Chapter 1: The Man Who Shouldn't Exist

           “The End Was Not The End”

She wrote the final chapter and thought the story was over.📖

But on the very night she typed “THE END,” the hero she created stepped out of the pages into her world.📒

Now the line between fiction and reality is fading, and a story that was never meant to be continue has only just begun…✨

Chapter 1: The Man Who Shouldn't Exist

Raat ke 1:47 baj rahe the.

Seoul ki thandi raat shehar ki khidkiyon mein chamakti roshniyon ke saath khamosh thi.

Ha-Yoon apne apartment ke bedroom mein baithi laptop screen ko ghoor rahi thi. Desk par coffee ka aadha khaali mug pada tha aur uske aas-paas notes, notebooks aur drafts bikhre hue the.

Teen saal.

Poore teen saal usne is novel par laga diye the.

Aur aaj...

Aaj woh khatam hone wali thi.

Laptop screen par uski novel ka aakhri chapter khula hua tha.

"Tae-Hyun stepped into the darkness alone."

Bas ek line aur.

Sirf ek line.

Ha-Yoon ne apni ungliyan keyboard par rakhin.

Kuch pal socha.

Phir dheere se type kiya:

"For the first time in his life, Tae-Hyun was free."

Usne Enter dabaya.

File save ki.

Aur screen par do shabd ubhar aaye.

The End.

Ha-Yoon kursi par peeche jhuk gayi.

Uske honton par thaki hui muskaan aa gayi.

"Finally..."

Tabhi...

Room ki light ek baar jhapki.

Phir dobara.

Ha-Yoon seedhi baith gayi.

"Huh?"

Light phir jhapki.

Is baar laptop ki screen bhi ajeeb tareeke se flicker karne lagi.

Room ka temperature achanak neeche gir gaya.

Bahut neeche.

Jaise kisi ne sardiyon ki hawa seedha kamre mein bhar di ho.

Ha-Yoon ne apne kandhon ko sikoda.

Khidki band thi.

Phir bhi parde hil rahe the.

Jaise hawa bahar se nahi...

Andar se chal rahi ho.

Uska dil dheere-dheere tez dhadakne laga.

Tabhi...

Tak.

Bookshelf se ek kitab gir gayi.

Ha-Yoon ne palat kar dekha.

Phir doosri kitab giri.

Phir teesri.

Jaise kisi ne andar se zor lagaya ho.

"Yeh kya ho raha hai...?"

Usne dheere se poocha.

Koi jawab nahi mila.

Sirf khamoshi.

Aur phir...

Usne apna naam suna.

Bahut dheemi awaaz mein.

Bahut door se.

"Ha-Yoon..."

Uske haath thande pad gaye.

"Kaun hai?"

Khamoshi.

Phir kamre ke kone mein pada andhera hilta hua nazar aaya.

Ha-Yoon jam gayi.

Andhera sach mein hil raha tha.

Jaise kaali dhund zinda ho.

Us andhere ke beech ek daraar khulne lagi.

Patli.

Lambi.

Aur dheere-dheere badi hoti hui.

Kamre ki deewaron par kaali lakeeren daudne lagi.

Hawa bhaari ho gayi.

Ha-Yoon ek kadam peeche hati.

Phir doosra.

Phir teesra.

Aur usi pal...

Ek haath daraar ke andar se bahar nikla.

Zakhmon se bhara hua.

Ha-Yoon ki saans atak gayi.

Usne cheekhne ki koshish ki.

Lekin awaaz nahi nikli.

Daraar aur badi hui.

Ek aadmi usme se bahar gira.

Dhaad!

Poora kamra hil gaya.

Kuch pal tak woh hila nahi.

Phir dheere se uthkar ghutnon par baith gaya.

Uske kapde mitti aur khoon se bhare hue the.

Kandhe par gehra zakhm tha.

Aur uski kamar se ek lambi talwar latak rahi thi.

Ha-Yoon ki nazar uske chehre par padi.

Uska khoon jaise jam gaya.

Nahi.

Yeh mumkin nahi tha.

Us chehre ko woh pehchanti thi.

Bahut achhi tarah.

Kyuki usne khud uska har detail likha tha.

Aadmi ne dheere se sar uthaya.

Aur uski thandi nazar seedha Ha-Yoon par tik gayi.

Tae-Hyun.

Uski novel ka main character.

Uske saamne khada tha.

Tae-Hyun dheere-dheere khada hua.

Tabhi uske aas-paas ka andhera zinda sa lagne laga.

Kaali dhund uske gird ghoomne lagi.

Ha-Yoon ne aankhen khool kar dekha.

Uske kandhe ka zakhm dheere-dheere band hone laga.

Khoon gaayab ho gaya.

Kapdon ke phate hue hisse apne aap theek hone lage.

Jaise waqt ulta chal raha ho.

Kuch hi palon mein uske saare ghaav gayab ho chuke the.

Ab woh bilkul waisa hi lag raha tha jaisa Ha-Yoon ne usse apni imagination mein dekha tha.

Nahi.

Usse bhi zyada.

Uski nazar itni thandi thi ki Ha-Yoon ko laga jaise woh uske andar tak dekh sakta ho.

"Yeh toh meri imagination se bhi zyada darawna hai..."

Ek aur khayal uske dimaag mein aaya.

"Aur... zyada handsome bhi."

Ha-Yoon ne turant khud ko daanta.

"Focus, Ha-Yoon!"

Tae-Hyun ki nazar ab bhi us par tiki hui thi.

Phir usne pehli baar bola.

"Tum Ha-Yoon ho."

Yeh sawaal nahi tha.

Ek sach tha.

Ha-Yoon ne muh khola.

"Ma-main..."

Lekin awaaz gale mein atak gayi.

Usne dobara koshish ki.

"Ma-main hi Ha-Yoon hoon."

Tae-Hyun ke chehre par koi reaction nahi aaya.

Na hairani.

Na muskaan.

Na gussa.

Bas woh use dekhta raha.

Ha-Yoon ne himmat jodi.

"Tu-tum..."

Usne hichki kate hue kaha

"Tum yahan kaise aa gaye?"

Kuch pal tak khamoshi chhayi rahi.

Phir Tae-Hyun ki nazar laptop screen par gayi.

Wahan ab bhi do shabd chamak rahe the.

The End.

Uska chehra sakht ho gaya.

"Tumne mujhe azaad kiya."

"Kya?"

"Maine bhi yahi socha tha ki meri duniya hi sab kuch hai."

Uski awaaz thandi thi.

"Lekin phir aasmaan phat gaya."

"Phir main yahan aa gaya."

Tae-Hyun ne kamre ka jaiza liya.

Phir darwaze ki taraf chal diya.

"Ruko!"

Woh nahi ruka.

Ha-Yoon jaldi se uske saamne aa gayi.

"Tum bahar nahi ja sakte!"

"Kyun?"

"Meri sister tumhe dekh legi!"

Tae-Hyun ruk gaya.

Neeche se halki si awaaz aayi.

Jaise kisi kamre ka darwaza khula ho.

Ha-Yoon ka rang udd gaya.

"Oh no..."

"Kya hua?"

"Soo-Min uth gayi."

Seedhiyon par kadmon ki awaaz sunayi di.

Ek-ek karke.

Paas aati hui.

"Tae-Hyun, please, abhi chup jao!"

"Main kyun chhupu?"

"Kyuki tum meri novel ke character ho!"

Aur tabhi...

Darwaze ke bahar Soo-Min ki awaaz goonji.

"Ha-Yoon? Tu abhi tak jaag rahi hai?"

Ha-Yoon ka dil doob gaya.

Usne Tae-Hyun ki taraf dekha.

Tae-Hyun ne darwaze ki taraf.

Aur phir...

Darwaze ka handle dheere se hilne laga……..

To be continue 

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