Unknown POV
The alley felt longer than usual tonight.
Or maybe it was just my mind.
My footsteps echoed unevenly against the damp road while the weak yellow streetlights above flickered every few seconds as if even they were tired of surviving here, and the cold air brushing past my face only made the irritation inside my chest worse while I kept the phone pressed tightly against my ear, listening to the voice from the other side slowly strip away whatever little patience I still had left.
> "I gave you enough chances already."
I closed my eyes for a brief second while continuing to walk.
"Sir, I just need a little more time."
> "Time?"
A bitter laugh came from the other side.
> "Do you seriously think you're valuable enough for me to keep wasting time on you?"
My grip around the phone tightened unconsciously.
The buildings around me stood silent and dark while water dripped slowly from somewhere nearby.
"I said I'm handling it."
> "Handling it?"
This time the voice became colder.
Sharper.
> "You've failed every task I've given you recently, and now you expect me to trust you again?"
I didn't reply immediately.
Because honestly,
there was nothing left to say.
The silence itself probably irritated him more.
> "One more mistake and you're out. Understand?"
A car passed somewhere far away beyond the alley entrance, its headlights briefly brushing against the walls before disappearing again.
"…Yes."
> "Pathetic."
The call disconnected.
Just like that.
No goodbye.
No pause.
Nothing.
For a few seconds, I simply stood there staring blankly at the dark screen of my phone while the wind slowly passed through the alley, cold enough to make my fingers numb.
Then slowly,
the phone slipped from my hand.
It hit the ground with a hollow sound that echoed strangely loudly in the silence around me.
I lowered my eyes toward it.
At my own reflection on the black screen.
Distorted.
Tired.
Alone.
And then,
a voice spoke softly behind me.
> "They still don't trust you?"
My entire body stiffened instantly.
I turned around so fast my shoulder almost hit the wall beside me.
"…Who's there?"
Nobody.
The alley remained empty.
Only darkness stretching endlessly between the buildings.
My breathing slowed slightly.
Maybe I was imagining things.
But then the voice came again.
Closer this time.
Gentle.
Almost comforting.
> "You work so hard for them… yet they still look down on you."
A strange chill crawled slowly down my spine.
I looked around again.
Nothing.
No footsteps.
No shadow.
No visible source.
"…Show yourself."
For a moment, only silence answered me.
Then suddenly,
a faint chuckle echoed softly through the alley.
Not loud.
Not threatening.
Somehow worse.
> "Why struggle in a place where nobody wants you?"
The wind around me started growing colder.
Dust slowly moved across the ground near my feet.
> "There's a far better place than this."
I took a slow step backward without realizing it.
My heartbeat had become uneven now.
"…What are you?"
No answer came immediately.
Only that same freezing wind wrapping around the alley unnaturally while the streetlights above flickered harder now, their weak light trembling across the walls.
Then the voice whispered again.
Very softly.
Very close.
> "You're all alone."
My throat suddenly felt dry.
I shut my eyes tightly for one second.
But even then,
the voice remained.
Inside my ears.
Inside my head.
> "Come with me."
My breathing became heavier.
The dust around the alley slowly started rising into the air now, swirling strangely around my feet.
> "What will you do here… when nobody stays beside you?"
Something about the voice felt wrong.
Not human.
But at the same time,
it sounded comforting enough to make me want to listen.
And that terrified me even more.
The streetlight above me burst suddenly.
Darkness swallowed half the alley instantly.
My eyes lowered slowly toward the phone lying near my feet.
Toward my own reflection staring back at me from the broken screen.
And before I could fully understand why,
I heard myself speak.
"…Okay."
The moment the word left my mouth,
the wind exploded violently around me.
Dust flew through the alley so strongly that I immediately covered my face while stumbling backward in panic.
"What the hell—?!"
And then suddenly,
something grabbed my leg.
Tightly.
Cold.
My entire body froze.
I looked down instantly.
But there was nothing there.
Nothing visible.
Yet I could still feel fingers digging painfully into my ankle.
My heartbeat stopped for one horrifying second.
Then I screamed.
Kaizer's POV
The sky still looked half asleep.
Dark blue clouds stretched faintly above the empty streets while the cold morning air kept brushing against my face, and honestly, at five in the morning, I was questioning every life decision that had led me here waiting near the park gate because Lux had suddenly declared last night that he wanted to "become fit and attractive enough to destroy the female population."
Which obviously sounded concerning.
I checked the time again.
5:07 AM.
Late.
Of course.
I sighed quietly and shoved my hands into my pockets before finally spotting a familiar figure approaching from the other side of the road.
Or more accurately,
dragging himself toward me.
Lux was walking so slowly that even exhausted turtles would probably overtake him, and his eyes remained glued to the phone in his hand while an unusually serious expression rested on his face.
That alone was enough to feel strange.
Lux and serious were two things that rarely existed together.
When he finally reached me, I was about to ask why he looked like someone had personally offended his entire bloodline,
but before I could speak, he suddenly shoved the phone in front of my face.
"Look at this."
I lowered my eyes toward the screen.
A news channel was playing.
The female reporter stood near a narrow alley blocked by police tape while emergency lights flashed faintly behind her.
> "A man reportedly disappeared mysteriously late last night from an alley located behind his office building…"
The camera shifted briefly toward a photograph of a middle-aged man.
Tired eyes.
Formal clothes.
Ordinary.
> "According to police sources, the victim's employer is currently being interrogated as his contact number was the final call found in the missing man's recent call records."
Lux finally spoke quietly beside me.
"This is weird."
I didn't reply immediately.
Because honestly,
something about it already felt wrong to me too.
The reporter continued speaking while the camera zoomed toward the alley entrance.
> "Local witnesses stated they heard a loud scream coming from this area around midnight…"
The screen shifted toward shaky footage recorded by someone nearby.
Dark alley.
Police lights.
People gathering outside.
> "However, when authorities arrived at the location, nobody was found inside the alley."
My eyebrows furrowed slightly.
Nobody?
Then where did the man go?
The reporter continued.
> "No blood traces, physical evidence, or signs of struggle have currently been discovered, making the disappearance increasingly mysterious."
Lux lowered the phone slightly before looking at me.
"You think he ran away?"
I kept staring at the paused screen for a moment.
At the alley.
At the darkness inside it.
And for some reason,
a strange uneasiness settled quietly inside my chest.
"…No," I said slowly.
Lux blinked.
"Then?"
I finally looked away from the phone.
The cold morning wind suddenly felt heavier now.
"I don't know."
And somehow,
that answer disturbed me more than anything else.
Lux kept walking beside me while still staring at the news on his phone before finally shaking his head dramatically.
"Either a ghost kidnapped him," he declared, "or bro escaped taxes and responsibilities together."
Normally, I would have ignored him.
Or told him to stop speaking nonsense at five in the morning.
But today,
I stayed quiet.
The alley footage still lingered somewhere in my mind while we started jogging slowly through the almost empty streets, cold morning air brushing past us as the city remained half asleep around us.
> "Nobody was there."
That line kept repeating in my head strangely.
Nobody.
But someone screamed.
And for some reason—
my thoughts drifted somewhere else entirely.
To the little girl.
To familiar voices.
To strange memory flashes I still couldn't fully understand.
And then,
suddenly,
someone whispered softly beside my ear.
> "Kaizer…"
My footsteps halted instantly.
The voice was so close that my body reacted before my mind could.
At the same moment,
a sharp image flashed through my head.
Iris.
Clutching her head painfully.
Trying not to make a sound.
Trying not to let anyone hear.
The image disappeared just as quickly as it came.
But a strange dizziness hit me immediately afterward.
My breathing faltered slightly.
And before I could properly steady myself, my hand instinctively grabbed Lux's wrist.
Lux nearly stumbled.
"WOAH—"
He looked at me in confusion.
"Bro what happened?"
I didn't answer immediately.
Because honestly,
I didn't know.
The whisper had vanished.
The image had vanished.
Everything had vanished.
But the uneasy feeling inside my chest remained.
Strong enough to make my heartbeat feel wrong.
"I'm going home," I said suddenly.
Lux blinked.
"…Huh?"
"We'll jog tomorrow."
"Wait wait wait—what happened?"
I shook my head lightly.
"Nothing."
Which clearly did not convince him.
But before he could ask further, I had already started walking back.
Fast.
Almost too fast.
The entire way home, my mind kept replaying that brief image of Iris holding her head painfully.
It didn't make sense.
Maybe I imagined it.
Maybe I was overthinking because of the news.
Yet somehow,
I couldn't calm down.
When I finally reached home, I immediately looked toward the gate.
Everything looked normal.
Quiet.
Exactly the way I had left it.
I unlocked the door and stepped inside quickly.
Silence.
Then,
the faint sound of a fan rotating reached my ears from Iris's room.
Meaning she was still asleep.
Meaning nothing had happened.
A quiet breath escaped my chest before I even realized I had been holding it.
And suddenly,
I paused.
Why was I this tense?
Nothing had happened.
She was fine.
So why had my chest tightened so badly the moment I thought something was wrong?
I didn't understand.
I looked away quietly.
Still,
for some reason,
I suddenly didn't feel like leaving the house today.
That was all.
Nothing else.
Definitely nothing else.
I pulled my phone out and messaged Lux.
> Not coming to school today.
A reply came instantly.
> Dying already after one jogging session?
I ignored it.
Then absentmindedly, my eyes drifted toward the calendar hanging near the kitchen wall.
13 November.
My gaze paused there.
Which meant,
the day after tomorrow…
I went still for a brief moment.
Then unconsciously,
my eyes shifted toward Iris's room again.
And right then,
the door opened.
Iris stepped outside slowly, clearly looking like she had just woken up, her slightly messy hair falling around her face while sleep still lingered faintly in her eyes.
The moment she noticed me sitting there, surprise crossed her expression slightly.
"You're still here?"
I looked at her quietly.
And somehow,
the strange uneasiness inside me eased a little.
Then she tilted her head slightly.
"Aren't you getting ready for school?"
Iris's POV
I had thought Kaizer would already be getting ready for school by now.
So after waking up, my only plan was to quietly boil some water first and then come back to properly freshen up before leaving, but the moment I stepped outside my room,
I saw him sitting in the living room.
Still in casual clothes.
Not even remotely prepared to leave.
For a second, I became aware of how I probably looked right now.
Half awake.
Hair messy.
Sleep still stuck somewhere on my face.
And somehow that realization alone made me stand straighter immediately.
For a moment, Kaizer just looked at me quietly.
Then he replied in a calm voice,
"I don't feel like going today."
I blinked once.
That was unexpected.
Kaizer was not the kind of person who skipped school randomly.
Especially not on important days.
I walked a little closer while tying my hair properly.
"Are you sick?"
He shook his head.
"No."
His answer came too quickly.
Almost as if he had already expected the question.
I stared at him for another second.
Something felt slightly off.
Not dramatic.
Not obvious.
Just…
quietly strange.
His eyes looked tired despite the morning barely starting.
And somehow,
his attention remained fixed on me in a way that made me feel like he was checking whether I was truly alright.
I awkwardly looked away first.
"I was going to boil water," I muttered while moving toward the kitchen.
The house still carried that unfamiliar feeling around me.
Not uncomfortable.
Just new.
Every movement still required conscious thought.
Every sound reminded me that this was no longer my old house.
I placed the kettle on the stove while glancing toward the living room again.
Kaizer still sat there silently.
Usually by now he would already be getting ready or reading something before leaving.
But today,
he simply sat there.
Thinking.
The quietness made me oddly curious.
"You really aren't going?"
This time he leaned back slightly against the sofa before replying,
"Maybe later."
Maybe.
That word sounded suspicious coming from someone like him.
The kettle slowly started heating while morning sunlight entered faintly through the window.
For some reason, the atmosphere felt strangely calm today.
Almost slow.
I poured water into two cups before pausing slightly.
Then without overthinking too much, I picked up the second cup too and walked toward him.
"Here."
He looked slightly surprised when I handed him the cup.
"…Thanks."
I nodded lightly before sitting on the opposite side of the sofa with my own cup.
Silence settled again.
But not awkward silence.
Just quiet.
The kind that strangely didn't feel heavy anymore.
I slowly took a sip before suddenly remembering something.
"Wait."
Kaizer looked up.
"You woke up at five in the morning just for jogging?"
"…Lux forced me."
I stared at him flatly.
"You willingly listened to Lux?"
"That's the surprising part?"
A tiny smile escaped my mouth before I could stop it.
And surprisingly,
Kaizer smiled a little too.
Then suddenly, my head hurt faintly again.
Very lightly.
Like a passing pressure near my temples.
My fingers instinctively tightened slightly around the cup.
The strange thing was,
before I could even hide it properly, Kaizer immediately noticed.
His expression changed almost instantly.
"You're getting headaches?"
I looked up at him.
For one second, I genuinely wondered how he noticed so quickly.
"It's nothing," I replied casually.
Kaizer still looked unconvinced.
So before he could ask anything further, I added quickly,
"Maybe because I slept late."
For a moment, he simply looked at me.
Then slowly,
he nodded once.
As if he was accepting the answer despite not fully believing it.
The living room became quiet again after that.
Kaizer pulled his phone toward himself and started typing something silently while I sat there holding the warm cup between my hands, still feeling slightly strange from the headache earlier.
Then suddenly,
he stood up.
I looked at him in confusion.
But before walking away, he paused midway.
Then unexpectedly asked,
"Do you know what month it is?"
I blinked once.
"What?"
His gaze shifted toward the calendar hanging near the kitchen wall.
So naturally, mine followed too.
"…November?"
Kaizer smirked faintly.
"Yeah," he said quietly.
"It is November."
The way he said it only confused me more.
There was something oddly meaningful in his tone.
As if November itself carried some hidden weight.
I frowned slightly.
"Is there something important?"
For some reason,
his expression changed again.
Not fully serious.
Not exactly sad either.
Just…
distant.
He looked toward the calendar for another brief second before asking softly,
"You don't remember anything?"
The question caught me off guard.
I shook my head slowly.
Almost hesitantly.
And somehow,
that made him chuckle lightly under his breath.
Which only made me feel stranger.
Why was this man acting like some mysterious retired philosopher since morning?
I narrowed my eyes slightly.
"You're being weird today."
"That's rude."
"It's true."
Another tiny smile appeared briefly on his face before disappearing again.
Then quietly,
while still looking toward the calendar,
he said,
"Some days are different."
And with that,
he simply walked inside his room.
Leaving me sitting there completely confused.
I stared toward the calendar again.
13 November.
What exactly was supposed to happen?
I tried forcing myself to remember something connected to November.
Anything.
But my mind remained frustratingly blank.
Still,
a strange uneasiness lingered quietly inside my chest.
As if I had forgotten something important.
Something I was supposed to remember.
Without realizing it, I slowly walked closer toward the calendar.
Staring at it harder as if the dates themselves would suddenly explain everything.
And right then,
his voice came again from behind.
"Staring at the calendar won't make events pop out of it."
I turned instantly.
Kaizer stood near his room door now, one eyebrow raised slightly.
I sighed internally.
This man had officially become strange.
"I was trying to think."
"Dangerous activity."
I stared at him flatly.
Then without replying, I turned around and walked toward my room while mentally deciding that whatever mysterious November problem he had,
he could solve it himself.
---
By afternoon, I had almost forgotten about the entire conversation.
Almost.
I came out after getting ready for work, adjusting the strap of my bag while glancing toward the living room.
Empty.
Kaizer probably went out somewhere.
I hesitated briefly before taking my phone out and messaging him anyway.
> Leaving for the café.
After sending it, I locked the door and headed toward work.
The café was unusually busy today.
Orders kept piling one after another while warm coffee aroma filled the air continuously, and by the time I finally got a proper break, my legs already hurt.
Still,
between orders, I occasionally chatted with Grace.
Not fully comfortably yet.
There were still boundaries between us.
Careful pauses.
Polite hesitations.
But somehow,
talking to her no longer felt unpleasant.
At one point, she even sent me a random sticker after I complained about work.
Which honestly felt strangely adorable.
And in between all that,
my mind still drifted back toward November.
What exactly was important?
I even searched random events mentally while serving customers.
Nothing.
No matter how much I tried,
everything felt blank.
By evening, the café had finally calmed down a little.
I was arranging cups behind the counter when the bell above the entrance rang softly.
I looked up.
"…Anya?"
She walked inside casually with her bag hanging from one shoulder.
"What?" she said immediately.
"Am I not allowed here anymore?"
I laughed softly.
"You're supposed to be at home."
"I was passing by."
That definitely sounded fake.
But before I could say anything, the manager noticed her too.
"Oh, your friend's here again?"
I nodded.
She smiled lightly.
"You can serve her first if you want."
"I'll finish this batch first."
Anya dramatically wiped invisible tears from her eyes.
"See? She has changed after shifting houses."
"Please sit quietly."
Eventually, after finishing the remaining orders, I brewed two cups of coffee myself and carried them toward one of the corner tables where Anya sat scrolling through her phone.
The moment I placed the mug in front of her, she looked up.
"You still make the best coffee."
"Obviously."
We chatted for a while after that.
Mostly random things.
Lux being annoying.
Exams.
Her neighbours fighting again.
And then suddenly,
I remembered the morning conversation again.
I stirred my coffee absentmindedly before asking,
"Anya… do you remember anything important about November?"
She frowned slightly while thinking.
"November?"
"Hmm."
She leaned back slightly.
For a moment, it looked like she was actually about to remember something.
Then suddenly,
someone brushed past our table too quickly.
And the next second,
coffee spilled directly onto Anya's clothes.
"WHAT THE—"
She stood up immediately.
I turned sharply toward the person responsible.
But before Anya could start a public execution,
we both realized it was just a small child running past the tables carelessly.
Anya inhaled sharply.
I immediately grabbed her wrist before she could say something dangerous to a literal kid.
"Come on."
"She attacked me."
"It was coffee."
"It was attempted murder."
Ignoring her dramatic complaints, I dragged her toward the washroom while she continued muttering under her breath about how children nowadays were "feral creatures released into society without supervision."
We finally reached the washroom area.
I pushed the door open casually.
And both of us froze instantly.
Someone was already standing inside.