughter-in-law to stop stalking me.”
The door slammed behind him.
Later That Night
The city had grown quieter.
Rain began falling gently.
Inside a small apartment building across town, a young woman unlocked her door.
She stepped inside and sighed tiredly.
Her name was Yuri Han.
Twenty-five years old.
Assistant editor at Sinclair Media Studios.
She dropped her bag on the table and kicked off her shoes.
“Finally home…”
She walked into the kitchen and poured herself a glass of water.
Outside, rain tapped softly against the windows.
The apartment felt warm.
Safe.
Peaceful.
She didn't notice the shadow outside her door.
Minutes passed.
Yuri walked toward the bathroom.
Then—
A sound.
A soft creak.
She turned her head.
“Hello?”
Silence.
Her heart beat faster.
She stepped slowly toward the living room.
“Is someone there?”
Nothing.
She laughed nervously.
“Probably just the wind…”
She turned away.
And that was when a hand suddenly covered her mouth from behind.
Her scream never escaped.
The glass of water shattered on the floor.
Her body struggled violently.
But the man behind her was far stronger.
Her movements slowed.
Her vision blurred.
Darkness swallowed everything.
The apartment fell silent again.
The Next Morning
Breaking news spread quickly across the city.
Police sirens filled the streets.
Another young woman had vanished.
No broken windows.
No forced entry.
No witnesses.
Only one clue remained.
A faint mark on the floor.
Where a glass had shattered.
Detectives exchanged worried glances.
“This is the same pattern.”
Another officer nodded grimly.
“Twenty-five years old.”
“Connected to Sinclair Media.”
“And gone without a trace.”
The investigation reopened immediately.
This time with far greater urgency.
Because now—
The killer had moved closer.
Much closer.
Inside Sinclair Tower.
Adrian Knox walked into work that morning unaware that the man he had brushed shoulders with the night before…
Was the very monster the entire country was searching for.
And somewhere underground—
The killer was already preparing his next move.
- Writer
