Chapter 1
The Boy Behind Apartment 304
Rain fell over Seoul with the relentless rhythm of a city that refused to rest.
The streets shimmered beneath neon lights, reflecting advertisements for luxury brands, new K-pop albums, and smiling celebrities whose perfect faces watched over millions like modern gods.
People hurried past one another without looking up. Umbrellas collided. Taxi horns echoed. Delivery scooters sliced through traffic with impossible confidence.
To Seoul, another rainy night meant nothing.
To Han Ji-Woo...
it was simply another shift that refused to end.
His sneakers were soaked.
His delivery jacket clung to his body.
His backpack, once bright blue, had faded into a tired gray after years of carrying textbooks by day and food deliveries by night.
His phone buzzed.
Delivery Complete.
Payment: ₩3,400.
Ji-Woo stared at the amount.
Three thousand four hundred won.
Enough for a cheap meal.
Not enough to pay next month's rent.
Not enough for his grandmother's medicine.
Not enough for tuition.
He sighed.
Life had become an endless calculation.
How many hours could one person work before collapsing?
Apparently...
he was about to find out.
His stomach growled.
The convenience store beside him smelled of instant noodles and fried chicken.
He checked his wallet.
Two thousand won.
He laughed quietly.
"So even noodles are expensive now..."
The cashier watched him with sympathy.
Ji-Woo smiled anyway.
Smiles were cheaper than complaints.
...
Forty minutes later...
Apartment Building 17 stood before him.
Old.
Gray.
Cracked walls.
A broken elevator that had stopped working months ago.
He climbed four flights of stairs, every step making his exhausted legs heavier.
Apartment 304.
Home.
Or at least the place where he slept between work shifts.
He searched for his keys.
Nothing.
Left pocket.
Right pocket.
Backpack.
Nothing.
"...Seriously?"
He remembered.
He had left them inside that morning.
He rested his forehead against the door.
"Perfect."
Rainwater dripped from his hair.
The hallway lights flickered.
Then...
Footsteps.
Slow.
Uneven.
Someone climbed the stairs.
Ji-Woo turned.
A tall man wearing a black hoodie appeared at the end of the corridor.
His face remained hidden beneath the hood.
His breathing sounded strained.
He looked over his shoulder...
again...
and again...
as though expecting someone to follow.
The stranger reached Apartment 305.
His hands trembled while searching for something inside his pocket.
Nothing.
He leaned against the wall.
For one brief second...
Ji-Woo noticed something strange.
Dark red stains spread across the stranger's sleeve.
Blood.
Before Ji-Woo could speak...
The hooded man collapsed.
His body struck the floor with a heavy thud.
Silence swallowed the hallway.
Ji-Woo froze.
His first instinct screamed to run.
His second instinct reminded him that abandoning an injured person could mean watching someone die.
Human beings really do have unfortunate habits like conscience.
He rushed forward.
"Hey! Can you hear me?"
The stranger didn't answer.
Blood seeped through the fabric near his shoulder.
Not a knife wound.
A gunshot.
Ji-Woo's heartbeat accelerated.
"What kind of person gets shot and ends up in my apartment building?"
The stranger slowly raised one shaking hand.
His fingers grabbed Ji-Woo's sleeve.
A weak whisper escaped cracked lips.
"...Don't...call...the police..."
Then darkness claimed him again.
Ji-Woo stared.
Every sensible decision demanded he ignore those words.
Instead...
he dragged the unconscious man inside Apartment 305 after discovering the door wasn't locked.
The room surprised him.
Luxury luggage.
Designer clothes.
Music awards hidden beneath blankets.
Professional microphones.
Stacks of unopened fan letters.
None of it matched the worn apartment.
On the coffee table lay a cracked smartphone.
Its screen suddenly lit up.
Unknown Number
Message Received
We know where you are.
The lights went out.
Complete darkness.
Footsteps echoed outside.
Not one pair.
Several.
Slow.
Deliberate.
Someone stopped directly outside Apartment 305.
Then...
Three soft knocks.
Knock.
Knock.
Knock.
A calm voice came through the door.
"Min-Jun."
A pause.
"We know you're inside."
Ji-Woo looked at the unconscious stranger.
His hood had slipped back just enough for the television-famous face beneath it to become visible.
The face every person in Korea would recognize instantly.
The leader of AURORA.
The idol the entire nation believed had vanished.
Kang Min-Jun.
And someone outside...
had already found him.
End of Chapter 1.
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