Morning sunlight slowly slipped through the curtains of Leo's room, covering the room in a soft golden glow.
Leo slowly opened his eyes, still half asleep.
For a moment, he stayed completely still.
Anny was sleeping peacefully against him, her left hand resting lightly over his chest while strands of her hair fell across the blanket. The room was cold from the air conditioner, and the quiet morning atmosphere felt strangely comforting.
Carefully, without trying to wake her, Leo stretched one arm toward the bedside table searching for the AC remote. After fumbling around for a few seconds, he finally found it and turned the AC off.
By then, Anny's eyes slowly opened.
She looked up at him sleepily and smiled softly.
Leo smiled back.
"Baby, come on. Let's get ready. We have to go too."
Anny nodded lazily before slowly pulling the blanket away.
Before getting up, she leaned closer and gave Leo a quick kiss, making him freeze for a second in surprise.
Then, without saying anything else, she walked toward the bathroom.
Leo let out a quiet laugh and started getting dressed.
A few minutes later, he noticed all the water bottles in his room were empty.
"Great..." he muttered quietly.
He opened the door and stepped outside into the hallway.
That was when he noticed something strange again.
Nemo was quietly entering Lig's room while holding an ice pack in her hand.
The moment felt oddly serious.
The hallway itself was silent, but something about Nemo's expression immediately made Leo feel that whatever was happening with Lig was far from normal.
Anny stepped out of the bathroom while drying her hair lightly with a towel.
"I'm done. You can use the bathroom now."
Leo nodded absentmindedly.
"Okay."
He walked into the bathroom and closed the door behind him.
The moment he started brushing his teeth, something suddenly clicked inside his mind.
Not a full thought.
Just a strange feeling, like a puzzle piece moving into place.
But no matter how much he tried, he still couldn't fully understand it.
Frustrated, he removed his T-shirt and tossed it into the washing machine before turning on the shower.
Cold water poured down over him.
Leo closed his eyes and tilted his head upward, letting the water hit his face like falling rain. Slowly, the tension inside him began fading away. The noise of the water drowned out everything else.
Then suddenly—
A thought flashed through his mind.
His eyes instantly opened.
For a second, he stood completely frozen beneath the shower.
"No way..." he whispered to himself.
He quickly wiped the water from his face with a towel, got dressed, and hurried out of the bathroom.
The moment he looked at Anny, he paused again.
Morning light from the window fell softly across her face, making her look almost unreal. Calm. Warm. Glowing.
Anny immediately noticed the expression on his face.
"You look like something happened."
She walked closer, gently grabbed his hand, and tried to hug him.
But Leo suddenly pulled his hand back slightly.
"I think I figured something out."
He quickly unlocked his phone and started checking through old notifications, schedules, and marked checkpoints.
His breathing slowly became uneven.
"Two weeks ago..." he murmured. "There were no checkpoints... no tasks... nothing marked on my phone."
He slowly looked toward Anny.
"That day..."
Before he could finish, Anny answered quietly.
"You were with me on my birthday."
Leo froze again.
Anny looked at him with growing concern.
"What happened to you?"
Leo sat down slowly, still staring at his phone.
"I don't understand anything anymore. Ever since that day... strange things started happening with Lig. And then suddenly this Nen10 person appears..."
His voice carried confusion more than fear.
Anny quietly sat beside him and gently patted his head.
"Everything will be okay."
Her voice was soft and comforting.
Then she smiled faintly.
"Let's go watch a movie today. You need something to refresh your mind."
Leo stayed silent for a few seconds before finally standing up.
"Okay."
He took a slow breath and looked toward the door.
"I'll wait for you in the kitchen. What do you want to eat?"
Anny smiled immediately.
"Okay. But what are you eating?"
Leo shrugged lightly.
"I'll just make some sandwiches. Easy and fast."
Anny grinned.
"Perfect. I'll have the same."
Leo nodded quietly.
"Okay."
He walked out of the room and headed downstairs toward the kitchen.
The moment the door closed behind him, Anny's calm expression slowly changed.
She picked up her phone and quickly opened a hidden chat.
Anny:
Dad, is there any good news?
A reply came almost instantly.
Dad:
I think it will work. Bring him soon... or send him.
Anny stared at the message silently for a few seconds before replying.
Anny:
Okay.
After that, she opened another chat — one with a strange masked contact name.
N10.**
Her fingers moved slowly across the screen.
Anny:
He's getting stressed. And thank you for yesterday.
A few moments later, the reply appeared.
N10:**
It's norm@l. Boss order.
Anny bit her lip slightly before typing again.
Anny:
Tell boss thank you from me. And... is he 01
The typing bubble appeared for a few seconds.
N10:**
Yes. But not g00d.
For the first time that morning, worry crossed Anny's face.
She slowly locked the chat, hid the messages, and cleared the notifications before putting the phone away like nothing had happened.
Then she took a deep breath and walked out of the room normally.
Downstairs, the smell of toasted bread and butter filled the kitchen.
Leo stood near the counter holding two plates.
The moment he saw her, he smiled softly.
"Here's your breakfast, ma'am."
Anny laughed quietly and accepted the plate.
"Thank you."
Just then, Mira walked into the kitchen while tying her hair.
"Hi, Anny. How are you?"
Anny smiled politely.
"I'm good. And you?"
"Fine."
Leo placed another plate on the table.
"And here's your breakfast too."
Mira looked impressed.
"Wow. Since when did you become this responsible?"
Leo smirked slightly.
"Since I became poor after yesterday's almost-expensive café date."
For a moment, Anny's smile froze very slightly at those words... before she quietly looked down at her breakfast.
Mira looked around the kitchen before frowning slightly.
"Where's Lig?"
Leo took a sip of water before answering casually.
"In his room."
Mira's expression softened a little.
"I hope he's okay."
"Yeah..." Leo replied quietly, though even he didn't sound fully convinced anymore.
After breakfast, Leo and Anny got ready to head out again. Just as they reached near the front door, Lig suddenly walked out from the hallway.
He looked tired.
Not the normal kind of tiredness from lack of sleep — something heavier. His movements were slower than usual, and the faint darkness beneath his eyes was impossible to miss now.
Leo immediately noticed him.
"Where are you going?"
Lig adjusted his jacket casually.
"Work."
Leo crossed his arms.
"Did you even eat breakfast?"
Lig nodded slightly.
"I had soup early in the morning... and noodles."
Mira blinked.
"You made them yourself?"
Lig gave a short answer.
"No."
Leo instantly sighed loudly in frustration.
"Aaah, see? This is exactly why you keep getting sick. Your habits are terrible."
Lig raised both hands dramatically in surrender.
"Okay, big bro. From next time, I'll keep your wisdom in mind."
Despite joking, his tired smile still looked forced.
Then he looked between Leo and Anny.
"Anyway... are you two going somewhere?"
Anny quickly nodded.
"Y-Yes. Leo's been really stressed lately, so we're going to watch a movie."
For a second, she almost slipped on her words, but managed to recover naturally.
Lig looked at Leo quietly before giving a small nod.
"I see."
Then he casually added,
"I can drop you guys there if you want."
Leo immediately smiled.
"That would be great, bro."
Mira grabbed her bag and walked toward the door as well.
"Okay, guys, bye. Have fun. I'm heading to work too."
"Bye!" Anny replied warmly.
As Anny bent down to wear her shoes, thoughts rushed through her head.
That was close...
I almost messed up badly. Good thing I said 'stress' first...
Inside her mind, she laughed nervously to herself.
At that moment, Leo suddenly froze.
"Wait a second. I forgot my phone on the table."
Without waiting another second, he rushed back inside the house.
The moment the door closed behind him, the atmosphere near the entrance changed slightly.
Lig glanced toward Anny calmly.
"Good save."
Anny slowly looked up.
Before she could answer, another voice came from nearby.
"Yes," Nemo said quietly while leaning against the wall. "Good save, Anny."
For a brief second, silence filled the space between them.
Anny looked at both of them, then gave a small gentle smile — calm on the outside, while her thoughts remained far more complicated underneath.
Leo came rushing back outside while holding his phone.
"Sorry for the delay. Let's go."
Lig gave a small nod and started the car.
The ride began quietly. Morning traffic moved slowly across the roads while soft music played at a low volume inside the car. Leo sat beside Anny in the backseat, though his mind still looked distracted.
A few minutes later, Lig suddenly coughed.
At first it sounded normal.
But then he quickly turned his face slightly toward the window.
A small trace of blood appeared near his lips.
Leo's eyes widened immediately.
"Bro... are you okay?"
His voice became serious instantly.
"We can cancel the movie. Let's go to a doctor first."
Anny quickly joined in.
"Yes. My father's a doctor."
She looked toward Lig carefully.
"Actually... after seeing how stressed Leo was today, I talked with Dad earlier. He said he could help if needed."
Leo nodded immediately.
"Yeah, let's go there first."
From the front seat, Nemo suddenly spoke with surprising curiosity.
"Oh... Dr. Mike?"
"How is he these days?"
Anny smiled lightly.
"He's good. Really good."
For a brief moment, Nemo looked toward Lig through the mirror.
Lig slowly gave the slightest nod toward the left, almost impossible to notice unless someone was paying close attention.
Nemo understood immediately and looked away again.
Lig forced a calm expression onto his face.
"Okay. I'll visit him."
Then he glanced toward Leo and Anny.
"But you two should enjoy your date."
Leo still looked worried.
"But—"
Nemo interrupted gently before he could continue.
"Lig's right."
His tone sounded calm, but there was something hidden underneath it.
"Don't worry too much."
A little while later, Lig stopped the car in front of the mall entrance.
Leo and Anny stepped out.
Before closing the door, Leo looked back one more time.
"Call me if anything happens, okay?"
Lig smiled faintly.
"Yeah."
The car doors closed.
And a few seconds later, the vehicle slowly drove away from the mall... heading toward Anny's house instead.
Narrator:
What exactly was Anny hiding behind those gentle smiles?
Who was she secretly talking to through those hidden chats?
Who was N**10?
And why did every message sound less like normal conversation... and more like coded communication?
Who was the "boss" she respected so much?
Why did even Nemo and Lig seem to understand things Leo knew nothing about?
Was Anny truly just an ordinary girl in love...
Or was she part of something far bigger hidden beneath the surface?
What was her real job?
Who did she actually work for?
And most importantly...
Was everything happening around Leo only a coincidence?
Or had he unknowingly become the centre of a plan that began long before he ever noticed it?