/ POP Zure /
After finishing school, only one name remained in his mind—
Alice.
[Alice… Alice… I can't wait to see her again.
Where is she? Has she gone home already?
I can't wait… I just can't wait.]
He rushed home as fast as he could, his heartbeat quickening with every step.
"I can't wait… I can't—"
But when he arrived at her house—
Nothing.
No light. No movement. No sign of her.
His expression slowly darkened.
"…Where is she?"
A strange tightness gripped his chest. He pulled out his phone, ready to call her—
But stopped.
For some reason…
A quiet, creeping instinct told him—
Don't.
He lowered his hand.
"…Fine."
Then, an idea came.
If he couldn't reach her—
He would find her.
So he began walking through the streets.
Again.
And again.
And again.
Endlessly.
Just for a chance to see her.
[Why am I like this…?
She looks so normal… so ordinary…
And yet… she's the hardest person to reach.]
[The more she rejects me… the more I want her.]
[I want her… so badly.]
A slow, distorted smile formed on his face.
Even he knew—
Something about him was no longer normal.
But he didn't care.
Then—
He saw her.
A spark lit up in his eyes.
"There you are…"
He quickly stepped back into the shadows, watching her from a distance—
But she wasn't alone.
"…Who is that?"
"She has a friend…?"
"…Since when?"
A faint uneasiness crept into his chest.
"…Is she really the Alice I know?"
His gaze locked onto her—
And then—
His body froze.
A cold sensation spread from his spine to the rest of his body.
His breath hitched.
His fingers trembled.
It was her eyes.
Cold.
Sharp.
Empty—
Yet… something inside them was watching.
Not looking—
Watching.
Like a predator observing something insignificant.
Something… disposable.
Zure's instincts screamed.
Run.
But he couldn't move.
Alice walked past him—
Without stopping.
Without looking.
Without acknowledging his existence.
As if he wasn't even there.
As if he was—
Nothing.
His heart clenched painfully.
"A-Alice…"
His voice cracked.
"Please… give me one more chance…"
She didn't stop.
Not even for a second.
No reaction.
No hesitation.
Nothing.
Just silence—
And distance.
He tried to step forward—
To reach her—
But his body refused.
It felt like something invisible was pressing down on him.
Warning him.
Restraining him.
If you move—
you will regret it.
"…Why…?"
His voice trembled, barely audible.
Alice continued walking—
And only when she completely disappeared from his sight—
Zure collapsed slightly, gasping.
"…Hah…!"
Air rushed back into his lungs like he had been drowning.
His entire body shook uncontrollably.
"…Who… was that…?"
"…That's not her…"
"…That's not the Alice I know…"
Fear slowly spread across his face.
Cold.
Heavy.
Real.
"What… did that guy do to her…?"
His mind replayed that moment—
Those eyes.
That presence.
That feeling.
"…No…"
"…That wasn't normal…"
"That… wasn't human…"
His voice dropped to a whisper.
"…She's dangerous…"
"…No…"
"…She's terrifying…"
Zure took a step back.
Then another.
"I…"
"…I almost walked toward her…"
A chill ran down his spine.
If I had taken one more step…
"…I might have died."
Silence fell.
Zure lowered his head, his expression twisting between obsession… and fear.
"That girl…"
"…is no longer someone I can reach."
For the first time—
Zure gave up.
Not because he wanted to—
But because something deep inside him understood one thing clearly—
That "Alice"…
was no longer meant for someone like him.