Iris's POV
The house had returned to its usual quiet.
Only the soft ticking of the wall clock occasionally broke the silence that had settled inside the living room.
I sat cross-legged on the rug with my practice sheets spread neatly across the centre table. A thick biology guide rested beside them, while a half-solved chemistry worksheet lay directly in front of me. The pen remained between my fingers, unmoving.
The question before me had only three lines.
I had been reading those same three lines for almost five minutes.
Yet...
Not a single word had truly entered my mind.
Instead...
The alley quietly returned.
Dark.
Empty.
Silent.
No...
It hadn't been silent.
I slowly lowered my pen.
The scream.
I could still hear it.
It hadn't sounded distant.
It hadn't sounded muffled.
It had been close enough for both of us to stop walking.
My brows slowly drew together.
Before the scream...
There had been something else.
I closed my eyes for a brief moment, trying to force myself to remember.
Someone...
I was certain I had seen someone.
Not clearly.
Just...
A shadow.
A silhouette standing deeper inside the alley.
For a moment...
It had almost looked like someone was speaking.
No.
Listening.
As if another presence stood before them.
My fingers unconsciously tightened around the pen.
And then...
That strange thing.
Something long.
Thin.
Like...
A rope?
I frowned.
No.
Maybe not.
Perhaps it had only looked like one because of the darkness.
The harder I tried to remember...
The more blurred the image became.
"..."
A small sigh escaped me.
Maybe I really had imagined it.
But...
How could I have imagined the scream?
My eyes slowly wandered away from the worksheet.
Across the table...
Kaizer sat with his physics notebook open.
His posture looked exactly the same as always.
One elbow rested lightly against the table.
The pen remained between his fingers.
His eyes stayed lowered toward the page.
Anyone passing by would have believed he was completely absorbed in studying.
Except...
He hadn't written anything for the past several minutes.
His gaze wasn't moving.
Neither was his hand.
He wasn't reading.
He was thinking.
Just like me.
I quietly watched him for another few seconds.
The notebook in front of him remained untouched.
For someone who usually solved questions almost absent-mindedly...
His stillness felt unusual.
A small knot formed inside my chest.
So...
It wasn't only me.
I looked back at my own worksheet.
Then at him again.
I slowly clenched my free hand beneath the table.
The memory refused to leave.
Finally...
I released a quiet breath.
"...Kaizer."
No response.
He remained exactly as he was.
"...Kaizer."
This time...
He blinked.
Almost as though someone had pulled him back into the room.
His eyes lifted toward me.
"...Hmm?"
I hesitated.
For a moment...
I almost decided not to say anything.
But the words escaped before I could stop them.
"...I don't think I imagined it."
He didn't speak.
He simply looked at me, waiting.
"I..."
I looked down at my notebook.
"I really saw something."
Silence.
"I know it sounds strange..."
I gave a small, uncertain laugh.
"...Actually, it sounds very strange."
"But..."
I lifted my eyes again.
"There was someone there."
"I'm sure."
"They weren't alone."
"I couldn't properly see the other thing..."
My brows knitted together once more.
"It was dark."
"I only remember... a shadow."
"And something..."
I searched for the right word.
"...Long."
"Almost like a rope."
I slowly shook my head.
"No..."
"I don't even know if it was actually a rope."
"It could've been anything."
"I just..."
I stopped.
"...I can't remember."
Kaizer continued listening quietly.
His expression revealed almost nothing.
Encouraged by his silence, I continued.
"The strangest part wasn't even that."
"It was the scream."
"We both heard it."
"And when you went inside..."
"There was no one."
I looked directly at him.
"...Where did they go?"
The room fell silent once again.
The ticking clock suddenly sounded louder.
Kaizer lowered his eyes for a brief moment before quietly closing his notebook.
"...Senior Iris."
I immediately looked at him.
Something about the way he had said it made me instinctively sit straighter.
He rested both hands lightly on the table.
"...It was already dark."
His voice remained calm.
"Sometimes..."
"The mind fills in details we couldn't properly see."
I frowned.
"...Both of us?"
He nodded slightly.
"We both heard the scream."
"But hearing a scream doesn't necessarily mean we understood what happened."
I didn't reply.
He continued,
"The atmosphere in the city isn't exactly helping either."
His gaze shifted toward the window.
"Disappearances."
"Rumours."
"People talking."
"It's normal for us to become more alert."
I looked down at the table.
"...Maybe."
"But..."
I looked back at him.
"Shouldn't we at least tell someone?"
"The police..."
"Or maybe—"
He gently interrupted me.
"...Senior Iris."
A tiny crease formed between my brows.
"...You're not listening."
"I am."
"No, you're not."
I leaned forward slightly.
"There was someone there."
"I know what I saw."
"And if something really happened—"
He quietly stood up.
Without saying another word...
He walked toward the kitchen.
I watched him in confusion.
"...Kaizer?"
He didn't answer.
The sound of running water reached the living room.
A cupboard opened.
Then another.
Soon...
The familiar aroma of freshly brewed coffee slowly drifted through the house.
I stared toward the kitchen entrance for a moment before letting out a defeated sigh.
A few minutes later...
He returned carrying two mugs.
Steam lazily curled upward from both of them.
He placed one carefully in front of me.
The warmth immediately spread across my fingertips.
Only then did he finally speak.
"You still have entrance examinations."
I looked up.
"You've worked too hard to let your focus drift now."
His tone remained gentle.
Matter-of-fact.
"As long as we don't know what actually happened..."
"...there isn't anything we can do."
He picked up his own mug.
Took a small sip.
Then added,
"And..."
"I still have finals."
A faint smile tugged at the corner of my lips.
"...So this is your way of telling me to study?"
He looked at me over the rim of his mug.
"...Mhm."
The answer was so simple...
I couldn't help smiling.
My shoulders gradually relaxed.
Maybe...
He was right.
Maybe worrying wouldn't change anything tonight.
I wrapped both hands around the warm mug.
The smell of coffee quietly pushed away the lingering uneasiness inside my mind.
After one last glance toward the dark window...
I lowered my eyes back to the practice sheet.
"...Fine."
"I'll solve this question first."
Across the table...
Kaizer silently reopened his notebook.
The quiet house once again filled with nothing more than the soft turning of pages... and two people trying very hard to convince themselves that studying was more important than the shadows waiting somewhere outside.
Only the scratching of pens against paper and the occasional turning of notebook pages filled the quiet space.
I took another sip of the coffee.
Warm.
Bitter.
Exactly how Kaizer usually made it.
I lowered the mug beside my notebook and looked back at the question.
This time...
I managed to solve it.
"...Finally."
A small sense of satisfaction settled inside me.
Without wasting the momentum, I turned the page and began the next one.
The first few steps went smoothly.
Then...
I reached the calculation.
I checked it once.
Twice.
Something felt wrong.
I erased it.
Solved it again.
The answer changed.
"..."
I frowned.
That couldn't be right.
I started from the beginning.
Another answer.
"...No..."
I pressed the tip of the pen lightly against my forehead.
Why wasn't my brain cooperating today?
The same memory threatened to return again.
The alley.
The scream.
The shadow.
"No."
I whispered to myself.
"Question first."
I bent lower over the worksheet.
Ten more minutes passed.
Then another.
When I finally looked at the answer key...
Half of my calculations were wrong.
I closed my eyes.
"...Seriously?"
A sigh escaped me.
I had solved easier questions incorrectly.
I rubbed my forehead lightly before reaching for the coffee.
The mug was already empty.
"..."
Without realising...
I had finished the entire thing.
I stared at the empty mug for a second.
Then quietly stood up.
"I'm just getting some water."
I murmured more to myself than anyone else.
Kaizer didn't look up.
"...Mhm."
I walked toward the kitchen.
The moment I crossed the doorway...
I opened the refrigerator.
Cold air brushed against my face.
Water bottle.
Vegetables.
Milk.
Eggs.
And...
A chocolate bar.
"..."
I blinked once.
Then again.
My eyes slowly drifted toward the kitchen entrance.
Nothing.
Good.
Very quietly...
I picked up the chocolate.
Carefully unwrapped it just enough to break off one tiny square.
Crunch.
"..."
I closed my eyes.
Chocolate really did solve half the world's problems.
At least...
Mine.
I broke off another tiny piece.
This time even smaller.
If I ate it slowly...
It would last longer.
The thought itself made me smile.
One more piece.
Then another.
Soon almost half the bar had disappeared before I finally realised it.
"..."
"...Oops."
I hurriedly folded the wrapper back around it and placed it exactly where it had been.
Almost.
No one would notice.
Hopefully.
After taking a quick sip of water just to support my alibi...
I calmly walked back toward the living room.
Kaizer was still looking at his notebook.
"...Where were you?"
I sat down again.
"...Kitchen."
"I know."
I quietly uncapped my pen.
"I drank water."
Silence.
Then...
"For five minutes?"
I looked at him.
"...It was a lot of water."
He finally lifted his eyes.
For the first time that evening...
There was the faintest hint of amusement in them.
Then...
Without missing a beat, he simply said,
"...Finished?"
I blinked.
"...What?"
"The chocolate."
Everything inside my head stopped.
"..."
"..."
"...What chocolate?"
He looked back down at his notebook.
"...The one you just ate."
I stared at him.
"...You saw me?"
"No."
I frowned.
"...Then how?"
"You smell like cocoa."
Silence.
I slowly looked down at myself.
Then at my hands.
Then back at him.
"...That's unfair."
A tiny smile tugged at the corner of his lips.
"...Maybe."
I let out the smallest groan imaginable before burying my face in both hands.
"...You're scary."
"I've been told."
I couldn't help laughing.
Just a little.
The tension that had been sitting inside my chest ever since we returned from the market loosened slightly.
"...Next time..."
I muttered.
"...I'll eat mint afterwards."
Kaizer quietly turned another page.
"...I'll still know."
"..."
"...Seriously?"
"...Mhm."
I gave up.
There was absolutely no winning against someone who could identify chocolate by smell.
"...Fine."
I reached for my pen again.
"This remains between us."
He looked at me.
"...Who said I was planning to announce it?"
"...Good."
I nodded once, completely satisfied.
Then returned to my worksheet.
---
The hours slipped by more quietly than either of us realised.
One question became two.
Two became five.
Sometimes I solved them correctly.
Sometimes I stared at the page for several minutes before realising I had been thinking about something entirely different.
Every now and then...
I'd unconsciously glance toward the window.
Toward the darkness outside.
Almost expecting...
Something.
Nothing ever appeared.
Across from me...
Kaizer had also become noticeably slower.
Normally, his notebook would already be several pages ahead of mine.
Tonight...
He wasn't progressing much faster than I was.
The silence between us never became awkward.
Occasionally one of us would ask for an eraser.
Or a calculator.
Or another sheet.
Nothing more.
The wall clock quietly ticked on.
Eleven.
Then midnight.
Neither of us commented on the time.
Sometime later...
I finished another question before stretching both arms above my head.
My shoulders immediately protested.
"...Ow."
I rubbed my neck.
The letters on the page had begun to blur again.
I blinked several times.
Still blurry.
I reached for another sheet.
Before I could begin...
Kaizer's voice quietly broke the silence.
"...Enough."
I looked up.
He had already closed his notebook.
"You should sleep."
Instinctively, I glanced toward the clock.
My eyes widened.
"...Two?"
"It became tomorrow quite a while ago."
"..."
I hadn't even noticed.
A tired laugh escaped me.
"...No wonder nothing was going inside my head."
I slowly gathered the scattered practice sheets into one pile.
The math guide followed.
Then the chemistry notebook.
As I stacked everything neatly together, I looked toward him.
"...What about you?"
"I'll sleep too."
I studied him for a second.
"...Promise?"
"...Mhm."
Satisfied...
I picked up my books.
"...Good night."
He gave a small nod.
"Good night."
I walked toward my room.
Just before closing the door...
I glanced back once.
Kaizer was still sitting at the table.
The notebook remained closed.
His gaze...
Somehow wasn't on the table anymore.
For a brief moment...
I wondered if he was thinking about the alley too.
Then I quietly closed the door behind me.
Kaizer's POV
The soft click of Iris's bedroom door echoed through the quiet house.
Silence settled once more.
For a long moment...
I remained exactly where I was.
The notebook before me had already been closed.
The pen still rested loosely between my fingers.
Yet...
I had no intention of sleeping.
My eyes drifted toward the hallway almost unconsciously.
No footsteps.
No sound.
She had probably already fallen onto her bed.
A small smile tugged at the corner of my lips.
She had looked exhausted.
I quietly stood up and carried both empty coffee mugs to the kitchen.
After rinsing them beneath the tap, I placed them upside down on the drying rack.
The house fell silent once again.
Only then did I return to my room.
The desk lamp cast a warm circle of light across the wooden table.
Everything else remained hidden beneath soft shadows.
For a brief moment...
I simply stood there.
Then I reached into the drawer and pulled out a blank sheet of paper.
I sat down.
The pen rested against the page.
My fingers hesitated.
I wasn't writing notes.
Nor homework.
Only...
The words that had refused to leave my mind ever since we returned from the market.
One by one...
I slowly wrote them down.
> ...Come...
A small pause.
Another line.
> ...It's alright...
I stared at the words for several seconds.
The voice hadn't sounded frightening.
If anything...
It had sounded strangely gentle.
Almost comforting.
Like someone trying to calm another person.
I lowered my eyes again.
The pen moved.
> ...You're tired...
> ...Come with me...
Another pause.
The grip around the pen unconsciously tightened.
> ...You're alone...
I swallowed quietly.
Another sentence appeared beneath it.
> ...No one needs you...
For a brief second...
The room felt colder.
I forced myself to continue.
The final line settled beneath the others.
> ...Come...
Silence.
I leaned back against the chair.
The paper held barely half a dozen sentences.
Yet...
They somehow felt heavier than everything else scattered across my desk.
Over the past year...
I had heard thousands of thoughts.
People worrying about deadlines.
Parents thinking about their children.
Students silently praying before examinations.
Petty arguments.
Embarrassing memories.
Regrets.
Jealousy.
Fear.
Countless ordinary thoughts.
But...
Never something like this.
These weren't wandering thoughts.
They felt...
Directed.
As though someone had been speaking directly into another person's mind.
Trying to convince them.
Trying to...
Lead them somewhere.
My gaze slowly shifted toward the worn journal resting beside the lamp.
The leather cover had faded with age.
Some corners had begun peeling away.
Even now...
It looked less like a journal and more like something that had survived decades.
I reached for it carefully.
The old pages released their familiar scent as I opened it.
According to Iris...
Mimi had written all of this because she had become deeply interested in mind reading.
If that was true...
Then perhaps...
Today's incident wasn't separate from the journal.
Perhaps...
They had always belonged to the same story.
I unlocked my phone.
The photographs Iris had taken at Anya's house still remained open.
Beside them...
The original page from the journal.
One language I couldn't read.
One translation I could.
My eyes settled on the first sentence.
> One person read mind then thoughts absorb.
"...Read mind..."
I murmured quietly.
That part...
Was obvious.
Or at least...
Obvious enough.
The sentence could very well be referring to someone like me.
Someone who could hear thoughts.
But...
Thoughts absorb.
Absorbed...
Where?
By whom?
How?
The sentence remained incomplete no matter how many times I read it.
I exhaled slowly before scrolling downward.
The next translation appeared.
> It eats alone.
I frowned.
"...What eats?"
The wording itself was unsettling.
Yet...
Without context...
It meant nothing.
Was it describing a person?
Something alive?
Or...
Something else entirely?
Again...
No answer.
Only another fragment.
I moved to the next line.
> Connected minds.
My brows slowly drew together.
Connected...
How?
People?
Abilities?
Thoughts?
The more I thought about it...
The less I understood.
I closed my eyes briefly before opening the final photograph.
Only four words.
> No voice inside.
My fingers froze.
For the first time that night...
One sentence didn't feel completely meaningless.
No voice inside.
Without warning...
A familiar face quietly surfaced inside my mind.
Brown eyes.
Messy hair after washing her face.
A math guide almost twice as thick as her chemistry notebook.
Drinking an entire mug of coffee as though it were water.
Sneaking into the kitchen.
Secretly eating chocolate.
Getting caught anyway.
"...Iris."
The name escaped my lips almost unconsciously.
Around her...
The voices disappeared.
Every single time.
Not because I stopped hearing.
Because...
There simply weren't any.
Or perhaps...
Something else was happening.
I stared at the sentence again.
No voice inside.
Could it really be talking about...
No.
I immediately shook my head.
One coincidence wasn't enough to build a conclusion.
That was exactly how mistakes were made.
I placed the phone back on the table.
The journal remained open.
My fingers absentmindedly turned another page.
Unknown symbols.
Strange circles.
Lines crossing one another like tangled threads.
One sketch caught my attention.
Thin strands...
Flowing toward a single point.
Almost...
Like something being pulled together.
I looked at it for several seconds.
Then quietly turned another page.
Nothing.
Another.
Still nothing I could understand.
I finally closed the journal.
The soft thud echoed through the room.
Without thinking...
My eyes drifted toward the photo frame standing near the edge of the desk.
Mom smiled back at me exactly the same way she always had.
Warm.
Patient.
Unchanging.
The photograph had been taken years ago.
Before...
Everything.
Before the accident.
Before the silence disappeared from my own mind.
Before the voices.
I looked at her for a long time.
"...Were you trying to tell me something?"
The room, naturally, gave no answer.
Outside...
The wind quietly brushed against the window.
The city had long fallen asleep.
Somewhere...
Perhaps another lonely person was walking home.
Perhaps someone else had already heard those same gentle whispers.
> ...Come...
My fingers unconsciously tightened around the edge of the desk.
Whatever had happened in that alley...
It hadn't been normal.
And for the first time in an entire year...
I felt as though I wasn't merely hearing thoughts anymore.
I was standing...
At the edge of something much larger.
I switched off the desk lamp.
Darkness quietly settled over the room.
Yet somehow...
The silence didn't feel peaceful anymore. It felt as though it was waiting.