Kala placed his bag in the car's trunk. He noticed that the others were still having breakfast together on the terrace when, all of a sudden, a scent caught his nose, making him instinctively look around.
"The smell of lavender?" Kala frowned in confusion. Dion's house didn't have any lavender plants, so why did the fragrance feel so strong now?
Thud.
The sound of the trunk closing echoed. Melvin immediately walked over to Kala, who looked like he was searching for something.
"What's wrong, Kal?" Melvin asked.
"Don't you smell that?" Kala said.
"Smell what? Incense?" Melvin joked.
"You think this is a graveyard or a ritual site?" Kala shot back dryly.
"Well then, what smell are you talking about? I only smell wet soil. It rained last night, remember?" Melvin replied.
"No, this is the smell of lavender flowers," Kala insisted.
"Maybe it's from your hair. It's lavender-colored, after all," Melvin teased.
Kala reflexively smacked Melvin's shoulder. "Not that, idiot. This is a real flower smell."
"Huh? You sure it's that strong?" Melvin sniffed the air around them.
Hasta, who had just approached, looked confused seeing the two of them sniffing the air.
"Are you guys okay?" he asked.
"Kala says he smells lavender, but I don't smell anything," Melvin explained.
"Dion's mom doesn't grow any flowers here, so it's impossible for that smell to suddenly appear," Hasta said.
"You guys really don't smell flowers at all?" Kala asked again.
Both of them shook their heads.
"I can still smell it," Kala muttered, puzzled.
"Ah, maybe you forgot you used floral perfume," Melvin said.
"No way. None of my perfumes smell like this," Kala replied flatly.
Hasta finally intervened. "Alright, let's just go eat breakfast with the others first."
~~~~~~~
The sun was shining brightly when they arrived at a quiet road lined with tall trees on both sides.
"Are you sure this is the right way?" Yoga asked.
"Yeah, the villa Lyo mentioned is around here," Dion replied from the driver's seat.
"This place is way too quiet. Isn't it suspicious? What if we're being set up?" Yoan said.
"What kind of thief would come to a creepy place like this?" Melvin scoffed.
"What if it's a ghost?" Yoga said.
"Ghosts can't touch humans. Why be scared of them?" Yoan replied.
"They can't touch you, but they can possess you. Haven't you seen movies where people kill themselves because of possession?" Yoga argued.
"Why would I watch something I've never seen happen in real life?" Yoan shot back.
"Tch, acting all logical," Yoga muttered.
"You're just the one who watches too much of that stuff," Yoan retorted.
The screeching sound of metal cut their argument short. The car had stopped in front of a villa with a tall iron gate marking the entrance.
Dion got back into the car after checking the gate.
"It's not locked, guys. Help me slide it open—this thing's heavy as hell," Dion said.
They all got out and pushed the gate together.
A large building with faded white paint stood before them. They stared at the villa with puzzled expressions.
"This villa isn't used anymore?" Yoga asked.
"That's good. It means we can search for the diary more safely without anyone getting suspicious," Dion replied.
"Alright, let's start looking," Melvin suggested.
They entered the villa together, greeted by clouds of dust and a messy interior that looked like a shipwreck.
"Why does this feel so creepy?" Melvin shivered.
"Scared?" Dion teased.
"Says who?" Melvin snapped back.
"Isn't that guy a ghost? Why didn't he just look for the diary himself?" Yoan muttered while scanning the surroundings.
"He couldn't find it—don't you remember?" Kala reminded him.
"But he also didn't say the villa was abandoned. Judging by the condition, this place has probably been empty for about a year," Yoan said.
"He must've never come back here," Kala said.
"Then when did he look for the diary and fail? It's been a year, yet he still remembers it?" Yoan continued.
Checkmate—Yoan's words made Kala fall silent.
"Enough debating. Let's focus on the target," Hasta said.
"Lyo said the diary was last seen in the main room—this place," Gantha added.
"Yeah, it should be around here," Melvin said.
"Search, guys," Dion ordered.
They searched every area until Melvin finally found the diary inside a cabinet filled with books. A blank sheet of paper was stuck on top of it.
"The description matches this book," Melvin said while examining the plain black diary with a moon and stars on its cover.
"Yeah, that's the diary," Kala confirmed.
"But there's a blank paper attached," Yoga pointed out.
"Maybe it just got stuck there," Dion shrugged.
Gantha, being more observant, took the paper, grabbed his water bottle, and poured water onto it.
Slowly, words appeared on the paper.
—*Blue with white patterns stretching endlessly*
—*Straight horizontal lines forming the base of an image and text*—
"What is this? A riddle?" Dion asked.
"A clue?" Hasta guessed.
"Blue with white patterns stretching endlessly… the sky?" Yoan said.
"Straight horizontal lines forming the base… a line," Kala added.
"What kind of clue is this?" Melvin asked, confused.
"Maybe it refers to something that happened here," Gantha suggested.
"'Sky line'? Sounds poetic," Melvin commented.
"I think it's the name of a place—like somewhere that used to gather lots of people," Yoan said.
"Oh, like a school or an office?" Hasta added.
"Maybe. Before it was a villa, this place might've been a settlement," Kala said.
"We've got what we came for. Let's head back," Dion said.
"We came all this way just for the diary. How about we rest for a bit?" Yoga suggested.
"Just rest—don't do anything weird," Kala said, glancing at Dion and Yoga, already sensing their horror-novel-inspired ideas.
"What do you mean, Kal?" Yoga asked nervously—his plan to suggest hide-and-seek had clearly been exposed.
"It was obvious," Kala said flatly.
"But this villa isn't that bad. Instead of doing weird stuff, why don't we just take photos?" Melvin suggested.
"I agree with that," Hasta said.
They split up, each busy with their own activities—taking photos, wandering around, or exploring outside the villa. Of course, Kala chose the last option.
The villa felt strangely calm. There was nothing eerie or unsettling inside or outside. Everything seemed normal—and that, to Kala, was exactly what felt wrong. It was far too peaceful for a case involving an abandoned place like this.
Kala stood beside a large, empty swimming pool. He looked down into the dusty, leaf-filled basin when his eyes caught a strange red cloth. He climbed down to retrieve it.
"This cloth is clean," Kala murmured, examining the red fabric in his hands. He covered his eyes with it, hoping to receive a vision.
"Kangmin."
Kala froze, unmoving. He sharpened his hearing.
"Yoo Kangmin."
The voice called out again. Kala reflexively pulled the cloth away from his eyes and spun around, scanning the area—but there was no one there.
"Why did I turn around? That name wasn't even meant for me."
An unexplainable feeling stirred in Kala's mind upon hearing that name.
"But it's fine. This is what I've been waiting for," he muttered, climbing back up.
Kala stood still, trying to focus. Minutes passed—nothing happened.
"What is this? I didn't even get a vision from the cloth. Maybe it's just an ordinary piece of fabric someone left behind."
Still confused, Kala tossed the cloth back into the pool.
"So this is where you were."
Kala turned to see Gantha approaching.
"And what if I am?" Kala replied.
"Did you feel anything strange?" Gantha asked.
"No—and that's what feels strange. I tried looking, but I found nothing," Kala said.
"Maybe we're overthinking it. This might just be a normal case. Because the setting's an abandoned villa, we're imagining things," Gantha said.
"But my gut says something's wrong, Gan. There's something off about this villa," Kala replied.
"I saw Asta looking scared after checking the bathroom. The others are just taking photos. Hopefully they'll catch something," Gantha said.
"Someone called out a name here earlier, but there was no form," Kala added.
"So something really is wrong, but nothing wants to show itself," Gantha said.
"I told you," Kala said flatly. "You know I'm an esper."
"Yeah, yeah. I believe you, shaman," Gantha replied.
Kala looked at the sky, now tinted orange by the setting sun, then glanced at Gantha, who stood silently staring at the pool.
"Agan?"
"Kal… what's that kid doing there?" Gantha said, still staring toward the pool.
"What kid? A lost child?" Kala turned to follow Gantha's gaze.
"You don't see him?" Gantha asked.
"See what?" Kala replied.
"…No. Must've been my imagination. Let's go back inside."
Gantha walked ahead into the villa, and Kala followed.
Neither of them realized that someone had been watching them all along—from inside the villa, through a window.