You are in the POV of Ji-an.

Enjoy.♡

There are stories every child grows up hearing.

"Don't whistle after midnight."

"Don't answer if someone calls your name from outside your window."

"If you wake up at exactly 3:13 A.M... don't look into the mirror."

Adults laugh at those stories.

Children pretend they aren't afraid.

I believed neither.

Until my dreams refused to end.

…

Every dream begins in winter.

Not the kind of winter with children building snowmen or families drinking hot chocolate.

This winter is silent.

The snow falls upward, drifting toward a sky fractured like broken glass. Countless cracks spread across the moon, as though someone had tried to shatter it.

The air smells like rain instead of snow.

It's beautiful.

And wrong.

I stand alone in the middle of an empty street.

No footprints.

No buildings.

No sound.

Then I hear him.

"...You came back."

His voice is soft, almost relieved.

I turn.

A boy stands several meters away beneath a black umbrella.

He's around my age—tall, slender, with messy dark hair stirred by a wind I can't feel. The shadows hide most of his face, but I can make out gentle amber eyes watching me with an emotion I can't understand.

Loneliness.

Hope.

Fear.

Every time I dream of him, those eyes look exactly the same.

As though he's waited years for me to return.

I take one cautious step toward him.

"Who are you?" I ask, my own voice sounding strangely distant.

The boy smiles.

Not a wide smile.

Just enough to make my chest tighten for reasons I can't explain.

Mysterious Boy: "You still don't remember..."

His words carry sadness instead of disappointment.

I frown.

"Remember what?"

Instead of answering, he slowly extends his hand toward me.

His fingers are pale.

Cold-looking.

Waiting.

Mysterious Boy: "It's okay."

His voice is barely louder than a whisper.

Mysterious Boy: "I'll wait as many times as I have to."

Something about those words makes my heart ache.

Why?

I've never met him.

I should be scared.

Instead...

I want to know why he looks so alone.

I step closer.

One more step.

Then another.

Our hands are only inches apart.

His fingertips almost brush mine.

Suddenly...

The world goes silent.

The wind stops.

The snow freezes in the air.

The boy's smile disappears.

His eyes widen.

Not at me.

At something behind me.

His face drains of color.

For the first time...

He looks terrified.

Mysterious Boy (voice shaking): "Ji-an..."

Hearing my name from his lips sends a chill racing down my spine.

He knows me.

But how?

His grip tightens around the umbrella.

"Don't turn around."

I swallow.

"...Why?"

He doesn't answer.

Instead, he takes a hurried step toward me.

His hand reaches farther.

"Please."

His voice cracks.

"Whatever you hear..."

His eyes fill with panic.

"...don't look."

Then I hear it.

...Drag.

Something heavy scrapes across the frozen ground.

Once.

Twice.

Closer.

Closer.

Every instinct tells me to run.

Instead...

I turn around.

Darkness.

Not ordinary darkness.

Something alive.

A towering silhouette wrapped in flowing black cloth stands impossibly still. It has no face.

Only a single glowing eye opens where its head should be.

It blinks.

Then...

It smiles.

I wake with a violent gasp.

The room is pitch black.

My lungs burn as if I'd forgotten how to breathe.

Sweat clings to the back of my neck despite the cold air from the ceiling fan.

The digital clock beside my bed glows an angry crimson.

3:13 A.M.

Again.

I stare at the numbers until they blur.

"...Seriously?"

I laugh to myself, but it sounds hollow.

"I need to stop watching horror movies."

Even as I say it...

I know that's a lie.

I've never seen that boy before.

So why...

Why does it feel like I just abandoned someone who has been waiting for me for years?

Warm sunlight spilled through the classroom windows, painting golden rectangles across rows of worn wooden desks. Students laughed, traded snacks, and complained about the upcoming exams.

The room buzzed with ordinary life.

Yet Ji-an felt like he was living in a different world.

Dark circles rested beneath his soft brown eyes, evidence of another sleepless night. His black hair, slightly messy from repeatedly running his fingers through it, framed a face that was handsome in a quiet, understated way. At first glance, he looked calm.

Anyone who looked closer would notice the exhaustion.

He hadn't slept properly in twelve years.

Minho: "Ji-an!"

A loud slap landed on Ji-an's shoulder.

He barely flinched.

His childhood friend, Kang Minho, grinned from ear to ear while balancing two cartons of strawberry milk.

Unlike Ji-an, Minho was impossible to ignore. His chestnut-brown hair refused to stay neat, his school tie hung loosely around his neck, and his energetic smile somehow made teachers forgive almost anything.

Minho: "You look worse than yesterday."

Ji-an let out a tired sigh.

Ji-an: "...Thanks. That's exactly what everyone wants to hear before first period."

Minho laughed so loudly that a few classmates turned to stare.

Minho: "Seriously, though. Did you sleep at all?"

Ji-an hesitated.

Could he tell anyone the truth?

That every single night he dreamed of the same impossible world?

Of the same boy...

Waiting.

Watching.

Calling his name.

No.

He'd sound insane.

Ji-an: "Just another nightmare."

Minho scratched the back of his neck.

Minho: "You should really see a doctor."

Ji-an forced a small smile.

Ji-an: "Maybe."

His smile disappeared the moment he looked out the window.

The clouds had rolled in without anyone noticing.

The bright morning sky had become strangely gray.

For some reason...

His chest felt heavy.

Like something was coming.

The classroom door slid open.

Every conversation stopped.

Their homeroom teacher entered with a stack of papers tucked beneath one arm.

Mrs. Han: "Good morning, everyone."

The class answered in lazy unison.

"Good morning..."

Mrs. Han smiled knowingly.

Mrs. Han: "Wake up. We have a transfer student joining us today."

Instantly, whispers spread through the room.

"A transfer?"

"In the middle of the semester?"

"I heard he's from Seoul."

"No, another country."

Ji-an paid little attention.

Until...

A familiar scent drifted into the room.

Rain.

Not fresh rain.

The scent of standing outside during a storm.

His heart skipped.

The classroom suddenly felt too quiet.

Mrs. Han looked toward the hallway.

Mrs. Han: "Come in."

A boy stepped through the doorway.

The room fell silent.

He was tall—almost exactly Ji-an's height—with a lean, athletic build hidden beneath a neatly pressed uniform.

His ash-gray hair framed a sharp yet gentle face, strands falling carelessly over one eye. Beneath long lashes were striking amber eyes that seemed to glow even in the dim classroom.

Beautiful.

But distant.

His expression was calm enough to seem emotionless.

Almost...

Too perfect.

As though he had practiced smiling without ever learning how.

He looked around the classroom.

His gaze passed over every student.

Then...

Stopped.

On Ji-an.

Only for a second.

Yet in that brief moment...

Ji-an saw something flicker across those amber eyes.

Relief.

Then it vanished.

Transfer Student: "My name is Seo Haon."

His voice was smooth and quiet.

"I'll be in your care."

The girls near the window immediately started whispering.

"He's gorgeous."

"Did you see his eyes?"

"I think I'm in love."

Haon ignored all of it.

His eyes remained fixed somewhere Ji-an couldn't understand.

Mrs. Han glanced around the classroom.

Mrs. Han: "There's an empty seat next to Ji-an."

Ji-an's stomach dropped.

No.

No, no, no...

Not him.

Haon walked between the desks with slow, steady footsteps.

The closer he came...

The louder Ji-an's heartbeat became.

I've seen him before.

Countless times.

Standing beneath that black umbrella.

Smiling at me.

Waiting for me.

Haon placed his bag beside Ji-an's desk and sat down.

Neither of them spoke.

For nearly a full minute.

Finally...

Haon turned slightly.

Their eyes met.

His expression softened almost imperceptibly.

Haon (quietly): "...You really don't remember."

Ji-an froze.

"...What?"

Before Haon could answer—

Mrs. Han: "Mr. Seo."

Haon calmly looked toward the teacher.

Mrs. Han: "Please pay attention."

Haon: "...My apologies."

He never looked back at Ji-an.

Classes dragged on endlessly.

Ji-an couldn't focus.

Every time he glanced sideways...

Haon was already looking out the window.

Watching the gray clouds.

As if he were waiting for nightfall.

The final bell rang.

Students hurried from their seats.

Minho stretched dramatically.

Minho: "Finally! Freedom!"

He nudged Ji-an with his elbow.

Minho: "Walk home together?"

Before Ji-an could answer—

Haon stood.

He picked up his bag.

Walked past Ji-an.

Then stopped beside his desk.

Without turning around, he spoke so quietly that only Ji-an could hear.

Haon: "Whatever happens..."

"...don't stay after sunset."

Ji-an blinked.

"What?"

Haon continued walking.

As though he hadn't spoken.

An hour later...

The school was almost empty.

Rain tapped softly against the classroom windows.

Ji-an zipped his backpack closed.

"Guess I really lost track of time..."

The hallways echoed with silence.

Too much silence.

Even the fluorescent lights buzzed strangely.

He stepped outside.

The rain had stopped.

Yet the pavement was already drying.

Something wasn't right.

His phone vibrated.

An unknown number.

«Don't turn around.»

Ji-an frowned.

"...Seriously?"

Another message appeared before he could lock the screen.

«Keep walking.»

His pulse quickened.

Someone had to be messing with him.

Right?

He laughed nervously.

"I'm not falling for—"

A wet dragging sound echoed behind him.

Scrrrape...

His smile disappeared.

The sound came again.

Closer.

Scrrrape...

Every hair on his body stood on end.

Slowly...

Ji-an turned around.

At the far end of the empty hallway stood a figure nearly touching the ceiling.

Its body was wrapped in layers of soaked black cloth that hung like rotting funeral robes.

Long arms dragged across the floor.

Its fingers were impossibly thin.

Its face...

Had none.

Only smooth darkness.

Until—

One enormous white eye slowly opened in the center of its head.

It stared directly at Ji-an.

Without blinking.

Without moving.

Then...

It smiled.

Not with a mouth.

The eye itself curved upward.

Ji-an couldn't breathe.

His legs refused to move.

The creature took one slow step.

Scrrrape...

Another.

Closer.

The hallway lights exploded one after another.

Pop.

Pop.

Pop.

Darkness swallowed the corridor.

A warm hand suddenly grabbed Ji-an's wrist.

He spun around.

Haon.

For the first time since meeting him...

His calm expression was gone.

His amber eyes were filled with genuine fear.

Not for himself.

For Ji-an.

Haon: "Run."

He didn't wait for an answer.

He tightened his grip and pulled Ji-an into the darkness just as an inhuman screech echoed through the empty school.

The hallway disappeared into darkness.

Ji-an couldn't tell where he was running anymore.

His shoes pounded against the tile floor while the emergency lights flickered overhead.

Behind them...

SCRAAAAPE...

The sound echoed through the corridor like metal dragged across concrete.

It wasn't getting quieter.

It was getting closer.

Ji-an: "W-What is that?!"

His voice cracked.

He stumbled over his own feet.

Before he could hit the floor—

A firm hand caught his arm.

Haon didn't even look back.

He simply tightened his grip.

His hand was surprisingly cold.

Haon: "Keep running."

His voice remained calm.

Almost too calm.

As though he'd done this before.

Many times.

Ji-an's chest burned.

"I can't... keep up..."

Haon finally glanced over his shoulder.

For the first time, Ji-an saw genuine emotion on his face.

Worry.

Not panic.

Not fear.

Worry.

Haon's usually composed amber eyes softened.

Without another word, he stopped running.

Ji-an almost crashed into him.

Ji-an: "Why did we stop?!"

Haon ignored the question.

Instead, he looked down the pitch-black hallway behind them.

Silence.

Then...

SCRAAAAPE...

A tall silhouette emerged from the darkness.

It was even larger than Ji-an remembered.

Nearly three meters tall, its body was wrapped in dripping black cloth that shifted as if something beneath it had too many limbs.

Its single white eye reflected the dim emergency lights.

Watching.

Waiting.

Patient.

Ji-an's heartbeat hammered against his ribs.

"...It's real..."

He whispered the words more to himself than anyone else.

"I'm... not dreaming..."

Haon slowly stepped in front of Ji-an.

Shielding him.

The creature stopped.

Its eye shifted.

From Ji-an...

To Haon.

For the first time...

It hesitated.

Haon: "...Leave."

His voice was low.

Cold.

Nothing like the quiet student from class.

The creature didn't move.

The hallway suddenly felt colder.

Ji-an watched his own breath fog in the air.

Then—

The creature laughed.

Not with a mouth.

The sound came from everywhere.

Walls.

Ceiling.

Floor.

Inside Ji-an's own head.

????: "You found him again."

Ji-an's blood ran cold.

"...Again?"

What did that mean?

Haon's jaw tightened.

He took one careful step forward.

The fluorescent lights above him burst.

CRACK!

Glass rained across the hallway.

For the briefest second...

Something shimmered behind Haon.

Not wings.

Not shadows.

Something far stranger.

Dozens of glowing silver threads spread from his back like strands of moonlight before disappearing again.

Ji-an blinked.

Had he imagined it?

Haon: "You are not allowed to touch him."

The creature tilted its head.

Its eye narrowed.

????: "He belongs to the Hollow."

Ji-an froze.

"...The Hollow?"

Neither of them answered.

Instead—

The creature slowly lifted one impossibly long arm.

Every classroom door in the hallway slammed shut at once.

BANG!

BANG!

BANG!

The lights exploded.

The hallway plunged into complete darkness.

Something grabbed Ji-an's ankle.

Ice spread through his leg.

He screamed.

"Haon!"

Immediately—

Warm fingers wrapped around his wrist.

Haon pulled him close.

So close their shoulders collided.

Haon: "Close your eyes."

Ji-an stared at him.

"What?!"

Haon: "Now."

There wasn't time to argue.

Ji-an squeezed his eyes shut.

The hallway became impossibly silent.

No footsteps.

No scraping.

Nothing.

Then...

A voice whispered directly beside his ear.

Soft.

Almost affectionate.

????: "We'll meet again, Ji-an."

A freezing breath brushed against his cheek.

Then...

Nothing.

"...You can open them."

Ji-an slowly opened his eyes.

The hallway had returned to normal.

The lights were back on.

Students walked past laughing.

Teachers chatted outside nearby classrooms.

Everything looked...

Ordinary.

As though the last few minutes had never happened.

Ji-an stared down the corridor.

No broken lights.

No shattered glass.

No monster.

Nothing.

His breathing became uneven.

"...Did that really happen?"

Haon adjusted the strap of his school bag.

His expression had become unreadable once more.

As though the frightened boy from moments ago had never existed.

Ji-an: "Tell me."

Haon remained silent.

Ji-an stepped in front of him.

"No."

His voice was firmer than before.

"You're not walking away this time."

"You know who I am."

"You know that thing."

"You knew it was coming."

"So..."

His hands clenched into fists.

"...Who are you?"

For several long seconds...

Haon simply looked at him.

Then...

A faint, bittersweet smile appeared.

Not happy.

Not amused.

Almost...

Heartbroken.

Haon: "I'm someone who failed to protect you once."

Ji-an's breath caught.

"What...?"

Before he could ask another question—

Haon walked past him.

His final words drifted through the quiet hallway.

Haon: "I won't fail a second time."

Ji-an stood frozen.

Confused.

Frustrated.

And for reasons he couldn't explain...

His heart hurt.

As though he'd just watched someone leave...

Who had already left him once before.