The hospital was quieter than usual—too quiet for Seoul's usual rhythm. The lights hummed, the floors gleamed, and yet something about the air felt heavy, as if holding its breath.
Agani sat closest to Re-ha's bed, elbows on her knees, hands clasped tightly. She hadn't changed out of her work uniform, and her pendant kept glinting under the fluorescent light, catching every movement like it had something to say.
Re-ha lay unconscious, her breathing steady but shallow, a faint wrinkle on her forehead like even her dreams were troubled.
Nira and Lila had arrived just fifteen minutes ago, worry written all over their faces. Nira sat beside Agani, while Lila paced the small room, unable to stay still.
---
1. Worry, Confusion, and Too Many Questions
"Did the doctor say anything?" Nira asked gently.
Agani shook her head. "Just that it wasn't a normal fainting spell. They want to run more tests." She exhaled. "I… don't know what triggered it."
Lila stopped pacing. "You said she saw something before collapsing?"
Agani's fingers twitched toward her pendant unconsciously. "Not something. She saw… this."
She lifted the pendant.
Nira leaned in, eyes narrowing. "It's old… like really old. But pretty."
Lila blinked. "You've worn it all the time, right? Why would it suddenly affect Re-ha today?"
Agani swallowed. "I don't know. But when she saw it, it was like she recognized it."
Nira rubbed her arms. "But why would she recognize something like that? She's never mentioned anything."
Agani opened her mouth to answer—but froze as a sudden beep from the monitor made all of them jolt. Re-ha twitched, eyebrows tightening, lips murmuring something too soft to understand.
"Is she waking up?" Lila asked, panicked.
"No," Nira shook her head. "This looks like a dream episode."
They watched in tense silence, waiting for Re-ha to settle.
---
2. The Dark Apartment – Another Game Begins
Across the city, hidden behind thicker walls and darker curtains, a single dim bulb lit a room that smelled faintly of dust and metal.
Inside the apartment, the boy—no older than his early twenties—sat on a worn-out sofa, elbows on knees, staring at a photograph.
A photograph of Nira.
He traced the edge of the picture with his thumb, expression unreadable.
Not loving.
Not hateful.
Something in between… something that felt like obsession sharpened into purpose.
Behind him, a lock clicked.
The door opened.
A tall man walked in.
Broad shoulders. Pale skin. Hair black enough to swallow light. His coat—dark and long—brushed the floor, looking out of place in the warm weather.
He stepped inside silently, closing the door behind him.
The boy didn't turn. "You're late."
"Observation required time," the tall man replied, voice deep and calm. "And patience… something you lack."
He walked past him to the far wall—the board.
Pictures covered it, pinned with red strings connecting one face to another, crossing and looping until it looked like a spiderweb of secrets.
Four photos stood in the center:
Agani.
Nira.
Lila.
Re-ha.
Under each photo, small notes, scribbles, codes.
The tall man studied the board for a long moment.
"Their proximity is increasing," he murmured.
"Because the threads are pulling them," the boy said, almost proudly. "Just like we predicted."
The man glanced at him. "Prediction is not confirmation."
"Soon it will be."
The boy rose from the sofa and walked toward the board, stopping beside the tall man.
Then he whispered, almost reverent:
"Soon."
The tall man nodded slowly.
"Prepare. The moment is approaching. Their memories will surface. And once they do…"
He touched the picture of Agani, tapping lightly on the pendant visible in the photo.
"…everything begins."
---
3. Back at the Hospital – Shadows Growing Closer
Re-ha finally stopped moving. Her face relaxed again.
Lila let out a shaky breath. "I hate hospitals."
Nira offered a weak smile. "We all do."
Agani stared at Re-ha, voice soft but trembling.
"She said something… before she fainted."
"What?" Nira asked.
Agani closed her eyes, trying to recall the exact moment.
"She said… 'Not again.' Like she was remembering something."
Lila frowned. "Again? What happened before?"
Agani shook her head. "She's never talked about anything like that."
Silence filled the room again—heavy, uncertain.
Then Nira broke it gently.
"At least we're together. That matters."
Agani looked at her gratefully.
"Yeah. It does."
They didn't know that across the city, unseen eyes already marked their gathering as the final step.
They didn't know that someone was waiting for the "threads" to tighten.
They didn't know that four lives weren't just crossing paths…
They were returning to something long-buried.
Something unfinished.
Something dangerous.
And at the center of it all—
A pendant.
A nightmare.
A code.
4114.
The number that kept returning to them like a warning.
A number not yet explained.
But soon…
very soon…
it will be.
---