The woman, or whatever she was—stood still, her long black hair hiding her face, but Juhwan could feel her gaze on him.
It was heavy.
His skin crawled.
Then, the bouquet in his trembling hand slowly lifted on its own.
No hands touched it.
It just floated.
Juhwan's legs nearly gave out. He wanted to cry, to run, to quit this cursed game.
'Stay calm. Stay calm. Stay calm. You'll lose a life if you mess up now.'
Forcing himself to move like a proper date, he walked stiffly to the chair across from him and pulled it out for her.
A polite gesture.
A desperate survival move.
The woman—or maybe the spirit—lowered herself into the seat. Whether she floated or sat normally, Juhwan couldn't tell.
His own legs felt like jelly, but he sat across from her, his heart hammering against his ribs.
He swallowed hard and stuttered, "M-my name is Kang Juhwan... I-It's nice to meet you."
His voice cracked.
His fingers dug into his jeans, trying to stop the shaking.
'Should I ask? Is it rude? What if I die for asking?'
But the silence was crushing, so he forced the question out.
"U-uh… may I… may I know your name?"
The air dropped several degrees. His stomach twisted.
'Was that wrong? Am I about to die?'
Suddenly, her voice didn't come from her lips.
It echoed directly in his head, low and distant, like layers of sound stacked on top of each other.
"…Han… Sooyeon…"
The sound alone made him want to vomit.
His throat dried. His vision blurred for a second.
He clung to the table just to stay steady.
He wanted to go home so badly.
But he forced a tight smile.
"That's… that's a beautiful name…" he said, barely holding himself together.
'Please don't kill me… please…'
As Juhwan tried to steady his breathing, tiny wisps, glowing spirits began to drift around the table.
They circled gently, and with them, a menu materialized, floating in the air between them.
Juhwan blinked rapidly, panic still in his chest.
'Right… I need to treat her. It's the first date… I have to follow the dating sim flow.'
His voice trembled as he forced out the words.
"I-I'll… I'll treat you tonight… You can order anything."
The menu opened with a soft chime, but when Juhwan glanced at it, his face almost collapsed on the spot.
There were no prices in money.
The menu was all priced in points.
'Points? Damn it, I'm broke!'
He had 60 points.
That was all.
He scrolled through the menu, his heart sinking deeper.
Fresh Human Brain Stew – 120 pts
Cold Blood Soup – 85 pts
Crushed Bone Tart – 150 pts
Sweet Tears Pudding – 95 pts
Raw Flesh Platter – 100 pts
All the food was grotesque.
Things a normal human would never dare eat.
He could barely afford anything on the list.
His stomach twisted just from reading it.
'I'm not eating that... No way.'
Trying to stay composed, Juhwan slowly raised his eyes to Han Sooyeon.
Her face was still hidden, her body stitched together, blood dripping faintly from her head.
Shivering, Juhwan whispered,
"Um… h-have you decided what you'd like…?"
He was already bracing for whatever terrifying answer would come.
To his surprise, Han Sooyeon pointed to a drink.
A tall, murky glass filled with floating eyeballs.
Price: 30 points.
Juhwan blinked. That's… it? Just a drink?
He almost sighed in relief.
She could've drained his entire point balance, but she chose something cheap.
Now it was his turn.
He quickly scanned the menu and found the cheapest item—a pale, watery cup labeled:
Tears of Sorrow – 20 points.
'Damn. I'm broke. I'm literally poor even in this cursed game.'
Forcing a polite smile, he turned to the floating wisp.
"We'll have these, please," he said softly.
The wisps spun in place and vanished to "prepare" the order.
Now, he was alone with her again.
Silence.
Heavy, suffocating silence.
Then—
BZZZT!
His phone vibrated suddenly in his pocket, making his heart jump.
But he held his poker face, training his stiff expression to stay calm.
Smoothly, carefully, he slipped out his phone and checked it under the table to avoid appearing rude.
A new system panel appeared with three choices.
[What would you like to say?]
[1. "You look… beautiful tonight."]
[2. "Do you come here often?"]
[3. "I heard a lot of rumors about this school."]
Juhwan's throat dried again.
'What kind of choices are these!?'
As soon as the choices popped up he can't feel his mouth and he can't control it.
Juhwan stared at the three choices, his mind spinning.
'I've played a lot of dating sims. I've been here before, same rules. Think.'
He quickly ran through the possible outcomes:
Option 1: Too direct. Might trigger something if she hates compliments. Risky.
Option 2: Might come off as rude in this atmosphere.
Option 3: Might be related to her, but also risky if she doesn't like her past mentioned.
'What's the safest path? Do or die, Juhwan. Do or die.'
His finger hovered, then tapped Option 1.
"You look… beautiful tonight."
His heartbeat was deafening in his ears.
The woman didn't move.
Didn't speak.
She just stared at him.
Or at least, it felt like she was staring—her face still hidden behind that curtain of long, black hair.
The silence stretched painfully long.
His body trembled slightly under the table, but his face remained stiff, a perfect poker face.
'Please don't kill me. Please don't kill me. Please don't kill me.'
He waited, unable to predict what would happen next.
She stared at him for a long, unbearable minute. The candle between them flickered, its flame shrinking and stretching like it, too, was afraid to breathe.
Then, the voice came again—inside his skull, not through the air.
"...I know."
It wasn't a whisper. It wasn't even sound. It was a vibration against the inside of his bones, like the words were etched directly into his nerves.
Juhwan blinked, disbelief locking his lungs.
'She… responded?'
For a moment, the terror softened, replaced by something stranger—confusion, almost curiosity.
'So she's aware. Conscious. She knows what she is.'
His eyes darted across her pale, stitched form—the way her hands twitched faintly against the table, the way her hair never shifted even though no wind touched it.
Everything about her screamed wrong, but there was will behind that stillness.
'Then why does she want a date?'
His thoughts churned, his stomach twisting tighter.
'Is it a memory she's clinging to? Some kind of ritual? Or maybe… maybe it's not her choice at all.'
He bit the inside of his cheek, holding the question back. He couldn't ask her. Not when one wrong word might tear this fragile balance apart.
The silence stretched again, dense and suffocating.
Then, faint blue light shimmered beside them. The air stirred gently as the wisps returned, carrying two floating trays.
They lowered them carefully onto the table—his cup of translucent sorrow, and her glass of murky liquid, the pale orbs drifting inside like they were watching him.
Juhwan swallowed hard, forcing his shaking hands to rest on his lap.
The "date" had only just begun.