The cold wind brushed against my skin, sending shivers down my spine as I walked through the empty street. The alley was dark, with only the pale glow of the full moon lighting my way. The town had already fallen asleep, leaving the streets silent—too silent.

Then I heard it.

A woman crying.

My footsteps stopped.

“Please… don’t kill me,” a trembling voice begged between sobs. “I have children waiting for me at home. They’re still young… Please, don’t do this.”

Fear tightened in my chest. I slowly stepped closer, my hands shaking.

A woman was lying on the ground, covered in blood. Her breathing was weak and uneven, as if every second was her last. Tears streamed down her face while she desperately tried to stay alive.

Then her eyes met mine.

“P-Please… help me…”

Before I could move, another figure turned toward my direction.

A man dressed in black.

Even in the darkness, I could feel the rage in his eyes.

For a second, neither of us moved.

Then he started running toward me.

My body reacted before my mind could. I ran as fast as I could, my heartbeat pounding violently in my ears. My legs felt numb, but fear pushed me forward. I hurried into a field near the road and hid behind the tall grass, covering my mouth to stop myself from breathing too loudly.

The footsteps grew closer.

Slow.

Heavy.

He was looking for me.

“I know you’re here,” the man said coldly. “And if you tell the police what you saw tonight… the people around you will pay for it.”

I bit my lip to keep from crying.

The footsteps stopped for a moment, making my heart nearly stop with them.

Then, in the distance, flashing patrol lights appeared near the road.

The man clicked his tongue in annoyance before walking away into the darkness.

I stayed hidden for several minutes, too terrified to move.

When I was sure he was gone, I ran home without looking back. My hands trembled as I locked the front door behind me. I couldn’t breathe properly. My chest felt tight, and tears streamed silently down my face as I locked myself inside my room.

Then suddenly—

BANG. BANG. BANG.

Someone was knocking loudly on my door.

I froze.

The knocking became harder. Louder.

My body refused to move.

It felt like the walls were closing in on me.

“Heiwa!”

I opened my eyes.

My entire body was drenched in sweat as I gasped for air. The morning light peeked through my curtains while my mother sat beside my bed, her face filled with worry.

“Another nightmare?” she asked softly, handing me a glass of water. “You were crying again.”

I couldn’t answer immediately. My hands were still shaking as I took the glass from her.

My mother stayed beside me until she eventually fell asleep on the chair near my bed.

But I remained awake.

It had been two years since that night.

Two years since the murder.

Yet the memory still haunted me as if it had happened yesterday. Every scream, every footstep, every word he said remained carved into my mind.

Sometimes, I still feel like someone is watching me.

Like the killer never really disappeared.

After the incident, my mother decided we had to leave our hometown for my safety. The police investigated for months, but the case eventually went cold. There were no security cameras in the area, no evidence left behind, and I was the only witness they had.

In the end, the investigation slowly faded away.

But for me, it never ended.

I still remember the woman’s face clearly.

The fear in her eyes.

The pain.

And the way she begged to live for her children.

The morning air in Seoul felt colder than usual.

I quietly stared outside the car window while my mother drove through the busy streets of the city. Tall buildings surrounded us, and unfamiliar faces passed by one after another. Everything here felt different from our old hometown.

Maybe this place could finally give me a fresh start.

“Mom, you really don’t have to drive me to school,” I said while adjusting the strap of my bag. “I’m already in college. I can manage on my own.”

My mother suddenly laughed softly.

I frowned. “Mom, I’m serious.”

“You say that, but you still look like a child to me,” she teased.

“Mom.”

I let out a sigh before looking away again.

“We didn’t have to move all the way here because of my nightmares,” I muttered quietly. “I can deal with them.”

The smile on my mother’s face slowly faded. For a brief moment, silence filled the car.

Then she gently tapped my head.

“You’ve grown up,” she said softly.

I rubbed my head in annoyance.

Why does she always treat me like a kid?

Still… seeing her smile somehow made me feel lighter.

A few minutes later, we finally arrived at Seoul Academy.

The campus was larger than I expected. Students walked around confidently while chatting with their friends. Some laughed loudly, while others hurried to their classes.

Meanwhile, I stood there awkwardly, feeling completely out of place.

“Don’t overthink things,” my mother said before driving away. “Call me if anything happens.”

“I will,” I replied with a small smile.

After taking a deep breath, I entered the building.

Professor Wang personally guided me to my classroom.

As soon as we entered, the noisy room suddenly quieted down.

“Good morning, everyone,” Professor Wang said firmly. “Please settle down. We have a new student joining us today.”

All eyes turned toward me.

I felt my chest tighten slightly.

“Go ahead and introduce yourself,” he said.

I stepped forward and bowed politely.

“Good morning. My name is Kang Heiwa. It’s nice to meet all of you.”

A few students greeted me back, while others simply stared with curiosity.

Professor Wang nodded. “You may find your seat now, Ms. Kang.”

I scanned the room and noticed an empty seat beside a boy sleeping near the window.

Perfect.

A quiet seat.

I slowly sat down, relieved that I wouldn’t have to deal with someone talkative.

Or so I thought.

“Hi! I’m Yoo Nam!”

I nearly jumped when a girl suddenly appeared in front of me with a bright smile.

“You’re really pretty! Where are you from? Do you like Seoul? What course did you take? I hope we become friends!”

Her words came out so quickly I could barely process them.

So much energy…

Before I could respond, the boy beside me suddenly lifted his head sleepily.

“Oy… who are you?” he asked with a frown. “Why are you sitting there?”

I blinked at him.

You’re the one who scared me.

“I’m sorry,” I said politely. “Did I wake you up? Professor Wang told me this seat was empty.”

Before he could answer, Yoo Nam crossed her arms dramatically.

“Hey, Cheng, don’t be rude. She’s new here.”

Then she turned toward me cheerfully.

“Heiwa, this lazy guy is Jian Cheng. Professional sleeper. Part-time student.”

Jian Cheng immediately glared at her.

“How many times do I have to tell you not to call me that?”

“And how many times do I have to tell you to stop sleeping during class?”

The two continued arguing while I silently watched them.

Strangely enough… it felt normal.

Warm, even.

Yoo Nam leaned closer to me and whispered, “Don’t mind him. He always acts grumpy when someone interrupts his beauty sleep.”

“I heard that,” Cheng muttered before laying his head back down on the desk.

Not long after, class finally ended.

As students slowly left the room, my phone suddenly rang.

Mom.

I answered immediately.

“Hello?”

“Heiwa,” my mother’s gentle voice spoke from the other line. “How was your first day?”

I smiled faintly while walking out of the building.

“It was fine, Mom. I’m heading home now, so don’t worry too much.”

She sighed softly. “You know I’ll always worry.”

“I know.”

“Well, hurry home. I’ll cook dinner tonight.”

“Alright.”

The call ended shortly after.

I stared at my phone for a moment before slipping it back into my pocket.

My mother could be overly protective and stubborn sometimes…

But she was the most precious person in my life.

After everything that happened two years ago, she stayed by my side through every nightmare, every panic attack, and every sleepless night.

I honestly couldn’t imagine a world without her in it.

As I continued walking home beneath the fading sunset, I tried convincing myself that maybe—

Just maybe—

Things were finally starting to get better.

The streets were unusually crowded on my way home.

At first, I thought it was just another group of noisy students hanging around after class, but as I got closer, I realized something was wrong.

A fight.

Several students had surrounded someone in the middle of the alley.

Shouting echoed through the narrow street while punches were thrown mercilessly.

I stopped walking.

Wait…

Is that Jian Cheng?

I narrowed my eyes, trying to see clearly through the crowd.

Seriously?

Yoo Nam was right. He really is troublesome.

For a moment, I considered walking away. We barely knew each other, and honestly, he already annoyed me enough on my first day.

But still…

We were classmates.

And judging by the looks of it, those guys had no intention of stopping.

One of the gang members grabbed Cheng by the collar and slammed him against the wall.

“You think you’re tough?” the guy spat angrily. “Next time, no one’s saving you.”

I frowned.

What a bunch of idiots.

Quietly, I reached into my bag and pulled out a mini speaker.

Then I pressed play.

Within seconds, the sound of loud police sirens echoed throughout the alley.

WEEEOOOO—WEEEOOOO—

The gang immediately panicked.

“Damn it! The police are coming!”

“Let’s go!”

Before leaving, the leader glared at Cheng coldly.

“You’re lucky today,” he hissed. “Next time, we’ll beat you to death.”

The group quickly scattered in different directions.

I almost laughed.

They seriously fell for that?

I switched off the speaker and slipped it back into my bag proudly.

Serves them right.

Jian Cheng remained leaning against the wall, breathing heavily. His lip was bleeding slightly, and bruises were already forming on his face.

He looked terrible.

Still… not my problem.

I started walking past him.

“I helped you enough,” I muttered quietly. “Handle the rest yourself.”

But just as I crossed by him—

He suddenly grabbed my wrist.

My entire body froze.

The tight grip.

The sudden pull.

For a split second, everything around me disappeared.

I wasn’t in the alley anymore.

I was back there.

That night.

That hand.

That fear.

“Please help m—”

I immediately pulled away in panic.

“Let go of me right now!” I snapped loudly. “Don’t touch me!”

Both of us fell silent.

Even Cheng looked slightly surprised by my reaction.

Without waiting for him to respond, I quickly ran away.

My heartbeat wouldn’t calm down the entire walk home.

—

Later that night, after dinner, I laid on my bed staring blankly at the ceiling.

But no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t stop thinking about what happened earlier.

When Cheng grabbed my wrist…

It felt exactly the same.

The same fear.

The same helplessness.

Two years ago, when the murderer caught me while I was trying to escape, he held my arm just like that.

I still remembered how desperately I kicked him just to break free.

I closed my eyes tightly.

Why am I even thinking about that stupid sleepyhead?

Maybe he didn’t mean it.

…Still, he should’ve warned me first.

I groaned and buried my face into my pillow.

Next time I see him getting beaten up, I’m definitely ignoring him.

Probably.

Suddenly, my bedroom door opened.

I sat up immediately.

“Mom, don’t you know how to knock?” I complained dramatically.

My mother smiled apologetically before entering the room.

“Of course I do,” she replied. “I was just worried about you.”

She sat beside my bed and looked at me carefully.

“You seemed distracted during dinner. Is something bothering you?”

I forced a small smile.

“Just thinking about a classmate.”

A very troublesome classmate.

My mother stared at me for a moment before gently brushing my hair back.

“You know,” she said softly, “I’m happy to see you slowly opening up again.”

I blinked.

“Mom, I already told you earlier,” I sighed. “You don’t have to worry about me so much.”

Instead of replying, she suddenly hugged me tightly.

Too tightly.

“M-Mom!” I laughed while trying to breathe. “Are you trying to kill me with your hugs?”

She finally let go, laughing softly.

“Alright, alright,” she said while standing up. “Get some sleep now.”

I smiled warmly at her.

“Good night, Mom. I love you.”

For a moment, she simply looked at me quietly.

Then she smiled.

“Good night, Heiwa.”

As she closed the door behind her, the room became silent once again.

But strangely…

Tonight didn’t feel as lonely as before.