[310 years have passed.]
A high school girl in her late teens, dressed in a school uniform, stared blankly into the air.
“Where is this…?”
Her friend beside her shouted.
“Hey! Oh Haeyoung! What are you doing standing there? Why are you suddenly spacing out? Aren’t you going to school?”
“……”
“Oh Haeyoung! Can’t you hear me? You’re going to be late! Late!”
Only then did Haeyoung snap out of it.
“Why was I just standing here like this?”
“Did you eat something weird this morning? You’re acting strange all of a sudden. Are you sick?”
“No, it’s not that… It just feels weird somehow. This isn’t a dream, right?”
At that, her friend pinched Oh Haeyoung’s cheek.
“Ahhhhh! It hurts! It hurts! I said it hurts!”
Her friend grinned as she looked at Ha-young’s cheek, now swollen and red.
“See? It’s not a dream, right? So stop talking nonsense and let’s go already. The student council member is on duty at the school gate today. If we’re even a little late, we’re screwed. Seriously, what kind of era is this? Why do they still allow corporal punishment? Right?”
Grabbing her friend’s hand, Haeyoung ran with all her might. The weather was exceptionally nice. Looking up at the clear blue sky refreshed her mind, and the cool breeze carried the pleasant scent of flowers.
“……”
As she glanced around, she noticed bright yellow flowers in full bloom.
Spring had already arrived.
When they reached the school gate, pink cherry blossoms fluttered in all directions. Mesmerized by the breathtaking sight, she stood still for a moment before hastily rushing through the gate.
“Be on time from now on!”
“Yes!”
She barely made it in time. Thinking back, the bus was even three minutes late this morning, but thanks to the driver’s kindness, she managed to catch it.
Overall, it felt like a lucky day.
Her mood brightened.
For some reason, she had felt dazed earlier, but now she couldn’t even remember why. She just felt good.
As she stepped into the classroom, her classmates greeted her warmly.
“Haeyoung! You changed your hair! It looks pretty!”
“Oh Haeyoung! Let’s arm wrestle!”
“Hey, I’m first today. It’s my turn!”
Boys and girls alike swarmed around her. Oh Haeyoung was well-loved among her friends.
Class started, and the teacher walked in.
“Oh Haeyoung, come solve this problem.”
Math usually made her shudder, but today, her mind was unusually sharp.
“Correct!”
Being praised by the teacher lifted her spirits even more.
Maybe it really was a lucky day.
Lunchtime arrived.
She headed to the cafeteria with her friends, chatting about various everyday topics as they ate. Laughter never ceased.
“Do you want to watch a movie this weekend?”
“Oh, sorry. I have a date with my boyfriend.”
“Not you. Haeyoung, there’s a new horror movie coming out. Let’s go watch it! You love horror movies! In the U.S., people apparently ran out of the theater crying!”
“Haha. That bad? Sure, I’ll keep my schedule open for the weekend. I feel like watching a movie for the first time in a while.”
“Hehe, really? Somehow, horror movies aren’t scary when I watch them with you, Haeyoung!”
“That’s because she’s so cheerful.”
After finishing their meal, they headed to the school store. The store was as popular as an idol, so they had to wait in a long line.
The students ahead of her finished paying, and soon it was Oh Ha-young’s turn.
But her favourite pizza bread was already sold out.
Just then, the boy in front of her handed her the pizza bread he was holding. His face was flushed red, as if embarrassed.
“Here, you take it.”
“Really? I can really have it?”
“Yeah.”
“Hehe. Thanks! I’ll enjoy it!”
The boy who gave her the pizza bread quickly walked away.
Haeyoung’s friends, who had been watching the scene unfold, whistled and teased her.
“Ohh~ Oh Haeyoung, look at you~”
“The cutest, sexiest girl in town, Oh Haeyoung!”
“Oh Haeyoung! Oh Haeyoung! Oh Haeyoung!”
Even as her friends teased her, Haeyoung just grinned happily.
It was an ordinary day, yet it felt extra special.
Thinking that this kind of daily life would last forever, she couldn’t help but smile.
Lunchtime ended, and the next class began.
[320 years have passed.]
Nodding off, Haeyoung suddenly jerked awake.
‘What was that sound just now? I swear I heard a voice… Was it just my imagination?’
Since she had just dozed off, she thought she might have confused it with a dream.
‘Ugh. I should cut back on gaming.’
She patted her cheeks with both hands to wake up and looked out the window.
Students were playing soccer on the field.
And then…
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Red letters floated in the sky.
A noise, like static interference, buzzed in her ears, and her vision distorted.
The clear sky had turned blood-red before she knew it, and what she thought were clouds had transformed into massive eyeballs, with pink, organ-like masses dangling from them.
Terrified by the grotesque sight, Oh Haeyoung shot up and screamed.
“Kyaaahhh!”
All eyes in the classroom turned toward her.
“Haeyoung?”
“Oh Haeyoung, what’s wrong?”
Despite the concerned voices of her classmates and teacher, Oh Haeyoung said nothing, staring outside.
She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and looked out the window again.
As if nothing had happened, the sky was clear and blue.
Haeyoung let out a shaky breath of relief.
Cold sweat dripped down her back, soaking her uniform.
“Haa… Haa…”
The teacher, noticing Oh Haeyoung’s pale complexion, asked with concern, “Oh Haeyoung, are you okay? If you’re not feeling well, do you want to go to the nurse’s office?”
“…I’m fine. I’m sorry for causing a disturbance.”
As Haeyoung sat back down, her deskmate cautiously asked, “Did you have a nightmare?”
“I think so…”
“What kind of dream was it that made you react like that? Was it really scary?”
“I suddenly heard a strange voice, then red letters appeared in front of me, and the sky… It was filled with things that looked like intestines hanging all over… It was truly… a horrific dream.”
Upon hearing those words, her deskmate’s lips stretched into an unnatural grin, reaching all the way to their ears, and a chilling voice flowed out.
“That wasn’t a dream.”
“…”
Haeyoung squeezed her eyes shut. Her heart pounded wildly, and her hands trembled uncontrollably.
‘What is this? Why am I seeing these things?’
Her mind was in complete disarray, unable to make sense of anything. A lifelong believer, she instinctively began to recite the Lord’s Prayer.
‘Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us…’
When she opened her eyes again, her deskmate was looking at her with concern.
“Haeyoung, are you really feeling okay?”
“Just now… I could have sworn…”
“Hm?”
“…Never mind. I must be feeling off because I didn’t sleep well.”
“But why didn’t you finish the Lord’s Prayer?”
“…”
Her deskmate’s eyes turned completely black, and then, in an unnervingly rapid tone, they began to recite:
“…Who trespass against us forgive we as, trespasses our forgive and, bread daily our day this us give. Heaven in is as earth on done be will thy, come kingdom thy, name thy be hallowed, heaven in art who Father our…”
They had repeated the exact Lord’s Prayer—backward.
As if mocking her.
Overcome with sheer terror, Oh Haeyoung collapsed, unconscious.
[330 years have passed.]
[340 years have passed.]
When Haeyoung opened her eyes, she looked around.
‘The smell of disinfectant…’
It was the school’s infirmary.
The school nurse, clad in a white coat, gently asked, “You’re awake?”
“…Yes.”
“You must be really exhausted. Studying is important, but your health comes first, understand? Take care of yourself properly. Make sure to take your supplements too. You need to start looking after yourself at your age—otherwise, you’ll regret it when you’re older.”
“Yes. Thank you.”
“Alright. You should head out now. I’m about to clock out too.”
As Haeyoung stepped out of the infirmary, the friend who had walked to school with her that morning was waiting outside.
“Oh Haeyoung! Are you okay? Do you feel sick anywhere!?”
“…I’m fine.”
“You don’t look fine. Let’s go home quickly so you can rest.”
Haeyoung silently nodded.
Everything she had seen… It was too vivid to dismiss as just a dream.
And that made her anxious—what if even her closest friend, Kim Nayoun, suddenly changed? If she witnessed something like that again, she feared she might die from sheer terror.
Fortunately, the walk home was uneventful. So much so that her earlier worries felt pointless.
Kim Nayoun, seemingly sensing Haeyoung’s low energy, was even more talkative than usual, trying to lift her spirits.
“So, when are you finally going to introduce me to your brother!?”
“My brother is a seminary student.”
“So what?”
“What do you mean, so what? You know priests can’t get married, right?”
“They might not get married, but they can still date! Just set up a meeting for us! I’ll take care of the rest!”
“What do you mean you’ll take care of it? That’s ridiculous! No way.”
“Awww, just once? Please? Just one time?”
As they joked around on their way home, they soon arrived at the apartment complex. Since Kim Nayoun lived in the neighboring building, this was where they parted ways.
“See you tomorrow!”
“Bye.”
Thanks to Nayoun’s silly chatter, Haeyoung’s mood had improved somewhat.
She was grateful to have such a good friend.
Stepping into the elevator, she pressed the button for the fourth floor.
With a ding, the doors slid open.
A corridor-style, old apartment complex.
Her home was unit 404.
Though her family wasn’t particularly wealthy, Haeyoung was content. It was a home she could proudly call warm and loving.
Money was important, yes—but love was something that money could never buy.
Her family deeply cared for one another, and thanks to them, she had learned what it meant to love.
Just being born into such a family felt like a blessing.
Grabbing the doorknob, Haeyoung called out cheerfully,
“I’m home!”
But for some reason…
There was no response.
“…”
All the shoes were in the entryway. That meant everyone was home.
‘What’s that smell?’
A metallic scent came from inside.
Taking a step forward, Haeyoung froze in place like a stone statue.
“…”
The floor, the walls—everything was drenched in blood.
And in the middle of the living room…
A man, covered head to toe in crimson, sat grinning at her.
Her lips quivered as a faint, trembling voice escaped.
“O…ppa?”