The evening light cast a warm glow inside the nearly empty train.
Mia and I took the same train home, but we didn't talk much—there just wasn't anything to say.
And today might be the last time we meet. I might also stop playing games altogether.
I sat in my seat while she sit beside me in the empty space near the train door.
"Shin, do you really want to stop playing games? And if you don't mind, can I ask why?"
Oh... I see. That's why she stayed quiet—she wanted to know the reason I was quitting.
"Hmm, if you want to know... it's because I've lost the passion for it. The real reason I played before was because of Rin. But now she has a boyfriend, and as a friend, I don't want to be a third wheel."
"Men and women can't just be friends once one of them is in a relationship. My role as her gaming friend is over. I respect their relationship."
Mia then hugged my head against her chest.
"Sorry... I didn't know. You're really kind, Shin. That must've been a hard decision to make as a friend. "
" You can cry if you want to..."
I don't know why, but at that moment, I desperately wanted to hide my face—maybe I didn't want Mia to see how sad I looked. I buried my face against her.
She patted my head slowly... The train felt unbearably slow at that moment. My heart burned.
We parted ways at the next station. She got off first, saying she had other business to attend to. So that day was our last meeting. Mia and I waved at each other as the train began moving, separating us.
At the station, as soon as Mia took a step forward, someone in a suit walk toward her, waiting.
"Miss, welcome back." The man bowed to her.
The man pushed her out of the train station. Once they reached the road, a luxury car was already waiting.
Mia, who was supposedly disabled, suddenly stood up and entered the car. She sat by the window, lost in thought.
One of her men handed her a file.
"This is the information you requested, Miss."
She opened the file, and on the first page was Shin's face. A few pages later were his biodata and history.
"That's all we could find. And that woman from that night is his mother—she's already divorced from her husband."
"But something's strange... Her profile seems to have been covered up by higher-ups. I couldn't dig into her past. Also, their faces don't match at all—not even with his father. It's like they're just Shin's guardians... or they used that man as bait to make it seem like they were married and had Shin."
Mia stared intently before closing the file.
"Well, I love a mystery guys."
Their car arrived in front of a massive gate, which slowly opened automatically. They entered the grounds, ascending slightly until they reached the top—where an enormous mansion stood, grand and imposing.
One of the guards opened the car door, and Mia stepped out, entering the mansion where ten maids and servants stood bowing in the grand foyer.
She then ascended the majestic staircase in the lobby, its walls adorned with large, imposing portraits.
Entering her room—a vast, opulent space with a king-sized bed, teak wood furniture, and shimmering curtains—she collapsed onto the bed without a second thought.
"I'm tired..."
She carelessly tossed her clothes onto the floor, leaving only her tank top and underwear before walking into another room inside her chamber.
The room was dim. She flicked on the light—and what she saw would shock anyone.
Pictures of Shin.
Everywhere.
At school, at the café, at the mart that night, on the train, during events—every moment from the past two days, captured and pinned up like some obsessive collection.
A whisper escaped her lips, her face flushed with something between desire and madness.
"Shin..."
Her fingers traced one of the photos hungrily.
---
Meanwhile, Shin had just arrived home—it was already 10 PM. He had missed his stop after dozing off on the train.
Slowly... carefully... he turned the doorknob, relieved when it didn't creak. The house was dim, lit only by a faint nightlight.
Tiptoeing inside, he scanned the living room—no one was there.
"Phew... I thought she'd be waiting up for me..."
"Oh? Maybe Mom should be waiting, don't you think?"
Shin jolted—his mother was right behind him. When did she get there?!
But Shin wasn't one to back down. Falling back on his usual tactic, he immediately pulled her into a tight hug.
"I'm back, Mom!"
His mother's face was dark, her expression that of a woman deeply sulking.
"Why are you so late, Shin? I've been waiting since this afternoon..."
"Sorry, Mom! I missed my stop and had to wait for the next train back. You're not mad, right?"
After a moment of hesitation, Shin grinned and scooped his mom up into his arms. "Then I'll carry you upstairs, and you won't be mad anymore, okay? Heee~"
His mom's radiant smile, her teeth practically sparkling, lit up his face as he carried her to her room. Shin then began changing, pulling off his sweater and reaching into the closet for fresh clothes.
But in that moment—his secret was exposed.
Tattoos.
A small orchid symbol etched at the nape of his neck.
Scars.
Countless marks of past torment crisscrossing his back.
His mother's breath hitched.
"Son... I'm sorry... for marrying that man..."
Shin froze mid-motion, heart pounding. *He never meant for her to see this.* He never wanted her to relive the past.
"I'm okay, Mom. That's all in the past now..."
Silence. Heavy. Suffocating.
Then, softly—
"Do you... want to sleep with me again?"
His mom nodded weakly.
"But first... I need to log into the game capsule. It's my last day playing."
His mother's reaction was instant—panic.
"WHY?! Why?! Did someone hurt you?! Why stop playing?! Oh no... my son doesn't want to stay home anymore!!"
Classic overreaction mode—maximum drama.
Shin flicked her forehead lightly, snapping her out of it.
"Relax, I'll still play sometimes... just solo when I'm bored."
With that, he stepped into the game capsule—
SYSTEM LOGIN: [WOQ]
The digital world swallowed him whole.
(Meanwhile, in the shadows—Mia's fingers tightened around another photo of Shin, her eyes gleaming with something far from innocent.)*