EVIDENCE

"If I stay here..."

The stranger's silver eyes remained fixed on him.

"Will you keep talking to me?"

Lue immediately looked away.

Why did every simple question sound so dangerous coming from him?

"...You're assuming I'm letting you stay."

The stranger blinked.

"You're not?"

"You literally appeared in my room."

"Oh."

"You say 'oh' to everything."

The boy seemed to consider that.

"...Oh."

Lue groaned.

For the first time that night, a faint smile appeared on the stranger's face.

A real one.

Small.

Brief.

Gone almost immediately.

And somehow, that bothered Lue more than everything else.

The apartment suddenly felt less frightening when he smiled.

That couldn't be a good sign.

Lue walked past him and grabbed his phone from the desk.

The stranger's eyes followed the movement immediately.

"What are you doing?"

"Proving you're real."

The boy tilted his head.

Lue opened his camera.

Then pointed it directly at him.

The screen showed his room.

The desk.

The bed.

The window.

Everything.

Everything except—

Lue's heartbeat stopped.

The stranger wasn't there.

The place where he stood was completely empty.

For a second, nobody spoke.

Then—

"Oh."

The stranger sounded surprised too.

Lue slowly lowered the phone.

His hands felt cold.

"What..."

The room spun slightly.

No.

No, no, no.

This wasn't possible.

He looked up.

The boy was still standing there.

Exactly where he had been before.

Watching him quietly.

Lue raised the phone again.

Empty.

Nothing.

Only his room.

Only himself.

The stranger stepped closer.

The phone screen remained empty.

Lue took a step backward.

The stranger took another step forward.

Still nothing.

The camera couldn't see him.

His breathing became uneven.

"What's wrong?"

The stranger genuinely looked concerned.

"What's wrong?" Lue repeated.

His voice cracked.

The boy frowned.

Then his eyes shifted toward the phone.

Understanding slowly appeared on his face.

"...You can't see me through that."

"Why?"

"I don't know."

The answer came too naturally.

Too honestly.

As though he wasn't trying to hide anything.

Which somehow made it worse.

Lue's fingers tightened around the phone.

"You're not real."

The words escaped before he could stop them.

The room fell silent.

The stranger froze.

Something changed in his expression.

Not anger.

Not sadness.

Fear.

Raw, unmistakable fear.

For the first time all night.

"Don't say that."

His voice was quiet.

Too quiet.

Lue stared.

The boy lowered his gaze.

"Please."

The single word hung heavily in the room.

Lue had expected denial.

An argument.

Something.

Instead, the stranger looked genuinely terrified.

As though those three words hurt more than anything else.

"You can't prove you're real," Lue whispered.

The boy remained silent.

"You don't have a name."

Silence.

"You appeared from a computer screen."

Silence.

"You don't even know what you are."

The stranger's hands slowly clenched.

Lue watched him carefully.

The boy's voice barely rose above a whisper.

"...But I'm here."

The words hit harder than they should have.

"I'm standing right in front of you."

Lue looked away.

The stranger took another step forward.

"You're talking to me."

Another step.

"You can hear me."

Another.

"You can touch me."

The distance between them disappeared.

Lue suddenly found himself trapped between the desk and the stranger.

Silver eyes met his.

Closer than ever before.

Almost desperate.

"Doesn't that mean something?"

The room felt too small.

Too quiet.

Too warm.

Lue swallowed.

The stranger stared at him for several seconds.

Waiting.

As though his entire existence depended on the answer.

Then—

A notification appeared on Lue's phone.

The sudden sound made both of them jump slightly.

Lue looked down.

A message.

From Kai.

Kai: You awake?

The atmosphere changed instantly.

The stranger's expression darkened.

Only slightly.

But Lue saw it.

And this time—

The stranger didn't even try to hide it.

"That's him."

Lue blinked.

"What?"

"Kai."

The boy stared at the message.

Then slowly looked back at Lue.

For the first time since appearing—

His smile disappeared completely.

"I don't like him."

And somehow...

This time it didn't sound childish.

It sounded like a warning.

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