There are things in this world that science still can't explain. Stuff like the afterlife, ghosts, or other strange things that don't make sense. Most people only hear about them, but some get to experience them first hand. Take Moya, for example, the unlucky protagonist of this story, who somehow ended up with a cursed phone.
Everything started on the day he picked it up.
Back then, his life was a total mess. He had debts everywhere and was already borrowing money just to pay off other debt. After a while, he could only afford to pay the interest. No matter what he did, he just kept sinking with loan sharks threatening him. By the day he found it, he was already on the verge of being homeless.
He headed to the small grocery store at the corner of the street, the one he'd been going to for years. The bell above the door jingled as he entered, and the owner, an old man with thinning hair, looked up from behind the counter.
"Evening," Moya greeted as he picked up a can of sardines from the shelf and placed it on the counter. "Can you, uh… put this on my tab again?"
The old man sighed before answering. "You still haven't paid what you owe me, Moya."
"I'll pay soon," Moya said quickly. "It's just a can of sardines. I'll settle the rest next week."
"You said that last week," the man replied, crossing his arms. "And the week before that."
Moya forced a laugh. "Things are just tight right now, you know? I'll get back on my feet soon."
The owner shook his head. "I can't, Moya. I've been too kind already. You have to pay first before I can give you more."
For a moment, Moya just stared at the can. It wasn't even that expensive. A few coins, maybe. But right now, he didn't even have that. He tried to argue, but the old man's expression said there was no point.
"Alright," Moya muttered, forcing out a smile. "I'll pay you up soon."
He left the store empty-handed. Outside, it was already dark, and the air smelled faintly of smoke from a nearby barbeque stand. His stomach growled as he shoved his hands into his pockets, feeling nothing but the phone.
He'd picked it up earlier that day, somewhere near the bus stop. Someone must've dropped it. It wasn't locked either, which was... lucky?
"Should I sell it?" he thought while taking it out, rubbing his thumb on the side of the phone. Maybe he could get a few hundred for it, enough for food or to pay off part of his rent. He sighed, half-convinced already, when the phone suddenly vibrated.
He froze.
The screen lit up on its own, and all the icons started disappearing one by one until only a single app remained in the middle. Its icon was a bloody camera lens with the words HORROR ACTOR APP written underneath.
"What the hell…" he muttered, frowning at it.
Out of curiosity—and a bit of boredom—he tapped it open. The app's interface was black with red accents, almost theatrical, like something out of a cheap horror game. It redirected him to what looked like a profile page.
At first glance, it seemed like a normal user setup: a name, a profile photo, a level bar. But the more he looked, the more uneasy he became. The profile photo was of him.
Not an old selfie. It was his current face, his current clothes, and the exact street corner he was standing in right now. The dim streetlight, the barbeque stand behind him—everything matched perfectly.
His chest began to beat faster. He didn't remember taking any photos.
"What kind of joke is this…" he mumbled, checking the phone's camera, but it wasn't even open.
He scrolled down a bit more, reading the rest of the profile details.
[ACTOR NAME]: Moya Totanya
[ACTOR LEVEL]: E-Level Actor
[MOVIES COMPLETED]: 0
[POINTS]: 0
He stared at it in disbelief. It even had his full name—something he never typed in. He laughed nervously, trying to brush off the creeping feeling running up his spine.
"Probably some prank app," he tried to convince himself. "Or a phishing scam."
But the uneasiness stayed.
At this point, he didn't even want the phone anymore. The idea of selling it completely vanished from his mind. Every instinct told him to get rid of it. So, he locked the screen, turned it off, and tossed it into the nearest trash bin he passed by. Then, without looking back, he quickened his pace toward his apartment.
His building wasn't far. A cramped, run-down place with flickering hallway lights and walls that smelled faintly of mildew. By the time he reached his unit, his head was pounding from stress and hunger. All he wanted was to crash on his bed and forget the whole thing.
But the moment he opened the door, he froze.
There, lying innocently on top of his bed, was the same exact phone!
For a second, he just stood there, staring. His mind tried to reason with what he was seeing. Maybe it wasn't the same one? Maybe this was his roommate's? But no. It was the same phone.
Moya was frantic.
He rushed forward, grabbed it, and hurled it to the floor with all his strength. The screen shattered, but he felt that wasn't enough still. He stomped on it again and again until it stopped lighting up. Then, breathing hard, he opened his window and threw it outside. The sound of it hitting the pavement echoed faintly in the night.
He stood there for a moment, trying to calm himself down. "There," he muttered, forcing a shaky laugh. "Gone for good."
He turned around—only to feel something heavy in his pocket.
His stomach dropped. Slowly, he reached inside and pulled it out.
It was the phone. Perfectly intact. Not a single crack on the screen.
Before he could even react, the screen turned on by itself again. The bloody camera icon blinked once, then twice, before the entire display went black. A second later, lines of bright red text began scrolling down the screen as if someone—or something—was typing in real time.
[CONGRATULATIONS!]
Moya took a step back, his hand trembling.
[YOU HAVE BEEN CHOSEN AS ONE OF THE BETA TESTERS FOR: HORROR ACTOR APP.]
[ACT, SURVIVE, AND EARN MONEY AND FAME!]
He blinked. "What kind of nonsense…"
The text kept appearing.
[THE SYSTEM HAS DETECTED EMOTIONAL FLUCTUATION IN USER MOYA TOTANYA.]
[TO APPEASE THE USER, A SMALL WISH SHALL BE GRANTED.]
[PREPARING REWARD.]
[REWARD: GRANTED.]
Something cold and metallic dropped onto his palm. He looked down, and… he didn't even know how to react anymore.
Sitting right there on his hand was a can of sardines.
The same brand from the store earlier.
The phone screen flickered once more.
[CONGRATULATIONS, MOYA TOTANYA.]
[YOUR FIRST REWARD HAS BEEN CLAIMED.]
[PLEASE WAIT FOR YOUR FIRST ROLE.]