Chapter 5: The Name I Forgot

The hallway felt impossibly quiet.

The storm outside still raged.

Rain pounded against distant windows.

Thunder rolled through the night.

Yet somehow—

all I could hear was my own heartbeat.

And Ren.

Standing in front of me.

Real.

Not a dream.

Not a memory.

Not a figure waiting beneath train station lights.

A real person.

A real person who somehow knew me.

Who somehow remembered me.

And who claimed that I had forgotten him.

"...We met before?"

My voice barely sounded like my own.

Ren's expression softened.

The faint smile on his face disappeared, replaced by something much sadder.

"Yeah."

His answer came quietly.

Like it hurt to say.

Like he'd repeated it a thousand times already.

I tightened my grip on the doorknob.

"When?"

No answer.

The emergency lights flickered softly above us.

For a moment, Ren simply looked at me.

Studied me.

As if searching for something.

Or someone.

Finally—

"You really don't remember."

The disappointment in his voice made my chest ache.

Again.

That feeling.

The strange pain that only happened when he looked at me.

Or spoke.

Or smiled.

Or breathed.

I hated it.

Because it made absolutely no sense.

"We've never met," I said quickly.

More for myself than for him.

"We couldn't have."

Ren lowered his eyes briefly.

Almost like he expected that answer.

"You used to say that too."

I stared.

"What does that even mean?"

A small laugh escaped him.

Not because anything was funny.

But because he seemed exhausted.

"Nothing."

Rainwater dripped from the ends of his hair onto the apartment floor.

For some reason, I noticed every detail about him now.

His dark jacket.

The small scar near his eyebrow.

The tired shadows beneath his eyes.

And his gaze.

His eyes carried a sadness that looked years older than he was.

Like he'd lost something important.

Like he'd spent a long time searching for it.

Searching for me.

The thought sent another strange chill through my body.

I stepped back slightly.

"How do you know my name?"

His eyes met mine instantly.

"You told me."

My frustration rose immediately.

"When?!"

The hallway fell silent again.

Then—

"A long time ago."

I opened my mouth to argue.

But stopped.

Because for one brief second—

something flashed through my mind.

A memory.

A blurry one.

A younger version of myself.

Standing beneath a sky full of stars.

Laughing.

Running.

Someone calling my name.

"Nari!"

A boy's voice.

Warm.

Happy.

Familiar.

The memory vanished before I could grab hold of it.

I blinked.

And suddenly found Ren staring at me.

Concern written across his face.

"What happened?"

My breathing had quickened.

"I..."

I pressed a hand against my forehead.

"I saw something."

Ren froze.

The hallway became completely still.

"What did you see?"

His voice sounded careful.

Almost afraid.

I looked at him.

Then away.

Then back again.

"A memory."

The word barely left my mouth.

But the effect was immediate.

Hope.

Actual hope.

For the first time since meeting him, something bright appeared in Ren's eyes.

"What memory?"

I swallowed.

"A voice."

The hope faded slightly.

"Whose?"

"I don't know."

The disappointment returned.

And somehow—

seeing it hurt.

I hated that it hurt.

Why did I care?

I didn't know him.

I shouldn't care.

Yet every time he looked sad—

something inside me broke a little.

Neither of us spoke.

Thunder echoed somewhere outside.

Finally, Ren stepped back.

The movement surprised me.

I thought he'd stay.

Instead, he glanced toward the stairwell.

"I should go."

My stomach dropped unexpectedly.

Go?

Just like that?

Part of me immediately felt relieved.

The other part—

the louder part—

felt strangely disappointed.

The realization annoyed me.

"Okay."

Ren nodded once.

But he didn't move.

Almost like he was waiting.

For what?

I wasn't sure.

Then he reached into his jacket pocket.

Slowly.

Carefully.

He pulled something out.

A silver necklace.

My breath caught.

The pendant hanging from it was a crescent moon.

Small.

Simple.

Beautiful.

And the second I saw it—

my head exploded with pain.

The hallway disappeared.

Stars.

Rain.

Laughter.

Warm fingers intertwining with mine.

A moon-shaped necklace resting in my palm.

A voice.

His voice.

"Don't lose it this time."

Another voice.

Mine.

"I won't."

The memory shattered violently.

I gasped.

Nearly collapsing.

Ren moved instantly.

"Nari!"

Strong hands caught my shoulders before I hit the floor.

And the moment he touched me—

another memory surfaced.

A rooftop.

A night sky.

The same hands holding mine.

The same voice whispering:

"Even if you forget me...

I'll find you again."

Tears filled my eyes before I understood why.

The memory vanished.

Leaving only emptiness behind.

And Ren.

Still holding my shoulders.

Still staring at me.

Waiting.

Hoping.

My vision blurred.

"Who are you?"

The question came out broken.

Desperate.

Because I wasn't asking who he was anymore.

I was asking why he felt like home.

Ren looked at me for a long moment.

Then slowly—

very slowly—

he lifted the necklace.

And placed it into my hand.

My fingers closed around it automatically.

Warmth spread through my chest.

The same warmth from the dreams.

The same warmth from the memories.

The same warmth I'd been chasing my entire life without realizing it.

Ren smiled softly.

The saddest smile I'd ever seen.

And quietly said:

"...I'm the person you promised you'd never forget."

The storm outside suddenly fell silent.

And for the first time—

I was terrified that he might be telling the truth.

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