The apartment was quiet.
Yuni stood at the door longer than she should have, her hand resting on the knob as if something on the other side was waiting for her to notice it.
Nothing moved.
Nothing changed.
Still—
Something felt wrong.
She stepped inside.
Click.
The door shut behind her, sealing the silence in.
Her shoes went where they always went.
Her bag—on the chair.
Routine.
Predictable.
Safe.
Yuni exhaled slowly and reached for her phone.
No notifications.
No messages.
For a moment, relief settled in her chest.
Then—
Buzz.
The sound cut through the room.
Yuni flinched, her fingers tightening instinctively.
Unknown Number.
Her stomach dropped.
She didn't open it right away.
Couldn't.
But the notification sat there—unread, waiting.
Watching.
Slowly, she tapped it.
Unknown Number:
You got home safely.
Yuni's breath caught.
Her eyes lifted instinctively, scanning the room.
The chair.
Her bag.
The door.
Locked.
She looked back at the screen.
Another message appeared.
Unknown Number:
You walk slower when you're tired.
Her throat went dry.
"That's not—" she whispered, but the words didn't finish.
Her fingers hovered over the keyboard.
She didn't type.
Another message.
Unknown Number:
You should rest earlier tonight.
Yuni shook her head, backing away slightly.
"No…"
Her pulse quickened.
She forced herself to type.
Yuni:
Who is this?
The reply came instantly.
Unknown Number:
You know.
The room felt smaller.
Like the walls had shifted inward without sound.
Yuni's eyes flicked toward her bedroom door.
Closed.
Still.
Safe.
Her phone buzzed again.
The contact name changed.
Ms. Haejin.
Yuni's chest tightened so sharply it hurt.
Ms. Haejin:
You moved your bag.
Yuni froze.
Slowly—too slowly—she turned her head toward the chair.
The strap.
It wasn't how she left it.
Her stomach twisted.
Another message.
Ms. Haejin:
Left side this time.
Yuni's hand trembled.
"I didn't—"
She stopped.
Because she wasn't sure anymore.
Her phone buzzed again.
Ms. Haejin:
That's not like you.
The words felt heavier than they should have.
Like they carried expectation.
Correction.
Yuni's breathing became uneven.
Her eyes darted across the apartment again.
Nothing.
No one.
And yet—
She could feel it.
That same presence from the hallway.
Closer now.
Inside.
Her phone buzzed again.
Ms. Haejin:
You didn't eat properly.
Yuni swallowed hard.
She hadn't.
She hadn't told anyone.
She hadn't—
Ms. Haejin:
Just a drink isn't enough.
Her grip tightened around the phone.
"How do you know that…?" she whispered.
No answer.
Just another message.
Ms. Haejin:
You keep checking your door.
Yuni's head snapped toward it.
Locked.
Still locked.
Her heart pounded.
Ms. Haejin:
It's locked.
A pause.
Then—
Ms. Haejin:
For now.
The air shifted.
It wasn't imagination anymore.
It couldn't be.
Yuni backed toward her bedroom, her steps slow and uneven.
Her phone buzzed again.
Ms. Haejin:
Don't look behind you.
Yuni froze.
Every instinct screamed at her to turn.
To check.
To prove nothing was there.
But her body wouldn't move.
Her breathing became shallow, uneven, almost silent.
Ms. Haejin:
You get scared too easily.
A pause.
Then—
Ms. Haejin:
I'm not going to hurt you.
The words didn't comfort her.
They tightened something deep in her chest.
Because they sounded like a promise—
And not the kind she could trust.
Yuni forced herself forward, reaching her bedroom door.
Her hand hovered over the handle.
Her phone buzzed again.
Ms. Haejin:
Your window.
Yuni's breath caught.
She turned slightly.
The window across the room.
Closed.
Locked.
She was sure of it.
She had to be.
Ms. Haejin:
You should check it again.
Yuni didn't move.
Didn't breathe.
Didn't think.
Because something inside her already knew—
If she checked—
Something would be wrong.
Her phone buzzed again.
Ms. Haejin:
You left your light on.
Yuni's eyes flicked upward.
The light above her hummed softly.
On.
Always on.
Her chest tightened.
Ms. Haejin:
Do you want me to turn it off?
The words hit harder than anything before.
Yuni stepped back, shaking her head instinctively.
"No."
Her voice was barely a sound.
"No—don't—"
The light flickered.
Once.
Twice.
Then—
Click.
Darkness swallowed the room.
Yuni's breath hitched, panic surging through her chest.
Her phone lit up her face—the only light left.
Another message appeared.
Ms. Haejin:
There.
A pause.
Then—
Ms. Haejin:
That's better.
Yuni couldn't move.
Couldn't think.
Couldn't even scream.
Because the silence wasn't empty anymore.
It was full.
Alive.
Breathing.
And somewhere inside it—
Watching her.
Her phone buzzed one last time.
Slowly, her eyes dropped to the screen.
Ms. Haejin:
You don't have to be afraid anymore.
A pause.
Long.
Heavy.
Final.
Then—
Ms. Haejin:
I'm here.
Something shifted in the dark.
Not loud.
Not sudden.
Just enough.
Just real enough.
To make one thing certain—
She wasn't alone.