Chapter 6: A Sound That Never Gets Explained
387 Words
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After that conversation, everything changed. Not in a dramatic way, but like a thin thread slowly being pulled from inside Jisoo. She didn’t know where it came from—the creeping anxiety—but she realized, ever since Jungkook’s last words that night, she hadn’t slept peacefully.
She began hearing things.
Not exactly real. But not entirely imaginary either.
Footsteps in the hallway when everyone else was already asleep.
The sound of water trickling from the bathroom even though the tap was tightly closed.
And sometimes, murmurs. Faint. Distant. Like someone speaking from behind a thin wall. But whenever she leaned closer to listen—silence.
It was as if the sound knew she was listening, and chose to fall quiet.
Nights became heavier.
Jisoo often sat in the living room without lights, only accompanied by the glow of her phone screen. Her eyes were swollen. Her chest was tight. But strangely, she wasn’t scared. She was just… waiting.
Waiting for Jungkook to appear.
But he never did again.
Not on the balcony. Not in the hallway. Not at the vending machine where they first spoke.
Until one night, something truly changed.
Jisoo was standing in the kitchen, about to pour hot water into a mug. Her mind was blank. But her hands froze when she saw something on the table: a Polaroid photo.
She stared at it in silence.
In the photo, it was her. Sleeping on the sofa.
With her gray blanket. With an exhausted expression on her face.
And behind her—a shadow. A man’s shadow.
Her heart raced too fast. She didn’t remember anyone taking that photo. She never photographed herself. And whoever took this… had to be inside her apartment.
Her hands trembled as she flipped the photo. There was handwriting.
"I promised only to watch. But sometimes, a shadow wants more than that."
No signature. No date.
Jisoo couldn’t say anything.
That night, she didn’t sleep. She just sat in the corner of her bed, Polaroid in hand, and noise crashing in her mind.
She knew who had left that photo.
And for the first time, she realized—she didn’t want to stay away. No matter how dark Jungkook was. No matter what he was hiding.
Because Jisoo’s fear… wasn’t stronger than her curiosity.
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To be continued...
- Writer
