Work Text:
after a few weeks of mostly lurking in the serial killer server (and isn't that something so crazy?), you think you have a basic read on most people here - except ai hua, but that's mostly because she lurks more than you do. being around flesh and blood serial killers is doing wonders for your inspiration, that's for sure! you probably have enough basic ideas for at least 9 books. but now is time for the hardest part: choosing one basic idea and developing it into a fully fledged book.
the question is who...
late at night, you re-read every server member's intro and descriptions. the longer you look, the more you feel... somewhat attracted to one member in particular
dkos : hello, you might know me as Guwon-ui Mawang or Demon King of Salvation. you can call me guwon. i give hopeless people Salvation. also known as the Butcher's little Passion Project. i like talking about myself so feel free to dm me at any time.
this person... you remember hearing about him on the news. he seems to strike at random times, and each victims have been found to have posted something about being suicidal in the weeks preceding their death. and every time, that name was written in blood nearby. on a wall, the ground, a piece of paper, it didn't matter, he signed each murder by that name. guwon-ui mawang. demon king of salvation. from the news articles you saw on him, he doesn't seem to have a weapon preference, tho his profile does specify he enjoys knives...
you've made your decision. you decide to send him a dm.
ariousarus: Hey, sorry to bother you Guwon (Guwon-ssi? Am I right to assume you're Korean?) but I was hoping you could answer some questions?
it didn't take long to get an answer.
dkos: hello! i dont mind answering questions especially if they're about me, it's for the novel you talked about in your intro right?
dkos: also yeah youre right in assuming im korean lol (well half korean but thats Irrelevant) guwon or guwon-ssi is fine
well, that was easy. good thing you mentioned liking writing in your intro so that if you slipped they'd just think it's a side hobby.
ariousarus: Yeah, it's for my novel. Don't worry, I won't, like, give any personal details about you or anything, I guess I just need some idea to start?
ariousarus: I have so many questions tbh lol but I'll go one at a time, and obviously you can refuse to answer any of them I don't wanna make you uncomfortable or anything
dkos: mmh, im no writer but i get it. kinda
ariousarus: So, if you don't mind, I kinda wanna hear about your motivations? Like obviously I've read your intro, and I've seen articles on you, but I wanna hear it from you
ariousarus: I mean, I don't wanna write about my own experience because that's the quickest way to get caught lol
ariousarus: And it's hard to write about experience other than my own without fully understanding. Everything
dkos: oooo yeah i get that getting into people's brain is Hard
dkos: i guess the best way to describe my motivation for killing is
dkos: giving people like Me what they Want
dkos: its a bit hard to describe via text tho so if you wanna do this via call i dont mind!
oh? a call with an actual serial killer? that's... dangerous. and also a one in a lifetime opportunity. you can't just pass it.
the first thing you notice is the contrast between his room and guwon's appearance.
guwon looks almost strangely mundane. you feel like you've seen at least 5 guys that look like him just today. dark hair, brown eyes, nothing very distinctive really. maybe that's how he hasn't been caught, any possible eye witness probably can't give any specific details on him.
meanwhile, his room looks like an overly edgy teenager's dream bedroom. he almost looks out of place in the black and red room, with a bunch of horror movies posters. if anything, this looks like it could be ronin's room.
he smiles, looking into the camera as if he was trying to see directly into your soul.
"so, here we are! if you hear some noise in the background, don't worry about it, it's just... my cat."
you can hear a shuffling sound followed by a loud "fuck off!"
that voice was very, very familiar. in fact, you heard it just this morning in vc.
you're honestly not sure why you're surprised that guwon lives (or at least hangs out) with ronin. it was kind of said in his intro. and it explains the room.
you shake your head. not important right now.
"well... tell your cat i said hi?" you say hesitantly, as if saying this would be signing for your death.
to your surprise, guwon actually laughs, and you can see something in the background shift — oh, ronin was lying on the bed earlier, he fits so well in the room you didn't notice him — and ronin, the butcher, walks into the frame.
guwon stands up, and now you can’t really tell what either of them are doing. they… hug, you think, and you can't hear what they're saying, just that they're talking. for a second, in the way they hold each other, in the way they whisper to each other, you can almost catch a glimpse of their own, twisted version of love. you quickly write down a note on a post it, hoping to be able to catch that glimpse again. when you look up at the screen again, ronin is gone and guwon has a lovestruck look on his face.
"isn't he great?" he says when he notices you're listening. "he saved me, i'd say."
"did he?" you can't help but ask. this isn't quite what you need to know for your novel, but it's almost like you need to know.
guwon has this look on his face, like he expected you to say that. "you know purgatory, that alleyway where a bunch of ronin's victims were found?" he doesn't bother waiting for an answer. "that's where we met. he later told me he got this strong gut feeling making him check the alley before bringing any victims there. anyway, that day he found me bleeding on the ground, holding a knife to my own neck. ah… i remember shaking so much, wanting to die so much but getting that sudden bit of survival instinct taking over me… and then, light came in the form of the Butcher, the Devil himself…"
you can't look away from the screen, from the look on his face as he casually talks about his own suicide.
this… this is…
… weirdly inspiring.
seemingly oblivious to your thoughts, guwon continues. "he took me in, it'd take a while to explain why and it really doesn't matter for now. took me in, told me he's a serial killer and i didn't really care, to be fair i kind of expected it." he pauses, thinking about his words. "... one day i saw a post someone made asking about the most painless way to die."
his smile is… strangely gentle, for someone talking about what you can definitely guess is his first victim. "and you know, a lot of people might have thought it was someone who wanted to show mercy to their victim. but when i saw that post, i knew they were like me. they were suffering, with no hope of getting 'better'. i told ronin about it, and he… told me he'd help me help them. i don't think i need to spell it out for you. it was probably the best date we've both had. that's how the demon king of salvation came to this world."
you talk some more about more miscellaneous things, but your head's not quite in it. you just can't stop thinking about everything.
a suicidal serial killer who "helps" other suicidals to get to their end…
that's a story for the ages.
after saying your goodbyes and hanging up, instead of rushing to open your favourite writing software, you turn off your computer and do something you haven't done in years.
you pick up a piece of paper and a pen and you write.