"Everyone… who am I?
Who am I, really—what am I?
I am afraid of my own people, afraid of my own dreams.
Am I the moon, or the stain upon it?
Am I a drop, or am I the wave?
In the end… who am I?"
The words flowed slowly, cold and soft, carried on the tune of music.In the middle of the crowd, a man plucked the strings of a instrument with his fingers. The faint, husky voice slipped into the ears of the people. Yet the moment anyone's eyes landed on the man, they turned away and stepped back.
He sat alone within a high, circular platform. He was strikingly beautiful.
People deliberately ignored such a beautiful musician.
A woman passed by with her small child. It was her first time in this place. The sweet melody reached her ears as well.
Smiling at the child, she said,"This music is so beautiful, Reev."
Reev, who had been watching the crowd, replied without really understanding, his large black eyes shining,"Yes… his voice sounds like yours, Mommy."
The woman laughed at the child's innocence and at the compliment."Come on," she said, "let's go see this singer who sounds just like Mommy."
Curiosity stirred within her. Holding the child's hand, she began walking faster toward the circle.
As she reached closer, she froze.
Her curiosity turned into shock—and then into unease.
The child remained calm. Looking up at her with wide, gleaming black eyes, he asked,"Mommy… what is on that man's feet?"
The woman, still frozen, looked at the child. Trying to keep her face steady, she said,"We should leave this place, Reev."
But the innocent child kept staring at the beautiful man.
He sat at the center of the raised circular platform, leaning against a pole that rose from the ground. Only a single cloth covered his body, wrapped around his waist. His pale skin had turned red from the cold air.
His feet were completely covered in black scorpions.
They crawled all over him, moving like spiders across his skin.
The child was staring fixedly at the man.
suddenly, the beautiful man's gaze lifted from the instrument's vibrating strings and locked directly with the child's eyes.
The child flinched.
Blue eyes were watching him—there was only emptiness in them.
Suddenly, the man laughed. His lovely pink lips curled into a smile.
The woman standing beside him recoiled in fear at that laugh.
That laugh brought the emptiness of his eyes down onto his face—and that was the most terrifying part of all.
The mother quickly grabbed her child's hand and tried to pull him forward.
But the child did not move.
It was as if he had frozen in place.
Panicking, the mother tugged his hand hard once more,
but the child didn't budge—as though he had turned into a stone statue.
The woman, alarmed, began looking around at the people nearby.
Now there was only one thing left on her face—
absolute, engulfing fear.