The night was unusually quiet.
Not peaceful.
Quiet.
The kind of quiet that made every little sound feel louder than it should.
The wind moved gently through the trees, making the leaves whisper in the darkness. Above them, the moon was partly hidden behind dark clouds, casting a pale light over the empty road.
Jung walked alone.
His hands were tucked inside the pockets of his jacket, and his earphones were plugged into his ears. Music played softly as he walked, keeping him company on the long road home.
It was late.
Much later than he had expected.
But Jung wasn't worried.
He had walked this road many times before.
It was familiar.
Safe.
At least, it had always been.
Jung continued walking, lost in his music.
Then—
Tap.
He stopped.
His eyebrows tightened.
He pulled one earphone out.
Nothing.
The road behind him was empty.
Jung looked around.
Trees stood silently on both sides of the road. A streetlight flickered in the distance.
He waited.
Nothing happened.
He let out a quiet breath.
"Probably just a branch."
He put his earphone back in and continued walking.
A few seconds passed.
Then—
Tap.
Jung stopped again.
His heart gave a small jump.
Silence.
He turned around.
Nothing.
Just the empty road.
Jung stared into the darkness.
"Hello?"
No answer.
He waited for a few seconds.
Still nothing.
He shook his head.
"Okay... I'm probably just tired."
He turned around and started walking again.
One step.
Two steps.
Three.
Then—
Tap.TapTap....
Jung froze.
This time, he was certain.
Someone was walking behind him.
He didn't turn around.
He simply stood there, listening.
Nothing.
Jung slowly began walking again.
Tap.
He stopped.
The sound stopped too.
His breathing became shallow.
He took another step.
Tap.
Another step.
Tap.
Jung's heart began beating faster.
He glanced over his shoulder.
Nothing.
There was nobody there.
He looked carefully down the road.
Empty.
Completely empty.
Jung swallowed.
"Who's there?"
Silence.
He waited.
Nothing.
He turned forward again and started walking.
But this time, he walked faster.
Tap.
Tap.
Tap.
The footsteps returned.
Jung's hands tightened inside his pockets.
He walked faster.
The footsteps became faster too.
He slowed down.
The person also slowed down.
He stopped.
The person also stopped.
Jung's heart pounded inside his chest.
He slowly turned around.
Still nothing.
A cold breeze passed over his face.
He stared into the darkness between the trees.
For a moment, he thought he saw something move.
He blinked.
Nothing.
Jung's fear began to grow.
He pulled his earphones out and put them into his pocket.
He didn't want to hear music anymore.
He wanted to hear everything.
He started walking again.
But now, he wasn't walking home.
He was trying to get away from whoever was following him.
Tap.
Tap.
Tap.
The footsteps followed.
Closer.
Closer.
Closer.
Jung suddenly broke into a run.
His shoes struck the pavement as he sprinted down the road.
He didn't look back.
He couldn't.
His breathing became heavier.
His heartbeat pounded in his ears.
The footsteps followed him.
He could hear the person running behind him.
Jung ran faster.
The road seemed to stretch endlessly in front of him.
He didn't know where he was going anymore.
He only wanted to get away.
Then he saw it.
The pond.
Jung finally stopped.
He bent forward, placing his hands on his knees as he struggled to breathe.
"Haa... haa..."
His chest rose and fell rapidly.
He had run too far.
He slowly straightened himself.
The pond was directly in front of him.
Its dark surface reflected the pale moonlight.
Jung looked at the water.
It was completely still.
He took a long breath.
Then another.
"Haa..."
His breathing slowly began to calm.
The footsteps were gone.
Jung looked behind him.
The road was empty.
The person was nowhere to be seen.
He frowned.
"Where did he go?"
Jung looked around again.
Nothing.
No movement.
No footsteps.
Just silence.
He stood there for a moment, trying to understand what had just happened.
Maybe the person had left.
Maybe he had finally lost him.
Jung slowly turned around.
And then—
Someone pushed him.
Hard.
Jung's eyes widened.
His body suddenly lost balance.
He tried to grab the air in front of him.
"Wait—!"
But it was too late.
He fell backward into the pond.
SPLASH!
The cold water swallowed him.
His earphones fell from his pocket.
And then—
In just one second...
Everything changed.
The wind began to blow normally.
The trees moved gently.
The moonlight returned to the surface of the pond.
Nothing unusual.
Everything looked completely normal.
As if nothing had ever happened.
The pond became still again.
The night became quiet.
Quiet...
Like the entire world had forgotten what had just happened.
And then—
Everything was silent.
Chapter 1 — End