Oh Si-kyung was dreaming. He stood in a long, narrow hallway drowned in darkness. The air felt heavy, as if it was pressing against his chest. The floor beneath his feet was cold, and every step he took echoed endlessly. At the far end of the hallway, two figures appeared. "Si-kyung…" His body froze. He knew those voices. His parents stood there, smiling gently, just as they had in his memories. For a moment, hope surged through him, and he ran toward them. "Mom… Dad…!" As he drew closer, their smiles slowly twisted. The lights flickered. Their shadows stretched unnaturally across the walls, crawling like living things. "Why didn't you save us?" his mother asked, her voice trembling. His father's eyes darkened. "You were awake… but you chose to look away." The ceiling cracked open. Thick drops of blood fell onto the floor, splashing near his feet. The hallway began to collapse inward, crushing itself as if reality was folding. "Stop!" Si-kyung shouted. "Please—stop!" Their mouths opened too wide, voices overlapping. "You're still dreaming." He woke up gasping for air. His chest rose and fell violently as sweat soaked his clothes. The room was silent except for his breathing. Moonlight slipped through the curtains of his small apartment, revealing the familiar loneliness of the space. Slowly, he sat up on the bed and pressed a hand against his chest. His heart was racing, but he forced himself to breathe evenly. After a few seconds, he spoke in a quiet, controlled voice. "…It happened again." His eyes drifted toward the desk beside his bed. A framed photograph rested there—his parents, smiling warmly. A thin crack ran across the glass, splitting the image slightly. He looked away. Morning came too quickly. Si-kyung walked to school alone, hands in his pockets, blending into the crowd of students. Laughter, conversations, and passing cars filled the streets. Everything looked normal—painfully normal. "Did you see the sky today?" a student ahead of him said. "Yeah," another replied. "Looks weird, but it's probably nothing." Si-kyung glanced up briefly. The sky was blue. Calm. Silent. Just another day, he told himself. In class, the teacher's voice droned on as equations filled the board. Sikyung stared out the window, his thoughts distant. Then he heard it. A faint cracking sound. At first, he thought it was his imagination. The sound grew louder. Students began to whisper. Someone laughed nervously. The teacher paused mid-sentence. Then the sky broke. Not clouds. Not lightning. The sky itself split apart like shattered glass. Jagged cracks spread across it, and through them leaked a deep, endless darkness. Screams filled the classroom as students jumped from their seats. "What is that?!" someone cried. "Everyone stay calm!" the teacher shouted, though his own voice shook. Si-kyung couldn't move. The fear from his nightmare surged back into his body, stronger than before. His hands trembled as he stared at the broken sky. Something was moving behind the cracks—something watching. His lips parted. "…No way." The darkness reflected in his eyes. This wasn't a dream The first scream never finished. It cut off mid-sound, replaced by a violent, wet explosion. Oh Si-kyung didn't understand what he was seeing at first. One moment, the student sitting near the window was alive—blinking, breathing, human. The next moment, his body burst apart without warning. Blood sprayed across desks, walls, and the ceiling, painting the classroom a deep, horrifying red. Then it happened again. And again. Students collapsed not from pain or fear, but because there was nothing left of them. Their bodies exploded as if something inside them had been triggered all at once. Desks shattered. Windows cracked. The smell of iron filled the air. "W–What…?" Si-kyung whispered, unable to raise his voice. The teacher turned toward the class, mouth open to speak. His body detonated. Blood hit Si-kyung's face. The classroom fell silent. Si-kyung stood frozen in the middle of the room. His legs wouldn't move. His heart felt like it was going to tear itself out of his chest. His eyes were wide, shaking, unable to look away from what remained of his classmates. Why was he still alive? He looked around desperately. There was one other student standing. A boy leaned against a desk, hands in his pockets, his school uniform splattered with blood. His face was calm. Too calm. He was smiling. Not laughing.Not grinning wildly. Just a soft, quiet smile. Si-kyung's voice trembled."Y–You… you're alive too?" The boy slowly turned his head toward him. His eyes were sharp, observant—almost curious. "Seems like it," he replied casually. Si-kyung swallowed hard. "W–What's your name?" The boy tilted his head slightly."Lee Seo-jun." The name felt wrong somehow. Heavy. Before Si-kyung could say anything else, another explosion echoed from outside the classroom. Screams followed. Then silence. They didn't stay. They moved through the school cautiously, stepping over broken glass, blood-soaked floors, and scattered body parts. Hallways that once echoed with laughter were now silent and red-stained. Sometimes they found survivors. Most of the time, they found bodies—or places where bodies used to be. "I don't understand…" Si-kyung muttered as they walked. "Why are people just… dying? There's no pattern. No warning." His thoughts spiraled. Why not me?Why him?Why today? Lee Seo-jun glanced at him."You're thinking too loudly." Si-kyung stopped. "What?" Seo-jun's smile faded just a little."Fear spreads faster than anything here. If you lose control… you'll explode too." Si-kyung's breath hitched. "What are you talking about?" "I mean exactly what I said," Seo-jun replied calmly. "Control yourself. Or whatever is doing this will notice you." Before Si-kyung could ask another question, the lights flickered. The air grew cold. A shadow stretched across the hallway wall, moving against the light—wrongly, unnaturally. From the darkness ahead, something began to take shape. Its form was unclear, shifting, as if reality itself didn't know how to define it. Si-kyung's body locked up. His fear surged violently, stronger than anything before. His vision blurred. His hands trembled uncontrollably. "Oh no… no, no, no…" he whispered. Beside him, Lee Seo-jun smiled again. Not with joy. Not with madness. But with interest. The dark creature stepped forward. And the nightmare truly began The thing moved. Si-kyung didn't even see it happen. One moment, the dark creature stood several meters away, its shape flickering like a broken shadow. The next moment, it was in front of him. Pain exploded through his body. His right hand fell to the floor. For a split second, his mind refused to understand what his eyes were seeing. Then the pain reached him—sharp, burning, overwhelming. His body collapsed forward as his breath caught in his throat. He screamed. Not loudly. It was the kind of scream that came from deep inside, trapped by fear and shock. His eyes widened, tears blurring his vision as he stared at the empty space where his hand used to be. Blood spread across the floor. His whole body shook. "I… I can't—" His voice broke. He couldn't even finish the sentence. The creature raised its arm again. Then a calm voice cut through the chaos. "Sit down." The words were simple. Soft. Commanding. The creature froze. Slowly—unnaturally—it lowered itself and knelt on the blood-stained floor like an obedient animal. Si-kyung's breathing stopped. He turned his head with trembling effort and looked at Lee Seo-jun. Seo-jun stood there casually, hands still in his pockets, his expression relaxed—as if nothing strange had just happened. "What… did you do…?" Si-kyung whispered, his voice barely audible. Seo-jun glanced at the kneeling creature, then back at Si-kyung."It listens," he said. "For now." Si-kyung's mind was breaking apart. "You—You said one word," he gasped. "That thing just—" "I know what's happening," Seo-jun interrupted calmly. Si-kyung clenched his teeth, pain pulsing through his body. "Then tell me. Please." Seo-jun's smile faded completely this time. "This world," he said slowly, "is not ours anymore." The air felt heavier with every word. "It doesn't belong to humans. Not to schools. Not to cities. Not to rules we used to believe in." His eyes darkened. "It belongs to something else." Si-kyung swallowed hard. "Something else…?" "No one knows what it is," Seo-jun continued. "Not its true name. Not its form. Not its origin. Some call it a god. Some call it a system. Some call it a nightmare that woke up." He looked down at the creature kneeling silently. "All we know," he said, "is that it has claimed this world." Si-kyung's vision spun. His heart pounded violently."Then why am I still alive?" Seo-jun met his gaze. "Because you're afraid," he answered. "And because you're resisting it." The creature twitched slightly, as if reacting to the words. "Fear is the rule now," Seo-jun continued. "Those who lose control explode. Those who accept it disappear. And those who stand in between…" He paused. "…change." Si-kyung's eyes trembled as he looked at his bleeding arm. "Do you know what you'll become?" Seo-jun asked quietly. Si-kyung couldn't answer. Seo-jun smiled again—small, unreadable. "That's the interesting part." Behind them, the darkness in the hallway began to spread. And somewhere far above, beyond the broken sky, something watchedPain pulsed through Oh Si-kyung's body in slow, heavy waves. He sat on the cold school floor, pressing his remaining hand against the torn sleeve where his other arm had been. Blood had already soaked into the fabric, dark and sticky. His vision swayed every time he breathed. He finally spoke, his voice weak and breaking. "…My hand is gone." Lee Seo-jun stood nearby, looking down at the kneeling creature as if it were nothing more than furniture. When he turned to Si-kyung, his expression didn't change. "What am I supposed to do now?" Si-kyung asked. His lips trembled. "I can't even— I can't survive like this." Seo-jun sighed lightly, almost bored. "Don't worry," he said. "I know many things about this world now." Si-kyung looked up slowly. "I can regenerate your hand too." The words didn't register at first. "…What?" Seo-jun met his eyes calmly. "Your hand. I can bring it back." Shock erased the pain for a moment. Si-kyung's heart slammed against his chest. "What are you?" he asked quietly. "Who are you really?" Seo-jun smiled, that same unreadable smile. "You'll know later," he replied. "My friend." Something about that answer scared Si-kyung more than the creature had. From the very beginning, Lee Seo-jun had been wrong. Too calm. Too aware. Like someone who was watching the end of the world instead of living in it. They left the school. Outside, the city was unrecognizable. Buildings had collapsed into themselves, reduced to twisted metal and broken concrete. Fires burned everywhere, painting the streets orange and red. Smoke choked the sky, mixing with the cracks that still split the heavens apart. Cars lay overturned. Sirens wailed in the distance, then cut off one by one. Si-kyung's legs weakened. Tears rolled down his face silently as he stared at the destruction. "This… this was our city…" Seo-jun stood beside him, hands in his pockets, calmly observing the chaos. He smiled. Not happily.Not cruelly. Just calmly.Si-kyung noticed it—and that hurt the most.They both looked up.The sky was still broken.Even Seo-jun frowned slightly this time."…Interesting," he murmured. "I didn't expect this." They walked deeper into the ruined streets, Seo-jun guiding him through debris and fire as if he already knew where to go. Si-kyung followed, watching him closely, studying every movement, every reaction. They entered a partially collapsed building. Inside, bodies lay scattered across the floor—some torn apart, some frozen in fear, others twisted in impossible ways. Blood stained the walls. Seo-jun stopped. He looked around slowly. "…Disappointing," he said. Si-kyung stared at him in disbelief. "Disappointing?" "There should be more," Seo-jun replied quietly. A chill ran down Si-kyung's spine. From the very start, he had been observing Lee Seo-jun. Now he was sure. This person was not normal. Suddenly, a sound echoed from deeper inside the building. Footsteps. Breathing. Someone alive. Si-kyung turned sharply. "A survivor." Seo-jun's eyes narrowed with interest. "Let's talk to him," Seo-jun said. They moved toward the sound. And somewhere above them, beyond the ruined city and the broken sky, the unknown watched in silence
