The Ring of Gyges

Unmoving, he stared at the blank wall in front of the kitchen table as the hours flew by. He thought back to that night with the hooded man and the smile that would send anyone shivering with fright. Who was that man? Why did he appear? Questions like these took off like fireworks in Seon Myin's mind, but each time his questions were left unanswered.

When the clock struck 3, Seong Myin's thoughts drifted back to the ring. What was so special about this ring? He thought that the ring might give him an answer. Curiosity superseded his fear.

Seong Myin found himself wandering towards his room and in a moment the ring was on a finger. Seong Myin expected something great to happen. That his confusion would be swept away and that all this trouble could be explained. But after several seconds, he furrowed his brows. He glanced around the room, but his eyes paused on his bedroom mirror.

He blinked three times.

He rubbed his eyes making sure that he was awake. Seong Myin saw that he was not in the mirror. Feeling his heartbeat rise, Seong Myin took off the ring and a person that looked like he hadn't slept for three days appeared.

"This can't – No… It can't be possible." Seong Myin thought to himself.

This ring possessed a power that was beyond the realm of human understanding and the known properties of the universe. In the end his confusions had multiplied. The ring had only brought another headache in addition to that mysterious black hooded man.

A thought passed into Seong Myin's mind as he looked at the stack of envelopes above his drawer, containing last month's rent and all the unpaid loans. He could use the ring to solve the family debt. He thought to himself how easy it would be to steal from a bank.

He and Aeyong wouldn't have to suffer from all the loans. But thinking back to the morals he learned at school, he thought it best to part with the ring. Seong Myin knew that the only way to confront temptation was to forget the temptation existed in the first place.

Nevertheless, he could not part with the ring. Fidgeting the ring in his hand, Seong Myin strolled back to the kitchen table, patiently waiting for Aeyong.

When the clock struck 7:10, Seong Myin was slightly bothered. Aeyong always arrived 15 minutes early and now she was ten minutes late. When the clock struck 7:30, Seong Myin thought that the traffic must have been terrible today. He sent a text message to ask his sister if there was a delay. When the clock struck 8:05, Seong Myin could not hide his nervousness. Aeyong had not replied. He tried calling, but there was no answer. Worried, Seong Myin grabbed a jacket and headed out.

Half an hour later, Seong Myin arrived at Aeyong's workplace, a ten-story office government building. When he arrived at the office building, though, the sound of sirens and shouting met his ears.

The sound of gunfire echoed around the streets.

Without any hesitation, Seong Myin put the ring on his finger and rushed inside. The sight left him shocked. Office workers law dead around the floor. He rushed up the stairs to the third floor checking to make sure if Aeyong was safe, but that was when his heart froze.

"No – No, no, no. Aeyong, no." Seong Myin's cries were drowned by the shouting outside, but his mourning remained. There was Aeyong's body on the ground, lifeless and cold.

"What do you want from me?" Seong Myin cried out, pouring emotion, but each time silence was his response.