Knock Three Times (Episode 1) | Psychological Thriller Story
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Episode 1 – Knock Three Times
Psychological Thriller | Yeon-Seo | Twist: She’s Being Tested
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Yeon-Seo tightened her scarf against the night air as she hurried down the familiar street. She had walked this way home countless times before, yet tonight felt different. The silence pressed against her, heavy and unnatural, as though the entire city were holding its breath. The dim glow of the streetlamps cast long shadows across the cracked pavement, and for the first time, she had the unsettling sense that those shadows were not still. They seemed to lean in, as though watching her every step.
Then came the sound.
Footsteps.
She slowed. The sound slowed too.
Yeon-Seo spun around, her eyes searching the empty road. Nothing—only the hollow glow of streetlights and the blank stare of shuttered windows. She forced herself to breathe, scolding her nerves. But the tension in her stomach refused to ease.
She moved forward again. The footsteps followed. Louder this time, closer, deliberate.
Her heart pounded in her chest, rising to match the rhythm of the noise. She spun again—no one. Yet she knew what she heard. The sound vibrated through her bones.
She quickened her pace. The footsteps quickened too.
Panic rose. She broke into a run.
The sound behind her wasn’t just following now—it was chasing. Each heavy thud of pursuit grew sharper, nearer, more urgent. Her lungs burned as she gasped for air, and her trembling hands barely managed to unlock the gate. She slammed it shut, darted inside, and locked the door.
Silence.
She pressed her back against the wall, clutching her chest as she tried to steady her breath. But then—movement. A shadow glided across her window. Slowly, she parted the curtain.
A man.
Black hoodie, head tilted so his face remained hidden. He stood in the middle of her yard, utterly motionless. Watching.
Her pulse roared in her ears. She grabbed her phone, dialing emergency services with trembling fingers.
“Someone followed me,” she whispered. “He’s outside. Just standing there. Watching my house.”
The operator’s voice was calm, steady. “Stay inside. Lock everything. Officers are on the way. Do not open the door.”
Yeon-Seo nodded even though the operator couldn’t see her. “He rang the bell,” she added, her voice breaking.
The operator paused. “Did he say anything?”
“No. Just rang it—like he wanted me to open up.”
She peeked outside again.
The yard was empty.
Or so she thought.
Knock. Knock. Knock.
Three slow, deliberate raps echoed through the silence.
Her body froze. The phone slipped from her grasp and hit the floor. She dropped to her knees, scrambling to pick it up. Before she could speak, sirens pierced the air.
The knocking stopped.
Through the curtain, she saw him turn sharply toward the sound. But instead of fleeing down the street, he darted around the side of her house.
Her breath caught. He’s trying to get in.
Blue and red lights spilled across her yard as the police arrived. She rushed outside, pointing frantically. “He went that way!”
Two officers sprinted off, while another stayed with her. “Tell me what happened,” he urged.
Yeon-Seo told him everything—each footstep, every shadow, every knock.
“You said he rang the bell?” he asked, his eyes narrowing.
She nodded.
The officer examined the door. His gloved hand traced along the wood until he stopped. “There’s something here.”
Yeon-Seo stepped closer. A small spiral had been carved into the door—etched with care, precise and deliberate.
Her blood chilled. “What does it mean?”
The officer didn’t answer. He only lifted his radio and called for backup.
Yeon-Seo stared at the symbol, her mind reeling. She had seen it before—on a flyer tacked to a telephone pole weeks ago. On her street. Even once on her own gate.
She had dismissed it then.
But now she understood.
This wasn’t random.
She hadn’t just been followed.
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