My wrist still felt warm long after Kim Taehyung let go of it.

Which was ridiculous.

Actually ridiculous.

Because none of this should've been happening to me in the first place.

Not the glitches.

Not the phone calls.

And definitely not Kim Taehyung standing in my former office lobby looking at me like I was someone he'd been trying to find for a very long time.

I should leave.

So eventually—

I did.

***

The train ride home felt wrong.

Like the world had shifted half an inch while I wasn't paying attention.

I sat near the window with the cardboard box resting on my lap, replaying the conversation in my head over and over again.

"You really don't remember anything."

"I'm the only person here who remembers you correctly."

"They already know where you are."

Every sentence sounded worse the more I thought about it.

I hated that my hands still remembered the feeling of his grip around my wrist.

Warm.

Steady.

Real.

Too real.

I pressed my forehead briefly against the cold train window and closed my eyes.

This was insane.

Kim Taehyung was insane.

And somehow—

a terrifying part of me still wanted to hear him explain everything.

The train lights flickered once.

I opened my eyes immediately.

The woman sitting across from me was staring.

Not at me.

Past me.

Her expression looked strangely blank.

Then the lights stabilized again.

And she blinked like nothing had happened.

My chest tightened.

No.

I was just tired.

That was all.

***

By the time I reached my apartment building, it was already dark outside.

The hallway lights buzzed softly overhead while I unlocked the door.

Everything inside looked normal.

I stepped inside slowly.

The kitchen light was still on. I must have left it on this morning.

My shoes were still beside the couch.

The unfinished cup of coffee I had forgotten to throw away sat untouched on the counter.

Nothing looked wrong.

But the silence felt heavy.

I locked the door immediately.

Then checked it twice.

Ridiculous.

I knew it was ridiculous.

Still, I carried the cardboard box into the living room and set it carefully on the floor.

My phone buzzed.

Unknown Number.

Not again?

The screen lit up silently in the dark room.

I didn't answer, I didn't want to.

I just stared at it.

Then the call ended.

A message appeared instead.

DON'T STAY THERE.

My stomach dropped.

Another message followed immediately.

PLEASE.

No name.

No explanation.

But somehow I already knew who had sent it.

I swallowed hard and typed back before I could stop myself.

Who are you?

The typing bubble appeared instantly.

You know who I am.

My pulse jumped painfully.

I locked the phone without replying.

No.

Absolutely not.

I was not doing this.

I needed sleep.

I needed logic.

I needed one normal thing to happen today.

I crouched beside the cardboard box and started pulling things out mechanically.

Office notebooks.

Folders.

A framed photo of my team.

Pens.

Receipts.

And yet, something underneath the folders caught my attention.

A photograph.

My breath caught instantly.

Slowly,

I pulled it free.

And the entire world seemed to go silent.

It was me.

And Kim Taehyung.

Standing side by side beneath dim streetlights.

His arm loosely around my shoulders.

Both of us looking directly at the camera.

Comfortable.

Close.

As this photo had been taken after hundreds of others before it.

My hands started shaking immediately.

"No..."

I had never seen this picture in my life.

Was it edited?

Oh girl, with the development of AI these days, this was normal.

Maybe it was Minji teasing me.

Squeezing my eyes shut, I tried to reassure myself before my phone rang again; guessing it was Taehyung, I answered it.

"...hello?"

I was right.

His familiar voice rang out on the other end of the line.

"You found it?"

"How did you get my number?"

"Answer me first."

"Found what?"

"The picture."

"Wasn't it Minji teasing me?"

"Proof that we actually know each other."

Silence.

I didn't even remember any of this.

"Why don't I remember anything?" - I whispered.

"You can't!"

Another pause.

Then—

"Did anyone follow you home?"

"What?"

"Answer me."

The sudden sharpness in his voice caught me off guard.

"No."

"You're sure?"

"Yes."

A breath left him quietly from the other end of the call.

Almost relieved.

I looked back down at the photograph still shaking slightly in my hand.

"...who am I to you?"

For a second, I genuinely thought he wouldn't answer.

Then softly—

So softly it almost hurt.

"Just know that you are important to me."

A chill crawled slowly up my spine.

Too many strange words.

Too many half-explanations.

I was so tired of it.

"Kim Taehyung!"

"Listen—"

Suddenly, I heard the elevator ding somewhere behind him.

Voices.

Footsteps.

Like people moving quickly.

Then his voice again—

More urgent this time.

"Listen to me carefully."

I swallowed hard.

"For the next few days, don't stay in one place too long."

"...wh-what are you talking about?"

"And if someone from MUSE approaches you again—"

he said, anxiety sharp in his voice.

"I'm begging you, please don't accept anything." — he urged, his voice dropping into a desperate whisper.

The words made my heartbeat stutter.

I hated that.

"What is happening to you? It seems like you're in danger."

"No, I'm fine." He paused. "I can still talk to you for a little longer."

Three knocks suddenly echoed through my apartment door.

My entire body froze.

Not loud.

Not aggressive.

Just—

Precise.

My grip tightened around the phone.

Another three knocks.

Then a woman's voice spoke calmly from outside.

"Miss Y/N?"

My stomach dropped.

The line on the phone went completely silent.

Then,

Very quietly—

Taehyung whispered,

"...don't open the door."

My fingers tightened instinctively around the phone.

Another knock echoed through the apartment.

Calm.

Measured.

Terrifyingly polite.

"Miss Y/N?"

I didn't move.

Didn't breathe.

My eyes stayed locked on the door while my heart started pounding painfully hard against my ribs.

"How do they know where I live?" I whispered.

On the other end of the call, Kim Taehyung stayed silent for a second.

Then quietly:

"They know everything."

That answer did absolutely nothing to make me feel better.

The woman outside spoke again.

"We only want to discuss your employment offer."

Employment offer....

Right.

MUSE Entertainment! Seo Yerin?

I swallowed hard.

"You said not to talk to them."

"I meant it."

"Why?"

Silence.

I hated silence.

Especially his.

Because it always sounded like he knew things he refused to say out loud.

Another knock.

Softer this time.

"Miss Y/N, we know you're home."

A shudder rippled through me, unbidden and sharp.

My apartment suddenly felt too small.

Too exposed.

Taehyung's voice came through the phone again, lower now.

"Don't answer."

"...you sound like they're dangerous."

Another pause.

Then quietly:

"They are when they want something."

Something about the way he said that made my chest tighten unexpectedly.

Like the voice of experience.

I looked down at the photograph still resting in my hand.

The version of him in the picture looked nothing like the person people see online.

Too soft.

Too real.

Like someone capable of missing another person.

My throat suddenly felt dry.

"...how do we know each other?"

The silence that followed felt heavier than before.

Not because he didn't want to answer.

But because,

for the first time,

he sounded like he genuinely didn't know how.

Outside the apartment, footsteps shifted quietly.

Then the woman finally spoke one last time.

"We'll contact you again."

I stayed frozen anyway.

Listening carefully until the sound of footsteps disappeared completely down the hallway.

Only then did I exhale shakily.

"They left."

"I know."

"You know everything apparently."

A faint breath of amusement escaped him quietly.

Not a laugh.

Close to one.

I sank slowly onto the floor beside the couch, still holding the phone against my ear.

Everything suddenly felt exhausting.

Losing my job.

The picture,

The weird girl from MUSE Entertainment who kept following me.

And him.

Especially him.

Because none of this made sense.

And somehow, he only made less sense the longer I talked to him.

"You keep warning me about them," I said quietly. "But you won't explain anything."

"I can't."

"You can't or you won't?"

This time, he answered immediately.

"...both."

I closed my eyes briefly.

"That's incredibly frustrating."

"I know."

Another silence settled between us.

But strangely—

this one didn't feel uncomfortable anymore.

I could hear faint movement on his side of the call.

A door closing somewhere.

Distant voices.

Then quiet again.

It made me realize that, apparently without cameras and stage lights...

he sounded...

just normal,

Human.

The realization made my chest feel strangely tight.

"...are you alone?" he asked softly.

The question caught me off guard.

"Yes."

A pause.

Then:

"Good."

I frowned immediately.

"That sounded weirdly threatening."

A quiet huff escaped him.

Definitely amusement this time.

I stared down at the photograph again.

At the way his right arm rested around my shoulders so naturally.

At the expression on his face.

"...why do I feel like I miss you?"

The words slipped out before I could stop them.

Complete silence answered me.

For one second, I thought the call had disconnected.

Then, a heavy, trembling exhale—

"...I miss you too."

------------------------------AUTHOR'S NOTE---------------------------------

Is this chapter long enough to satisfy your curiosity? 😎Someone should give me the "Most Reader-Pampering Author of the Year" award already, haha!🤣