"Where the hell am I?"
That was the first thought that crawled into my mind as I opened my eyes to absolute darkness. A cold, unsettling chill ran down my spine, prickling my skin like invisible fingers. My body was awake, yet my mind lagged behind, groggy and confused, as if I'd been ripped out of a dream mid-scene.
I sat up slowly, my breath shaky, and blinked into the void. I couldn't recognise this place, but strangely, it didn't feel entirely unfamiliar, either like a déjà vu carved out of a memory I'd forgotten.
I placed both palms flat on the floor, needing to feel something solid, real. The ground beneath me was cold, rough, coated with fine dust that clung to my skin. I flexed my fingers, brushing across its texture, grounding myself the only way I could.
I stood, cautiously, and stretched my hand along the wall, searching for the light switch. My fingers finally grazed it.
Click.
Nothing.
Click-click.
Still nothing.
"What the hell… why isn't it working?" I muttered, my own voice bouncing back at me, too loud in the heavy silence.
Of course. A power outage. Because, you know, things weren't already weird enough. Fantastic.
I shoved a hand into my pocket and pulled out my phone. The screen lit up with a weak glow, stabbing through the dark. My thumb fumbled across the glass until the flashlight blinked on.
23% battery.
"Perfect," I whispered sarcastically. "Yeah, that's definitely going to last through a supernatural crisis."
I stepped out of the room. The air felt thicker here, like it hadn't been disturbed in years.
The air felt damp and heavy, with a faint smell like rust. My phone's flashlight cut a thin beam through the dark, showing what looked like a living room. Dust covered the furniture, and tiny motes floated in the light, scattering whenever I moved.
And then I saw it.
A figure.
Standing on the balcony.
Just… standing there. Motionless.
They weren't facing me. They weren't doing anything. Just staring into the night sky, as if frozen in time.
My throat went dry. "…What the hell? Who the fuck is that?"
"Hey!" I called out, my voice cracking slightly.
"Who are you?"
No response.
I cleared my throat, louder this time, my words wobbling.
"Excuse me! Are you… lost? From the neighbor's party, maybe?"
Still nothing. Not even the faintest twitch.
The figure didn't flinch, didn't react, didn't exist, almost like a mannequin… or a ghost too polite to interrupt.
Against all reason, my feet began to move. Before my brain even signed off on the idea, my body betrayed me, one step, then another, pulling me closer.
Every movement felt straight out of a horror movie, the exact dumb mistake that gets the protagonist killed.
"Brilliant, Jiwoo. Genius," I muttered under my breath as I inched closer, my flashlight trembling in my hand.
"Hello?!"
I called, louder now, my voice sharp, edged with panic.
"Are you deaf or something? Can't you hear me?"
No answer.
My heart slammed against my ribs, a drumbeat of dread. I stopped, close enough now that I could see the faint outline of their shoulder. My mind split in two, one half screaming run, the other half demanding answers. And of course, dumb curiosity? Yeah. That always wins.
I swallowed hard and whispered, "…Are you a ghost? Please don't say yes."
Suddenly, the figure moved.
Slowly. Mechanically.
Every joint seemed to creak, My stomach dropped through the floor.
It turned to face me.
I raised my phone instinctively, the flashlight beam quivering as it landed on his face.
"Minjae?"
My stomach dropped.
Oh no. Not again.
"What the hell is wrong with you?!" I shouted, panic laced in my voice. "Why weren't you answering me?!"
Out of everyone I could've hallucinated or been haunted by it just had to be him.
Fantastic. Truly.
But he looked… different. Hollow, almost. His eyes were bloodshot, his skin pale, like he hadn't slept in years or had just walked out of hell carrying its shadows with him. His hand trembled near his chest, his lips moving, but no sound came out.
"Minjae!" I yelled, frustration bleeding into fear. "If this is some twisted prank, I swear..
Still nothing.
"Minjae, seriously, man. Are you possessed or buffering? Speak!"
And then… he broke.
His entire expression shattered. Tears spilled silently down his face, cutting trails through the pallor of his skin. A soft, eerie sobbing filled the air, and in a broken, almost inhuman whisper, he said it.
"…Jiwoo."
My heart stopped.
What.
How.
He knew my name?
"Nope. Nope. Nope." I backed away, every instinct screaming at me to run. "This isn't funny anymore."
And then he moved.
He stepped toward the balcony railing.
"Wait, no, don't you dare! Don't even think about doing that, you idiot!" I lunged forward instinctively.
"Minjae, wait! STOP!"
But it was too late.
He jumped.
"MINJAE, YOU DUMBASS!" I screamed, my hand outstretched in pure desperation.
And then ..
A sharp, shrill noise exploded into the air.
BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!
My eyes flew open.
I was in bed.
My bed.
Familiar ceiling. Familiar fan making that weird sound it shouldn't. Alarm clock blaring: 8:30 a.m.
I sat up, my shirt clinging to my sweat-soaked skin, my heartbeat drumming like a war cry inside my chest.
"What the fuck…" I whispered to no one.
It was a dream.
Just a dream.
And yet… one thing gnawed at me like a parasite.
How did Minjae know my name?