-Start of Chapter 65-
I lay in bed, phone pressed to my ear, listening to Hana's voice. She's going off about uni projects, which is nothing new, but today, her tone sounds a little more exasperated than usual.
"Ugh, I swear, I can't with Seojun" Hana complains. "He's supposed to be helping with the younger students, but he keeps disappearing to the theater club. Like, where's the dedication?"
I laugh, propping myself up on my pillows. "Huh? The theatre club? I didn't even know he was into that."
Hana chuckles sheepishly, and I hear her fidgeting on the other end. "Um... yeah, well.., n-nothing"
I raise an eyebrow, intrigued, but she quickly changes the subject.
"Anyway" she continues brightly, "I'm working on the project with Nari and this other girl. I think it's gonna be a lot of fun."
I smile, glad to hear Nari's name. She's been such a bright spot at the café, so cheerful and sweet, it's hard not to like her. "That sounds awesome. Having Nari around must be entertaining, huh?"
"Yeah, she's always so bubbly and happy! Everything about her is cute. The way she speaks, the way she walks, her handwriting—it's all just adorable." Hana says, and I can almost hear her grinning on the other side of the phone.
I laugh, imagining Nari with her signature cheerfulness. "She really is something, huh? I'm glad you're working with her."
Hana's voice turns teasing. "Yep! Next time we work on a project together, I'll send you a photo so you can see for yourself."
I smile at the thought. "Sure"
The conversation trails off as Hana says goodnight, and I curl up under the blankets. Sleep quickly takes over.
~~~~~
The next morning, I wake up to the smell of fresh coffee and something sweet. I stretch, groggily getting out of bed, still half asleep when I make my way down the hallway. As I turn the corner into the kitchen, I spot Huening standing near the counter, his eyes focused on something on the surface.
"Hey, what's up?" I ask, rubbing my eyes, a little confused.
Huening doesn't answer at first, his gaze still locked on whatever it is he's looking at. And its impossible to see over his tall figure.
When he finally turns to me, his face is unusually serious. "Noona... you should see this."
I blink in surprise, walking closer.
But then my eyes land on the photo he's holding. My stomach drops.
It's a picture of me and Soobin—taken yesterday, while we were walking through that secluded area, his coat draped across my shoulders, the soft glow of the Christmas lights still hanging in the background.
And next to it, there's a note...
In that same bubbly handwriting...
~~~~~
Soobinnie how dare you lend her your coat?? That should be me!!
But I forgive you - here's a cake I made with love. Make sure to eat it.
And don't worry. If she ever comes in our way again,
I'll make sure she's gone forever...
~~~~~
~~~~~
A few minutes later, I'm sitting at the kitchen table, a cup of coffee in front of me, trying to keep my nerves in check. Hueningkai has been quiet, staring at the photo, while I take slow sips, my mind racing with thoughts of who could have sent this. I'm so focused on the photo, I don't even hear Yeonjun and Taehyun enter the room.
"Y/N noona, are you okay?" Taehyun asks, his voice soft but full of concern.
I look up, and the moment his eyes land on the photo, his face drops. "Wait, what's this? You were being followed??"
I sigh, rubbing my temples. "Seems like it..."
Yeonjun, who has just woken up, is still groggy, but his eyes widen when he sees the picture. "What the hell is this?" He looks between Hueningkai and me. "Who took this? And what's with the note?"
I shrug, feeling a sinking feeling in my stomach. "I don't know. It's the same person seems liek from the handwriting..."
Just then, Soobin walks into the kitchen, rubbing his eyes and looking confused.
He freezes when he sees the photo on the table. He looks at me, and I see the concern flash in his eyes.
I feel a twinge in my chest. The last thing I need right now is for him to feel responsible.
But before I can say anything, Beomgyu stumbles in, still half asleep. He looks around, trying to figure out what's going on.
When he sees the photo, his eyes widen. "Soobin-hyung! You gave Y/N your coat? That's so sweet—"
*SMACK!*
Yeonjun's hand comes down on Beomgyu's head with a loud thwack, cutting him off. "Are you an idiot? Don't you see the note?"
Beomgyu rubs his head with a pout "I did! But its not like staring at it is gonna tell is who it is!"
~~~~~
I'm behind the counter, organizing receipts when Seoha walks in, shrugging off his coat. As he puts on his apron, he glances toward the register and frowns.
"Why's Nari scribbling on paper? The screen's not even on." he asks, walking over to me.
I sigh, already anticipating his reaction. "Yeah, remember how the register was acting slow yesterday? Well, it decided to completely give up today. Won't be fixed for a couple of days, so we're doing everything by hand. And customers can only pay with cash."
Seoha clicks his tongue, tying his apron tighter. "That's annoying."
"Tell me about it" I mutter, grabbing another stack of receipts. "It's already been a long day."
Nari looks up from her writing, holding up a page with a sheepish smile. "But at least my handwriting is cute, right?"
I chuckle, shaking my head. "Sure, Nari. Let's go with that."
Another rush of customers come in and I sigh.
"It's gonna be llooooonngg dayyy"
~~~~~
The café's rush had finally died down, and by the time I got home, it was well past midnight. I push the door open, groaning as I step inside, my feet dragging with every step.
The silence seems unusually eerie today. The members are still at the company, probably practicing until dawn, leaving the dorm unusually empty. I kick off my shoes and make my way to my room, feeling the weight of exhaustion pulling me down with every movement.
Once inside, I flop onto my bed for a second, staring at the ceiling. Just one second. But I know if I didn't get up now, I wouldn't get up at all.
With a groan, I force myself to sit, grabbing my laptop and opening it on my bed.
"Receipts first," I mumble to myself, pulling out the crumpled stack from my bag. My vision is already blurry from lack of sleep, but I lean closer to the screen, typing everything in as accurately as my half-functional brain could manage.
"...total...." I mutter, typing each figure into the system. My fingers move sluggishly across the keys, but I refuse to stop until everything is done.
Finally, after what feels like hours, I reach the last receipt. I exhaled deeply, shoving the stack into the drawer by my bedside. "Done," I mumble, my voice barely above a whisper. My eyes feel like they were made of sandpaper.
I plug my phone out of the charger, letting the brightness of the screen sear into my tired eyes as I unlock it. Notifications flood in, but I ignore most of them, scrolling straight to Hana's chat.
Her messages greet me with an energy I can't match at 2AM:
Hana:
Look at this!!
A photo loads on my screen. It is of a group project setup—a mix of familiar and unfamiliar faces around a cluttered table.
Hana is there, her trademark wide smile present, alongside Seojun, Nari, and a few others. Everyone seemed deep into their work, papers strewn everywhere, laptops glowing in the dim light of what looked like a late-night library session.
I smile faintly. They looked like they were having fun.
I scroll to the next photo, this time a close-up of a notebook, its pages filled to the brim with cute bubbly handwriting. The caption underneath reads:
Hana:
Loooookkk! Nari wrote soooo much!! We'd be dead without her!
She has such cute handwriting doesn't shee???
I begin typing out a reply, my voice murmuring the words aloud as I go.
"Sorry for replying so late. Yeah, Nari's handwriting is cu—"
The word dies on my tongue as I stop mid-sentence, my eyes snapping back to the photo Hana sent. My heart pounds in my chest.
No.
It's the same handwriting.
My hands tremble as I reach for the receipts Nari wrote earlier today, hastily unfolding one. My eyes dart across the letters. Bubbly, playful strokes... identical to the handwriting on the sasaeng notes.
I freeze, the connection sending shivers down my spine.
This can't be real.
Grabbing my phone, I call Hana immediately. The phone rings twice before her groggy voice answers.
"Whaaaattt?? Unniiee, it's 2 AM. Why are you—"
I cut her off, my voice shaking. "H-Hana, Nari... her handwriting... has it always been like that?"
There's a pause on the other end before Hana groans. "Huh? Yeah, of course. Why? What's going on?"
My breathing quickens. "A-Are you sure? Like... she's not copying someone's handwriting or trying some kind of font or—"
Hana interrupts me, sounding more awake now. "What are you talking about? No, she's always written like that. Y/N, are you okay?"
I can't answer. My blood runs cold as I hear the front door creak open downstairs.
"Hana" I whisper, my voice barely audible. "Stay on the call. Don't hang up."
"What was that sound?" Hana asks, now fully alert.
My heart pounds as I slowly slip out of bed, phone in hand, putting her on speaker. The house is eerily quiet, but the unmistakable sound of a crash shatters the silence.
"Y/N, what's going on?!" Hana's voice is panicked now, but I can't focus on her.
My hands tremble as I grab a flashlight from my bedside drawer. Stepping into the dark hallway, I move cautiously toward the source of the noise. The dim glow from the flashlight barely illuminates the space ahead of me.
Another sound—a soft shuffle—echoes from the living room.
I whisper, "Hana, I think... someone's in the house."
"What?! Call the police!" Hana yells through the phone, but I shake my head instinctively. "Where are the guys?!!?"
"S-Still at the compaany..."
I reach the top of the stairs, straining to see into the shadows below. The air feels heavy, suffocating, and every creak of the floorboards under my feet feels deafening.
Suddenly, a shadow moves.
My breath catches, and I freeze.
"Y/N..." Hana's voice trembles through the speaker. "What's happening?"
I swallow hard, summoning every ounce of courage I have left. My thumb hovers over the light switch near the stairs, trembling as I brace myself.
With a deep breath, I flick it on.
The sudden burst of light floods the living room, and my eyes lock onto a figure standing by the couch.
It's a girl.
My heart pounds against my ribcage as I register who it is.
I stammer, my voice barely above a whisper.
"N-Nari?"
-End of Chapter 56-