Morning arrived quietly.
Alya was already gone.
And somehow… that was enough to bring me peace.
After everything that happened that day, I was still affected. Every shadow felt wrong. Every corner held something unseen. Anxiety came in waves—sudden, suffocating.
But she was still here.
Still with me.
Still choosing me.
Five days had passed since the incident.
I had finally been discharged.
— "Ah… I can finally breathe fresh air."
The cold hit me immediately.
Winter had settled in without warning. Snow began to fall gently from the sky, covering the world in silence as I stepped out of the hospital.
Then—
A pink note fell in front of me.
I caught it.
> "My heart beats faster when you're near."
I smiled faintly.
— "Seems like Alya is playing a game…"
I followed.
More notes fell from above, one after another.
> "Walk 100 steps forward."
> "Six blocks east."
> "Three steps west."
> "Thirty steps south."
I obeyed each instruction.
Step by step.
Like I had done this before.
Like I had lived this already.
Eventually, I reached a building.
Another note drifted down.
> "Go to the top floor."
I climbed the stairs slowly.
At the final door, one last note awaited me.
> "Just a little closer."
I opened it.
And there she was.
Alya stood on the rooftop, wrapped in winter clothes.
Brown leather shoes.
Soft stockings peeking above them.
A glowing purple bag hanging from her shoulder.
A white jacket.
A blue hat.
Snowflakes melted against her hair as she gently caught them in her hands.
She looked… unreal.
Then she turned.
And smiled.
— "One step closer."
She walked toward me.
Took my hands.
Led me to the edge.
And embraced me.
— "I've always wondered if I'd ever be brave enough to say this again…"
She looked at the sky.
Then back at me.
— "But when I see you… all my doubts disappear."
Her voice softened.
— "I've waited so long… so please don't be afraid. Just let yourself fall into me."
A pause.
Snow fell between us.
— "I've loved you for so many years… and I'll love you for many more. Until the end of time."
Her grip tightened.
— "So please… accept my love. From the deepest part of my heart."
— "I promise I'll stay with you… for a thousand years… and a thousand more."
Something inside me broke.
No—
Not broke.
Returned.
I pulled her slightly closer… and embraced her.
Now I remembered.
This wasn't new.
This was a memory.
The day we became something more.
Day 77 of Sunlight Month.
And back then… I had said:
— "No… I should be the one asking."
My voice felt distant. Echoing through time.
— "You're the one who saved me… who made me happy."
— "You gave me everything… and I never knew how to repay you."
I held her tighter.
— "So I offer you everything I am."
— "My love. My heart. My soul. Even my body… if that's what it takes."
A breath.
— "I don't understand what I feel… not completely."
— "But I know this—no one makes me feel the way you do."
— "So let me be the one to ask you… stay with me."
She cried.
Smiling.
— "I accept."
— "From now on… we'll always be together."
— "We'll become one."
The memory faded.
I looked at her again.
Present.
Real.
Warm.
— "I still remember that day…" I whispered.
— "And I still love you."
— "I always will."
She didn't answer.
She just pulled me closer…
and kissed me.
Soft at first.
Then deeper.
Warmer.
Real.
Snow fell around us.
Minutes passed.
Time didn't matter.
When she pulled away, a thin thread of breath still lingered between us.
She laughed softly.
Kissed me again—shorter this time.
Then took my hand.
— "I'm freezing. Let's go get something warm."
I laughed quietly.
— "Yeah… hospital food really isn't something I want to miss."
We walked together.
Like nothing in the world could touch us.
The Café
We talked.
About school.
About her job.
About the future.
— "I don't really know what I want…" I admitted.
— "The future feels… uncertain."
— "Maybe tomorrow we just won't wake up."
A pause.
— "I don't even know if my life has a meaning."
She sighed… but smiled.
— "It's okay."
She checked her phone.
— "I'm late for work. I'll call you later, okay?"
— "I'll pick you up for lunch."
— "And after work too."
She smiled, blushing.
Kissed me.
— "I'll be waiting."
She left.
I stayed a moment longer.
Then paid and walked away.
A message appeared.
Won-ho.
Dinner invitation.
I accepted.
I didn't know it yet…
but something was already waiting for us.
The Dinner
That evening, I picked Alya up.
We ate.
We talked.
And then…
she drove me to Won-ho's house.
— "Are you okay?" she asked.
— "Just a strange feeling…"
I looked out the window.
— "Something's wrong."
She didn't dismiss it.
She believed me.
— "Then don't go."
I shook my head.
— "I said I would."
She sighed.
— "Then I'll drive you."
We arrived.
I stepped out.
Smiled.
— "See you tomorrow."
She kissed me.
— "Be careful."
And left.
Inside
Won-ho greeted me with a hug.
Everyone was there.
Even Minho.
Recovered.
Too quickly.
Something felt off.
Dinner began normally.
Laughter.
Conversation.
Plans.
Until—
I tasted it.
Metal.
I pulled something from my mouth.
A ring.
Pain exploded in my throat.
My stomach twisted violently.
I screamed.
— "Dark?!"
I ran to the mirror.
A handprint burned across my throat.
I lied.
Of course I did.
No one believed me.
But they let it go.
Dessert
Cookies.
Shaped like crows.
Filled with red jam.
They bled when broken.
— "Nice detail."
Won-ho smiled.
We moved to the living room.
Watched a movie.
And then—
Everything changed.
3:15 AM
The air thickened.
Breathing became difficult.
All clocks stopped.
At once.
My friends froze.
Their eyes turned white.
Black liquid spilled from them.
They spoke in unison.
> "Zyn dar'eth."
(He is coming.)
The lights flickered.
Shadows grew.
And she appeared.
Outside the window.
Under a black umbrella.
Dripping blood.
Her dress—
Made of pages.
Covered in runes.
Written in blood.
Her blood.
Her voice reached me.
— "The day of revelation is near."
A whisper.
— "Sleep."
She snapped her fingers.
The sky screamed.
Thunder erupted.
My friends collapsed.
Bleeding.
Eyes. Ears. Mouth.
I followed.
Darkness consumed me.
Morning
Everything was… normal.
No one remembered.
No blood.
No pain.
No fear.
— "That was a great night, right?"
They smiled.
I didn't.
I left.
Because I knew.
Something had begun.
And whatever "revelation" meant…
It was coming for us.