The first time I saw him, it was raining.

Not loudly.

Not violently.

Just enough for silver droplets to fall from the dark sky like forgotten memories.

I stood alone beneath the dim lights of an empty train station, hugging my sleeves as cold wind brushed against my skin. The station stretched endlessly around me—silent, abandoned, unfamiliar.

Yet somehow...

it felt like I had been there before.

A train screeched somewhere in the distance.

Then silence again.

I looked around slowly, my heartbeat uneven.

"Hello?..."

My voice echoed softly.

No answer.

I took a small step forward, my shoes splashing lightly against the wet pavement. The station lights flickered once above me before steadying again.

That's when I felt it.

The feeling of being watched.

My breath caught.

Slowly, I turned around.

And there he was.

A boy stood a few feet away beneath the flickering light.

Tall.

Dark hair falling over sharp eyes.

A black jacket hung loosely over his shoulders, rain dripping from the ends of his sleeves. He looked almost unreal standing there—like something pulled from a memory I couldn't fully reach.

But it wasn't his appearance that made my chest tighten.

It was the way he looked at me.

Like he knew me.

Like he'd been waiting.

For a moment, neither of us spoke.

The rain filled the silence between us.

Then finally—

"...You came back."

His voice was low and soft, barely louder than the storm around us.

I frowned slightly.

"What?"

He stared at me for another second before lowering his gaze briefly, almost disappointed.

"...You really don't remember."

My stomach twisted.

"We've never met before..."

At least... I didn't think we had.

The boy let out a quiet breath that almost sounded like a laugh, though there was nothing amused about it.

"You always say that."

The way he said it made my chest ache strangely.

Like hearing words I was supposed to understand.

I took a cautious step backward.

"Who are you?"

For the first time, his expression changed.

Something painful flickered through his eyes before disappearing just as quickly.

Then he smiled.

Small.

Sad.

"...Someone who missed you."

The station lights suddenly flickered harder this time.

Once.

Twice.

The air around me grew colder.

I opened my mouth to speak again—

But a loud screech tore through the station as a train rushed past between us.

Wind exploded around me violently, forcing me to shield my eyes.

And when the train passed—

He was gone.

My heart slammed against my ribs.

"Wait!"

I looked around frantically.

Empty tracks.

Empty station.

Nothing.

Only rain.

Only silence.

Only the strange ache growing inside my chest.

Then suddenly—

My eyes snapped open.

I sat upright in bed, breathing hard.

Darkness surrounded me except for the pale glow of moonlight slipping through my curtains. Rain tapped softly against my bedroom window.

My hand pressed against my chest instinctively.

My heart was still racing.

Again.

The same dream.

The same station.

The same boy.

I ran a hand through my hair slowly, trying to calm myself down.

"Why do i keep dreaming about you...?"

My voice sounded small in the quiet room.

Beside my bed, my phone lit up suddenly.

1:13 AM

A new notification appeared beneath the time.

Unknown Number:

"Do you remember me now?"

My blood ran cold.

I stared at the message until the brightness of my phone began dimming against my fingers.

"Do you remember me now?"

The room suddenly felt colder.

Outside, rain tapped softly against my bedroom window, steady and endless, while thunder rumbled somewhere far in the distance.

I swallowed hard.

My eyes stayed locked on the screen as if the words would suddenly rearrange themselves into something that made sense.

But they didn't.

A strange feeling twisted inside my chest instead.

Like fear.

Or recognition.

Slowly, I sat up straighter against my headboard and clicked the unknown number.

No contact photo.

No saved name.

Nothing.

Just an empty profile and a number I didn't recognize.

My fingers hovered over the keyboard before finally typing:

"Who is this?"

Seen immediately..

The typing bubble appeared.

Disappeared.

Appeared again.

My heartbeat sped up for some reason I couldn't explain.

Then finally—

"You really don't remember me."

I frowned harder.

Something about the way he typed felt familiar.

Not the words themselves—

the feeling behind them.

Like disappointment.

I quickly typed back.

"Should i?"

Three dots appeared almost instantly this time.

"You used to wait for me every night."

My breath caught.

A sudden image flashed through my mind before I could stop it.

Rainwater reflecting station lights.

Dark hair.

A voice soft enough to disappear into the storm.

"You came back."

I squeezed my eyes shut immediately.

"No..."

I pressed a hand against my forehead.

This was getting ridiculous.

Dreams weren't real.

And there was no way some random stranger was connected to them.

Right?

Buzz

Another message.

"You still hate thunderstorms."

I froze.

Completely.

My eyes slowly lifted back to the screen.

No one knew that.

Well... almost no one.

I'd never posted about it online.

Never talked about it much.

Ever since I was little, thunderstorms made me anxious for reasons I never understood. Even now, the sound of thunder always left this strange heaviness in my chest.

My fingers trembled slightly.

"Who ARE you?"

This time, there was no typing bubble.

Only silence.

Rain poured harder outside.

The room suddenly felt too quiet.

Too still.

I stared at the screen for nearly a minute before throwing my phone beside me in frustration.

"This has to be some kind of prank."

But even as I said it out loud—

I didn't believe it.

I slid out of bed and walked toward my window slowly. Moonlight mixed with city lights reflected faintly across the wet streets below.

Everything looked normal.

Cars passed occasionally.

Streetlights flickered softly through the rain.

No mysterious strangers.

No boys from dreams.

I let out a quiet breath.

See? I was overthinking.

Buzz

I jumped slightly.

My phone lit up behind me again.

Something deep in my stomach twisted before I even picked it up.

Another message.

"Look outside."

Cold rushed through my chest instantly.

I turned toward the window again.

At first—

nothing.

Then headlights slowly appeared through the rain.

A motorcycle rolled quietly down the street before stopping directly across from my apartment building.

My heartbeat stuttered.

The rider stayed still for a moment beneath the storm, black helmet hiding his face completely. Rain soaked through the dark hoodie stretched across his shoulders.

I couldn't move.

Couldn't breathe.

Something about him felt wrong.

Not dangerous.

Familiar.

The rider slowly lifted his head toward my window.

Toward me.

And somehow—

even from this far away—

I felt it.

That same feeling from the dream.

Like being recognized.

My phone buzzed softly in my hand.

I looked down.

"Found you."

My stomach dropped.

Thunder cracked loudly overhead.

The rider finally reached up and removed his helmet slowly.

Dark wet hair fell across sharp eyes.

And suddenly—

the room around me felt like it disappeared.

It was him.

The boy from my dreams.

Exactly the same.

Same eyes.

Same expression.

Same quiet sadness hidden beneath his stare.

My breath became uneven.

"No way..."

He looked older than in my dreams somehow.

More tired.

More real.

But it was him.

The boy standing beneath the train station lights.

The boy who looked at me like I was someone he lost a long time ago.

And right now—

he was standing outside my apartment.

Watching me.

My hands shook badly enough that I nearly dropped my phone.

This couldn't be happening.

Dreams weren't supposed to follow you home.

Slowly, he lifted his phone.

Another message appeared instantly.

"You finally saw me."

Before I could even think of replying—

my bedroom lights flickered.

Once.

Twice.

Then everything went dark.

I gasped softly.

The entire apartment fell silent except for the storm outside.

My chest tightened painfully as panic began creeping in.

"Mom?"

No answer.

The power must've gone out.

Thunder crashed again, louder this time.

I quickly moved toward my bedroom door, using the faint glow from outside to see.

But before I could open it—

Buzz.

Another message.

I looked down slowly.

"Dont be scared, Nari. I would never hurt you."

A cold chill ran down my spine.

Because I never told him my name.

The power stayed out.

Only flashes of lightning illuminated my room now, turning everything white for a split second before drowning it back into darkness.

My breathing sounded too loud.

Too uneven.

I stared at the message on my phone until the words blurred together.

"Dont be scared, Nari. I would never hurt you."

My fingers tightened around the device.

Because there was only one thing replaying inside my head now.

He knows my name.

I never told him my name.

Another flash of lightning lit the room.

Instinctively, I looked toward the window again.

He was still there.

Standing beside the motorcycle beneath the rain.

Watching my apartment.

Watching me.

My stomach twisted painfully.

This couldn't be real.

There was no possible explanation for any of this.

Dreams didn't become real people.

People from dreams didn't text you in the middle of thunderstorms.

And yet—

there he was.

Buzz.

I flinched immediately.

"You still do that.."

I stared at the screen.

"Jump whenever your phone vibrates."

A cold shiver crawled down my spine.

Slowly...

I looked back toward the window.

He tilted his head slightly, almost amused.

Like he had just confirmed something.

My heart pounded harder.

How could he know that?

How could he know anything about me?

I stepped back from the window instinctively.

Then another message appeared.

"You always got scared too easily."

My chest tightened strangely.

Not fear this time.

Something else.

Something warmer.

Like hearing a memory through a locked door.

A sudden image flashed through my mind—

A hand reaching toward mine.

Warm fingers.

Soft laughter.

Then gone.

I grabbed the edge of my desk quickly.

"What is happening to me..?"

Thunder cracked loudly overhead.

At the same moment—

a knock echoed through the apartment.

I froze instantly.

Three slow knocks.

My blood ran cold.

Mom was working a night shift.

Nobody else should've been home.

Another knock.

Slower this time.

My heartbeat became painfully loud in my ears.

I looked toward my bedroom door.

Then toward the window again.

The street below was empty.

The motorcycle remained.

But he was gone.

My breath caught.

No.

No, no, no.

Buzz.

"Open the door, Nari.

I backed away immediately.

Every instinct screamed not to move.

But somehow—

despite the fear curling inside my chest—

another feeling pushed against it.

Curiosity.

Recognition.

Like part of me already trusted him.

And that terrified me more than anything else.

Another knock echoed through the apartment.

"Nari."

I nearly dropped my phone.

His voice.

Low and calm from the other side of the front door.

How did he even get inside the building?

Slowly, I stepped into the hallway, my feet feeling numb against the floor.

The apartment was completely dark except for occasional flashes of lightning through the windows.

Another knock.

"Nari."

Why did hearing him say my name feel so familiar?

I approached the front door cautiously.

Every step made my pulse pound harder.

I stopped directly in front of it.

Silence.

Rain poured heavily outside.

For a second, neither of us moved.

Then quietly—

"...You're really here."

His voice sounded softer now.

Closer.

Almost relieved.

My hand trembled near the lock.

"Who are you?" I whispered.

For a moment, there was only silence on the other side.

Then—

"You used to know me."

Something in my chest physically hurt hearing those words.

I squeezed my eyes shut tightly.

"No," I whispered shakily. "I would remember you."

Another long silence.

Then finally—

"...That's what scares me."

My breath caught.

Lightning flashed through the hallway window.

And for one split second—

I saw his shadow beneath the door.

Still.

Waiting.

Not forcing his way in.

Not angry.

Just there.

Like he'd waited a very long time already.

I swallowed hard.

"What do you want from me?"

The storm outside seemed quieter suddenly.

Then his voice came again.

Soft.

Honest.

"I want you to remember me."

And somehow—

those words hurt more than they should have.