Rain is disliked by many for various reasons. It drenches people’s clothes and their hair, causes traffic jams, forces people to put a heavy umbrella into their bag, gets everything dirty, and so on. To us, the rain is a hassle. When people see the rain, they think, darn, it’s raining. What they don’t think, though, is how much of an impact rain has on the environment and only consider it from their perspective.

Human beings are good at looking from their perspective. That’s how they ended up creating a monster that can easily devastate others’ lives.

I have already encountered him once. Today, though, was when I encountered him again. A day that started, just like any other, normal day.

I grabbed my phone and glanced at the time. 9:01. My first college class is at 9:45. Not me being late again. I lived in Seoul, by myself in an apartment. To get to Seoul National University, which is the college I attended, I had to ride a long transit, then sprint as fast as I can to get to class. Yeah, hahaha, 45 minutes was so much time to accomplish all of that.

I brushed my teeth and walked down a flight of stairs, which led to my living room. My living room was large but empty, only containing a plain white couch and a TV.  To the left of my living room was my marble floor kitchen. The TV was facing the kitchen so I could watch things while making breakfast. 

I turned on the news and began preparing a bowl of cereal. 

“A couple of days ago, a 19-year-old woman by the name of Lee Eunkyung was attacked by the Black Hat Killer. She was stabbed in the stomach near Seoul National University. She barely survived and is now recovering in Seoul National University Hospital.” 

“Another case of Black Hat Killer?” I muttered. This guy. He’s been killing people for about 8 years. Nobody knows when he’ll strike. He appears, causes tons of chaos, and then vanishes. No traces are left and the police can’t catch him.

“Let’s interview An Won-Shik, our leading investigator, and what he has to say about the investigation of BHK, aka Black Hat Killer.”

The reporter held the microphone to a tall man in a black tuxedo wearing a black hat. I’ve seen him multiple times over the years on the news. He likes to dress in black, always wearing black clothing from top to bottom.

“We are working on the case. I know we’ve been promising that for over 8 years, but we’ll find him. His methods of escape are so cleverly made, that we can’t find a way to track him. He leaves no evidence and as of right now, we don’t even have a suspect. I know you may all be upset with us, but this case is tough. We will figure out a way eventually because that’s our job.”

He faked a smile before bowing his head. The reporter continued to talk about potential ways people could help with the investigation.

I turned off the news. Waking up to hearing about another Black Hat Killer case and that police can’t do anything much about him was such a great way to start a day. I quickly finished my cereal while shoving everything I saw on the news into the back of my mind. No point in thinking too much about it. 

I changed into a thin light blue t-shirt, put on a pair of dark blue shorts, threw on some sunscreen, and stepped outside. The moment I took a step from my front door, I winced. Just like the forecast predicted, it was going to be miserably hot. There was no difference between stepping outside and stepping into a sauna. The warm light beams of the sun were immediately noticeable. That’s probably not very good for my skin. To add to all that, I didn’t get enough sleep last night, which only makes the heat less tolerable. I can’t wait to get out of this heat. With one sluggish step after another, I slowly approached my bus stop. It was about half a mile away, so I was being cooked by the sun for 5 minutes. The damp collar of my shirt was pressing on my skin.  Already drenched in sweat, I boarded the bus that arrives at my station at 9:30 sharp. 

I sat down in a dark blue seat. The bus had air conditioning, which felt amazing. I slumped back in my chair and cooled off.  Once I got off the bus, there isn’t much walking left to do, around a minute. That’s how I survive Seoul’s hot weather, walk rest walk.

The bus came to a halt. I thanked the driver as I got off the bus.

I headed over to my university and attended my biology class. We learned about Influenza A, a virus made to cause the flu. My class ended at around 10:45, but my next class isn’t until 3 hours later. Quite unfortunate, because 3 hours isn’t enough time to go home and it’s too long to go home. I found a way around it by filling it up with lunch and studying at a nearby library.

Every day, before lunch, I head over to a special location where I affirm my vows to myself. The walk light turned green and I sprinted across the crosswalk. I continued sprinting until I reached a small park with a water fountain. I took out a penny and threw it into the fountain, making a small splash. 

My parents died many years ago, back when I was twelve years old. I’ll never forget the grief I had when they died. That’s why I’ll finish my education and become a therapist. It’s impossible to prevent sorrow, but it is possible to help others overcome it.

I smiled. 

“Youngjae, you’ve come such a long way. You’re going to the top university in South Korea now. You’re definitely going to become the therapist you’ve dreamed of and you’re going to help people overcome their struggles.”

I turned around. Gray clouds had already covered the sky, engulfing the city in darkness. I squinted at the sky, not used to the sudden change of light. Weird, the forecast said it was going to be sunny all day. I do only check once a week though, so maybe something changed. 

Plop. A raindrop hit my shoulder. Instead of being just cloudy, it’s also raining? Crap, I didn’t bring my umbrella today. I glanced around me. Everyone else was either glancing at the sky or rummaging in their bag. They weren’t expecting the rain either. Looks like the forecast has completely mispredicted the rain. 

Drops of rain quickly turned to a downpour. The scenery became blurry as I kept sprinting, trying to get to a bus stop as soon as possible. As the clarity of my vision kept declining, a loud and scratchy voice echoed through the silence. 

“DON’T MOVE AN INCH!”

I stopped running. Unsettling sounds echoed. They were so loud, that I could easily hear the sound over the rain but couldn’t quite make out what it was. My left ear picked up a gunshot. I glanced towards the sound. There was a bank with the doors wide open. 

“There’s no way the voice and the gunshot sound didn’t mean anything bad,” I muttered. Let’s check it out first. I took off towards the building.

I stepped inside. There were booths lining the front and chairs near the entrance. Paper was all over the floor and the chairs were all knocked over. It was as if a tornado passed by. My nose filled with a weird scent. Something smelled like rust. I scouted the floor. Blood. Dark red blood stained the floor. This is somebody's blood. This is definitely a crime scene, whether a murder or robbery. Probably a combination of both. 

“WHAT PART OF GIVE ME THE DAMN MONEY DO YOU NOT UNDERSTAND?!” the same scratchy voice shouted.

“I know, I know, I’m trying to open the machine but I don’t know the password,” a new, unfamiliar voice whimpered.

The voices were coming from below. From what it sounds like, someone is being robbed through force. I scanned the room for any way to go lower. There wasn’t any on the customer side, so I dashed to the worker’s side. There was a door that was supposed to be locked but was wide open. 

Should I go down? I can’t just leave the person like that.

“L-Let me call them. I promise you I’ll get you the money.”

Fear trembled in the voice. 

If I charge down the stairs, the criminal will probably hear me. I need to take the stairs carefully at a time. 

“SHUT UP! JUST UNLOCK THE VAULT. I’LL GIVE YOU 5 MORE MINUTES.”

I tiptoed down the stairs and found a door that was not closed all the way. I peeked through it.
Inside the basement was a bloody mess. A long corridor with vaults containing money and many dead people, lying next to vaults. Only one person was still alive. He was pretty young and held a worker ID card. His clothes were stained with blood. Most likely the bank manager, otherwise, why would he still be alive? And then, there was a man dressed in black. Black clothing covered his whole body, except for two holes in his mask for his eyes. Although he resembled BHK, he didn’t have BHK’s trademark on his shirt sleeve which BHK always has. He had a black glove, with a circle and the words ‘BHK A’ on it, which meant he is working for BHK. There was a black gun in his hand, ready to shoot the last person alive.

Judging by their conversation, the manager doesn’t know the passcode, but the robber thinks it’s a bluff. I need to save him from this situation.

I reached into my pocket and pressed an alarm. It doesn’t make any sound or change its appearance, but it secretly alarms the police of danger and gives them my location. I received it from my dad. However, the police probably aren’t going to come in five minutes; the manager will probably be dead by then. They tell you that you should let an “adult” handle it; never take matters into your own hand. If I don’t take matters into my own hands, another person will die. Someone told me before that I shouldn’t take life for granted. 

I glanced around me, looking for something heavy. A dark, gray rock the size of a baseball was right next to me. I picked it up. This would be a risky operation. I’d have to fully open the door and immediately throw the rock at his hand. If it’s not right away, he’ll dodge it and I’ll be killed. Or if I miss. A cold sweat trickled down my spine. Waiting for the police seems a bit more viable. 

“ARE YOU MOCKING ME? GET THE MONEY ALREADY! ”

His hand tightened on the trigger. He’s losing his patience…

 My mind went on autopilot. Before I could stop myself, I opened the door and I threw the rock, hitting him square in the hand. He grasped his hand and dropped his gun. 

I sprinted across the room and tackled him to prevent him from grabbing his gun. We were both sent flying into a vault. Luckily for me, it was him who hit his back on the vault. 

I pinned him and grabbed his collar. 

“Give up. The cops are coming.”

I could tell he smiled underneath his mask. Before I anticipated anything, his arm broke free and uppercut me. He was much stronger than I expected him to be. I was sent flying, crashing into the vault. My jaw stung. I probably just broke my jaw and rib bones. I moaned. 

Big, cold hands wrapped tightly around my neck.

“You’ll die here, stupid boy,” he snarled. 

His hands cut off my airflow. I wheezed and tried to pry his hands off, but he was too strong. No matter how hard I pulled, his hands didn’t budge an inch. 

Maybe this is the moment I die. My vision started to fade away. Bang. A gunshot sound echoed in the room. The grip loosened a little, and my vision returned. The manager was holding the gun, pointing it straight at the robber. 

“Put him down or I’ll kill you.”

The robber seemed hesitant to make the choice and paused. His grip on my neck slightly loosened. The one chance I need. I swung him a punch, hitting him in the forehead. He dropped me and stumbled backward, crashing into the vault behind him. I coughed, hacked, and wheezed, trying to get my breath back. 

“Are you all right?” 

The manager came running to me. About 5 minutes later, my breath and voice came back. My blurry vision cleared. I sat up. The throbbing pain in my ribs and jaw seemed to go away. It seems that I didn’t break any bones after all.

“W-What happened?” I asked, confused by the situation.

“The robber is unconscious now.” He gestured towards an unmoving body. 

I sighed. “What a relief. I thought we were going to die.”

He smiled. “Thank you so much. You saved my life.”

Something about his smile made me feel so much better. I nodded. “Someone told me this once, never take your life or others for granted.”

He thought about it for a second, before smiling. “That person is very smart. You are too.”

I glanced back at the robber. Somehow, his body was replaced by air. I scooted back. “What happened to his body?”

“Huh?” the manager glanced back and realized the body was gone. “Wait, the body was there a minute ago,” I muttered. His body… vanished? He couldn’t have woken up. I punched him in the skull, which should’ve knocked him out…

Black Hat Killer must’ve swooped in again and taken him away. His accomplices usually aren’t caught by the police. 

“Is everyone alright down there?” a voice called. 

I sighed in relief. The police are here.

We went back to the main lobby and explained the situation to the police. The police were pretty horrified by the scene. “The Black Hat Killer strikes again,” I heard one of them mutter.

When I went outside, the rain hadn't stopped. I rubbed a bruise I got from the fight. My throat was dry and I was thirsty. I opened my mouth and tiled my head. Rain fell into my mouth. The cold drops felt amazing. After satisfying my thirst, I closed my mouth and wiped the water off my chin.

The police officers came outside. 

“Saving someone’s life like that. You're pretty brave, you know that?”

“Uh, thanks. It’s not every day I get complimented, ” I replied. I had no clue how to react. 

One of the officers nodded. “Well, I’m glad I did. What’s your name? I can take you home if you need a ride.”

That’s my way home. “Yeah, that would be great. My name is Jin Youngjae. Nice to meet you.” 

We shook hands. 

“Let’s get out of the rain,” he suggested.

“Yeah.”

Before I took a step, something puncture my abdomen. I looked down to find a bloody hole in my shirt. Streams of dark red liquid began to leak out of my shirt. Clutching it with my hand to try to reduce the amount of loss of blood, I glanced up to see who shot me. There was someone dressed in all black and wearing a black hat. I knew who he was the moment I saw him. The Black Hat Killer. He stood far away on the other end of the alleyway, the same one on the news. Although I couldn’t hear him, I saw his mouth move and imagined what he was trying to say.

“Don’t get in my way again.”

With that, he turned around and ran into the rain.

“Black Hat Killer, Black Hat Killer, over there!” someone’s voice called over the rain.

“Youngjae!”  One of the officers ran to me.

“I’ll chase him,” one of the officers shouted and disappeared after him.

My vision blurred. My legs gave way underneath me, and I fell onto the concrete. The pain in my abdomen was getting stronger. I took another breath. The sound of my name faded away and became a blur in the background. The concrete beside me was dark red. The only thing I could see was the color of the concrete around me. 

Just like a night, when I was a kid years ago. Except for this time, maybe it’s me who will die.

“Goodbye,” I whispered, slowly closing my eyes.

The colors around me quickly faded to nothing.