Seoul, South korea

The forest had never been this silent,

not a single bird sang,

not a single leaf moved.

The only sound echoing through the darkness was the hurried footsteps of the police officers rushing toward another crime scene.

Blue and red emergency lights painted the trees in eerie colors.

Officer john stopped a few feets away from the yellow caution tape. His expression hardened as he looked at the lifeless body lying on the cold ground.

Another victim.

Another mystery.

Another family waiting for answers.

A young female officer walked beside him, clutching a file tightly.

"Another death." she whispered, her voice trembling. "How long is this going to continue."

John did'nt answer immediately.

His sharp eyes carefully scanned the surroundings.

No footprints.

No weapon.

No signs of struggle.

It was as if the victim had simply ..... Stopped breathing.

Or something impossible had happened.

After a long silence, John finally spoke. "We still don't have enough evidence to prove this was not any animal attack.

"But sir.." the Officer hesitated. "Every victim was found in differet places."

"No witnesses."

"No fimgerprints."

"And yet..." She swallowed nervously.

"They all died in same way."

John clenched his jaw. He knew she was right.

This was not normal, this was not coincidence.

This was something much darker.

A young constable suddenly came running toward them.

"Sir..." He was breathing heavily. "We found something."

John turned immediately.

"What is it??"

The constable carefully opened a transparent evidence bag.

Inside.. Lay seven tiny crimson cherries.

Fresh.

Bright.

As if they had been picked only minutes ago.

The female officer frowned. "Cherries "

The constable nodded. "we found them right beside the victim.

John stared at them silently.

Something felt wrong.

Very wrong.

The officer beside him looked confused. " But ... This doesn't make any sense. It's not cherry season."

"There shouln't be fresh cherries anywhere near seoul."

The entire team fell silent.

John slowly took the evidence bag into his hands.

"...how did these get here??"

No one answered.

Because no one knew.

One week later......

Busan

Warm sunlight poured through bedroom window. A loud ringtone shattered the peaceful morning.

A sleepy young man reached for his phone without opening his eyes.

"Hello."

"SIJUUUUUUU!"

The voice on the other side nearly burst his eardrums. He quickly pulled the phone away.

"WHAT ?!?"

"YOU GOT ACCEPTED !!"

His eyes flew open. "what are you talking about?"

"The university."

"The admission results!."

He sat upright. His heartbeat quickened.

Without wastimg another second, he rushed toward his laptop with trenbling hands.

The webpage loaded painfully slowly.

Loading..

Loading..

Laoding..

"Come on."

His fingers tapped the desk impatiently.

Then...

The screen refreshed.

CONGRATULATIONS !

Your admission to Seoul Natuonal University has been confirmed.

For a moment...

Eveything around him became silent.

He blinked once...

Twice.

Then suddenly.

"I GOT IN!"

His loud scream echoed throughout the house.

"What happened?" His mother rushed upstairs, followed by his father. Both looked worried until they noticed the huge smile on his face.

Si Ju turned the laptop toward them. "I got accepted..."

For a second... Neither of them spoke. Then his mother covered her mouth as tears filled her eyes.

"You really did it..." She hugged him tightly.

"We're so proud of you."

Si Ju finished packing the last of his belongings and zipped his suitcase shut.

Just then, his mother's voice echoed from downstairs. "Si Ju! Dinner is ready!"

"Coming!" he replied. As he reached for his suitcase, a folded newspaper on his study table caught his attention.

Absentmindedly, he picked it up. The bold headline immediately stood out.

ANOTHER BODY FOUND IN SEOUL.

Police Still Have No Clue About The Serial Killer.

His eyes scanned the article for a brief moment.

"...Seoul really is a strange city."

He folded the newspaper, placed it back where it belonged, and walked out of the room without another thought.

To be continue...............

Seoul Police Department

The conference room had fallen completely silent.

Sheriff John stared at the evidence table, his brows tightly furrowed. "...Impossible."

The female officer standing beside him slowly nodded. "Sir... we checked the crime scene again this morning."

"The cherries..."

"...they're gone."

John immediately looked up. "Gone?"

"Yes, sir. They disappeared overnight."

"The forensic team confirmed that nobody entered the restricted area."

Another officer stepped forward with a tablet. "And there's something even stranger. We checked every CCTV camera covering the roads leading to the forest. There isn't a single recording."

John frowned."What do you mean?"

"The footage between 2:13 and 2:26 a.m.....is completely black.

"Every camera."

"It wasn't deleted."

"It simply... never recorded anything."

Silence.

John slowly leaned back in his chair. "So we're back to where we started."

"No fingerprints."

"No footprints."

"No witnesses."

"And now.....even the evidence has disappeared."

The room felt colder than before.

For the first time... even experienced officers looked frightened.

...----------------...

Busan

The warm morning sunlight entered through the window. Siju stretched lazily before walking downstairs.

"Good morning, Mom. Morning, Dad."

His mother smiled. "Good morning, sweetheart."

His father folded the newspaper. "We have something to tell you."

Siju sat down. "What happened?"

His mother looked at him with mixed happiness and guilt. "Your father and I won't be able to go to Seoul with you."

He blinked. "What?"

His father sighed. "A very important business meeting came up. I tried to cancel it.....but I couldn't."

"We'll drop you at the airport. But you'll have to manage the rest on your own."

For a second... Siju looked disappointed. Then he smiled softly.

"It's okay. I'll be fine."

His mother gently held his hand. "You've grown up. We trust you."

Siju laughed. "I'll make you both proud."

...----------------...

The Next Morning

Suitcases.

A backpack.

A nervous smile.

Everything was finally packed.

His mother hugged him tightly. "Take care of yourself." His father patted his shoulder. "Call us after you land."

"I will."

As he walked toward the departure gate... he turned back one last time. His parents were still standing there...

waving.

He smiled.

Then disappeared into the crowd.

...----------------...

Seoul

The airport was louder than he had imagined.

People rushed in every direction.

Different languages echoed around him.

"So...

"I'm really here."

His lips curved into a smile. "My new life starts today."

An hour later...

He finally reached his apartment building.

Three large suitcases.

Two heavy bags.

"...Why did I bring so many clothes?" He laughed at himself before struggling to lift the luggage upstairs.

After several failed attempts... he sighed.

"I definitely need help."

He walked toward the nearest apartment and knocked.

A few seconds later... The door opened.

A girl about his age smiled politely. "Hi? You're new here?"

Siju scratched the back of his neck awkwardly. "Yeah. I just moved here today."

"I'm Siju. I'm studying at Seoul University."

The girl's eyes brightened. "Really? I'm Sia."

"I study there too."

Siju smiled. "What a coincidence. I guess I'll have at least one friend."

Both laughed.

Sia looked at the mountain of luggage. "...That's a lot."

"I know.... I think I overpacked."

Just as Siju and Sia were wondering how to carry the luggage...

Click.

The apartment door beside them slowly opened.

A tall figure stepped out.

For a brief second... the entire hallway seemed to fall silent.

He was dressed in an oversized black hoodie with loose black jeans, his hands tucked casually into his pockets. A silver chain rested around his neck, and small silver piercings decorated his ears. His raven-black hair fell effortlessly across his forehead, partially hiding his deep, unreadable eyes.

He wasn't smiling.

Nor did he look angry.

His face carried no emotion at all.

Yet...

there was something about him that made it impossible to look away.

His sharp jawline, broad shoulders, and calm posture gave him an intimidating presence. He looked like someone who preferred silence over conversations... someone who had built invisible walls around himself.

The air around him suddenly felt colder.

Without saying a word, he locked his apartment and turned to leave.

Jungkook walked past them without saying a single word. His expression never changed.

Not even once.

Siju kept staring until the stranger disappeared down the hallway.

"...He didn't even look at us," Sia sighed. "That's normal. He never talks to anyone."

"But..." Siju interrupted softly. "He did."

Sia frowned. "What?"

"He looked at me."

.

.

.

...****************...

Siju kept staring until the stranger disappeared down the hallway.

Sia let out a helpless sigh.

"That's Jeon Jungkook."

"Our neighbor. But don't expect him to talk. He keeps everyone at a distance."

"Nobody really knows anything about him."

"...He didn't even look at us," Sia sighed. "That's normal. He never talks to anyone."

"But..." Siju interrupted softly. "He did."

Sia frowned. "What?"

"He looked at me."

jungkook stepped inside. The doors slowly closed.

And he was gone.

Siju unknowingly kept staring at the empty hallway. "...He's strange."

Sia nodded. "He is."

...----------------...

Later That Night

After arranging his room and unpacking for hours...

Siju finally collapsed onto the bed. His stomach growled loudly. "Oh... I forgot to eat."

He checked the time. 10:30 PM.

Just as he opened the apartment door...

An elderly woman slowly stepped out of the elevator.

She was short. Wearing old round glasses. Her pale face looked unusually tired. Instead of walking away... she simply stood there.

Looking at him. Without blinking. Without saying a word.

A strange silence spread through the corridor.

Siju felt goosebumps crawl over his arms. The woman kept staring. As if... she was trying to recognize him.

Just then...

Sia came out of her apartment.

The old woman quietly lowered her head... and walked away without saying anything.

Siju finally let out the breath he had been holding. "...Who was she?"

Sia's smile disappeared. "Mrs. Han."

"She lost her little son a few months ago. Since then... she hasn't been the same."

Siju's expression softened. "I'm sorry..."

"I judged her too quickly."

Sia nodded sadly. "She isn't dangerous. She's just... broken."

A moment of silence passed.

Then Sia noticed the keys in Siju's hand. "Where are you going? It's almost eleven."

Siju rubbed the back of his neck. "I skipped dinner. So I'm going to the convenience store."

Sia laughed. "I just cooked ramen. You can eat with me if you want."

Siju smiled gratefully. "Thank you. But maybe next time. I should explore the neighborhood a little."

"Alright. then, Good night. "

"Good night sia."

...----------------...

The cool night breeze brushed against his face as he stepped outside.

Seoul looked completely different at night.

The streets glowed beneath warm streetlights.

Rows of colorful flowers lined the sidewalks.

Siju smiled to himself.

"Maybe... This city won't be so lonely after all."

A few minutes later...

he entered the convenience store. The shelves were almost empty. He picked up instant noodles...

then walked toward the refrigerator. Just as he reached for a can of coffee...

Another hand touched the same can.

His fingers froze.

Slowly...

he lifted his eyes.

Dark eyes met his once again.

Jeon Jungkook.

Standing right in front of him. Neither of them spoke.

For a few silent seconds...

the entire store seemed to disappear. Only the sound of their breathing remained.

Finally, Jungkook spoke in his calm, emotionless voice. "Take another one."

Siju blinked. "What?"

"I touched this first." His grip on the can didn't loosen even slightly. "There are plenty of others. Choose another."

Siju frowned. "And what if I don't want another one?"

Jungkook looked at him without the slightest expression. "Then you'll be wasting both our time."

Siju crossed his arms. "So, just because you touched it first...it automatically becomes yours?"

Jungkook replied without hesitation. "Exactly."

A small scoff escaped Siju's lips. "You know... Nobody has ever been this rude to me."

Jungkook finally pulled the can out of the shelf.

His expression remained unreadable. "Get used to it."

He turned to leave.

But after taking just two steps... he stopped.

Without looking back, he said, "And don't keep staring at strangers. It makes you look foolish."

Siju's eyes widened. "W-What?"

Before he could say anything else... Jungkook had already walked away. Siju stared at his back in disbelief. "What is wrong with this guy?"

"He thinks the whole world belongs to him....Arrogant idiot."

And somewhere ahead...

Jungkook's lips almost curled into the faintest smile.

Almost.

But before anyone could notice...

it disappeared.

...****************...