"Same teddy…?" Tiger whispers under his breath.
He steps forward slowly, eyes locked on the girl standing ahead.
"You're… the same?" he asks.
She tilts her head slightly. "Yes. I'm the same. Any problem?"
She raises her hand casually. The teddy lifts into the air as if pulled by invisible strings. Tiny particles begin to glow around it. Within seconds, it dissolves into floating fragments that scatter in the night breeze and disappear completely.
Tiger watches every particle fade.
Without warning, she jumps down from the wall. Her landing is impossibly soft—no sound, no dust, nothing.
Before Tiger can react, she moves.
In a blur of speed, she appears right in front of him and places both her hands on his shoulders. Her forehead rests lightly against him. He can feel her breath near his ear.
She whispers, "I have some work with you. Nothing more."
Her voice is calm. Too calm.
She removes her hands and begins walking backward, step by step, never breaking eye contact.
Tiger stands frozen. His mind struggles to process what just happened.
He turns fully toward her.
She stops and sighs. "Look… I don't have any bad intentions. But I was told to do something. So I'll have to do it."
She starts walking around the park slowly, hands folded behind her back like she's taking an evening stroll.
"Do you think I'm stalking you?" she asks casually.
Tiger remains silent.
"I know this must feel strange. Awkward, maybe." She places a hand on her forehead dramatically. "But what can I do?"
She shrugs.
"I won't harm you. So there's no need to worry."
In a single smooth motion, she jumps back onto the wall and sits there, swinging one leg lightly.
"Maybe in the future I might do something," she says playfully. "But not now."
Tiger's patience cracks.
"Will you stop talking nonsense?" he says, irritation clear in his voice. "I'm tired of this."
She smiles slowly.
"Oh? You're tired of my words?" She places her hand on her jawline, pretending to think deeply. "Hmm…"
After a moment she looks at him again. "Fine. Want to play a game?"
Tiger blinks. "Haa…?"
Suddenly—
Headlights flash across the park.
A truck approaches the roadside nearby.
Before Tiger can even step back, the girl grabs him and instantly teleports behind the wall. The shift is so fast that the world around him bends for a split second.
They crouch behind the wall, hidden.
Tiger doesn't speak.
He finally understands—she moved him without effort.
A truck door slams.
Three men step out.
The first man stretches his arms. "Oof… we finally reached for the delivery. But we're too late."
The third man replies, "It's fine. At least we arrived. Now we just have to drop it near the house."
"Wait," the first man says. "Check the map again."
The second man looks at his phone. "Umm… we're at the wrong place. The delivery point is 4–5 kilometers from here. We're near a park."
He sighs loudly.
The third man groans. "This map is so confusing. And we're already forty minutes late."
"Forget it," the first man says. "Let's move quickly. If we delay more, the order will get cancelled."
"Yeah, hurry," the second agrees.
They load everything back into the truck and drive away.
Silence returns to the park.
Tiger and the girl heard everything.
As soon as the truck disappears, Tiger stands up quickly, almost stumbling from how close she was earlier.
She bursts into laughter. She stand up.
"You really are surprised by me, aren't you?" she says, still smiling, and dusts herself off.
"Who are you?" why are you not telling me about that. he finally asks.
The wind blows harder. The moonlight reflects in her pale eyes.
She doesn't answer immediately.
Instead, she steps closer again—but this time not aggressively. Just close enough to make him uncomfortable.
"You don't need to know that yet," she replies softly.
Tiger clenches his fists.
"You appear with that teddy. No one else can see it. You teleport. You move faster than I can react. And you say you have work with me." His voice lowers. "That's not normal."
She laughs lightly. "Normal? Since when was your life normal, Tiger?"
That sentence hits him, and he remembered his past things that happened to him when she says that.
She watches his expression carefully.
"You're different," she continues. "And because you're different… people are watching."
"People?" Tiger narrows his eyes.
She nods slowly. "Some are curious. Some are afraid. Some want to use you."
"And you?" he asks.
She tilts her head again.
"I'm just following instructions."
"From who?"
She smiles.
"Wrong question."
The atmosphere grows heavier.
Tiger steps back slightly, creating distance.
"I don't trust you."
"That's fine," she replies instantly. "You don't have to."
For a moment, neither speaks.
The night feels colder than before.
She suddenly claps her hands once.
"Anyway," she says brightly, "we were about to play a game."
Tiger stares at her. "What game?"
"A simple one."
She walks past him slowly and whispers while passing by, "Catch me."
Before he can respond, she vanishes.
Not like before.
This time, she doesn't teleport behind something.
She simply disappears into thin air.
Tiger spins around quickly, scanning every direction.
Nothing.
The park is empty.
He hears a faint voice echo in the distance.
"You have five seconds."
His heart starts beating faster.
"One…"
He focuses his senses.
"Two…"
The air feels slightly disturbed near the trees.
"Three…"
He moves.
"Four…"
He jumps toward the shadow near the playground.
"Five."
A hand touches his back.
"You're slow."
He turns instantly—but she's standing behind him again.
"How—" he starts.
She laughs. "Relax. That wasn't the real game."
Tiger exhales sharply.
"I don't have time for this."
"Oh, you do," she says calmly. "Because whether you like it or not… things are about to change."
Her playful expression fades for the first time.
"This world you see?" she continues quietly. "It's not the only one."
Tiger's eyes sharpen.
"What do you mean?"
She looks up at the moon.
"You'll find out soon."
She steps backward again.
"And Tiger…"
He doesn't blink.
"You're late."
Before he can ask what she means, her body begins breaking into the same glowing particles as the teddy earlier.
Within seconds, she vanishes completely.
The park returns to silence.
Tiger stands alone under the moonlight.
His mind races.
Late for what?
He looks at his hands.
Something feels different.
The air around him feels heavier.
Somewhere far away, a faint echo vibrates through the night.
And for the first time—
Tiger feels like he's not just being watched.