The walk back doesn't feel loud or dramatic.
It just feels wrong in a quiet way, like something in the world shifted slightly and nobody bothered to tell me.
Lara peeled off at the main street, still full of energy, still talking as she walked backward like she owned the entire road.
"Text me when you get home!" she shouted, waving both hands.
"…you act like I'm going to war," I muttered.
"You live in a mansion house," she called back. "That is war."
Then she ran back for a second and hugged me again—quick, tight, warm enough to stick.
"Stay safe, idiot."
"…you too."
And then she was gone.
The street felt emptier immediately.
Not just empty.
Quiet in a way that presses on your ears.
Now I'm standing in front of the house.
Key in hand.
Not moving.
The door is right there. Same as always. Same shape, same wood, same everything.
But it doesn't feel the same.
It feels like it's waiting.
Like it already knows I'm here.
I breathe out slowly.
"…we're doing this."
"Very brave," Niran says behind me.
I don't turn.
"…if I die, I'm haunting you."
"You already are."
"…not funny."
"It was a little funny."
I glare at the door for another second, then unlock it.
The moment I open it, the cold hits.
Not air cold.
Something else.
Something that feels like it slides under the skin instead of touching it.
I step inside anyway.
The floor creaks under my feet—too loud, like it's announcing me.
The door shuts behind me with a soft click that feels heavier than it should.
"…okay," I whisper. "still creepy."
"Consistent," Niran says.
Inside, everything is too still.
No background noise. No hum. No life.
Even the curtains don't move properly, like the air itself is hesitant to exist here.
It feels like the house is holding its breath.
Then—
footsteps.
From the hallway.
I stop instantly.
"…don't say it's nothing."
"I wasn't going to."
Ji-Ah steps out first.
Her hair is messy like she's been sleeping badly, but her eyes are alert now. Sharper than before.
Behind her is Lalin.
She doesn't really walk so much as move, smooth and quiet, like she's not fully agreeing with gravity.
Her gaze sweeps over everything like she's already seen it before.
"…hi," Ji-Ah says, like this is normal.
Like nothing about this place is strange.
"…hi," I answer slowly.
"…you look less dead."
"Thanks," she says flatly.
She crosses her arms.
There's a pause that stretches just a little too long.
Then she speaks again.
"I overheard something."
My stomach tightens.
"…what."
"Kai called me."
Beside me, Niran changes.
Not physically.
Just something in the air around him tightens, like pressure building in glass.
"He said he wants to talk," Ji-Ah continues, "but he was acting weird."
"Weird how?" I ask.
She thinks for a moment.
"…like he was testing me. Like he was trying to figure something out."
"Testing?" I repeat.
"…like he was sensing something."
Lalin scoffs softly behind her.
Fast.
Dismissive.
"He didn't sense anything."
Her voice is sharper than it should be.
"I'm not talking to him," she adds immediately, folding into herself a little. "I'm leaving soon anyway."
Leaving.
That word lands heavier than it should.
Like it has weight I can't see yet.
I nod anyway.
"…okay."
Because I don't know what else to say.
Ji-Ah exhales and rubs her face.
"I'm tired."
Her voice drops a little.
"…I'm going back in."
She pauses before leaving, glancing at me.
"…don't do anything stupid."
"No promises."
She rolls her eyes and walks away.
Lalin follows—but pauses for half a second.
Her eyes flick to Niran.
Something passes there. Quick. Silent. Unclear.
Then she's gone too.
Silence again.
Just me and him.
I exhale slowly.
"…I'm going to my room."
"Obviously."
"…stop doing that."
"Doing what?"
"Answering like that."
"Then stop making obvious statements."
"…you're so annoying."
"And yet."
I don't respond.
I just walk.
The stairs creak under me.
Each step sounds too clear.
Too present.
The hallway upstairs feels longer than it should.
My door feels further away than I remember.
But I reach it anyway.
Push it open.
My room looks the same.
Bed slightly messy.
Desk cluttered.
Curtains half drawn.
Everything exactly where I left it.
But it still doesn't feel normal.
Like the room is pretending.
I sit on the bed and lean back slightly.
"…we need to talk."
Niran stays near the window.
Light cuts across him, making him look faint at the edges.
"I already told you," he says, more serious now, "we need to move faster."
"With what?" I ask.
"My wishes."
That word again.
It hangs there too long.
"You shouldn't keep me here too long."
I sit up.
"…what does that even mean?"
"It's not good."
"For who?"
"For me."
Something in my head shifts.
Small. Wrong.
Like a detail refusing to line up.
I stand slowly.
"…wait."
He stops.
Looks at me.
I step closer.
"…Niran."
"What."
"…you said you fell."
"I did."
"…face first?"
"…no."
I get closer now, studying him properly.
"…then why is all the damage in front?"
He goes still.
Completely still.
I move right in front of him.
Close enough that I can see everything clearly now.
"…don't move."
"I wasn't planning to."
My hand reaches for his shirt.
Hesitates for a second.
Then I lift it.
Slow.
Careful.
Underneath, his skin is pale.
Almost wrong-looking pale.
And the mark isn't scattered.
It's centered.
Focused.
Too precise.
I lean in.
"…what…"
There's a small hole.
Clean.
Sharp.
Not random.
Not accidental-looking.
My throat tightens.
"…Niran."
"Yeah?"
"…how do you fall backwards and end up with something like this?"
He doesn't answer.
Not immediately.
Not at all at first.
I reach out slowly and touch it.
Nothing happens.
No reaction.
No pain response.
No movement.
I pull back slightly, frowning.
"…why aren't you reacting?"
"To what?"
"To this."
"I'm dead, Min-Jun."
"…still."
I step back, trying to process it.
Too many thoughts at once.
None of them fitting properly.
"…you didn't fall."
His eyes stay on mine.
"…what are you saying."
I start pacing once, then stop.
Turn back to him.
"…you fell backwards."
"Yeah."
"…but the injury is in front."
Silence.
I look at him directly. "…you were pushed."
He doesn't deny it.
Doesn't confirm it.
Just watches me.
"…right?" I press.
A pause.
Then—
"…maybe."
"Maybe?!"
"I don't remember!" he snaps, then exhales sharply. "I tried. I can't see it clearly."
I drag a hand down my face. "…no, this matters."
"Min-Jun—"
"No."
I point slightly at him. "…something happened."
"I know that."
"…and you're missing it."
"I know that too."
Silence stretches.
Heavy now.
Not empty.
Just full of things neither of us can name yet.
I exhale slowly.
"…we're not leaving this."
He watches me carefully.
"…I figured."
I point at him again, quieter this time. "…we're going to figure it out."
"And how exactly—"
"I don't know yet."
A pause.
Then—
"…but I will."
This time, he doesn't joke.
Doesn't deflect.
Just nods once.
"…okay."
Neither of us moves after that.
Because something changed.
Not outside.
Inside.
And now it feels like whatever happened to him isn't just something in the past—
it's something still unfinished.