Chapter Text
16th March, 2079
Gamin was walking back to his apartment. His feet treaded slowly through the darkness of the night, leaving behind a few trails of rain.
The advertisement on the screen showed a new action movie about a hitman being hunted by three important organizations, and then—forget it, Gamin didn’t pay much attention to his surroundings.
The rain hadn’t let up, and Gamin grumbled a little as he adjusted his umbrella to keep his bag from getting wet. If he hadn’t been working late tonight, he would have fallen asleep soundly on his soft bed.
Gamin looked around. The streets—usually bustling with traffic and a sea of people—were eerily quiet after eleven at night. In contrast, in his hometown, activity only began after nine.
Gamin had just moved from Seoul to Incheon a few months ago. His new office job requires him to live near his office building. He wasn’t crazy enough to commute from Seoul.
The cold air intensified as Gamin passed through a narrow alley next to an abandonment shop. He was just about to rush out when he heard a loud bang coming from inside.
Gamin stopped in his tracks.
Midnight and the sound of a thump, a normal person would have run for their lives and left this place immediately.
Unfortunately, Gamin was never a normal person. So, contrary to what a normal person would do, he walked closer to the source of the sound.
A few minutes into the walk, Gamin felt something strange. His shoes never touched a puddle, even though the sound of rain hadn’t stopped. He held his breath, trying to be completely inaudible.
Perhaps someone was using their powers and he had just entered their territory.
His brain told him to run, his heart told him to stay. His heart pounded even faster when he saw the shadow of a person. The good news was that they didn’t seem to notice him.
The bad news was that he also saw someone lying in front of them.
Damn, this was definitely murder.
Gamin knew he should run, but instead, his hand reached for his phone and took a picture of the scene before him.
Click.
Ah, he was such an idiot.
The figure immediately turned towards him. A blood-red mask covered their entire face. A long black robe blended them into the surroundings, and in his hand, a knife-like weapon flashed with the sound of thunder.
Gamin immediately turned and ran, his hands trembling as he held his phone, preventing it from falling.
Shit! Shit! Shit!
Gamin cursed his carelessness. He should never approached the source of that sound.
The footsteps behind him grew faster as Gamin exited the alley. Gamin sped up his running; he couldn’t die now.
He still had a dream he had to fulfil!
With that thought, he finally pulled a box from his bag and threw it behind him. The figure dodged, but their steps became slower.
Gamin thought this was his chance. So, he ran as fast as he could towards a police station near his apartment. He breathed a sigh of relief when he heard no sound behind him.
Without a word, Gamin flung open the police station door, startling the guard. Before the guard could ask anything, a voice interrupted.
“Hey, young man, it’s late at night. Why are you running here and making a fuss?”
Gamin turned around, a man with a thin beard and dark circles under his eyes was staring back at him.
“I— I just witnessed a murder,” Gamin said after he managed to catch his breath.
The man—who had previously looked sluggish—immediately straightened up, “Say it again.”
Gamin stared at the two men with an unreadable expression.
“I witnessed a murder.”
The red-masked figure stared from distance. Their right hand was still busy playing with the weapon while their left was tucked into the robe pocket.
They turned around when they felt the rain begin to ease, a small laugh escaping their lips.
“I’ll make you the last…”
Their voice was muffled by the rain. Like a ghost, their feet left no trace on the wet ground. Their steps grew lighter before disappeared without a trace.