The trip was supposed to be a fun-filled adventure, a school trip where I had joined my friends, Hyesu, Brandon, Gyuhong, and Gaeun. It was around 2 AM, and the hotel pool was alive with excitement. Gaeun, along with Yena and two other friends, splashed around, laughter echoing into the night, while other Korean girls joined the festivities.

Feeling a wave of exhaustion, I decided to retreat to our accommodation. Brandon, Jane, and Gyuhong were already fast asleep, leaving me to navigate the dimly lit space alone.

In the corner, a stranger sat at a computer, his face illuminated by the screen’s glow. He seemed to know me, his demeanor oddly familiar as he began speaking. But as the conversation unfolded, an unsettling chill crept down my spine. This man knew far too much about me—details that were unsettlingly specific. “How do you know all this?” I asked, my voice barely above a whisper. In response, the computer screen lit up with my Instagram photos, revealing an array of snapshots and seemingly private information. The man grinned, a sinister smile that made my stomach turn.

Panic surged through me as I instinctively took a step back. “I’m not interested,” I stammered, trying to maintain my composure. But my words fell on deaf ears. He suddenly brandished a knife, the blade glinting ominously in the soft light of the room.

We sat cross-legged on the floor, tension thick in the air. I fought to defend myself, trying to wrestle the knife from his grip, but with each failed attempt, another knife appeared seemingly from nowhere, emerging from behind him as if he were conjuring them from thin air. My heart raced as I continued to block his strikes, adrenaline surging through my veins. But then, with a swift movement, he managed to strike me in the face. The pain was immediate and searing; my cheek swelled, turning the world into a hazy blur as I struggled to catch my breath. I felt vulnerable, trapped in this surreal nightmare.

Desperate to de-escalate the situation, I finally managed to snatch away all but one of his knives, gripping it tightly. “Just calm down!” I pleaded, my words slurred through my swollen lips. “Please!”

Just as the chaos seemed poised to spiral out of control, my parents arrived, their presence a grounding force. The tension dissipated, the situation resolved before it could escalate further. In that moment, I felt the adrenaline drain from my body, replaced by a wave of relief mingled with lingering fear. The night’s terror faded, but the memory of the encounter would remain etched in my mind, a chilling reminder of how quickly joy could turn into danger.