Lina wiped the remaining candle wax from her face with a tissue while looking into the car's front mirror.
"Why did we leave him there?.. I could've split him in half with this sword."
Her fingers brushed against the cold surface of the green blade.
"The indicator was fluctuating between zero and ten. It dropped back to the red rank again. That spirit is completely unstable."
"Yes, and that's exactly why I said we should eliminate it."
He cast Lina a brief glance from the driver's seat before returning his eyes to the road.
"It's unstable. If it goes berserk, we'll have to evacuate the entire building. The rumors spreading already are bad enough."
She yawned again.
"So… we're going back after the building is evacuated?"
"Yes… and no."
Then he fell silent.
"What? What does that mean?"
"The building will be evacuated. But we won't be the ones returning."
"I'll file a request to transfer the mission to another team."
"Why?.. No, I'm not upset about leaving the mission or anything like that—but why?"
"I checked the apartments where the victims were found… It seems the spirit is a hybrid type. Fire… and emotions."
"Neither you can handle fire, nor can I."
"That's fine with me," Lina said with a shrug.
"I'd rather search for lost cats than deal with a burning ghost."
---
Behind the wall of a narrow alley near the blue building, a shadow watched the scene.
Its chest rose and fell rapidly, like someone who had just finished a marathon.
The mask hiding her face only made breathing harder.
That shadow was none other than Maryam.
"Thank God…"
A sigh of relief escaped between the breaths I was desperately trying to catch.
'But…'
The headache was already starting to creep back.
"This is going to need a very long explanation…"
Last time, I had firmly refused to hear anything about that organization.
I had even promised never to talk about it again.
But tonight…
I had openly called out the name of one of their leaders.
"In front of everyone."
"What explanation?!"
I jumped from my spot like a startled cat.
I even fell to the ground, spilling the contents of my bag.
"Oh! Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you!"
It was the streamer from the live broadcast.
"Why are you still here?"
"Were you watching my stream?"
He pointed at himself excitedly and stepped closer.
I stepped back.
"Don't worry, I won't hurt you."
He quickly stepped back to where he had been standing.
"I realized my phone fell while I was running, so I came back to get it. Luckily the police patrols already left—no need to sneak around."
He smiled widely.
"You came back? Why would you come back? What about the ghost in the building?"
He looked at me as if I had lost my mind and waved his hand dismissively.
"A ghost? Hah. Do I look like a kindergarten kid who believes in ghosts?"
He said that as if I wasn't the one who had run away in terror when the apartment door handle suddenly turned.
'Should I tell him there really is a ghost?'
…Forget it.
He wouldn't believe me anyway.
I picked up the things that had fallen from my bag.
My phone.
The spinner.
And the fluffy ball.
"Sir… do you see this?"
I tried to test something.
The young man looked at my hand with a strange expression and one raised eyebrow.
"What exactly am I supposed to see?"
"How are you holding air in your hands?"
"…Never mind."
I returned it to the bag.
He stared at me strangely when I placed my "air-filled hand" inside the bag, but chose not to comment. Instead, he focused on the building ahead.
"I'll go back and get my phone. Can you wait here for a minute?"
He was about to head toward the building when my voice stopped him.
"There's no point."
I shook my head.
"I saw a man in a black suit take it during the stream."
"During the stream?! Was it still running?"
I nodded.
"Great! Miss, may I ask you something? Can I watch it?"
He moved toward me, trying to grab my hand.
I stepped back as he approached, but he was faster.
He pleaded with me to replay the broadcast as if it were the last thread holding his life together.
And I…
I couldn't refuse someone asking for help.
I nodded.
"Alright… but please step back."
"I'm sorry!"
He stepped away and I handed him the phone.
Minutes passed.
Then—
"There! That's him! That's the man who took my phone!"
The man sighed in relief.
"Why are you relieved?" I asked.
"At least the police didn't take it, right? Otherwise I'd get arrested and pay a fine."
He kept replaying the footage.
'It might have fallen into hands worse than the police,' I thought.
The young man suddenly frowned.
Then he looked at me with suspicion.
Back at the phone.
Then at me again.
"Wait… are you Orchid?"
"No. Who's Orchid?"
His frown deepened, wrinkles forming between his brows.
"No—you must be! You warned that man about something on the roof. And when he suddenly ended the stream without confirming whether he saw your comment, you came running here. I saw you running!"
Damn it.
Why did he suddenly become smart now?
"Please, miss… I have a favor to ask."
He stepped forward again and grabbed me as if I were his lifeline.
"You know that man, right? You said his name was Suleiman… Please, can you get my phone back from him?"
"I don't know anyone by that name!"
I tried to pull my hands free.
But I couldn't.
"I'm begging you. That phone is the only one I have. All my accounts, my earnings, my passwords—everything is on it. I have a sick mother to support. I need that money."
Desperation trembled in his voice.
And I…
I wasn't someone who could refuse a plea for help.
"I… I'll try. But I can't promise anything."
God… I really didn't want to get involved.
I wish I had never come here.
"Really?! Thank you! Thank you!"
I thought I saw tears in his eyes before he wiped them away.
Finally, he stepped back and let me go.
"Where do you live, miss? I'll walk you home. You shouldn't be walking alone at midnight."
"No. Stay back. I'll go alone. It's close anyway."
Of course I wasn't going home with a stranger.
The organization was already enough strangers for one night.
"Is that so? …Alright then. Goodbye."
"Let's meet here the day after tomorrow. One in the afternoon. Please don't be late."
At last he started walking away.
Ugh…
Am I kind… or just stupid?
I sighed, trying to gather my scattered thoughts as I lifted my gaze from the ground.
Then my head froze.
My breath stopped in my chest.
No…
It didn't stop.
It simply didn't dare come out.
Under the dim light of a streetlamp—
There were footprints made of soot.
Following the young man's steps.
'Damn it… damn it!!!'
I stood frozen in place.
Too afraid to look in the direction the young man had walked.