Chapter 102
“Why?”
We had changed locations, and I hadn’t immediately refused Red’s suggestion.
The situation had shifted—so why was the man who should have been somewhere else now here?
“Wasn’t Red the one I needed to be careful about?”
I glanced at the man again. He was surrounded by a faint white smoke. That meant he was human, right?
“Just a coincidence?”
Could a coincidence really be this precise?
Feeling strangely uneasy, I started nervously nibbling my nails. That’s when Dan Seohyuk, returning from the restroom, frowned at me.
“Peanut.”
“Huh?”
“Bleeding.”
Despite the teasing tone, his large, firm hands carefully took hold of my lip and gently pressed it closed. I was startled by the warmth of another person’s hands surrounding mine.
The sensation was different from when someone just held my hand, and I panicked for a moment—but then I worried that Seohyuk would be embarrassed. Luckily, his expression was exactly the same as usual.
Seohyuk asked,
“When’s Machohae arriving?”
“I sent the cafe name and location… wait, let me contact him…”
Ding.
Apparently, he wasn’t the type to wait politely.
Turning toward the sound, I saw Machohae entering the cafe. He must have been nearby.
“Machohae!”
Hearing my voice, Machohae started walking toward me. But something was strange… why did he bring along such a huge guy?
“Chohae, is this your friend?”
He couldn’t possibly have a friend I didn’t know, right?
I thought that in my head, but asked anyway. Machohae replied with a displeased look:
“I ran into him by chance, but he insisted on following me…”
Given Machohae’s personality, he would normally ignore such nonsense—so why the change?
Curious, I couldn’t kick him out just yet, so I gave Red a subtle signal. The man probably wouldn’t see it, but I couldn’t exactly tell him to sit somewhere else.
“Tch.”
Luckily, Red seemed to understand and pouted as he got up. Then, to my surprise, he jumped onto my lap!
“…”
“No, this is…!”
Seohyuk, witnessing the scene, frowned sharply. Machohae almost said something harsh but held back.
I glanced at the man following Machohae. His gaze was fixed exactly on my lap.
“Hmm.”
What’s going on? Can he see Red too?
We could naturally see spirits after getting involved with them—but how could this man?
“Um, can I tell my sister what happened earlier?”
Machohae cautiously asked the man, as if it were a secret.
The man lifted his gaze from my lap to Machohae and tilted his head slowly.
“Was it a cramp?”
“Not that.”
“Couldn’t climb down a wall?”
“Not that either.”
“Tried to climb down your back but stumbled and fell together?”
“Ah, not that! I mean—your supernatural ability!”
Machohae snapped in surprise, then immediately realized his mistake.
Thankfully, only the cafe staff and the man with a hat were present.
“Supernatural ability?”
So it wouldn’t be strange if he could see ghosts…
I had so many questions, but since Machohae had already misspoken, I stood up and bowed slightly.
“I’m sorry. My brother acted rudely.”
Machohae bowed hastily as well. Even though he had a temper, he knew how to separate personal feelings from formal matters.
“At least he had no intention of hurting the man in front of him.”
“I apologize. I didn’t realize…”
“Oh, it’s fine. That’s actually why I came.”
“Why on purpose?”
I asked, and he looked at me intently. More precisely, he looked at Red dangling from my neck as I tried to stand.
“I thought I might be of help.”
The more we talked, the more puzzling he became. Did he follow us because of a potential ghost problem?
Then… maybe he’s here to give advice about spirits?
“Sister, what’s a supernatural ability?”
“I don’t know the details, but… it seems like if you have it, you can see ghosts.”
Red nodded, understanding, and looked at the man with a big smile.
“Can you see?”
A strangely eerie question.
“Yes, I can see them.”
“Ah. What do you see?”
“The spirits leaning against the walls… and an uncertain future. There, I saw you next to these people.”
“Hmm.”
“But the place wasn’t here.”
Red stopped humming immediately, and silence fell.
Seohyuk watched Red closely. Only Machohae and I were startled, our eyes darting around.
“He’s trying to go somewhere else, right? But he already failed.”
“You can see that too? That’s not the future though.”
Red smiled slightly. At the same time, the ceiling light shattered.
Crash!
“Eek!”
I screamed from the sudden noise. Seohyuk and Machohae reached for me—but Millie jumped in first, shielding my head with her large hands.
Thanks to her, the glass shards didn’t hit me.
“T-Thank you, Millie.”
“You still have to be careful.”
Is this not over yet?
Startled by Millie’s warning, I blinked—and the ceiling shook again, just like in a dream.
“The door won’t open!”
The staff ran frantically to the entrance, shaking the door, but it only rattled.
“Same as last time.”
So the building might collapse and go dark again?
“Machohae! Hide under the table!”
Seohyuk grabbed my arm and led me. Soon, he and Machohae were under the table.
The man with the hat and I also hid, feeling vibrations through the floor and table.
Even after experiencing it twice, it didn’t get easier. I held my head and shivered.
“Sister, are you scared?”
Red’s voice was unusually clear.
“Don’t worry.”
“This time, you won’t die.”
“This time?”
Through the legs of the table and chairs, I could see the staff and the man with the hat trying to open the door.
Should I help this time?
Boom!
A tremendous noise! The ceiling began to collapse. Concrete chunks, debris, and shattered lights fell to the floor, and people screamed.
Someone quickly shielded me again. Looking at Machohae’s panicked face, I knew it wasn’t my brother or Millie’s cold hands.
“It’s Seohyuk again.”
Why does he keep protecting me before himself?
Soon, everything went black.
When I opened my eyes, only one thought came to mind:
“We didn’t go back this time?”
The place was unfamiliar.
I quietly caught my breath and looked around. Having been dragged into dangerous places without explanation more than once, I could stay calm.
“Where is this?”
I was lying in a room. The light wasn’t on, but sunlight streamed through a window, so it wasn’t pitch dark.
Slowly, I got up and looked around. The first things I noticed were an old mother-of-pearl cabinet and a dusty vanity. I could see a firmly closed door reflected in the mirror, marked with fingerprints.
“Where is everyone? Am I alone in here?”
Then—
“Have you awakened?”
A small voice whispered behind me. Startled, I almost screamed but held back.
I cautiously turned and saw a familiar man leaning against the wall.
“He’s the man from the cafe, isn’t he?”
The man with the hat and burn scars on his legs—the mysterious figure I had seen in a premonition and at the cafe with Machohae.
I scanned him warily.
Up close, his sun-kissed skin suggested someone who spent time outdoors. His slightly drooping eyes gave him a kind expression, though his firmly set lips suggested he wasn’t entirely gentle.
“Does he work out?”
Machohae’s companion was huge and imposing, like a bear. But this man seemed solid and well-built, like a sculpture.
“Burn scars… gray checkered shirt and gray shorts… yes, it’s him.”
“Let’s keep our conversation quiet—don’t know who might be listening,” he suggested.
Although he seemed like an adult, he treated me—obviously a student—with surprising courtesy. I nodded.
“Once I regained consciousness, it was just the two of us here. I suspect we’ve been kidnapped, to a place that would be difficult to escape from.”
The man gestured toward the window. I crept toward it.
“Ah, don’t stick your head out too far, just in case.”
We agreed—it would be unwise to announce we were awake. I carefully opened the window and peeked out.
“An apartment complex?”
I saw ordinary apartment buildings. Strangely, three buildings formed a U-shape, surrounding a courtyard-like space.
But the top of the U was blocked by a massive wall. Looking at it, the shape was almost a square.
The wall had a barred window, and next to it was a small building resembling a management office, as if to monitor who entered.
“This isn’t a typical apartment layout. It’s designed for easy surveillance of the interior.”
A large sign on the building read:
Sokryang Apartments
This was the place we were trapped.
