Lee Tae-ho was living a fairly quiet life, far from home. He had moved to Seoul for an internship and was staying in a modest shared residence. His days were simple: work, dinner, sleep—repeating like clockwork.
November 24th, 2025
Tae-ho got ready for work as usual. While brushing his teeth, he checked the morning news on his phone.
> "A 30-year-old man was found dead under mysterious circumstances. Investigators discovered strange pitch-black markings on his body. The cause of death is currently unknown. Police are still investigating."
Tae-ho blinked, shrugged it off, and headed to work.
Despite the strange news, he remained upbeat. Tae-ho had a cheerful personality, and everyone at the office loved him. He worked hard, made people laugh, and got along with nearly all his colleagues.
That evening, the company held a dinner party. Tae-ho enjoyed himself a little too much and ended up staying later than usual.
By the time he reached home, it was already 11:30 PM.
As he approached his apartment, he noticed something strange—the door to his room was slightly open.
His heart jumped.
"Did I forget to lock it… or… is someone in there?"
Cautiously, he pushed the door open.
"SURPRISE!"
Confetti flew. His friends Min-su and Dae-min stood in the center of the room, holding a small cake and a bunch of party hats.
Tae-ho exhaled loudly, hand on his chest.
"Are you serious?! I thought I was getting robbed!"
Dae-min laughed.
"Robbed? Do you even have anything worth stealing?"
They all burst into laughter.
---
The small birthday celebration began. They drank, shared stories, and enjoyed their late-night fun. The clock inched closer to midnight.
Min-su looked at his phone and grinned.
"Tae-ho! It's almost twelve—close your eyes and get ready!"
Tae-ho rolled his eyes.
"Isn't that a bit childish? We're not kids anymore."
"Just do it!" Min-su insisted.
With a sigh and a smirk, Tae-ho closed his eyes. His friends started counting down.
5... 4... 3... 2...
Silence.
Tae-ho opened his eyes.
Everyone was gone.
The room was dark. Empty. Cold.
He stood up, confused.
"Guys? Hello? Min-su? Dae-min? Is this some kind of prank?"
No answer.
He reached for his phone.
Dead. The screen wouldn't even turn on.
"What? No way. It was fully charged."
He rushed to the window and looked out. The streets were completely silent. No lights. No cars. No people.
---
Stepping outside, Tae-ho shouted:
"Min-su! Dae-min! Come on, this isn't funny!"
Even the old dog that always lay outside the building was missing.
Everything felt… wrong.
"Am I dreaming?" he muttered.
Then—
Growling.
From the alley beside the building, a shadow moved.
"Who's there?" Tae-ho called out, heart racing. "Min-su? Dae-min?"
From the corner emerged a dark, twisted shape. Its limbs were long and distorted, its was pitch black with human like face.
"What the f— is that?!"
The monster let out a screech and lunged at him.
Tae-ho ran.
He sprinted through the empty streets, adrenaline pumping. His breath hitched. Every shadow felt alive. He turned a corner and found a nearby police station.
He barged in.
"Help! Please, anyone!"
No one.
The entire station was abandoned.
He hid behind a counter, trembling and sweating. A moment later, the wall exploded as the monster crashed in. A piece of glass slashed across Tae-ho's shoulder.
He cried out and bolted.
Bleeding, terrified, and exhausted, he ran until he couldn't anymore.
He collapsed in the middle of the street, panting.
The creature approached.
Then—
CRACK.
The monster froze mid-step… then shattered into black mist.
Smoke filled the street.
A hand reached through the fog.
"You okay?" a girl's voice said.
Tae-ho looked up. A young woman stood in the smoke, hand extended.
He took it.
"Who are you? What just happened?! Where am I? How did you—"
"Can you stop talking?" she said calmly. "What's your name?"
"Tae-ho. Lee Tae-ho." He panted. "Now please tell me what's going on!"
She looked at him. Her eyes were unreadable.
"You're in the Shadow World."
"The what?!"
A loud horn suddenly echoed in the distance.
The girl glanced behind her.
"Time's almost up. See you again."
She started walking into the mist.
"Wait! What's your name?!"
She smiled faintly.
"I don't think you need to know that."
And then—
Darkness.
---
Tae-ho woke up in his bed.
He bolted upright, sweating.
His phone was on the table, fully charged and blinking with notifications. Everything looked… normal.
He took a deep breath.
"It was just a dream…"
He got dressed and headed to work. On the way, he passed the police station from last night—intact, clean, and completely normal.
That sealed it.
"Yeah. Just a bad dream. Nothing else."
Still, something lingered in the back of his mind.
At work, his boss clapped to get everyone's attention.
"Guys, please welcome our new intern: Kim Yu-min."
Tae-ho froze.
The girl from last night stood at the door, wearing a calm expression.
They made eye contact.
---
To be continued…