Page 145 of Perfect Happiness

Jane took one step toward Yuna.The song started to play again inside Jane’s head.

Maria, Maria...

I planted a flower in my weeping heart ...

Jane squeezed the rock in her hand.I’m done, Dad.She took another step toward Yuna.I’mnot your little princess anymore.I’m...

Jane paused.She could hear the sirens getting closer.While fighting with Yuna, she had almost forgotten about them.

Jane turned her head to where she thought the cabin was.Red and blue lights were speeding toward them from the dark horizon.There must have been half a dozen cars.How did they know?Had Eun-ho managed to call the police before losing consciousness?

Jane turned to where she had left Eun-ho.He had managed to pull himself onto land and was now lying face down in the snow.It seemed like he had regained some of his motor skills.

Jane’s gaze returned to Yuna.But she was gone.Wondering if she had simply misplaced Yuna, Jane glanced around.A dim light was moving toward the opposite shore.At first, Jane didn’t understand why she was running in that direction.If she wanted to flee, she should run the other way, toward the mountain and the village.The only thing on the opposite side of the marsh was a gorge.

The gorge!It was then that it occurred to Jane.Yuna knew exactly where she was going.

Not like this.It was too easy.Jane started to cross the marsh in pursuit of Yuna.But her goal wasn’t really Yuna.What she wanted was to kill the little princess inside of herself, the one that had been a prisoner to her father’s love.Jane wanted to kill her once and for all, so that she would never come back.

The sirens continued to get louder.They sounded like they were ringing inside Jane’s ears.The marsh was becoming brighter.But Jane didn’t have any spare attention to think about what this meant.Her eyes were only focused on the light from the headlamp, and her ears filled with the song.

I watch the flowers thinking of your face.

I watch the flowers hoping for your embrace.

Maria, oh, Maria.

Just as the police cars arrived at the marsh, Yuna reached the shore.Seeing Yuna successfully lift herself onto land, Jane lunged and grabbed onto Yuna’s ankles, causing Yuna to slip and fall back down the embankment.

“Let go of me!”Yuna shouted as she thrashed her legs.

“Shut up!Just shut up and die!”But Jane was really shouting at the song in her head.

As Yuna thrashed about, her heel smacked Jane in the left eye, her bad eye.Pain like lightning passed through Jane’s head.It felt like her eyeball had been flattened like ahotteokpancake.Jane screamed out in pain.But she wasn’t going to let go of Yuna’s ankle.The red and blue lights were now filling the marsh.

“I said let go of me!”

Yuna continued to thrash, kicking her back legs out from behind her like a donkey.

“Freeze!”a voice called out from over a megaphone.

Without letting go of Yuna’s ankle, Jane looked to her left and right.Patrol cars had surrounded the marsh.

“Both of you, freeze!”A man was shouting as he approached from their right.“I said don’t move!”

Yuna’s kicking suddenly stopped.She lifted her head and looked over her shoulder at Jane.

“Let go of me,” she said in a low growl through her clenched teeth.“Stealing bitch.”

Hidden behind a beam of yellow light, Yuna’s face looked like a dark cave.Yuna really believed that Jane had stolen her life from her.This belief was eternal, binding, religious.And it was the power of this belief that had kept her going.

Jane’s grip slowly started to relax.Yuna’s ankle slipped out of her fingers.Jane stood up in the water and stared in silence at Yuna as she ran.Standing at the edge of the cliff, she looked like a child dressed in a black raincoat.The policeman’s arms were close enough to reach her.

“Stop,” he said.“It’s okay.Just stop.”

The policeman extended his hand.But just before he could grab her, Yuna flung herself off the side of the cliff.And just like that, the song in Jane’s head stopped.

Epilogue