Forbidden Zone of Deception

Chapter 135 Compass
Xu Yinqiu's gaze was fixed on the boning knife in Zheng Yuan's hand, and her face instantly turned pale.

“This knife—” she practically forced out through clenched teeth, “where did you find it?”

Zheng Yuan noticed her unusual reaction and subconsciously hid the knife behind his back: "It's on the beach to the east... What's wrong? Have you seen this knife before?"

Xu Yinqiu's breathing became noticeably rapid, but she quickly forced herself to calm down.

She couldn't be sure whether the people in the house were human or ghosts, so it wasn't time to confront them directly.

"The sea to the east? Where exactly is that?"

Meizi looked at Xu Yinqiu with suspicion: "Yinqiu, do you recognize this knife?"

"It's nothing, I just think... it's strange that such a bloodstained knife appeared on the beach."

“It looks like a knife used by a butcher,” Zheng Yuan said, examining the blade. “But I don’t understand why it’s stuck in the ground.”

"Did you see any figures or footprints nearby?" Xu Yinqiu pressed.

Zheng Yuan shook his head: "No, I didn't see it."

"I see……"

After saying that, she turned and quickly left the kitchen, her footsteps disappearing hurriedly at the end of the corridor.

Zheng Yuan frowned: "Her reaction is too strange..."

"Do you want to go and take a look?" Miko asked softly.

Zheng Yuan nodded, carefully wrapped the knife, and stuffed it into the innermost part of the cupboard: "I'll go take a look. You stay here."

Zheng Yuan quietly followed her out of the house and saw Xu Yinqiu in the distance.

She was walking briskly along the coastline, occasionally bending down to check the nearby bushes and rocks.

Her movements were hurried, not at all like she was taking a casual stroll.

Zheng Yuan kept his distance and followed behind, his mind replaying the shocked expression on Xu Yinqiu's face when she saw the knife.

She must recognize this knife.

Moreover, she was hiding something.

Zheng Yuan had almost no memory of his three classmates, Xu Yinqiu, Jiang Jin, and Liu Yan, and even if he tried to recall them carefully, he couldn't remember them.

Meanwhile, in Teacher Park's house.

Meizi took a thick scrapbook from the drawer and called out, "Dafeng, Shunxi, come and see this!"

Upon hearing this, Dafeng and Shunxi put down what they were doing and came over to look at the clippings.

"These are all treasured by the teacher; they're all news articles about you guys."

Dafeng curiously leaned over and turned to a page: "Wow, this is the report of my first professional match! My teacher even kept it!"

Legendary player Xu Dafeng achieves another grand slam home run.

Soon-hee, however, was drawn to another page—a news clipping from when she participated in the Miss Korea pageant.

[Miss Korea contestant Jin Sunmi announces]

In one of the photos, Zhao Shunxi is among the beauty pageant contestants.

Miss Korea is generally divided into three awards: Jin (True), Sun (Good), and Mi (Beautiful). Miss Jin is considered the champion and the real "Miss Korea". There are two Miss Sun, who are the runners-up. Miss Mi is the third runner-up, and there are several winners. Cho Soon-hee won the Miss Mi honor.

"Oh my god, this happened several years ago..." Shunxi's face flushed slightly. After all, she only won third place, and she was usually too embarrassed to show it off.

Dafeng asked with great interest, "Speaking of which, what exactly is the process for the Miss Korea pageant? I don't really know much about it either."

Soon-hee elegantly tidied her hair: "First, you need a university degree, and you usually need to be unmarried and childless. Then you have to go through the regional preliminary rounds. The official competition is divided into a dress display, a traditional hanbok display, a talent show, and a Q&A session."

Pointing to the photo, she said, "Look, this is the modified hanbok I wore in the traditional costume segment. The judges especially praised the design of the waistline."

Miko turned to the next page: "Look, this is the new product launch of Shihao Clothing Company."

Meanwhile, Se-ho was looking at the group photos from his annual birthday parties displayed on the shelf.

As the heir to a clothing company, he wears his own brand's latest suits to events every year.

“Look, this is the first year,” he said to Minghao, pointing to the photo. “I’m wearing a classic double-breasted suit. That year, my company had just launched the ‘traditional and modern combination’ series.”

He moved his finger to the next picture: "Look, the second year my suit was a single-breasted slim-fit style, and the collar was embroidered with traditional Korean patterns."

“Indeed, the workmanship is impeccable,” Minghao praised. “You can tell at a glance that it is definitely made by the best Korean tailor. The lines are really smooth.”

“This is my favorite suit from the third year, which was last year,” Se-ho said with a smile. “This gray suit is a new style launched by the company. It uses a new type of breathable fabric and the cut is more suitable for Asian body types. This suit has sold very well nationwide, and there have even been many counterfeit versions in Dongdaemun Market in Seoul.”

"Wow, that's really impressive..." Minghao said, looking at Shihao's smug expression. "Wow, I never knew President Li was so good at business."

"I'm not content with just the South Korean market; my next step is to expand into the Chinese market." Seho seemed quite pleased with himself. "China's entry into the WTO, hosting the Olympics in two years, and the World Expo in four years—it's definitely the most commercially promising and massive market in Asia right now. You know, China's population is 27 times that of South Korea!"

"That's a huge difference?" Minghao was a little surprised. "I originally estimated it would be about 20 times different. Doesn't China have a one-child policy?" "I must take advantage of the current popularity of Chinese TV dramas like 'Dae Jang Geum' to open the door to the Chinese clothing market!"

"That's true. When I went to China on business, they seemed to really like our TV dramas. Actors like Bae Yong-joon, Jang Nara, and Song Seung-heon are very popular in China."

As the two chatted and laughed, Minghao suddenly looked out at the courtyard.

The table had already been cleared, but the cake that had been reserved for Young-min was still on the table. And the chair in front of the cake was still there.

Shihao's earlier excited expression turned somber as he said, "Minghao... I'm telling you, it's been four years already. Is it really necessary to keep the cake there all this time? It makes a perfectly good dining table look like an altar. Anyway, the teacher's asleep now, so why don't we take it away?"

“You know how much the teacher values ​​every rule,” Minghao shook his head and said, “Let’s just go along with the teacher, it’s just a piece of cake.”

"Sigh, if the teacher continues like this, I have a feeling that her mental state might get even worse."

Then, Shihao took out a cigarette case, took out a cigarette and lit it.

The smoke swirled slowly in the air, and suddenly his gaze fell on a yellowed photograph under the shelf.

In the photo, Minghao stands on the podium, holding a certificate that reads "First in Mathematics in the Grade," and smiles brightly.

"Ha, Minghao, do you still remember this?" Shihao exhaled a puff of smoke and pointed at the photo with the finger holding the cigarette. "You were first in math in the grade. You were really something back then."

Minghao walked over, and after seeing the photo, he scratched his head sheepishly: "Don't mention it, it was just first place in elementary school."

He picked up the photo and looked at it nostalgically: "I remember in third grade math class, Ms. Park distributed brand new compasses to each student. I didn't know what they were back then, and I played with them as toys."

Upon hearing this, Shihao, for some reason, began to frown.

"At that time, Teacher Park assigned us a task to draw a circle with a radius of five centimeters using this tool. I was very confident when I adjusted the compass, but I used too much force and the metal tip suddenly slipped, tearing my exercise book."

Shihao's forehead began to bead with sweat as he took a deep drag on his cigarette.

"At that time, everyone around me started laughing, and I felt so embarrassed. Zhengyuan, who was sitting next to me, comforted me and said he would demonstrate for me. He then drew a perfect arc very steadily. I was not convinced and snatched the compass back. Do you remember what happened? This time I used too much force, and the needle tip pierced the paper and stuck into the wooden desk."

Upon hearing the words "needle tip," Shihao instinctively trembled.

"Compass"... "Needle tip"...

These words were like a sharp knife, instantly piercing Shihao's mind.

His fingers jerked violently, and the cigarette fell to the ground.

"Shihao?" Minghao looked at him in confusion. "What's wrong with you?"

Shihao's breathing became rapid, his pupils contracted slightly, and fine beads of cold sweat appeared on his forehead.

His vision began to blur, the metal tip of the compass... the instant it pierced his flesh...

"Don't...don't say anymore..." His voice was so hoarse it didn't sound like his own.

Minghao was stunned: "What? Don't say anything?"

"I said stop talking!" Shihao suddenly flew into a rage, snatched the photo, and slammed it to the ground. The glass frame shattered, shards flying everywhere.

Everyone was stunned by this sudden turn of events.

Dafeng and Shunxi stopped talking, and Meizi was also startled by the commotion.

Shihao's chest heaved violently, his fingers trembled slightly, and he looked down at the broken photos on the ground, as if he himself did not understand why he was having such a violent reaction.

He clearly has no recollection of being pricked by a compass.
“Compass…” he murmured to himself, his eyes unfocused, “Why…why would I…”

Minghao stood there helplessly: "Shihao, are you alright? What happened to you?"

Shihao didn't answer. Deep within his mind, a memory with a strong sense of déjà vu was struggling to surface—

The sharp point of the compass pierced the skin, and blood gushed out uncontrollably...

The excruciating pain was so intense that it prevented me from even screaming...

He suddenly remembered.

It's like when I first saw Miko cutting the cake, it felt like she was dissecting a human body...

Do not……

Strictly speaking, it's like cutting off his own body!
"I...I need to calm down."

He turned abruptly and strode towards the door, his back stiff and flustered.

There was silence in the room.

Minghao bent down to pick up the torn photos, looking at the others with confusion: "What... happened to him?"

Soon-hee stared in the direction Se-ho had left, her brows furrowed: "He seemed to have a strong reaction to the word 'compass'."

“PTSD? But…” Minghao shook his head blankly, “What kind of trauma could Shihao have had as a child? His family is so well-off, he’s always been a top student… I’ve never heard of anything… related to the compass?”

(End of this chapter)