Nam was a university student. As the school day came to an end, he was packing his bag when his only friend, Acchi, approached him with a cheerful expression. His bag was already packed, as if he had been waiting for this moment.

Acchi wore a neatly buttoned navy blue shirt, a matching outfit underneath, gray pants, and brown shoes. He placed his hand on the desk and smiled.

"Can I come over?"

—"No."

Acchi's smile faded slightly, but hope still lingered in his eyes.

"Okay… what about tomorrow?"

His eyes sparkled, as if certain Nam would eventually agree. But at the same time, he was growing tired of being refused.

—"No."

"Then… how about the weekend?"

Nam was beginning to lose patience.

"I said no. I have things to do."

—"Ugh, fine."

With a sigh of disappointment, Acchi turned and left the classroom, waving as he walked away.

Nam remained silent, watching him go. Then, as he walked home, an old memory resurfaced.

When he was a child, people used to say his eyes were frightening. They weren't wrong—after all, his pupils were completely black.

At first, he didn't care. But one day, his best friend stepped back in fear upon looking into his eyes. That moment had burned itself into his mind. No matter how much time passed, he could never forget it.

By the time he arrived home, the memory still lingered in his thoughts.

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His mother, Lenora, was in the kitchen, most likely watching the news on her phone. The faint sound of a news anchor's voice could be heard from the other room.

"Is that you, Nam?" she called out.

"Yeah," Nam replied.

As he entered the house, his gaze landed on a necklace sitting on the table—one he had never seen before.

"Did you just get this?"

His mother looked up. "Your brother bought it. He said it's an antique."

Nam didn't dwell on it and simply went to his room.

The room was simple, with two beds—one on the left, one on the right. His bed was on the left, next to a small desk. There were only a few textbooks, a lamp, and scattered papers on it. His brother's side, however, was filled with books. Other than the shared wardrobe, there wasn't much else in the room.

Dropping his bag beside the bed, Nam let out a quiet sigh. He spent most of his time here. Occasionally, he would talk to his family or play games with Acchi, but more than anything, he preferred reading novels and drawing.

After changing his clothes, he sat down at his desk, unlocked his phone, and stared at the screen. His wallpaper was a simple apple.

"What should I do?"

Every day felt the same. Nothing exciting ever happened.

His eyes drifted to the sketchbook on his desk.

"Maybe I should draw something…"

Tapping his fingers against the wooden surface, he muttered to himself, "What should I draw?"

Then, a thought struck him.

"That dream… should I draw it?"

He hesitated.

"Or should I just forget about it?"

"But if I draw it… maybe I can make sense of it."

His grip on the pencil tightened. The indecision was frustrating, but in the end, he flipped open the sketchbook, flipping past old drawings until he reached a blank page.

In his dream, Nam found himself standing behind a door.

He couldn't move.

Sunlight streamed into the room, illuminating the dust floating in the air. The door was slightly open, just enough for him to peek inside.

Inside, someone familiar—an older relative—was playing with a toy.

But someone else was there too.

"Who is that?"

No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't see their face. His body felt heavy, completely unresponsive, as if something had paralyzed him.

A terrifying thought crossed his mind.

"Am I paralyzed?"

Even blinking felt like a struggle.

Then, everything shifted.

A strange sensation washed over him. Suddenly, he was no longer himself.

Looking down, he saw small hands—a tiny body. He was a child, no older than four.

His mouth moved on its own, words spilling out that weren't his own.

"This… isn't my voice."

The things he was saying—no child should be able to say them.

"What's happening to me?"

With great effort, he turned toward the door.

But the body that had been there—the one he had seen just moments ago—was gone.

A chill ran down his spine.

And then—

Nam jolted awake, his pencil digging into the page.

His heart was pounding.

"That dream… what does it mean?"